“Badger’s feeling better every day, and now he’s flirting with the nurses, so that’s a good sign.”
I grinned. “He is a ridiculous flirt.”
“Right?” she agreed.
“And it doesn’t help that he’s pretty.”
“This is true,” she said. “But I’m not allowed to say that out loud, so I’ll just nod my head and say nothing.”
I chuckled. “True nature of the alpha-male.”
“Indeed.”
Olivia joined us and slammed a bottle of bourbon on the coffee table. “Anyone want a drink?”
“It’s not even eight o’clock in the morning,” I said.
“So?”
“Wow, that bad, huh?” Willow asked.
Olivia growled low in her throat, while shooting daggers at Doc. “Male chauvinist, son of a bitch.”
“How are you wrapped up in all of this?” I asked.
“All this lovely bullshit he’s dragging everyone into is because of me,” she seethed. “He’s decided I’m his ‘priority,’ whatever the hell that means, and is going to ‘wipe out the assholes’ who hurt me.”
Willow had told me about Olivia being kidnapped about a year ago, but only Doc and Alamo really knew the entire story. Olivia was beaten so badly, she’d been in the hospital for a few days and then went home with her parents for several weeks, to convalesce. According to Willow (through Dash’s recollection), Doc had been a raging ball of assholery because he’d been kept from Olivia. Her best friend, Ryan, had kept her whereabouts secret, per Olivia’s request, however, neither of them had been prepared for Doc’s resourcefulness.
It took him a little over a week, but he’d found her and gone to her immediately. After that, he’d calmed down, but no one really knew what transpired between them, and now she was here and apparently angry that she was.
“Why is that a problem?” I asked. “Devon would do the same thing.”
“I’m not his,” she insisted. “I’m not his responsibility.”
I didn’t point out that once a Dog claimed you, it was very difficult to be unclaimed... I figured I’d let them figure that out themselves.
“He cares about you, Liv,” Willow said. “And if you took a second to get past your fear, you’d see you cared about him too.”
“I’m not afraid of him,” Olivia countered.
“I don’t think that’s what Willow’s saying,” I said. “I think you might be afraid of the feelings Doc incites in you. It makes sense... these men are intense.”
“Well, you’re wrong,” she said with a huff. “I don’t care about him... in that way, and I have a mind to fly somewhere far away to hide from him. I’m probably going to be fired if Dumbass over there keeps dragging me away from work.”
“Don’t you own your own company?” Willow asked.
“I’ll fire myself.”
I bit back a giggle because Olivia was funny when she got wound up.
Before she could say anything else, Doc stalked over and snagged the bottle off the table, rolling his eyes. “Drama, Liv? So unlike you,” he droned sarcastically, and walked away.
“Fuck yourself, Tristan,” she snapped.
“I’ll wait for you, baby,” he retorted, and set the bottle back on the bar.
“Asshole,” she hissed.
“Love you too, Liv.”
“Well, I’m hungry and I can’t sit around here all day, so how about I get breakfast started?” Willow said, rising to her feet.
“I’ll help,” I offered.
Even Olivia reluctantly followed us into the kitchen and we went about making everyone breakfast.
Devon
All eyes were on Doc as he answered the phone. We’d been waiting on agent Moore’s call all morning, and as it approached noon, we knew our window of opportunity was closing rapidly. Through Doc’s intel, we knew the ship containing the Russian women was coming into Liberty Terminal, and after my meeting with Harlan Cavanaugh, we knew it was coming in today. What we didn’t yet know was the name of the ship the girls were on, or how exactly we were going to rescue them. Doc and the FBI had been working on a plan, but so far had remained tight-lipped on any details. They still had major concerns regarding a potential mole within our ranks.
“Dalton, whatta ya got?” Doc listened intently for several minutes as he furiously scribbled notes in his journal. “Got it. Understood, we’ll see you there,” he said finally and hung up before addressing us. “Alright, everybody, listen up. That was Dalton on the phone. They’ve got all the information they need to make their move but they need our help.”
