by Blair Grey
It had started out with five members of The Keepers who’d pressed the issue of a meeting with me, but it had turned into fifteen once we got to the place where they wanted to hold the meeting.
Abandoned buildings weren’t the best places to hold meetings, in my opinion.
I knew things were bad. Jake had taken the lead of the group. His temperament wasn’t great. Hotheaded, he also thought he knew it all – a horrible combination. “You’ve got only one thing you can do, Santos. Drop the gig and send them back to Baltimore.”
I didn’t like being told what I had to do. “Last time I checked, Travis, you weren’t in charge of a damn thing. No one voted you into any office on our council.” I looked at his followers. “And fifteen of you don’t even make a quarter of our members.”
All of them began shouting at the same time. Although I understood none of what they said as they all talked over each other, I knew they all agreed that I wasn’t the president for them.
Raising one hand, Jake quieted his herd of stupid sheep. “Let me educated this poor fool before we give her another chance to see things the right way.” He looked at me as I took a seat on an old metal folding chair.
My body ached from the events of the prior night. It ached in an awesome way, but it ached, and standing up wasn’t feeling too great. “Mind if a take a seat for your lecture?”
“Go ahead.” He nodded before going on, “The way we do things isn’t acceptable for all the citizens of the United States. Are you aware of this fact, Santos?”
Referring to the way we used to do things as the way we currently did them wasn’t going to work for me. “We no longer do things that way. Not since I took office. So, why are you asking me about that?”
“My group does.” He eyed me. “And we will continue to do things the way we were taught to by the people who made the rules in the first place.”
“Things change,” I reminded him. “The people who made those rules are no longer in charge of things. My council and I are in charge and we no longer want to run the agency that way. What do you think would happen to us if people got wind of how we did business?”
“Being afraid of what people think isn’t a thing we care about, Santos. We’ve lost three clients already due to you and the changes you’ve made. My group hasn’t lost even one. But we didn’t make changes either.”
He was a fool for telling me things like that. “So you’re standing here telling me that you and your group have killed people since I’ve been president and you haven’t put that information on any of your reports.”
With a smile, he nodded. “You get what I like to call, cleaned reports. Not to worry, our clients are happy with our work.”
“Then make your own fucking agency and leave ours.” It seemed like a simple thing to do to me. “We don’t want people who won’t follow our rules anyway. As a matter of fact, since you’ve told me this, you’re all out anyway.”
Looking a little confused, he asked, “Are you listening to yourself? Who do you think you are, Wonder Woman? I mean, you’re sitting here, not even one of us is on your side, and still, you talk like you’re in charge.”
“I am in charge.” I knew not to let any of them think that I felt as if I was out of control. Which I did not feel.
Shaking his head, he began pacing in front of me with his hands behind his back. “Here’s the deal, Santos. You drop the gig for the Iron Cobras, and you send their men back to Baltimore. If you do that, then we’ll get back to work the way we always have. That means that whoever wants to do things your way still can. And we’re going to continue doing things the way we always have.”
“The fuck you are.” I wasn’t going to sit back and let them have their way. Not when they were defying direct orders.
Turning with a snap of his body to face me, he snarled, “You have put us in a dangerous situation, Santos. You’re lucky I’m allowing you to maintain your status as president. That will end on its own once elections come back around anyway.”
“You won’t be a part of The Keepers when that time rolls around.” He was certifiable if he thought he and his crew were going to get to maintain their membership in our MC after what they’d done.
“I think you’ve got that backward, Santos. It’s you who won’t be a part of the MC. Or any MC for that matter.” His laughter filled the nearly empty room that resembled a school gymnasium. “Why would you think that it’s okay to hire us out to some other MC? Why would you think that it’s okay to bring in a couple of people from the outside for us to train? Why would you think that clients will want to sign up for our services when you’re making our agency look bad?”
“I’m not arguing the point with you. You’re not a council member. And I’ve already gotten the approval that I needed. I don’t see that this will hurt a thing with our agency. An agency that you will no longer be a part of, Jake. You’re out.” I looked at each and every one of the others who stood around. “None of you are a part of the agency any longer. Got that? And soon, you will be voted out of the MC as well. You can’t just do whatever the fuck you want to. Your time in the military should’ve taught you that much.”
“Why do you think we all quit?” Jake asked me as he wore a stone-cold expression. “Why do you think we all joined the MC and the agency? We want to do things the way we decide to. And up until now, that’s worked out just fine. Then you went and brought outsiders into our domain and fucked it all up. If any of the Cobras find out what we really do – or did, Santos – then they can do one of two things. They can report us to the authorities. Or even worse – they can extort us. The Iron Cobras could take everything we have in exchange for keeping our secrets. Don’t you understand that? It doesn’t matter that you ended the way we’ve done things. We still did them. The past hasn’t mysteriously vanished, Santos. Did you ever stop to think about that before you went and accepted this job?”
“They wouldn’t do that.” But he was right about one thing. I hadn’t ever thought about that. “You shouldn’t even be worried about what they might do to The Keepers. You’re out anyway.” There was no way in hell that I would allow any of them to stay on after what they’d done. I was sure the rest of the council would see things the same way that I did.
