by L. Wilder
Cotton looked over at me and gave me a confident wink. “We’ve got this, Zoe. We knew they’d get riled up after last night. We just need to get moving before they find a way to get Slider out on bail.”
“I could go over there now. Just tell me what you need me to do,” I offered.
Cotton turned to Big, and when he nodded, he said, “Two Bit, follow her over to the gate. Wait ‘til she’s done, and then head back here.”
“Will do.”
Big handed me two additional microphones. “If you can, we need one in their clubhouse bar and one in their meeting room.”
“I can do that.”
“I’ll do what I can to freeze the cameras, but it’s a different system, and there are no guarantees, so…”
“I’ve got it,” I interrupted. I put the microphones in my back pocket and motioned to Seth. “Let’s get this done.”
I was consumed with dread as I drove over to the clubhouse. I hadn’t been there since the day I’d agreed to be with Slider, and before that, it had been months since I’d even stepped through the door. I hoped it wouldn’t happen, but if anyone saw me there, I knew they’d have questions. I had to come up with a reason for being there, a reason they’d actually believe. By the time I pulled through the gate, my heart was racing out of control. I took a deep breath as I parked the car and headed inside. All the memories, good and bad, came rushing through my mind as I walked through the side door and down the hall.
Thankfully, there was no one in sight as I headed into the club’s bar. Remembering what Big had said about the cameras, I acted like I was getting a cold drink from the cooler as I pulled one of the mics out of my back pocket. My stomach churned with nerves as I carefully stuck it under the counter while pretending to take a drink of my soda.
Knowing time wasn’t on my side, I tossed the drink in the trash and started towards the conference room. My breath quickened as I approached the door. I looked both ways before opening the door.
As soon as I walked in the room, I spotted the chair where my father once sat. I could almost imagine him sitting there, his kind eyes staring back at me, and seconds later I found myself walking towards it. With him on my mind, I ran my hand along the worn wood on the back of the chair. I wondered what he would think of me having a hand in taking down something that he’d created, and while I had my doubts, I had to believe that he’d understand. I took the remaining mic and attached it to the bottom of the chair, then started towards the door. Before I walked out into the hall, I looked back one last time, trying to find closure on what used to be an important part of my life.
My focus was still on the past when I heard, “Zoe? What are you doing here?”
I quickly turned and found Kat standing out in the hall with a puzzled look on her face. I felt awful lying to her, but I didn’t have a choice. “I was looking for you.”
“In here?”
“Well, I thought I’d see if Tank was around and ask him about Slider. I figured I needed to check on him or something, but once I came into this room, I started to think about my dad. For a second, I could almost see him sitting there, you know?”
The expression on her face changed from suspicion to understanding. “I can imagine, especially since it’s been so long since you’ve been here.”
“I guess. I figured it would be easier, but it’s not.”
“Hey, isn’t your class about to start?”
With everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours, I’d completely forgotten about my lit class. Knowing I didn’t have much time, I replied, “Yeah. Just stopping by here first. I thought I’d see if you wanted to grab a bite to eat before work.”
“And you couldn’t have just called?” she pushed.
“I guess so, but after last night, I wanted to make sure you were okay.” The lies were piling up, and I was feeling guiltier by the minute.
“We’ll talk about it at lunch. I’ll meet you at the coffee shop around twelve-thirty.”
As I started towards the door, I told her, “Okay. I’ll see you there.”
I was still a bundle of nerves as I rushed out of the clubhouse and into the parking lot. While I’d done what needed to be done, I knew there would be consequences for my actions. I just prayed losing Kat wouldn’t be one of them. Our friendship meant the world to me, and I wasn’t sure she’d understand. I made it out to my car and was about to get inside when I heard someone call out my name.
“Zoe?”
My breath caught in my throat as I turned to see Scotty walking towards me. “Oh, hey.”
His blue eyes were filled with concern as he asked, “Everything okay?”
“Yeah. I was just… I was just checking in with Kat.”
“I heard about last night.” He ran his fingers through his tousled blond hair and sighed. “Didn’t see that coming.”
“I don’t think anyone did.”
“So, everything’s good with you? Nothing’s wrong?” he pushed.
“Nope, everything’s fine… but I better get to class or I’m going to be late,” I told him as I opened my car door and got inside.
“Take care of yourself, Zoe.”
“I’m trying,” I scoffed. I shut my door and quickly started the engine. I gave him a quick wave before leaving.
Once I was on the main road, I called Seth to tell him everything went fine and I was on my way to class. I was a little frazzled, but I made it to class on-time. As I made my way over to my seat, I noticed that Josh wasn’t next to me. When I glanced around the room, I spotted him sitting over in the corner next to some girl. He was smiling ear to ear as they bantered back and forth. I was glad to see that he’d finally moved on and found someone who made him happy.
As soon as class was over, I went straight to the coffee shop to meet Kat. Usually she was the one who was always late, but she was already there waiting for me at the door when I arrived. After we placed our order, we sat down at one of the tables in the back. Kat didn’t bother with the small talk and went straight in for the kill. “What the hell is going on with you?”
“Nothing.”
