by Jayne Blue
I was going to be sure Peck arrested The Saints at the docks for smuggling drugs into this town. It was sickening really. Drug smuggling. Benz Bass was a drug smuggler, the lowest form of life. The heroin epidemic was out of control and he was helping to fan the flames.
I bolstered my lifelong hatred of The Saints with every passing moment.
I was going to finish what I had started.
Benz was an expert at women. That had to be true too. I was turned inside out just by being in the same room with him. I obviously couldn’t think straight anywhere near the guy.
That was my rookie mistake. Falling for a ruggedly handsome outlaw. My body shuddered again thinking about how I’d felt with him.
That was the cost of doing business, I guess. If you really want to go under cover.
The deal was supposed to go down at nine. I needed to hurry. I was going to be there too, and I was going to take down the son of Kenny Bass.
14
Benz
It was an easy run. I’d sit back and let two scumbag drug dealers think they were making a big sale here in Port Az.
And they would.
After that, we’d track the shipment after they made their sale.
We’d see where it went and we’d see where they went with the cash.
We’d also take a fair amount off the streets with the help of the Port Az PD.
We were all the dark that Port Az needed. And we were plenty. The kind of traffic that the Devil’s Hawks and other crews wanted to bring in would usher in more nights like the double murder last week. We’d seen it in other towns.
Drugs, money, addicts, traffickers; it was a mess. It also brought the law down on every other thing that we were into. We kept it quiet here and it was good for everyone. We’d shed blood getting Port Az on its feet. No Saint was going to let it fall again if they could help it.
I parked far enough away from the warehouse to be unseen, but close enough to be sure I could watch the door. Kade had the other exit.
The word was that two out of town traffickers would be coming into the warehouse with enough New Jack Swint to supply a local dealer for a week.
The local would sell out and want more, that’s when we would be able to trace up the food chain.
Kade and I were there to keep it safe for the local dealer.
That’s where Bo came in.
He was Dark Saint through and through, but he’d been laying low lately. Bear traps took a long time to spring. And keeping Bo low profile over the last few months had been by design. Bo had become mysterious by virtue of barely being seen during daylight hours for the last few months.
Bo had left his cut at home. He looked the part of a drug supplier and the traffickers would have no reason to think there was anything fucked up with the deal.
I was at the rear of the building, hidden outside, but ready.
My phone vibrated: “They’re walking in the front.” Kade had texted Bo and me.
“Got it,” Bo replied.
No need for me to add to it. We were all good. It was time to be text and phone silent while this went down.
It shouldn’t take long; Bo was going to offer them street value, no haggling. And they weren’t there to drive a bargain. They were there to get into Port Az.
That’s when the eminent cloud of a shit storm swirled into view.
I spotted a marked Port Az PD cruiser drive up.
“What the fuck?” I said under my breath.
I texted Kade as fast as I could: “PAPD going in the back entrance. He doesn’t see me.”
All kinds of awful could happen if the two traffickers were spooked.
If Bo was in the way of that or in the way of some idiot cop…
I ran as fast as I could toward the warehouse. If something was going to go bad, I needed to have Bo’s back.
I heard shouting coming from inside the warehouse and realized the shit storm was in Category Five mode.
“Get down, I SAID, GET DOWN!”
“Listen, calm down. This isn’t what– ” That was Bo, trying to reason with a cop. That wasn’t good.
“RIGHT NOW!” The local law had a gun on the two traffickers and on Bo. Bo’s hands were in the air. For now, the cop didn’t see me; he had no idea. I was in the back, ready to do something, though I wasn’t sure what.
Bo decided to run for it. He wasn’t about to get busted. Okay, he’d improvised to accommodate the new situation. I’d probably have done the same.
He was running in my direction. The cop either had to give up the two on the ground or give up Bo. He couldn’t have all three.
Bo headed my way. He was out of sight of Peck when out of nowhere he went flying.
Someone had his legs. Jesus Christ!
“It’s okay, Peck! I got him! You keep on your two. Ooh.”
Shit. Jen? It was Jen.
She had Bo by the ankles and he was trying to shake her off.
I headed to Jen and Bo, while the Peck tried to call for back up with one hand and keep his weapons trained on the two traffickers.
It was a melee.
This was going so far south it was in the Gulf of Mexico by now. I had no idea who to help or stop, so I went with Bo and Jen.
I grabbed Jen from behind and pulled her off Bo, who didn’t want to kick a woman in the face, but was about one second from doing it. I could not blame him.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Jen cried.
“You know this bitch?” Bo said and struggled to get up from the cement.
“Yeah.”
I felt Jen starting to work up to a yell and I slapped a hand over her mouth.
“Keep quiet. You’ve already done enough. You tell him you’re okay.”
Jen looked at me with hate in her eyes. What the hell was going on? Who was she? Really?
Bo walked over and repeated my instruction.
“You tell Officer Barney Fife that you’re chasing me and to keep on those two. Or I snap that pretty little neck.” Bo was fucking dangerous. Jen’s eyes got big. I hoped she believed Bo. He was more dangerous in some ways than I was. I didn’t want to have to fight him to stop him from hurting Jen. If that was her name. Fuck, what was going on here?
