I.N.E.T 2

by Brenda Cothern

  It had been the home base of the Satan’s Blades for the last fifteen years. Everyone knew Hell’s Minions was owned by the Blades. Locals smartly avoided the place. Tourists that were too stupid to know better rarely stayed long enough to finish their first drink.

  The only new faces the Minions ever saw were from members of other clubs. Either active members of other clubs or those looking for another club to call their own. The latter was how Keg ended up sitting next to Payne.

  “Jack, baby?” Sonja asked at the same time she plopped her large tank topped tits on her side of the bar.

  “Nah. Too hot for Jack. Just give me a beer.” Payne smiled at the clubs’ bartender who was also the wife of one of his lieutenants.

  Trigger and Sonja had been club members since almost the beginning. Befriending her hadn’t been easy, but once he had, the Intel she shared was priceless, especially since she liked him. He was sure he stayed on her good side because he didn’t try to pull the expected flirting bullshit. Club members knew she was Trigger’s woman and off-limits, but that still didn’t stop some of the guys from hitting on her like she was some cheap piece of ass biker groupie.

  “And what are you having today, Keg?” Sonja smiled at their probie. Keg never drank the same thing often enough to have a regular preference for Sonja to offer.

  “Beer works for me, too,” Keg replied and leaned back in his stool.

  Payne didn’t look at one of the club’s newest members. He didn’t need to. He had learned the guy’s mannerisms within the first few days after the man joined the club. Right now, in the middle of the day, Keg seemed relaxed even if Payne didn’t believe it for a minute. Only an idiot who was so green to the Satan’s Blades would relax at any time and Payne doubted Keg was an idiot.

  He interacted with the man as much as the other club members, but because of those interactions he knew Keg was never as relaxed as he appeared. Payne respected the man for that if for no other reason than the guy had a healthy sense of self preservation.

  “Here you go, love’s.” Sonja set their beers on the bar in front of them.

  “Thanks.” Payne gave her a nod before taking a long swig of his cold beer.

  “So,” Keg started after he lowered his mug from his lips. “I know it’s not my place, but…”

  Payne cut him off before the man could even voice whatever the fuck he was thinking of saying. “It’s not.” Payne frowned at his beer for emphasis. He had an idea what Keg was going to say. That he wanted to offer his services to prove he could be a valuable member of the club.

  The last thing Payne wanted or needed was one more player involved in the recent developments of this op. How the op went from an MC moving mid-level amounts of marijuana to guns and people almost seemingly overnight was beyond him. But if he could keep targets off as many members’ backs as possible, he would.

  Not everyone in the Satan’s Blades was directly involved in the club’s drug trade. Some of the members were just that, members. Having members who weren’t involved in the club’s illegal dealings benefited the club and until recently, Payne appreciated that club’s policy.

  If the Satan’s Blades had a few members busted for dealing and trafficking marijuana, then those members who were innocent would still be in the clear. However, none of the membership would escape the net that would be cast now that the higher-ups in the club were now moving firearms and trafficking people.

  Payne knew the bare minimum on that level of activity the club was engaging in, but it was enough for him to call in back up. Gun and human trafficking were so far above reporting in the names to bust up the marijuana pipeline that Payne knew he was getting in over his head.

  “I want to help,” Keg growled out. “I can be of use if someone would just use me.”

  Payne turned his head and glared at Keg. The man didn’t look at him. Instead, he took another drink of his beer. Not for the first time did Payne get the feeling that the large man seated next to him wanted to get his hands dirty.

  Keg had been vetted just like any prospective member of the Blades. The guy had been a member of Chicago’s Midnight Raiders for almost ten years before he relocated to Florida and applied to join the Blades.

  The Midnight Raiders were known for moving drugs. In fact, it was originally a tossup for which MC Payne would infiltrate. The only reason he was now entrenched with the Blades instead of the Raiders was because Fish’s counterpart for the region that Chicago fell in was an asshole.

  Keg’s history with the Midnight Raiders was common knowledge in the club and Payne could understand the guy’s desire to be more active in the club’s activities that were along the same lines of the Raiders.

