He laughed. “Good to be here. I’m picking up some kind of interference near the C building. North side of it. If you’ll run by here, I’ll give you an instrument to wear while you patrol, so I can try to narrow this down without giving away we’ve noticed.”
Mac could see me on the cameras, and he told me where to walk, so he could narrow down the source. He narrowed it down to a range of apartments it had to be coming from, and sent me off in a different direction.
I went off patrol at four in the morning, and those last hours were exactly what I needed. Okay, so the cat would’ve been happier prowling on four legs, but the cold night air, the clear skies full of stars, and the freedom to move in the shadows and skulk to my heart’s content was exactly what the beast and human needed. I meandered outside the complex as well, in an approximate circle going out about a mile. Boots on the ground, nose in the air, and every feline sense I owned tuned into my surroundings. I let McGyver know when I picked up a whiff of meth, where I thought we should pay attention for possible domestic violence, and noted where a family of deer shifters seemed to be living. They usually live in secluded enclaves, so that was odd.
By the time I hit the mattress, I was ready to sleep.
Chapter Twelve
Bobcat
I roared through town on my way to the jail. It seemed that since the brothers knew I had a thing going with Tess, I was now her errand boy.
Okay, so that wasn’t exactly fair. Our deal with her allowed for barter when possible, to save on attorney fees.
It also created good-will, which should theoretically make her work harder on our behalf.
She was representing someone who’d apparently beat the ever-living shit out of a redneck asshole he saw punch a woman. Jakes didn’t know they were man and wife. He saw him hit her, and he went after the man. Turns out, Jakes is a turtle shifter, so he nearly killed the human man.
But, turtle shifter or not, Tess told us he needed protection inside and was willing to pay for it, so I was arranging for it. I was in jeans and a t-shirt. No cut. I put my driver’s license and a credit card in one pocket, and three hundred dollars cash in the other.
Usually, jails are for people awaiting trial, and prisons are for people doing time, but with so many rioters locked up, prisoners were put wherever there was a place. One of our brothers landed in trouble during the riots. Wrong place at the wrong time, plus he had a weapon on him that isn’t technically legal. He was scheduled for release in another three months, but we all hoped they’d cut him loose sooner.
I added two hundred dollars to his commissary account, pocketed the receipt after I snapped a picture of it, and walked to the security area. Some days, getting in is a hassle, but on this day, it was about like going through TSA. An x-ray, a wanding, and a brief pat down of my pockets, but not my junk. Sometimes they grab your junk just because they can.
I’m not allowed to hand anything to a prisoner, so I handed the receipt to a guard, who walked it to Frost and handed it to him. I followed, and took a seat across the table from him. No glass between us here, but we weren’t supposed to touch.
“Thanks, brother. Mad Dog’s made sure I’m taken care of, but we mostly talk over video. I assume something’s up, since you’re here in person?”
Frost’s an owl, so we could speak low enough the humans couldn’t hear us.
“There’s a new guy. Turtle. Last name Jakes. Tess is worried about him.”
He lifted a brow. “For good reason. Boy’s got a smart mouth. First time inside. Needed to be taught proper manners.” He chuckled. “Not by me. He spoke truth, but no one wants to hear that shit in here.”
“Too hot to risk helping?”
He shook his head. “Nah. I can step in. He’s on my block.” He spoke a touch louder. “You fitting in okay down here?”
“Yeah. Whoever thought running a bar would be the same as running our hotel had a few screws loose, but I got it covered. Anything else we can do for you while you’re here?”
He shook his head. “Just gotta put in the time.” He shrugged and lowered his voice again. “Picked up a few connections we might can use later, once we’re all out. No one here’s doing a long stretch, and most everyone’s local.”
