by Jade Kuzma
I turned around and grabbed James’s jacket. Then I spun back around and held it up for him.
“You look amazing,” I said. “I think it’s time for you to greet your guests.”
He put his jacket on. I reached for his collar, deftly sliding my finger underneath it to place the receiver. I pretended to straighten his collar then looked at his reflection in the mirror.
“There’s a ballroom full of people down there,” he said. “They all look up to me. I’m responsible for a lot. A huge business deal that brings in more money than you could imagine. How do I look, Kristen?”
“Just as I said… You look amazing.”
He slowly turned around and smiled down at me.
“If anybody looks amazing in this room, it’s you.”
He put his hand against my cheek and caressed me softly.
“I’m sorry I haven’t been around you much lately,” he said. “We haven’t done anything together in a long time. Frankly, I can’t remember the last time we spent the night together, embarrassing as that is.”
James had his women on the side. It wasn’t the biggest secret in the world, with his clothes smelling of perfume on certain nights.
“I know you’re busy,” I said. “We’ll make time for each other. Right now…”
I glanced at the receiver underneath his collar. It was small enough that nobody could see it, not even if they were looking for it. Now all I had to do was hope that Whitaker was getting everything he needed.
“…Right now is a reason to celebrate,” I said.
“Indeed. Let’s have a good time tonight, Kristen.”
Chapter 15
SEBASTIAN
“Thank you for the earpieces, Mr. Soul.”
“No problem.”
“From here on out, it’s road names only. Check in before you speak.”
“Joker here. Road names? What about Roman though? He ain’t got a road name.”
Roman walked up to me and tugged on his collar. Even though he was as confident as ever, even he couldn’t hide some of the nerves that were building up inside of him.
“Rock,” he said. “Just call me Rock.”
“You ready for this?” I asked.
“As I’ll ever be.”
My VP and I headed into the ballroom where the festivities were already underway. The live band was playing soft music for all of the wealthy couples to move to while the rest of them talked to each other about the usual bullshit like the new yacht they bought or their vacation to Italy. Perfect for a distraction.
I pressed my finger to my earpiece to make sure that I could hear everything properly then looked across the ballroom.
“How we doing, Joker?”
“Perfect. Just perfect.”
“Perfect, huh? Then where the fuck are you?”
“Gimme a second. I had to wait for the crowd to disappear. You know, you could’ve picked a less conspicuous spot for me to change into—”
“Get the job done,” Roman interrupted him.
“I’m ready.”
The door that led to the kitchen opened and Hunter stepped out of it, dressed in the same uniform as the rest of the wait staff. It was only one small step for all of this.
I turned to Roman and gave him a nod.
“Get that key, gentlemen,” I said. “Mercy and Soul are counting on you.”
Hunter moved through the room, doing his best to blend in with the other wait staff while Roman moved to accompany him.
I grabbed a glass of champagne and took a sip, casually observing my surroundings. Nobody was paying attention to me even though it looked like I was strangely talking to myself.
“Mercy. What’s your status?”
“We’re in pursuit. The delivery is right on schedule.”
“Remember. You gotta get that thing before it’s within half-a-mile, otherwise the cameras will pick you up.”
“Don’t worry. These motherfuckers won’t know what hit ‘em.”
“That’s what I like to hear—”
“Talking to yourself?”
Kristen suddenly appeared next to me. A sleek black dress that stuck to her figure just right. Pale skin accentuated by the red lipstick. Her hair was done up fancier than I was used to seeing. She always looked like an angel to me but tonight… Tonight she looked like something I’d never seen before. Something special.
“I have nobody else to talk to,” I said. “I might as well talk to myself.”
“I’m here. You can talk to me.”
“And what would your boyfriend think of you talking to me?”
“I’m just catching up with an old friend. It’s not anything more than that.”
“Is that right?”
I looked into Kristen’s eyes and she smiled at me. A nervous smile like she was hiding something.
She’d done it.
“How are you doing?” I asked. “Are you all right?”
“I’m doing just fine. Thank you for asking.”
“Did you… do what you were planning on doing?”
“…I do everything I set my mind to, Sebastian.”
“How silly of me to even doubt you.”
I hid my smirk behind a sip of champagne. Kristen didn’t look any less nervous than just a few moments ago, that smile on her lips so forced that I wanted to do something.
“Speaking of your boyfriend—”
“We weren’t speaking about my boyfriend.”
“…No… No, we weren’t. But I’m curious… Where is he?”
Kristen narrowed her eyes then leaned forward. There was so much going on around us but she still whispered like she didn’t want anybody else to hear.
“What are you doing here?” she said.
“I’m looking to have a good time—”
“Sebastian…”
“And… I’m also here on business. I was hoping I could get a word in with, Mr. Emerson.”
“Joker here. Got the keycard. Easiest swipe I ever pulled. You could’ve given me something harder to do—”
“Joker and I are heading out to the meet-up point right now. Venom, you’ve got less than ten minutes to get out here to help us load this shit up.”
