by Debra Kayn
"Not dance. Run the business end." Lilly waved her hand. "I just graduated with a degree in business and planned to take a few months off before I start job hunting. I've been running the mobile coffee shack, and the two other shacks mom had built in Pitnam since I was sixteen. Just give me the ins and outs of how Silver Girls is operated, and let me help."
Shari looked at Risa and shrugged. "It's not hard. Between you and me, we could fill her in today on the schedule and how we've set things up for the girls earning their money."
Risa pursed her lips and studied Lilly. "How long are you going to be around Federal?"
"How long do you want me?" Lilly grinned, flashing perfect white teeth.
The girls cheered. Shari smiled. For a temporary fix, this could work.
Risa shushed everyone. "Nothing's final until we talk to Kurt, and Lilly breaks the news to her dad. Nobody wants Rain to bring hell down on the club.
"I'll handle Dad." Lilly stood and pressed her hands to her stomach. "Thank you. I'll do the club and the Silver Girls proud, you'll see."
Jojo laughed. "Oh, this is going to get good. I can just imagine Rain's reaction when his little girl announces she's working for a strip club."
"Entertainment business." Lilly grinned. "It'll be fine...once Dad listens to me."
"Okay, I'll grab some paper, and we'll go over everything in the chance that Lilly's right about Rain allowing her to work and this is a go." Shari stood and walked out of the kitchen.
Down the hall, the meeting room door remained shut. She slowed her pace and listened. The thick, hard wood door blocked any noise from coming through. Lee would be happy over the news that she no longer had to dance, and she was hopeful that her life was moving forward. Soon Uncle Ted would be back and she could continue where she'd left off five years ago.
She stopped and stared at the wall. What did she have to go back to?
After her apartment was thrashed, the manager probably threw out all her belongings when she never returned or paid her rent. Of course, she could always stay with Uncle Ted at his house until she got back on her feet. She leaned against the wall. There was no way she could walk back into her old job at Spanwell Ducting after leaving them in the lurch.
A heavy bang came from the room behind her. She sucked in her breath. For her, club life was now normal. The girls were family and comfortable to be around.
Lee was...she squeezed her eyes closed. God, she was only getting to know him and she wanted to continue their relationship. He'd said a month until his business was over and she'd have her life back.
How could she leave him? She squeezed her eyes closed against the onslaught of sadness washing over her. He'd stormed into her life and she found herself falling in love with him.
Chapter Nineteen
Lee ignored the chair he'd tipped over and planted his hands on the table. He should've known Kurt had men planted in town and would get the news of Los Li's arrival before he had a chance to talk to him.
"You have to go about business and act like you don't even know the mafia is close." Lee stared down his brother. "I'm telling you, I've got this under control."
"And, I'll ask you again, you or the Feds?" Kurt ground out.
Lee straightened back up. "Trust me."
Remmy cleared his throat. Lee turned his attention to his V.P. The older man's face remained unreadable, but Lee knew the recent attack Remmy went through was fresh in his thoughts.
"We're locking down the girls. Kurt and I both agree on that decision. I don't give a damn about the end of the war between Los Li and Bantorus MC, because if one of the women gets hurt, or worse, no break from their threats will be worth losing one of the girls," Remmy said.
Lee shook his head. "This is years' worth of planning. Do you really think I stayed away from Bantorus for the last fourteen years for the hell of it? I've put my life on the line more times than I can count. I've cleaned up every goddamn mess Bantorus found themselves in, and I'm responsible for the lives I put under ground. My family...," He swallowed and lowered his voice. "Every member of my family has been touched, scarred, and tormented by Los Li. I won't risk their lives or the club on a half-ass idea that Los Li is going down. It will happen. I'll stake that on my life."
Remmy closed his hand and tapped it against the table. "No. The women go in lockdown."
Kurt studied Lee without saying a word. It took everything in Lee not to pull out a bro marker. He'd been gone too long and deserted his family when they needed him to feel comfortable enough asking Kurt for a favor.
Kurt looked away and turned to Remmy. "Do you remember a biker, a former Bantorus member, named Tango?"
"Jesus Christ," Lee muttered, shaking his head.
What he'd told Kurt in the privacy of his own home was not to be shared with the club. Lee paced to the far wall, and returned to the table. What the hell was his brother doing?
Remmy's shoulders went back. "I haven't heard that name in a long time, but I remember him. He rode for Lagsturns MC until he disappeared."
Lee inhaled deeply, staring at his brother. The urge to stop his brother from sharing the information to protect Shari almost undid him. Club came first. It was a hard concept to go by after living as a nomad where he only answered to himself. Now he had to face the club and come clean for them to trust him.
His brother made a club decision on his own, doing the job he was voted into the president's chair to do. Kurt needed their trust. Lee needed their trust.