“Do it,” I growled into her ear and made it very clear she had no choice. I knew I sounded scary. I hoped she was scared. It might keep her alive.
She nodded. And I slowly lifted my hand off her mouth.
“Peck! The other one ran out the back. I’m going to chase him. You wait for your backup.”
“Got it!” Okay, that seemed to work. That was something.
I put my hand over her mouth again. I wasn’t going to take a chance that she’d have second thoughts on what the right course of action to save her life actually was.
I stole a glance over the boxes that obstructed the view to the warehouse. Peck had cuffed both of the traffickers and I could see another cop car pull up. Peck’s backup had arrived.
The three of us stayed hunkered down. I had a vice grip on Jen. She couldn’t move or talk.
I recognized the detective that showed up. That was at least good news.
He was clearly livid. Also good news, I hoped.
“Whatever made you do a fucking fool thing like come out here on your own, Peck? This is about the stupidest mother fucking idea I’ve ever seen a rookie try to execute.”
“I just wanted to check out her tip. It was good, see? Good.”
A third officer was escorting the two traffickers out of the warehouse. The place was about to be crawling with cops and I had a serious concern about getting the fuck out.
“It was good. Yes. You made quite the collar.”
“So, I’ll get full credit. That’s gotta look good on my record.”
“What’s going to also be on your record is that you recklessly endangered your life by ignoring procedure and coming out here on your own.” Detective Janning’s face was red and I could see from our hiding place that he was seriously pissed.
>
It was true. This could have been a worst case scenario for everyone involved.
“Get ‘em booked. We’ll talk later. I’m going to get a camera on the scene. And you’re going to do every single thing from this second on by the book.” Peck walked out looking chastised and confused and a little proud all at the same time.
He’d collared two suspected drug traffickers and had his ass chewed in the space of fifteen minutes.
We stayed put. Detective Janning looked around, but not too closely. If he saw us, he didn’t let on. But then, into the air, he gave us a clear message:
“This was not how it was supposed to go down. I expect a call.”
That was all he said and he was right.
And Bear would be calling.
Sorting this out was going to be an ugly bit of business.
Detective Janning left the scene without taking photos or, as far as I could see, any additional evidence. He had two traffickers to book and Peck to school.
He had a good idea we were there and he had given us a window to get out.
And then there was Jen.
“Let’s go out the back,” I said to Bo and he followed me. I kept a tight grip on Jen.
“You’re going to need to stay quiet. I’m going to do everything I can for you, but don’t make it harder for me to do that,” I whispered into her ear. I had no idea how I was going to do it either.
We got around back and Kade was there.
“Bear is going to be pissed. SO pissed. Hey, isn’t this the– ” Kade had recognized Jen from the first day I met her.
“Yeah, the librarian,” I answered and put her on the back of my bike. “Hang on. We’re going for a ride.” I spit the words out. I was so pissed at her. She could have gotten herself killed. She could have gotten my brothers killed.
I dreaded the meeting we were about to have.
I’d brought this on us and I really wasn’t sure how it had all happened. I hadn’t the slightest clue that Jen was waiting to sell me out. I had missed it completely.
I was going to get nothing but shit for this. And I deserved it.
Kade, Bo, and I rode to the MC. Jen held on behind me.
The damn woman still affected me.
I wanted to protect her from what was about to happen, and at the same time, I wanted to wring her neck.
15
Jen
“You’re going to need to stay quiet. I’m going to do everything I can for you, but don’t make it harder for me to do that.”
Peck had busted two of them. I felt satisfied as hell about that. That was good work on both our parts. Except…
They weren’t The Dark Saints. At least I didn’t think so. The Saints were the three that had me. The Saints were in the shadows of this deal and I’d thought they were the leads.
And just like my Grandmother said, The Saints got off scot-free. And they had me by the throat.
Benz warned me to be quiet and I couldn’t see any other play. They could easily snap my neck. They all looked like they wanted to. Benz was furious.
I’d underestimated exactly what that would look like. It was terrifying and way beyond my ability to handle.
Bo. He was the one I’d tripped. I felt a knot swelling up on my head. I’d hit it on the cement when I’d grabbed for Bo’s ankles and tried to tie up his legs to prevent him from running.
He was almost as tall as Benz, but wider. If he had chosen to punch me, my face would have caved in. I had no doubt about that.
Then there was Kade. He was darker than Benz and Bo. He brought up the rear of the three-Harley parade headed to the MC.
I was dead. There really couldn’t be any other outcome.
They all had stone faces.
As we rode to the MC, my mind raced.
How would I escape? Could I escape? Why didn’t I just ask for a sidearm from Peck? I should have. Shit.
I consoled myself that he’d collared two drug deals. That was something. It was the only thing that had gone right.
But it wasn’t what I was after. I was after The Dark Saints and now they had me.
Was Benz going to help me? He’d warned me to stay quiet. He said he was going to do everything he could for me. Did that just mean making sure I died quickly?