I leaned back and used my regular voice. “Tess is working on getting you out a few weeks earlier than planned. If the judge approves, you’ll be organizing a big clean-up weekend in one of the closed-off sections of town. The homeless are finding ways in, and the rat problem’s growing. Mad Dog’s offering to provide manpower and heavy equipment necessary to get in and reclaim about a quarter mile of road, assuming we can gather at least fifty volunteers from around the city. He’s asking for you to be released so you can manage it.”
He lifted a brow. “Couple weeks early would be nice. I don’t suppose we’ll be looking to hire any of the volunteers?”
I grinned. The MC was starting a construction company. We needed a new clubhouse, but the general contractors were booked out years. So much of the city needed to be rebuilt, and Frost had helped run his family’s construction company for years, so he was a no-brainer to run it.
“Mad Dog put the word out that volunteers could consider it their audition for employment.”
He nodded, eyed the clock, and stood. “They’ve already let me stay a few minutes over. I’ll go before they have to tell me. Thanks for the visit, and for the addition to my account. I’d hug you, but they frown on that.”
No shit. It would mean a full cavity check before he could go back to his block. Like I snuck something up his ass when I hugged him or something. Still haven’t figured that shit out. I stood as well. “Understood. Can’t wait to help throw you a huge party. Take care of yourself.”
Chapter Thirteen
Tess
Sometimes, I’m a sucker for the underdog. Jakes is the perfect example, though at least he could afford my fees. I managed to get him twenty-nine days instead of the three-hundred-and-sixty-four days the DA wanted him to have. Unfortunately, I couldn’t make it completely go away, which means he’ll lose his security clearance, and thus, his job. He’d offered me an extra twenty-thousand dollar bonus on top of my regular fees if I could keep him from being found guilty, but the best I could do was the plea deal. There was damning video of him beating the piece of shit wifebeater far beyond what was necessary to merely protect the woman.
The man sitting in front of me also had a video, and in this case, it was in his possession, but I was assuming no one else had seen it. I was kind of wishing I hadn’t. It showed a well-known drug lord, two U.S. Senators, and two household-name reporters making a deal.
“How did you get this, and what does it have to do with your son’s drug charges?”
“Senator Andretti is my neighbor. My daughter is friends with his granddaughter. They go to school together. I don’t like his politics, but I was friendly towards him, for the sake of civility.” He shrugged. “Someone hacked through my WiFi into my hard drive, and it pissed me off. I told my son to track it back and get everything off the original hacker’s hard drive. It seems Senator Andretti was obtaining dirt on those who lived close, just in case someone saw something we shouldn’t. I don’t know who made this video, I only know it was on Andretti’s hard drive.”
“And how does this relate to your son’s drug conviction?”
“Senator Andretti told me to hand over everything I have, and I have to submit to naked, crossdressing pictures he can use as blackmail on me. If I don’t, he says my son will spend the rest of his life in jail.” He stood and paced. “My son doesn’t do drugs. They planted them in his car. He’s a straight A student!”
I sighed. I badly wanted to upload this video to every social media network at the same time to make sure everyone in the United States saw it, but I was being paid to defend this man’s son. “We need something less. A lot less. We release the embarrassing-but-not-damning information, and then you respond to whoever is contacting you that you’ve set a dead-man
’s switch, so everything is released if something happens to you. Until all charges are dropped on your son, you’ll release a video every second or third day, with each more damning than the one before. And you’ll need to be clear that killing you won’t stop it, and will in fact mean the release of everything. Also, if anything happens to your son, you’ll release it all.”
If I was smart, I’d have asked him to leave, and I’d have forgotten I ever saw the video. People who go up against Senator Andretti end up dead all too often.
I leaned back in my chair and gave him an astronomical retainer fee amount. He didn’t even blink before accepting it. I’d expected him to counter with a quarter the amount, but he readily agreed.
Alrighty then. Nothing like jumping in with both feet.
I handed the USB drive back to my client and didn’t mention the fact that a program on my computer automatically saves everything on any USB drive I plug into it. It helps to have your own insurance plan.