“Don’t give me that bullshit, Zoe. You and I are best friends, and best friends don’t keep shit from each other. Now tell me what the hell is going on?”
I glanced around the room, hoping to find some form of escape, but there was no getting out of this. She wasn’t going to just let it go, so I had to tell her something. I bit my bottom lip, then said, “I told Seth about my situation with Slider and how you and I talked about getting him arrested.”
“So, you’re saying he’s the one who got Slider arrested?”
“He hasn’t exactly told me that, but I can only assume it was him.”
“Well, that’s just great.” Her words dripped with sarcasm as she leaned back in her chair with a huff. “So, you’re his damsel in distress, and he comes running in here like he’s your fucking knight in shining armor.”
“He was just trying to help. He didn’t want either of us—”
“For fuck’s sake, Zo!” Her face flushed red with anger. “He was trying to get in your pants. You do realize that, right?”
“Why are you being like this?” I couldn’t understand why she was so angry. It didn’t make any sense. I couldn’t imagine how she would react if I told her everything. “He’s a really great guy, and he actually helped me. Neither of us could’ve done what he did.”
“I’m just trying to tell you the way it is. I knew from the start he was going to be trouble. I tried to warn you about getting involved with him, but you wouldn’t listen!”
“I did listen, but after I got to know him, I realized we were wrong about him. We were wrong about a lot of things.” I swallowed hard, knowing she wasn’t going to like what I was about to tell her. “He’s a member of Satan’s Fury. They helped him—”
Her voice continued to rise, hitting an all-time high. “Satan’s Fury?? You’ve got to be kidding me! Now you’re mixed up with a member of Satan�
�s Fury, Zoe. Do you have any idea how fucking bad that is?”
“It’s not like that!”
“Of course, it is! You’re setting yourself up for a fall—a huge, life-altering fall, and I won’t be able to help you when it all blows up in your face. The guys will kill you if they find out!”
Before I realized what I was saying, I looked at her and said, “Kat… I love him.”
It was clear I surprised her when her angry expression quickly faded and was replaced with defeat. She let out a sigh as she leaned forward, resting her arms on the table. “Well, damn it all to hell.”
“I didn’t mean for it to happen. He… He makes me happy. I think you’d really like him.”
“I’m sure he’s great, but…”
“Just trust me on this, Kat. Please,” I pleaded.
“Oh, good grief,” she grumbled. “You promise to be careful?”
“I do.”
“And you won’t keep anything from me?”
“I’ll do my best,” I promised.
The waiter brought our lunch over to the table, and once he was gone, Kat reached for her sandwich with a mischievous grin. “So, tell me about this Mr. Wonderful. Is he all that and a bag of chips?”
“You have no idea,” I teased.
I spent the next hour telling her all about Seth and the time we’d spent together. The more I talked, the more she started to realize that he really meant something to me, and talking to her about it made it seem more real. I meant it when I told her I loved him. He never left my mind, and while the feelings I had for him scared the hell out of me, the thought of not having him in my life was even more terrifying.
Chapter 19
Two Bit
“Hey.” Her voice instantly calmed me. I hadn’t had a chance to really talk to her after she left the Chosen’s clubhouse and was relieved when she finally called back. “I just had lunch with Kat and thought I’d call you on my way to work.”
“I’m glad you did.”
“How are things going over there?” she asked.
We were making progress, but it was slow. Tensions were high, and everyone was on edge. I was becoming impatient, but I told her, “It’s going. Just ready to see you.”
I could almost hear the smile in her voice as she replied, “I’m ready to see you, too. Maybe I can slip off a little early tonight, and we can do something.”
“What kind of something?” I teased.
“I’m sure we can figure something out.”
“I’m sure we can.”
“Oh, I told Kat about you.”
“Is that right?”
“Yep… It was all good, I promise. I’ll tell you about it tonight.”
“Sounds good. Just text me when you’re free.”
“Will do.”
“Bye, beautiful.”
“Bye, Seth.”
As soon as she hung up the phone, I went back over to the others. They were all sitting at different laptops watching security footage. With access to the clubhouse, shop, and Nudie’s, we were able to monitor every move they made. It was only a matter of time before we had everything we needed to cut them off at the balls. Cotton was riding us all hard. It had been weeks since they’d hijacked our delivery, and he was tired of waiting for his retribution. We were working around the clock doing everything in our power to get the intel we needed to shut them down. Back at home, Nitro had followed through on his part of the plan. Using counterfeit money with a tracking device, he’d bought most of our stolen shipment for twice the value. The dumb fuckers never even questioned it. They just took the money and ran. As expected, we tracked Nitro’s satchel of money to the strip club, which confirmed that the Chosen were using Nudie’s to launder their dirty money. We knew the tricks. Hell, we used them ourselves, but we had enough common fucking sense to make sure the money wasn’t counterfeit before we ran it through. It was one thing right after another. They still had part of our shipment, showing once again that they didn’t have the sense God gave a damned dog. There was a right way and a wrong way to do just about anything. The Chosen lived life with blinders on. They cut corners, stabbed folks in the back, and didn’t give a fuck about the consequences.
That was about to change.