“Our help?” I exclaimed. “I thought we were in this together. Our asses have been on the line this whole time. Now that we’re at the goal line, we’re just the help?”
“Goal line? This isn’t a game, Sparky,” Doc snapped back. “This is an FBI operation, and they need our assistance as much as we need theirs. This isn’t about who gets the glory for taking down the bad guys, this is about saving those girls and running these piece of shit pimps out of Savannah.”
“I know that Doc, I—”
“Good, then get your fucking head on straight and listen up.” He cut me off and returned to addressing the group. “I need Hatch, Doom, and Sparky to come with me. Gator and Curly are gonna hang back here and mind the store.”
“What the fuck about me?” Alamo said
Doc gave him a concerned look. “I didn’t want to automatically count you in on this one, brother.”
“Why the fuck not?”
Doc simply answered, “Boats.”
With that single word Alamo’s face paled. Alamo, being from Amarillo Texas, spent most of his life land-locked, and was notoriously uncomfortable on, or near the water. However, after a few seconds of debating his fate, he responded with, “Fuck Davey Jones, I’m in.”
Doc nodded with a grin.
“So, what did Dalton say?” Hatch asked
“Good news. Once we had the basic time of the shipment and the port of arrival, Dalton was able check the shift schedules and records of every dock worker and supervisor scheduled to work within the time range. He came up with an interesting name; Dudley Kauffman.”
“Who the hell is Dudley Kauffman?” I asked.
“He’s the Chief Operator at Port Liberty and, more importantly, he’s a degenerate gambler.”
“Let me guess,” Hatch said. “Even more importantly, he owes money to the Dixie Mafia.”
“And the Russians,” Doc added. “Which made him the perfect guy for them to squeeze and use for their new operation. Lucky for us, Dalton’s got him now, and had been doing some squeezing of his own.”
“Great! It sounds like they’ve got all the info they need to rescue the girls as soon as the ship hits the harbor,” I said.
“It’s not quite that simple, and that’s why they need our help,” Doc replied.
“How so?” Alamo asked.
“According to Mr. Kauffman, the Russians have been doing this for quite some time and have a system in place to insure safe delivery of their cargo to their clients.
“What kind of system?” Doom asked.
“The girls come from Russia on a small, unassuming vessel that was built in the seventies. This allows them to unload at smaller ports, and remain a little more under the radar. The girls are kept in a modified shipping container for the entire twenty-one-day journey and are monitored by two armed guards.”
“Jesus,” I said.
“These young women are nothing more than cattle to these sick bastards,” Doc said.
“How exactly are we going to get to them?” I asked.
“Carefully.”
* * *
Poppy
The men filed into the kitchen just as Willow and I set platters of food on the pass-through between the kitchen and the great room. Olivia had busied herself making a huge urn of coffee, but she did it all the while bitching about the asshole formerly known as “Doc.”
My focus went directly to Devon
as he approached me, taking my hand, and leading me out of the kitchen. He didn’t take me far, just down the hall and into a room usually used for the babies to nap during get-togethers. Closing the door behind us, he pulled me in for a gentle kiss, and this made me very, very nervous.
“Ohmigod, are you walking into something that might get you dead?” I rasped after breaking the kiss.
He grinned. “I hope to God it’s not.”
I gripped his cut. “Devon Cade Wallace, are you and Dad coming back in one piece, or am I going to be visiting the hospital... or the morgue?”
“We’re gonna be fine, baby. Just wanted to kiss you.”
I frowned. “What aren’t you telling me?”
He kissed my nose. “A lot of things.”
I let out a frustrated growl. “Devon, you’re freaking me out.”
“Baby, we’re gonna be fine. It’s a pretty simple extraction and we’re just there to back up the FBI.”
“The FBI’s involved?” I squeaked. “Just how bad is this?”
“It’s not good.”
“And you’re going because of all the shit with Olivia?”
“It’s not just because of that,” he countered.