He held his hands up. “No. You keep it. I have them in several other locations. That’s your copy. If I go missing, upload it everywhere you can think of.”
“That wasn’t the deal. I’m not your dead-man’s switch.”
“I’ll pay you more.”
“And if they get you and torture you, and you tell them who has it, I’m dead. That wasn’t the deal.”
“I won’t tell them. I promise!”
I shook my head again, but decided we could find a middle ground. I described a place in a nearby cemetery and drew a map. “Go to an outdoors store and buy one of those waterproof pouches for keys. Put it in the pouch and leave it here. If you’re tortured, you can tell them where to find the USB drive instead of telling them I have it. You tell me how often you want to check in with me and how long I wait to upload it.” I leaned forward a little more and held his gaze. “I’ll tell you now, if I upload it, the first file will be available within two minutes of me recovering it, and more files will continue to upload in the seat beside me as I drive. If they say it’s missing and try to ask who has it, you don’t tell them my name, because by the time they’ve returned to you, I’ll have already uploaded it and left town. If they come after me, I can promise you — I’ll hurt you worse than they even considered hurting you.”
He blew a breath out. “I believe you.”
It only took a few folds to turn the map into a paper airplane, and I stuck it into my cross-shredder. While I worked, I told him how much extra this service would cost, and he paused a few seconds before nodding in agreement. “Fair enough.” He wrote a check for the whole shebang, handed it to me, and I slid it into my check processing machine. Within moments, I had verification the funds were there and had been allocated. Impressive, but it told me he either came from money or was crooked. Or both. Of course, living in the same neighborhood as the not-so-honorable Senator, I’d already assumed he had money. I was only surprised he had so much liquid, ready to write a check against.
We talked about other videos and data he had available, decided on something embarrassing but not illegal about the Senator, and he left with a game plan of what to do next.
When he left, I realized I needed to find a bodyguard. In the past, I’ve used a retired Navy Seal who doesn’t want a full-time job, but enjoys earning some occasional extra money here and there. However, the government made him a deal he couldn’t turn down during the riots, and now he was off doing some kind of high-level training.
I debated whether to call Bobcat or Mad Dog for a possible referral, and decided on Mad Dog. I didn’t want to confuse business and pleasure with Bobcat.
“It’s usually me calling you. What can I do for you, counsellor?”
“I find myself in need of a bodyguard. Drake Security out of Chattanooga comes highly recommended, but if you know of someone local, I’d prefer that option.”
“Who do you need protection from?”
“I’d prefer not to say over the phone.”
He blew out a breath. “And you aren’t likely to stop working, so hiding out in one of our bunkers won’t help during the day. We can put you up at night, but if whoever this is has the chops to possibly hear us right now, you should contact Drake. Bobcat has an in with one of the owners, so you might want to talk to him about making the initial call on your behalf.”
“Okay. Thank you. I’m probably okay for a few hours. I’ll get in touch with Bobcat.”
“Whoa. Stay put. I didn’t realize this was an immediate problem. I’m twenty minutes away. You armed?”
“Yeah.”
“Hold tight.”
Bobcat
“Need you at the spa. Put Big D in charge.”
Mad Dog’s voice told me something wasn’t right, but I didn’t ask questions. “Roger that.”
My mind ran through all possible issues while I rode my bike through town and then out of it. Panic doesn’t help anything, so I was ultra-focused when I pulled into the lot. I walked in and the receptionist told me I was needed down below.
We have a back-up control room on the lower level, but I headed towards the conference room.
And you could’ve blown me over with a feather when I walked in to see Mad Dog, Khan, and Tess.
I closed the door and kept eye contact with Mad Dog. “What’s up?”
“Our counsellor’s usual bodyguard is out of town indefinitely. I’ve suggested Drake Security for her present needs, and we thought perhaps you might want to contact Nathan on her behalf, to make sure she gets someone good.”