“Hey, check this out,” Big shouted. “This guy looks familiar. Have any of you seen him before?”
I looked over at the screen, and a young Hispanic guy was talking to Hawk. The tailgate of his old, beat-up truck was backed into the garage, and it was filled with several boxes and crates. I leaned closer as I said, “Yeah… he does look familiar.”
Stitch peered over my shoulder and growled, “That’d be T-Bone.”
“That’s right!” Big told him. “Doesn’t he work for—?”
“Candelario,” Stitch interrupted. “He’s minor leagues, but he’s tough. Can’t believe he’s mixed up with the Knights. Figured he’d be smarter than that.”
I turned to Cotton. “You know anyone who’s got ties to him?”
“Yeah. Me,” he scoffed. “I’ll make the call.”
As he started walking towards the door, I heard him say, “Danilo… Cotton here.” After a brief pause, he continued, “Been better. That’s why I’m calling. You know that favor you owe me? Yeah, well… It’s time to pay up.”
When the door closed behind him, I looked over at Stitch. “You think Candelario will make good on the favor?”
“If he’s smart, he will.”
Moments later, Cotton returned with a stern look on his face. “It’s done.”
Clutch stood and walked over to him. “Then it’s time to get this party started.”
“Absolutely. We’ll wait until dark, then head over to their garage. We take what’s left of their supply, then burn the fucking place to the ground.”
We agreed that when we’d finished with the garage, the strip club would be next. Once it closed and the girls were gone, we’d torch the place, leaving the Chosen Knights with nothing. Their decision to fuck with Satan’s Fury would be a decision they’d soon regret.
As soon as it got dark, Big checked the security footage at the garage to make sure everyone had gone for the night. Once we were certain everything was clear, we loaded Cotton’s SUV and drove over to the alley behind the shop. Stitch slipped out of the back, and after he’d checked the surroundings once more, we followed him towards the garage.
The night provided cover as we crept towards the back door. Once Stitch had disabled the lock, we followed him inside. It took our eyes a moment to adjust as our flashlights skimmed over the room, but once we’d become accustomed to the darkness, it didn’t take us any time to find the boxes they’d stashed. A rush of adrenaline surged through me as we started ripping each one open, removing all the artillery and drugs they’d been collecting for the past month.
“Fuck,” Clutch growled as he opened a familiar crate. “This is the rest of our shit.”
“Good. You and Q’ start loading it in the back of the SUV,” Cotton ordered as he motioned over to me and Stitch. “Let’s check the other rooms and make sure we got it all.”
With flashlights in hand, we followed Cotton to the back of the garage. We spread out, checking all the closets and offices, and I thought we’d covered it all until I heard Stitch grumble, “What the fuck is this?”
Cotton and I walked over to him. He had his light shining inside a hidden room. It was small with no windows in sight and dirty concrete floors. As we stepped inside, we were hit with a foul odor which made the room seem even more ominous. There was a cot in the corner with bloodstained sheets, and a video camera on a tripod stood in the middle of the room. “Why would this be in here?”
“I don’t know, but I’ve got a bad feeling.” Cotton reluctantly walked over to the camera, and after pushing several buttons, he managed to play back the last minute of what had been recorded. Bile rose to my throat as I watched the video start to play. “Goddamn it!”
He quickly turned it off, but the visions of that
little girl—her body bruised and bleeding, that motherfucker mounted on top of her, her wretched screams, and the tears streaming down her face—were burned in my brain. I looked around the room, trying to find any sign of her, but there was nothing. “Where could she be?”
Stitch started opening every door and cabinet trying in vain to find her. Just when he was about to give up, his flashlight flickered over a large black garbage bag in the corner. “You don’t think?”
The room fell completely silent as we watched Cotton walk towards the bag. He leaned down and carefully untied the plastic handles. When he spotted the girl’s blonde hair, a guttural growl vibrated through the room. He turned away from us, trying to contain his fury as he slammed his fist into the concrete wall.
While we were all appalled, the sight caught Cotton off-guard. I had no doubt that seeing that little girl made him think of Lauren. Over the past few months, he’d gotten attached to her in a way none of us had expected. Lauren was just eleven when Nitro rescued her from a sex trafficking ring. Not knowing what else to do with her, he’d brought her to the clubhouse for us to deal with. Cassidy, Cotton’s ol’ lady, took Lauren under her wing, and it didn’t take long for Lauren to win her over. She’d become like a daughter to both Cotton and Cass. They adored her. We all knew Lauren’s life would’ve been vastly different if she hadn’t been rescued by Nitro. I had no doubt that the thought had crossed Cotton’s mind that she could’ve ended up just like this kid, used and left like a piece of trash.
“I want them dead! All of them! Put a fucking bullet in every last one of them!” He looked over at us with rage in his eyes. I could feel it radiating off him as he growled, “Is that fucking clear?”
“Crystal,” Stitch assured him.
None of us spoke, each of us still reeling from what we’d seen as we headed back to the others. Once we helped them finish loading the SUV, Cotton doused the place with gasoline, then tossed a burning match on the floor. In a matter of seconds, the entire building went up in flames.