Lee started talking. "Tango's an undercover Fed. He left prior to the death threat on Crystal when Raul was the president of Lagsturns, and later swept in and arrested her father." Lee waited for that information to sink in, and then he continued. "He went under the radar for years, working behind the scenes in the plan to take down Los Li. Heat got heavy on him about five years ago when Los Li discovered who he was and had information on his niece, who he'd raised by himself."
Remmy lowered his chin. "What's this have to do with Bantorus MC?"
"You know his niece as Shari Dunley. Her real name is Shari Tango," Lee said.
Remmy's head turned and Lee was unable to read his eyes. His chest ached, because he knew the information came as a shock. Remmy cared for Shari, and though Lee rather ignore the friendship between Remmy and Shari than acknowledge that his MC brother slept with his woman, he still gave Remmy time for the information to sink in.
Remmy stretched his lips over his teeth. "Did Shari know what happened with Risa, me, or the whole fucking deal with Los Li at our backs this whole damn time she's been here?"
Lee shook his head. "No. She's kept her uncle a secret, and has no idea he spent time years ago with Lagsturns MC or the truth about what happened to you or Risa. She doesn't even know about the continual dangers coming from Los Li and aimed at the club. From what Tango's said and Shari's told me, she fled Cali with her uncle because his job with the government put her in danger. She has no idea what that danger is. She's innocent. Circumstances and a stroke of luck had her crossing paths with Bantorus."
The other men took in all the information thrown around the room without saying anything. The members only knew the history of the club since starting the Federal Charter, and didn't question any of the old history. Lee sat back down. He had one shot to get everyone on board to keep the club safe.
"There are Feds in town. Three teams, plus Tango...and me. I'm putting my life down for the club, and—"
"Bull shit." Kurt's fist came out and slammed into the table. "You're wearing Bantorus colors now."
Lee nodded in acceptance. "I bleed Bantorus, brother, but this is what I was born to do. I took up this job to find myself, because I was riding a path that'd kill me if I didn't focus. I've worked my whole life for this moment. I will not put anyone associated with the club in harm's way. You know that. You have to accept it, and this time, follow my lead."
Kurt turned to Remmy. The two men non-verbally communicated, and for a second, Lee fought the feelings of being
the odd man out. The nomad. The black sheep of the family. Then he accepted his position. Whether club agreed or not, he had a job to do. Once it was over, he'd settle things with his brother.
Kurt turned back to Lee. "All information stays in the room. I'll alert the Silver Girls that they're under watch, so as not to cause any drama...they're used to us being overprotective. We'll split the members into two groups, mixing the first and second riders up, and they will all be on the girls. The prospects stick with Cutter and Germ. We will not have our whole club taken out at once if this blows up in our face."
Relief swept through him and he reached over and clasped Kurt's hand, then Remmy's hand. "Thanks."
Kurt leaned forward and said, "You get your ass killed, and I'll kill you a second time."
"Understood." Lee stood, leaned over, and grabbed Kurt's face, kissing him soundly on the forehead. "Love you too, bro."
"You fucking better," Kurt mumbled.
Lee waited for Kurt to call the meeting to an end, and then he headed out. He had just enough time to get to the planned destination to meet with Tango. Adrenaline fueled him forward. It was almost over, and then he could put his past behind him.
A half hour later, he rode into the abandoned gas station where Los Li held Remmy captive only a couple of months ago. There was no better way to hide than to do it in plain sight where Lee had taken out three members of Los Li.
Tango leaned against the side of the building in the shade, smoking a cigarette. Lee cut the engine, toed the kickstand, and swung his leg off the Harley.
"When this is over, my badge comes off, and I'm kicking your ass." Tango took a hit off the smoke and flicked off the coal, pocketing the butt.
"That's what makes you different than me, because after the first punch, I'm just going to shoot you for leaving Shari in Federal without any contact or support for several years." Lee stood beside Tango, and leaned back taking up the relaxed stance his supervisor took. "Do you even fucking know your niece?"
"Watch it, Ramchett," Tango said. "I've raised her since she was six years old and lost her parents. I know her better than anyone, and I love her more than anyone else can."
"Fuck you. You dropped her off in Federal and cut off all support. What the hell did you think she was going to do in a mining town?" Lee asked.
Tango turned and faced him. "She's alive, isn't she?"
Lee ground his teeth together. What she had to go through and experience to make sure she stayed alive was questionable. Shari had no one, until Bantorus MC took the Silver Girls in.
"She slept with Remmy. She's sleeping with me." Lee glanced over at Tango. "How long would she be stuck in that situation? How many other members would she suck off to guarantee her safety, because you set her up in Federal and fucking left her?"