“I can’t believe the FBI’s gonna let a motorcycle club be part of their business.” I stared up at him. “What have you guys gotten yourselves into?”
Devon kissed me again and I sighed, leaning into him, knowing I wasn’t going to get any information out of my man. “You better keep yourself safe. And my dad. Please don’t let anything happen to Hatch.”
“Baby, we’re covered.”
“Famous last words.”
He stroked my cheek. “Nothin’s gonna happen to either of us. I promise. Now, I’m gonna kiss you one more time, then I’m gonna go eat whatever incredible creation Willow’s put out, ’cause, holy shit, that woman can cook.”
I sighed. This was true and I kind of wanted to eat whatever she’d made too. But I wanted to kiss my man more, so I raised my chin and accepted his lips on mine before letting him lead me back out to the kitchen.
I stuck close to him, but I was divided between him and my dad. I was grateful Hatch seemed to know I needed him and didn’t stray far while we all ate as a family. Before the men left, Hatch pulled me aside, giving me a bear hug. “Love you, Poppy.”
“I love you, too. Please keep each other safe,” I begged. “I want you both back here quickly, hear me?”
He grinned. “Yeah, baby girl, I hear you. We’ll make sure that happens.”
I nodded. “Thanks.”
“I’m gonna go call your mom before we head out. You good?”
“I’m good, Dad, thanks.”
He smiled, hugged me one more time, then walked away and I returned to Devon, who wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me close. “Feel better?”
“Not in the slightest,” I admitted.
“It’s all good, sweetness. We’re covered.”
I nodded, but it wasn’t a nod of agreement... it was a nod of resignation, because let’s face it, it didn’t matter how I felt, they would still do this dangerous thing... whatever it was.
He chuckled, kissing my temple. “Gonna make it up to you, Poppy. You’ll see.”
“A diamond might help,” I grumbled.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“A big one.”
Devon laughed. “Okay, baby. I’ll see what I can do.”
I gave him a gentle squeeze. “Please be careful.”
“Always, sweetness,” he whispered, kissing me quickly.
Then Doc did the call out and the men filed out of the building and into God knows what kind of danger.
Devon
Me, Doc, Alamo, and FBI agent Kahler, boarded our vessel; a forty-foot Marlin boat, recently retired from the Georgia Fish and Wildlife Service’s fleet. We were all disguised as Fish and Game wardens. We were armed, but the plan was to avoid gunplay at all costs.
As far as the FBI was concerned, this was a clandestine operation, designed to draw as little attention as possible. Agent Kahler was to take point at sea, while agents Moore and his other two guys, including sharpshooter agent Dawson, were positioned back at the harbor with all the Dogs. As far as we knew there were only three guys aboard the boat, but who knows how many would be back at the harbor.
The moment Alamo stepped on the boat, his face drained.
“You gonna be okay?” Doc asked.
“I’m good, just need a minute to get my sea legs is all.”
“You put on one of those anti-nausea patches I gave you?”
“No... I put on both of them,” he said pulling down his collar to reveal the medicated patches on his neck.
“You really are a special kinda stupid, ain’t ya?” Doc retorted, reaching behind Alamo’s ear and ripping one off. “Don’t want you to overdose.”
“Need all the help I could get,” he admitted, just before emptying his stomach contents over the port side of the vessel.
“You guys know the plan. Follow my lead and keep your cool, and we should all manage to get through this without getting ourselves or the captives shot,” agent Kahler said. “Doc, you and Alamo head up to the wheelhouse, and Devon and I will take our positions at the bow. We’ve got a fix on their vessel and we’re ready to head out. Oh, and Alamo, you’ll find a supply of official Georgia Fish and Wildlife sick bags up in the wheelhouse.”
Alamo shot him a pretty decent “fuck you” look considering how he must have been feeling.
We all did as instructed and I replayed the plan in my head for the dozenth time within the past hour. The Russian vessel was currently about twenty-five miles off the coast, which meant it was go time. Our bad gambler turned double agent, Kauffman, was to man his post and play along as if nothing was amiss. We couldn’t risk tipping off anyone at the harbor. This whole thing depended the element of surprise.