“I am not out. None of us are out,” he said as if it were the truth. “You, on the other hand, are out. See, now that you’ve refused to see reason, we want this from you. You step down as president and allow Marcos Villarreal, the vice president, to take over. If you do this, we won’t ask for you to be thrown out of The Keepers MC. If you don’t do as we have so graciously asked, then we will call a meeting with the council, where we will explain how you’ve put all of our heads on the chopping block just so you can fuck the man who asked us to take on this job.”
“I didn’t take the job just to do that.” Guilt began to gnaw at me though. Clyde was the reason I wanted the council to vote yes on taking the job for the Iron Cobras. He was also the reason that I’d come up with the idea to keep him in D.C. with the training program. “My personal life is also none of your concern.”
“But it is,” he said with a sly grin. “It is your attraction to Clyde Thomas that has put us all in danger.”
“That’s not why I wanted to take the job. If you would’ve been in that meeting, you would’ve known that I wanted us to take the job because Clyde and the man with him are former military just like all of us are. I didn’t want to let them down.”
His brows raised. “But you would let us down? The people who have had your back and expected you to have ours? You would give these men, who only have that one thing in common with us, the information that could take us all down?”
“They wouldn’t do that!” I was sick of this idiot thinking he knew the men in a way that I didn’t. “They’re like us. They wouldn’t go around giving out information that isn’t theirs to give.”
“What about the men they will go back to Baltimore to?” he asked. “What about them? Are they ex-mili
tary too? Are they bound to hold all things spoken between them as secrets? Or are they the sort of people who like to get the dirt on others just so they can use it against them?” His hands flew into the air. “I really want to know. Because I don’t know shit about the Iron Cobras. I don’t know any of the members. I have not spent even a few minutes with any of them to know what they are or are not about. But, like most MCs I am thinking that they must be into things that are illegal.”
“I have no idea.” I wasn’t about to start talking about another MC the way he was.
“That’s right,” he said. “You don’t have any idea. They might be into running drugs. They might have a prostitution ring going on or be part of one. They might be into human trafficking. You. Don’t. Know.”
Feeling a little deflated, I knew I’d made quick decisions based on Clyde Thomas. Now my decisions might end up getting me thrown out of office. Or worse.
What I’d found out about Clyde made me feel a little better though. He was a good man. He wasn’t the sort of guy I’d thought he was.
He had cared about her.
If I could talk to Clyde, I could find out about his MC. If they were the type to use what we’d done against us, then I could make him understand why we would have to end the contract. He would help me. I knew he would.
All it meant was that I would have to be truthful with the man. One-hundred percent truthful.
“I have every confidence that I made the right decision.” I couldn’t show these people any weakness. “But I understand your concerns and I will deal with them. On Monday.” I eyed them all. “This could’ve and should’ve been dealt with then anyway.”
“Under the scrutiny of the other council members?” Jake asked as he crossed his arms over his broad chest. “We were worried about your stellar reputation being tarnished, Miss Santos. Why would we want to bring up the fact that you’re fucking the man who may well bring us all down?”
“That’s enough,” I said with a sharp tone. “I’ve said it once, and I will not say it again. My personal life is mine alone.”
“Yeah, I know.” With a snap of his fingers, two men came to stand on either side of me. “We’ve got some demands that we’d like to make you aware of right now. It’s been proven that you don’t take your role as our president seriously. So, we want you to step down immediately. You can make the call to the vice president now to let him know. And that will be that. You will be able to leave.”
I wasn’t going to be bullied. “You can shove that idea up your ass, Travis.”
“I thought as much.” He nodded as he looked around. “So, onto what we’re going to do about that. See, we’re going to get what we want. Since you refuse to work with us, you will not leave here at all.”
As hard as I tried not to let my heart start pounding, it did it anyway as adrenaline rushed around my body. “Are you threatening my life?”
“What do you think?” He laughed. “And I don’t want you to worry about your family, either. I know how much they all depend on you. We’ll send them on the same trip we’re going to send you on.”
Staring at the floor, I knew I would memorize each crack in the grey cement as my mind froze. Then an idea came to me. “You can try to do with me what you will. You would be morons if you mess with any member of my family. The boy’s father is a high-ranking member of a pretty terrifying group from Mexico. He’s in the picture, just not obvious. If anything happens to his son or any of the people who care for the boy while he’s busy with his business ventures, heads will roll.” I made eye contact with each person there. “Not only the heads here, but the heads of your families as well. They wholeheartedly believe in an eye for an eye. So, I am asking you – for your sakes and the sakes of your families – not to involve my family in any of this.”
Clapping loudly, he looked at the others. “What a great bit of information you’ve given us, Santos. Now we know who to pin the blame on and how to make this look like a hit. You are full of useful information. And while we’re at it, we’ll throw in the two guys you’ve brought into our fold. We can’t very well let them go back to Baltimore with anything they might have found out about us. Now can we?”