  “Shit,” Keg grumbled. “I’d even take being an errand boy over not being able to do shit.”

  Payne said nothing. He knew what Keg was asking for. Errand boys were the lowest rung for the illegal shit that went down in clubs. Usually, they were the messengers. Ninety-nine percent of the time, they delivered messages or packages and had no idea what the message meant or what the package contained. He had the feeling that Keg had climbed at least that high, if not higher, with the Raiders and that was why he was chomping at the bit with the Blades.

  Keg finally turned his head and met Payne’s steady glare. Payne had to ignore the look of want that he could read in Keg’s steel blue eyes. If they hadn’t been discussing Keg’s desire to be useful to the Blades, Payne could easily convince himself that the hunger he saw in Keg eyes was for a whole other reason.

  “It’s not my call, Keg,” Payne practically snarled. He wanted Keg to back down, to pull back, from trying to push forward into shit that Payne was going to be a part of busting wide open.

  “And pushing won’t be healthy for you,” Payne maintained his glare. “You feel me?”

  Keg never glanced away and Payne had to give him kudos for not backing down. The man’s expression didn’t change to frustrated anger like Payne expected to see, either. Instead, Keg gave a slight nod of his head before he looked away and took another swig of his beer.

  “You boys need another round?” Sonja asked with a smile.

  “Give me one to go. Slick’s bike should be drained by now.” Payne gave Sonja a grin.

  Sonja nodded. “What about you?”

  “Nah, I got shit to do,” Keg replied with words that were harsher than his tone.

  “Suit yourself.” Sonja turned and returned with Payne’s beer.

  By the time she sat it down on the bar, Keg had already stood and left Hell’s Minions.

  ***

  Slade and Lita met Spider at a rest stop on I-95. Their bikes roared into the parking lot and pulled up to a stop in a space next to where Spider leaned against his soft tail. All three men ignored the looks of disdain or curiosity that were shot in their direction.

  None of them cared what the people who had no idea how they were protecting them felt. Hell, all three men had been viewed as nothing more than thugs on more than one occasion.

  Slade turned off his hog, threw his leg over the seat, and stretched. He could not stop the wince that scrunched up his face even if he wanted to. There wasn’t any point in denying or trying to hide the pain in his ass that made him wince. So, he just walked around the front of his bike to stand before Spider.

  “How have you been, man?” Slade’s tone was light and he stuck out his hand.

  Spider snorted, but still shook Slade’s outstretched palm. “Still not joining INET, but better than you seem to be.” Spider gave Slade a knowing look and Lita chuckled.

  “C’mon, man. You’re shutting me down before I can even proposition you.” Slade ignored the second half of Spider’s comment.

  Lita snickered from where he still straddled his Harley. Slade didn’t bother to glance in his teammate’s direction. No, he was too focused on the narrowing of Spider’s eyes to glance away.

  “I’m just putting that out there so were clear,” Spider growled, his voice gravely deep, and released his
grip on Slade’s hand.

  “All right,” Slade agreed amicably. “Though, I’m sure Zep will be heartbroken.”

  Spider opened his mouth to retort and closed it just as suddenly. Lita burst out laughing before Spider could compose himself enough to reply.

  “It’s okay, big guy.” Slade patted Spider’s shoulder in condolence. “We have another teammate that Zep already has in his sights.” Slade knew Spider and Zep had a history, once which scared Zep, but he also knew it would do Zep a world of good if Zep overcame whatever it was.

  If they thought Lita had laughed loudly before, they were wrong. The look on Spider’s face was indescribable, but Slade didn’t even feel bad using his partner and lover as bait to get a rise out of Spider. Knight had grabbed Zep’s attention, just not in the way he was leading Spider to believe.

  The flash of jealousy and anger before Spider schooled his features was so worth it. Slade would just have to keep Spider away from Knight until the ATF agent manned up where Zep was concerned.

  “Guess we’ve got work to do,” Slade finally said in order to end his torment of Spider.