I looked at Tess and she was clearly in business mode, so I didn’t go to her, but I was pissed I was hearing about it now, from Mad Dog and not her.
“You’re in danger and you didn’t call me?”
“Everything’s happened kind of fast. You’re here now. I wasn’t keeping it from you.”
She should’ve had me in this loop earlier, but that was clearly a discussion for later. I took a seat. “Nathan’s going to need some details about who he’ll be protecting you from.”
“One of my clients has a video that would in all likelihood get Senator Andretti found guilty of federal felonies, and possibly high treason. Death penalty stuff. By defending him, I’m putting myself in the same crosshairs as my client.”
I didn’t ask why she’d taken the case. I didn’t bitch about her putting her life in danger. She was standing up for her client and our country. I got it.
“I keep a phone with the Drake app on it in my apartment. Battery out, per RTMC protocol. I don’t have a way to talk to Nathan securely without it.”
Khan pushed a cellphone towards me. “We keep a few in various places as well.”
I lifted the phone and the app was already open. The phone also had a signal, which meant someone had turned the repeater on. A few touches, and Nathan’s face came onto the screen.
“Our primary attorney is in need of protection from people who might be sent from a high-level senator. Highest level. The kind eligible for secret service protection.”
He lifted a brow. “That’s gonna cost her, even with you calling in a favor.”
“She’s mine. She may try to tell you she isn’t, but it’s new.”
He nodded. He understood.
“Can I speak to him, please?” Tess didn’t immediately argue about me calling her mine, which I hoped was a good sign.
I handed the phone to her, and she introduced herself before telling him, “I’m not asking for any favors. I’m prepared to pay twenty thousand dollars for four weeks of protection, with a bonus of that much to be paid at the end of the time period if I’m still alive and without injury.”
Nathan shook his head. “Twenty grand is going to get you maybe ten days, counsellor.”
She looked at the phone a few seconds. “Two weeks.”
He sighed. “Two weeks is going to be between twenty and thirty Gs, depending upon your office setup, your home’s location, and a thousand other variables. It may end up cheaper to house you in a hotel instead of yo
ur home. I’ll need to see the locations.”
She glanced at Mad Dog, who took the phone from her and told Nathan, “We’re prepared to house her in a residence at the spa. Her security detail will be able to stay with her. If she didn’t get middle-of-the-night phone calls to assist people who’ve just been arrested, we’d be able to handle nights for her, but she’s going to need someone who can travel with her at any time.”
“That will reduce costs a little. I’m sending a pair down who specialize in government types. Both are ex-agency. One will come by ’copter and should arrive at the spa in about two hours. The other will drive a bulletproof vehicle down and will be a few hours behind him. Please give the phone back to Miss McKnight.”
“Please, call me Tess.”
“My people will be there for two weeks. If not the two who arrive tomorrow, then others equally competent. Ranger will let you know how much two weeks of protection will cost you. If I send people down, you’re agreeing to pay a minimum of twenty grand, even though you don’t know at this point whether this amount will cover more than five days. Anything you offer above that will go directly to the people guarding you. Consider it a tip. Drake Security won’t be involved in any bonus you choose to pay, though we need you to let us know about it, obviously.”
“Agreed.”
When she’d disconnected, I told her, “Ranger’s good. Nathan will most likely send Mac with him. I can’t think of anyone — besides Nathan or Aaron Drake — I’d rather see keeping you safe.”
“New rule will start tomorrow,” Mad Dog told me. “We travel in pairs, in case it gets out we’re housing her. Anything looks screwy, report it to the control room. Anything. If your inner cat senses something, control hears about it as soon as it happens, even if you aren’t sure what he’s sensing.”
“Understood.”
He stood. “I assume the two of you need a few minutes to talk before you head upstairs. Khan will get her situated in a residence, and I’ll ride back to the city with you.”
Bobcat (Rolling Thunder MC Birmingham Book 2) Page 9