“If you kill either of them, you will be dealing with their MC. You are an idiot.” I looked at everyone but Jake. “If you follow this man, he will get you all killed. One does not take the life of a member of any MC worth its salt and not pay the price for that. If you’re not going to take my word seriously, you will all die. I am begging you not to follow this man.”
Jake’s hand connected soundly with my cheek so quickly that I never saw it coming. And strong hands on both my arms held me in place. “Tie her up. Gag her. I’m done listening to this bitch. Having a female as our president has been an embarrassment that we will no longer have to bear.”
A little backup would really be nice about now.
Chapter Seventeen
Clyde
The place was locked up like Fort Knox. I’d tried every window within reach and the four doors I’d found around the building, but none were penetrable. The sounds inside weren’t too bad either, which had me thinking that Tequila was doing okay and just trying to talk to the people she’d left with.
Maybe it’s not a kidnapping after all.
Being that I’d never been this involved with anyone before, I was a little worried that I could be dramatizing everything she did. Smiling to myself, the idea reminded me of how dramatic she’d said her family was. “Maybe I’ll fit right in with them.” If she ever lets me meet them.
Just as I got back around to the place I’d first started at, I heard the sharp sound of what sounded like a slap. Putting my ear to the wall again, I heard soft mumbling sounds.
No screaming or crying. That’s good.
If Tequila had been hit, I was sure she would yell up a storm at whoever had done it to her. Insecurities began to gnaw at me as I felt like I’d overreacted.
I had no idea how the MC really did their business dealings. Sure, the headquarters made it look as if they were more businesslike than any other MC I’d ever known about. But maybe, in some respects, they were just as gritty as the rest of us.
Movement from across the street caught my eye as five men came around the corner. At first, I thought it might be people from Tequila’s MC. But then all the black leather, skullcaps, and chrome buckles told me differently. No one in The Keepers dresses like that.
Garrett waved as they came my way. I’d thought a few of the lower-ranking members would be all he could scrounge up for me. Instead, I found the president of the Iron Cobras, Carl leading them.
Lucas, Ryder, and Axel had come too. I had the best of the best and couldn’t have been happier. Until I thought about how I might have been wrong about the whole thing. “Sorry, guys.” I looked at Garrett. “I asked you to get Carl to send some guys. Not come himself and bring these guys.” Shaking my head, I wasn’t sure what to say. “Sorry about this. I know you all have so many better things to do.”
Carl held up one hand to shut me up. “Let me give you what I know, Clyde.” His stern expression told me he’d dug up some dirt.
“Sure, boss. Let me in on it.” I still hoped nothing was wrong. But if there was something out of sorts, at least I had the best guys on my team to deal with it. “And thank you all for coming.”
Axel held out his fist and I bumped it with mine. “Of course, I came. After all you’ve helped me out with, how could I just sit home and not do anything? Plus, Sarah is on a cleaning binge that I would rather be left out of.”
“Glad to get you out of the house,” I joked.
Lucas shook my hand. “And as chaplain, it would be remising of me to sit this one out. Hailey went to help Sarah out with the cleaning anyway.”
Carl nodded. “Brittany went over to help out with that too.”
“Janine is taking my time away from home to sleep. I had no idea how much pregnant women have to sleep.” Ryder bumped his shoulder to mine as he gri
nned at me. “So, this woman we’re here to save, is she special to you?”
Nodding, I had to admit that she was, “She’s pretty damn special alright. And I’m feeling a little embarrassed right now because I’m not sure if she’s in danger or not.”
Carl cocked his head. “Is she inside this building?” He put his ear to the metal the same way I had as I nodded at him. After a moment, he nodded. “From what I hear, she’s been tied up and gagged.”
Flabbergasted, I had to ask, “How the fuck did you hear that?”
“I just heard a guy telling someone to tie her up and gag her. I am assuming that he’s talking about this woman you’re in love with.”
Who said I was in love? “Then we need to hurry up and get her out of there.”
As we went around the building again, trying to find a way in, Carl began telling me what he’d found out about things with the woman I cared about, “Tequila Santos is the daughter of Manual Santos – a Marine who was KIA when she was three-years-old. Her mother, Esmerelda remarried a couple of years later – a navy pilot. They had a daughter and a son together. I’m not sure about their names.”
“I know her brother is named Edward,” I offered.
Axel, being the tallest of us all, gestured for Garrett to come to him so he could boost him up. “See if that window up there is unlocked.”
We all got quiet as Garrett tested the window carefully so as not to draw any attention from the people inside of it. Shaking his head, he whispered, “Locked.”
“This place is locked up tight,” I let them know. “These people have military training. I’m pretty sure we’re not going to find a window or door unlocked. And I already tried the doors and the windows I could reach.”
Ryder looked at the roof. “Wonder if there’s a way to get in through there. Let’s see if we can find a way to get up there. A ladder, a tree, anything that I can climb will work.”
Lucas pointed out the electrical lines that crisscrossed the top of the building. “Those are probably live, Ryder. I wouldn’t chance it.” He pulled out a small, black, leather-bound book with a zipper around it. “In times like these, I like to have my travel Bible handy.”