“Alright, Captain, let’s shove off,” agent Kahler yelled up to Doc, and he fired up the engine.
Doc safely sailed us out of the harbor and out to sea. Our mission was officially underway, and if everything at sea, and back on land went according to plan, in just a few hours, the girls would be safe, the bad guys would be in FBI custody, and the club would be rid of the biggest threat we’d ever faced. If we failed, we’d all likely end up as fish food.
As we sailed toward our target, I couldn’t help but feel a bit like Chief Brody aboard the Orca. Our sea voyage may not have been as dramatic as chasing down a man-eating twenty-five-foot great white, but we were certainly headed straight for sharks, and they were going to be armed with a lot more than teeth.
I turned to agent Kahler. “What happens if they don’t let us board?”
“I’m not as much worried about that as I am about what happens once they do.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“I just wish we knew exactly how many people were on board and exactly what they’re armed with. We could be seriously out-manned and out-gunned. Kauffman says the two guards plus the captain are the only mob guys as far as he knows. The dozen or so crew members should be hired locals from Novorossiysk, and I’m hoping they won’t give us any trouble. Kauffman seems like he’s genuinely in the dark about some of the details, so who knows? Like any FBI operation, we have to move with the information we have.”
“What are our chances of a successful mission?” I asked.
“I’m not an analyst, but I hope you said your prayers before getting on this boat. If not, you’ve still got another ten minutes.”
I chuckled. “We’ve got a genuine preacher’s daughter back home praying for all of us, and if she scares God like she scares me, I think we’ll be alright.”
* * *
Poppy
My head throbbed... as did my right arm where I’d felt a prick earlier. How much earlier, I wasn’t entirely sure. In fact, I had no idea what was going on, where I was, or why I was seeing double of everything.
“It’s all good
, babe,” Curly said. “You’ll start to feel normal in about an hour.”
I frowned. “Curly? What’s going on?”
He hunkered down in front of me and smiled. “Payback.”
I lifted my hand to rub my head and discovered I was chained to the wall. “For what?”
“Your daddy and I go way back, baby girl, and he and I have shit to settle.”
My heart raced and fear choked me, but I refused to let him see that. “Can I get some water, please?”
“That’s it? You don’t have any questions?”
“No questions,” I confirmed.
“Huh. Figured I get some hysterics from you.”
I sighed. “Hysterics aren’t going to make you be less of a dick, so why waste my energy?”
I needed to figure out what the hell was going on... and once Hatch knew I was missing (not to mention Devon), they’d rain hell down upon this man unlike anything he’d ever seen, so right now, I didn’t have time for hysterics... I needed to find a way out of here.
“You might have a point,” he said, handing me a bottled water.
“What did you shoot me up with?” I asked, after taking a swig of water.
“Sedative. Totally safe, don’t worry...you’ll just feel a little dizzy for a while.”
I continued to swig the water as my head ached and my stomach roiled.
* * *
Willow
“Where the hell’s Poppy?” Gator growled as he stalked into the kitchen.
“She went somewhere with Curly,” I said.
“Fuck!”
I frowned. “What’s wrong?”
He didn’t answer as he pulled out his phone and fired off a text to someone.
“Gator,” I pressed.
He jabbed his finger at me. “You go nowhere unless I say, hear me?”
I nodded. “Yes, I hear you. What’s wrong?”
“Curly’s a fucking rat.”
“What?” I breathed out, my stomach dropping.
“He’s working with those Dixie Hillbilly motherfuckers!” he snapped. “You’re locked down, got it?”
I didn’t mention that I was well aware of the fact I was locked down, considering I was missing a day of school, but he looked ready to kill someone, so I nodded and he stalked off. I sighed, pulling my phone out of my pocket.
The Longing (Dogs of Fire: Wolfpack, #2) Page 14