What the fuck had I been thinking?
Going for Bo’s legs like that. I should have stayed hidden! At least then I’d have had a chance to get out of there. But no. I just had to join in. I had to try to get at least one of The Saints in handcuffs.
The ride didn’t take long. In fact, it was too short. Each mile closer to The Saints and this Bear person they had talked about also meant a minute closer to something very bad for me. Were these my last minutes alive? I thought about my Daddy. Had he seen his death coming?
In my present state, I decided not seeing it coming might be better than this dread and panic swirling in my chest.
We pulled into The Saints’ compound. At least it looked like a compound to me, from what I could see in the dark. They cut the engines to their Harleys. The quiet was terrible.
Benz helped me off the bike. It was funny really. Why would he help me if he were about to kill me? Don’t trip so I can strangle you, I thought sardonically.
We walked around the back of a building and into a side hall.
I tried to orient myself. Maybe I could run for it? Any little detail could help me, maybe? But who was I kidding? The Dark Saints were off the highway, hidden. There was nothing really around if I ran. In what direction could I run? How long before there was a bullet in my back?
They led me into a kind of meeting room. There was a wood table in the middle of the room with some sort of symbol carved into it. I’d seen that symbol inked into Benz’s flesh.
At the head of the table was Bear. No question about it. This was the President of The Dark Saints. This was the mastermind of the MC. He had gray hair pulled back into a ponytail. His eyes were hard. As scared as I was of Benz, Kade, and Bo, this was worse. This man had seen more than I wanted to know about. And I’d messed up his plans.
“Sit.” Benz pulled out a chair for me.
Bear’s jaw was clenched, and he seemed to be grinding his teeth to keep from gnawing off one of my limbs.
He lifted his cell phone and put it on speaker.
“Detective Janning.”
So Janning was in on it. The very man I’d complained to was in on this drug deal. My prospects were getting worse.
“Bear, what the hell is going on? This is not what we were prepared for. I’ve got these two low lives and we’re no better off.”
“Yeah. And you didn’t think it was important to let me know that some gash was talking all about it at the station today?” Gash. Nice. That was me. I winced and felt a hand on my shoulder. Benz’s. Was he trying to scare me or comfort me?
“I had it handled.” Detective Janning said on the phone. I was now “it”: quite the step up.
“Let’s just go with, we both had some loose ends that unraveled this deal. We’ll handle our end.” Bear looked at Benz.
“Yeah, I’ve got a little mess here, too. Officer Peck can i.d. one of your guys. The one that ran and tripped? I’m guessing, by what he’s said, it was Bo. Bo needs to disappear for a while until Peck stops jizzing in his pants over this. He’ll need a little time to get with the program.”
“Thanks for the heads up. We’ll let you know when we decide what’s next.”
Bear ended the call and looked over at me, then down at his hand. He began picking at a callous on his palm. The tension increased every second as the room stayed silent, waiting to hear what Bear wanted to be done.
“Looks like we can lay this at your feet, Benz?” Bear’s exasperation turned to something stone cold.
“I didn’t know she was a cop. I thought she worked at the fucking library.” Benz said. Bo and Kade squirmed in their seats.
“It’s your mess. You handle it. Now. Bo, get going.”
“Yep.”
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“No vote on this? Don’t we need to put it to a vote?”
What had just happened? How was Benz supposed to clean up the mess?
“Uh, excuse me?” Bear raised his voice. “You’ve fucked up enough here, Benz. Take care of her. Kade. Make sure he does.”
“Oh, now I need a babysitter?” Benz spat back at Bear.
“Apparently you do,” Bear gave it right back to him.
I didn’t know what was happening. Benz said the club was his family. This looked like the meanest fucking family on Earth. He’d said that Bear was like a father to him, but right now, it felt like the two of them could rip each other apart.
“Let’s go, Benz, come on.” Kade took me by the arm. I stood up.
“I got it. I understand. Let’s go.” Benz brushed Kade out of the way and led me out of the room, back the way we came. Kade followed.
I was terrified. The Prez of The Dark Saints had ordered me killed!
Was it going to happen here? Were they going to shoot me? Should I start screaming? I knew in my heart that screaming wouldn’t do a damn thing. If I was going to die, I’d die with some dignity. That was all I could think. Don’t do anything that would shame my Daddy right now.
We walked a few feet away from the building. Maybe they wouldn’t do it here, where they lived and worked? Maybe there was a place they dumped bodies? Would anyone realize I was missing? Paula Laraby wasn’t expecting me for another week. Shit. No one would realize I was even gone for days.
“Kade?” Benz said. He had a firm grip on my arm.
“I know. He’s wrong. We’re not,” Kade said to Benz. The two exchanged some unspoken communication.
“We’re not killing a cop. Especially one that just this morning waltzed right into the police station pointing the fingers at The Saints.” Benz still had a hard grip on me.
“What are you going to do?” Kade asked.
Benz looked at me and pointed to the back of his bike.
“Get on.” He let go of me. I could run or get on his bike.