  “We do,” Spider glared at Slade first then included Lita in the look for good measure.

  “Don’t take your shit out on me. I haven’t done anything to deserve your pissed ass attitude.” Lita glared right back at Spider. “Yet.”

  Lita’s last word was muttered so quietly that they almost didn’t hear it. But they did and somehow that broke the tension that was building between the agents.

  “So, Payne knows we’re coming?”

  Slade wasn’t surprised that Spider knew the name of his teammate that was entrenched with the Satan’s Blades. Fish had shared the Intel on their current op, but even knowing that Spider had access to the file, wasn’t why Slade wasn’t surprised. Spider repeatedly declined every effort to be recruited by INET, but Slade was more than sure the man kept tabs on INET’s ops. Zep’s in particular, but the rest of them just the same.

  Spider would join INET eventually. Slade was sure. He was also sure it wouldn’t happen until the man came to terms about how Zep fucked up his world emotionally. Spider’s behavior anytime Zep’s name was mentioned was proof enough for Slade that Spider had feelings for Zep in some way. Still, that was an issue to address at another time.

  “No. There was no way to get him a message after he called in.” Slade held up his hand to stop Spider from interrupting. “We had a contingency plan to back him up posing as Knights of Valor members before you ATF boys even had the Blades on your radar and thought to use KoV as your cover.”

  Spider bristled at Slade’s words and Slade smirked. The ATF agent’s anger reminded him of Knight and he realized once again that he had an anger kink. Spider was the body type that Slade was attracted to, but it was seeing the man’s anger rise that made Slade think of Knight and chuckle.

  “Don’t go getting all hot and bothered, now.” Slade laughed. “Payne will know what to do when we pull up.”

  It took Spider a few moments to calm down before he spoke again. It was clear the man wasn’t happy to be forced to give INET the lead for the op. He really had no choice in the matter since INET had an agent two years deep undercover in the Blades. Still, it was clear Spider wasn’t the least bit happy about it.

  “My cover and objective is the weapons angle.”

  “Ya think?” Slade smirked. “Why else would ATF be going in?”

  “Fuck you, Slade,” Spider spat back. “Drugs are your deal and we both know if it weren’t for the increase of guns we wouldn’t be going in to backup Payne.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong, Spider.”

  Slade stepped into Spider’s personal space. Slade was 6’4” and Spider had about half an inch on him, but that didn’t stop Slade from getting in the ATF agent’s face.

  “If Payne hadn’t called in about the Blades getting involved with human trafficking, neither of us would be here going in for backup. Whatever you think of the powers that be that move you across their chessboard, if this shit didn’t escalate to more than drugs and guns, neither ATF nor INET would be going in to backup Payne.” Slade paused only long enough to get in Spider’s face even more. “In fact, even ICE would be months behind if it weren’t for Payne already being planted so deep. So do everyone a favor and expand your fucking tunnel vision. This is bigger than just fucking guns.”

  The standoff lasted for what Slade was sure was less than a minute before he felt Lita’s hand on his bicep. He didn’t shrug off his teammate like he wanted to, but instead let Lita pull him back toward his hog.

  “Knight’s rubbing off on you.” Lita chuckled when he released Slade’s arm.

  It took a minute before Lita’s words penetrated his brain, but when they did, Slade laughed. He laughed loud and hard. Slade finally got himself back under control, but lost it again when he looked at the expressions of shocked concern that both Lita and Spider shot in his direction.

  “I am nowhere near like Knight,” Slade finally gasped out. He purposely ignored Spider’s questioning gaze that landed on him before it shifted to Lita.

  “Alright.” Slade finally got himself under control as he mounted his Harley. “Let’s do this.”

  Lita walked back to his bike and straddled it without looking at or saying a word to Spider.

  “So I’m just supposed to follow your lead?” Spider asked at the same time he threw his leg over the seat of his bike. The last thing he wanted to do was follow Slade’s lead because the fucker was obviously still crazy as hell.

  Slade turned to look at the ATF agent INET had sent him time and time again to recruit over the last several years. He pointed to the gold-plated pin that was engraved with not only the name he was to assume while undercover, but also his supposed rank in the Knights of Valor.