I kept my eyes locked on Kristen while I listened to them.
“What business do you have to talk about with my boyfriend?” she asked.
“Does Emerson share the details of his business with you?”
I widened my eyes at her, waiting for her response but there was none.
“What I have to say to Emerson is between me and him.”
“…What are you up to, Sebastian?”
“I’m not up to anything.”
“Sebastian… Don’t screw this up. I’ve been dealing with Emerson for a year now and…”
I put my hands on her shoulders and eased the anxiety I could see building up on her face.
“…You have nothing to worry about. After tonight, this will all be over. You did do what you were planning on doing, didn’t you?”
“Yes… Yes, I did.”
“Then rest easy.”
“And what have we here?”
I turned my head to the side and saw Emerson standing there. The pompous asshole looked as smug as he always did.
“I remember you,” he said. “From the other night.”
“Sebastian,” I said as I shook his hand. “Sebastian Cain.”
“The man from the negotiations. I’ll never forget seeing your face as you stood by Arthur Burke’s side. I’m glad you accepted the invitation for tonight.”
“Rock here. We are in position. Approaching the perimeter of the security cameras. You coming with us, Venom?”
“I was hoping to schedule a business meeting with you,” I said. “I don’t have much success with secretaries. They never give me a chance. It’s like they can hear what I look like even over the phone.”
“She can be a bit picky.”
“As it should be. You’re a busy man. Successful. There’s
no reason you should waste your time on everybody. Even someone like me.”
“Oh, don’t be modest, Mr. Cain. I’m sure you’re just as capable a businessman as anybody else in the room. Perhaps now we can discuss whatever proposal you have for me.”
I glanced over at Kristen. She was silent this whole time, twisting her fingers nervously around her glass of champagne.
“My club and I can offer you transport,” I said.
“Transport? You mean bikes.”
“That’s right.”
“I’m afraid that bikes aren’t adequate for the amount of product I’m moving.”
“What we lack in size and bulk, we make up in speed and efficiency. We move faster. There’s less of a chance we’ll be detected by people who might want to interfere. I can assure you it’s an efficient way.”
“We’re in position, Venom. Hey, you listening to me?”
I ignored Roman’s voice and kept smiling politely at Emerson in front of me.
“Intriguing,” he said. “It’s something I’d have to consider with everybody else. But I’ll be honest with you, dealing with MCs is not something anybody is eager to do. Not after the incident with the Black Reapers…”
“I understand. I appreciate you taking the time to speak to me.”
“If there’s anything else you want to propose, my ears are always open. You’ll always be on the guest list, Cain. Now if you don’t mind, Kristen and I need to greet some of the other guests.”
“There’s no need to explain anything to me. This is your party, Emerson.”
“Yes… Yes, it is…”
He raised his head up slightly. That smug smile still on his lips, he looked down his nose before turning his attention to Kristen. She remained silent as she put her arm around his and walked through the rest of the ballroom.
“Sheesh. I thought you’d never stop talking—”
“Shut up, Joker. I’m on my way.”
I quickly made my way out of the ballroom and headed outside. The valet got my ride for me and I sped off into the distance toward the meet-up point. It wasn’t long before I was parked underneath a cluster of trees where the van was already waiting for me. Ezra sat in the driver’s seat with Aden right next to him. The back suddenly popped open and Hunter and Roman sat there.
“Took you long enough,” Roman said.
“I was a guest,” I said. “I think it’s nice to be polite to the guy before I take his money.”
The van sped off down the road back toward the small building where all of the deliveries are made. We all started arming ourselves while I went over the final details.
“Joker, you’ll use the key to open up the garage. Once we’re inside, Soul, you activate the EMP. Are you sure that thing will work?”
“Trust me,” Ezra responded. “The guy I know is better with electronics than anybody. It’ll work.”
“The EMP will shut off all the cameras and all electronics. We’ve got less than three minutes to clear the place out. Take down any man who tries to fight back. Remember, these men are doing anything for a paycheck, even working for a man like Emerson. Not good men.”
“I don’t imagine Emerson will be happy with them if he gets robbed,” Hunter said.
“All the more reason to take ‘em out then,” Aden responded.
“We’re almost there,” Roman said. “Everybody focus.”
“Half-a-mile radius,” Ezra said.
I looked over at Roman across from me and he smiled back at me. I loaded my piece and cocked it back. Fully-loaded for anybody who wanted to test their luck.
“Mask up,” I announced.
We pulled our masks down over our faces.
Ezra pulled up to the garage and stuck his hand out.
“Hunter.”
Hunter placed the keycard into Ezra’s hand and he scanned it. The garage door slowly opened up. As soon as we pulled into the garage, I could already see everything through the windshield. A few armed guards standing around a table loaded with all of the cash we were looking for. All along the walls, there was some product stashed. There didn’t need to be much of it because that kinda shit was top of the line. The reason Emerson made so much money was because he could charge a premium for it.