  “Yep.” Slade grinned and fired up his bike. He didn’t need the roaring noise of his Harley to drown out Spider’s reply. He could read the man’s lips without a problem.

  Fucker.

  ##~~##

  Five

  Knight didn’t know if he was grateful he wasn’t driving or not. His ass still hurt, but he was sure it wasn’t nearly as bad as Slade’s since his partner would be riding a motorcycle all the way to Miami. He suppressed a grin and pushed thoughts of his partner out of his mind.

  Knight wasn’t sure how to feel about Zep even though he felt comfortable and Hunt’s presence. Thankfully, Hunter sat behind him in the back seat while Zep drove. Knight doubted he would have been okay with Zep behind him. He still wasn’t thrilled about having been the receiving end of the man’s weapon.

  Shit, Knight knew he had anger issues and he might get physical by throwing a punch, but he never pulled his gun on someone just because he was pissed off. Not that he wasn’t tempted, though.

  Zep’s reaction to the ATF agent’s name was a complete one eighty. Not only was his change of behavior strange, but it was curious. Knight needed to get to know his teammates better than just what they shared with him in the office. He was sure asking Zep about the agent wasn’t going to be received well, but Knight never gave a shit about that kind of stuff.

  “So, what’s the deal with Spider, Zep?” Knight didn’t bother to look over his shoulder at Hunt to gauge the guy’s reaction to his question.

  “None of your fucking business, Knight.”

  It was the angry answer that Knight expected and he wasn’t surprised that Zep didn’t even bother to glance in his direction.

  “Yeah, it kind of is,” Knight countered. “We’re going into the field as a team so that makes it my business, asshole.”

  “Fuck you.”

  “No, fuck you. If this guy scares you, it affects me. Us.” Knight finally turned to look at Zep dead on. “Anyone who can make one of us squeak like a fucking mouse…”

  “Screw you, Knight. I didn’t fucking squeak.” Zep took his eyes off the road and glared at Knight.

  “Yeah, you kinda did,” Hunter piped up from the backsea
t and chuckled.

  “Fuck you too, Hunt.” The SUV swerved when Zep shifted his pissed off glare to Hunt.

  “Watch the fucking road,” Knight growled out around a hiss. Zep avoiding sharing his history with the ATF agent annoyed Knight, but if the fuckwad got them killed on I-95 he would be livid.

  Zep yanked the wheel back so hard that he changed lanes. Thankfully, the lane was empty. He gripped the steering wheel so hard that his knuckles cracked before they turned white.

  There was no way in hell that he was going to share his history with Spider with Knight or Hunt. No one on the team knew the shit that went down between that fucker and him. That’s exactly the way it would stay if he had anything to do with it.

  “Look, assholes, I know my job and I can do it just fine even if that fucker is going to be part of this op.”

  “Wow, Zep,” Hunt snickered. “You almost sound like Rage.”

  “Fuck you,” Zep and Knight said in unison.

  “Don’t call me that shit,” Knight shot a dark look at Hunt who just grinned from the backseat.

  “Better than calling you Knight.”

  “Don’t make me hurt you, Hunt.” Knight threatened weakly.

  Hunt had a point about the nickname Slade slapped on him. Rage was definitely better than Knight, but that didn’t mean he liked anyone other than Slade to call him by it. Hell, he wasn’t even sure he liked Slade calling him by that shit.

  “Stop changing the subject,” Knight started again after silence had settled around them for about five minutes.

  Zep’s fingers had finally started to loosen on the steering wheel when Hunt started fucking with Knight. They tightened again when Knight spoke.

  “Is it personal?” Knight kept his gaze on Zep. “If it’s not, you know all I have to do is dig a little in your case histories to find out.”

  Son of a bitch, Zep mentally cursed.

  He knew Knight could easily find which cases he worked on with Spider if he did some digging. If he dug further he would find their personal history. It would be hard not to since he and Spider grew up together. Just the thought of their shared youth pissed him off.