None of that mattered now. Every dollar Emerson was making tonight was gone.
Ezra parked the van then looked back at us.
“You ready?” he asked.
We all looked at one another and nodded.
“Remember where they are,” I said. “Two men in the corner. Two men near the table. Keep firing until they’re all down.”
Ezra pulled out a small black box. It didn’t look like much. Just an innocuous device that looked like something you set your car alarm with. He clicked it a few times and then it happened. The lights started to flicker. There was some shouting going on inside of the garage. I looked up at the monitors and saw the static.
“Go!” I shouted.
Roman kicked the doors of the van open and raised his guns up. The rest of the Devils followed him. The bastards didn’t know what hit ‘em. Gunfire filled the room for only a few seconds before everybody was down.
“One minute,” I said to everybody.
We all got to work stuffing the duffel bags with all of the cash on the table. Considering how much money it was, it took a lot longer than I was expecting it to.
“Shit, man,” Hunter muttered. “This is gonna take forever. Are you sure we can—”
“Save your breath,” I said. “Keep going. Take as much as you can.”
One bag. Then another. Then another. We were all moving frantically, gloved hands shoving every single dollar we could find into the bag.
“One minute!” Ezra shouted.
“That’s it! Let’s go! We have to move half-a-mile before the cameras come back on!”
We all loaded back up into the van. Ezra slammed on the gas and sped down the road back where we came from.
We quickly made our way back to the trees where all of our rides were parked, each one of us taking a bag for ourselves.
“Take this van,” I said to Ezra.
“I know,” he said with a nod. “I know a guy who’ll make this thing disappear. It’ll be like it vanished into thin air.”
I gave him a nod and he sped off down the highway back up toward the city. In the darkness of the night, I took my mask off and looked toward the rest of the club. When I saw all of their faces, I finally let out a sigh of relief.
“Shit, man,” Hunter said. “I think we did it.”
“We did do it,” Aden said.
“Yeah… We actually pulled it off. What the fuck do we do now?”
It took a few moments for the realization to hit us. And it hit us all at the same time as I watched the smiles form on all of their faces.
“What else can we do but celebrate?” I said.
Chapter 16
SEBASTIAN
Aden. Roman. Hunter. They were all smiles as they sat in the corner booth of the bar. Everybody else around them was celebrating, not unlike a typical weekend in Hades. But tonight… Tonight was something special. It was like everybody else was having a good time right along with us.
It didn’t take long for Ezra to walk through the front entrance.
“That was quick,” I said.
“I told you he’s good.”
“The van?”
“What van?”
He gave me a wink and I patted him on the arm. The bartender poured him a beer and he took a satisfying gulp out of it.
“You know,” he said. “I made a lot of money when I was up in the city. This… This feels a little different.”
“The money is a little dirty. How do you feel about it, knowing where it came from?”
“Lacey would never let me spend it. Back when we had that vote about whether or not to do this, it was never about the money. For me, I was always thinking about her. I can do a lot of good things with that cash. Better than the man it used t
o belong to.”
“It’s yours, Soul. You can do what you want with it.”
“Right now, all I want to do is relax. It’s been a long week for all of us setting this thing up. You gonna celebrate with us?”
“I’ll be there in a minute. I just… need some time to think.”
“Don’t take too long. I can’t imagine there’ll ever be another night like tonight.”
He patted me on the arm and joined the rest of the club. Seeing Ezra along with all of the other patches made me smile in a way I couldn’t remember.
“Congratulations.”
I turned and looked at the old man slowly walking toward me. Murphy was dressed in a tailored navy blue suit, modest considering what he usually wore. He leaned up against the bar and used it to hold himself up while he looked over at the MC in the corner.
“Congratulations for what?” I said.
“Don’t be coy. You know you don’t have to keep any secrets from me. I know the look in a man’s eyes when he pulls something off. You’re talking to an original Devil.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know.”
“How does it feel?”
“I don’t know. Is it supposed to feel a certain way?”
“You should be proud. This is a big accomplishment for you. I was there, remember?”
I could feel Murphy’s eyes on me as the memories started to come back to me.
“I told you to bring this MC back and you did,” he said. “Then you lost everything. Then you brought it back again. Just you and Roman. Two men with nothing to lose and everything to gain. You could’ve been just fine without the patch but you did it anyway. Now look at you. You pulled something off that’ll go down in the history books. You served justice your own way.”
I was never gave Murph much thought. Most people around here just thought he was some senile old man who’d lost his way. But looking at him now, I remembered just who he was and what he represented.
He put his hands on my arms and stared at me like a proud parent.
“I’m proud of you, Cain. I’m glad you gave this old man a reminder of what it was like when the Devils were the MC in this town.”
“If we’re not the MC in town, we’ll get there eventually. It’s only a matter of time until our reputation spreads.”
“I’m sure the West Devils would be proud of you just the same. I imagine they’re all smiling now, wherever they are.”