Tango looked away and braced. "She's an adult. I knew she was dancing, and that was the lesser of two evils. Los Li was riding my ass. You know that nowhere in the Northwest is safe from them. Los Li ransacked her apartment and threatened her life. I did what I had to do to keep her alive."
"Jesus, then you could've sent her to the east coast or got her out of the country," he shouted.
"Alone? Somewhere that would take me several hours or a day to fly to if Los Li found out where she was staying. She'd be dead." Tango shoved his hand in his pocket, removed a small piece of paper, and handed it to Lee.
He looked down at what he was handed. A picture, cut crooked around the edges as if a child did the task, and he recognized the heart-shaped face and the two new adult teeth that had a space rather than the overlap they had now staring back at him. About eight years old in the picture, Shari gave the camera the smile of innocence. Lee inhaled deeply. His respect for Shari bordered on obsessive.
She'd survived, despite the hardships placed on her by Los Li and her uncle. In a world where everyone lived day to day, and secrets were kept, emotions held in, and danger lurked, she'd found her safe spot within the club and thrived. His hand shook and the photo blurred. He blinked his eyes. If anything happened to her, his life would be over.
She held on to him when others wouldn't. She listened and never questioned. He never took her devotion for granted. She'd supported his need to keep secrets from her, trusting him not to hurt her. He'd put demands on her she couldn't understand. He ran his thumb over the picture, knowing she expected him to stay with her despite the rules he'd made up front. She always hoped for the best, thought about the positive, and put herself last, and him first.
Whether the war with Los Li ended or continued, he couldn't picture himself walking away from her.
He handed the picture back to Tango. "I'm claiming her."
"Son of a bitch," Tango muttered. "She's my little girl."
"She was an adult when you dropped her off in Federal. It's been a long time since she was at an age where you had a say in her life." Lee pushed away from the wall. "She's mine now."
Tango grabbed his arm. "Do you love her?"
"That's none of your business," he said.
Answering Tango was impossible. He had no idea if he was capable of loving another person in the way others needed. He loved his parents, his brother, his club, but they accepted him unconditionally. He could be sitting in prison right now, and they'd continue to love him. But he didn't expect to have the kind of love that owned him heart and soul. A woman would have to know his past, his present, and dream with him about a future together, and accept all parts of him for that to be possible. It wasn't rational to ask a woman to love a killer.
Tango's grip tightened. "Does she love you?"
"Again. Not your business." He gazed down at Tango's hand on him and waited for him to let go.
Tango released him and cleared his throat. "Wait until after this is over with Los Li before you mark her. I don't need her mourning a dead body and being tied to Bantorus MC without you there to deal with the repercussions."
He lifted his chin, giving into the request. "Tell me what's happening."
"We're raiding tonight before they can leave." Tango pulled in a breath. "We have two men planted in the motel. One's working the front desk, and another one is doing maintenance. They've been there for three months on the hunch that Los Li would return. The owners of the motel believe we're securing the area for military reasons, and they're big supporters of our men overseas. Their son is currently serving in the Army."
"You had guys here when they took a Bantorus member, and let it happen." Lee spit on the ground and walked a few feet away to check himself.
He'd believed he was on his own, and all this time he had Feds close enough to piss on. The shit that went down with Remmy could've been stopped.
He returned to Tango's side. "I want in on the takedown."
"We're not taking bodies this time." Tango held his gaze. "We have these guys in our hands. There are over fifty agents in California right now with three squads who are waiting outside two of Los Li's hangouts ready for our call. While we take them down in Federal, our men will attack the two locations in California and keep them contained. We're not taking a chance of someone getting a sniff and setting off alarms, blowing our one chance to get these guys."
"I want in on the takedown," he repeated.
Tango shook his head. "You're done."
"Bull shit. You've used me as a mercenary for years, giving me just enough information for me to sweep in and do cleanup whenever Los Li came close to my club. You can't—"
"You saved your brother's old lady, your V.P. and stopped Los Li from sending out a hit on your brother. Not to mention, five years ago you took out five Los Li members who came after Rain and Slade, leaving your club unaware of how you'd saved their lives. You did this while eliminating Los Li's numbers over the years." Tango widened his stance. "We used you, and you were willing. Now it's our turn. We can't cover your ass this time. We can't clean police reports and expect to take out the number of men that will go down, letting you go in there as a citizen. This time, we'll have the core
of the state-side Mexican mafia in custody and it'll force them to reassign gang members from Mexico. It'll take them twenty years to rebuild to the level they're at currently inside and outside the prisons. We can't do that if you go in on a killing spree. One fuckup and the judge will let these guys walk."
"I want to see Herrera's face when he knows his life is over," Lee said.
Tango dropped his chin to his chest. Lee's body tensed in preparedness to stand here all day until Tango gave his consent. There was one man who was in control of Los Li when a rogue member kidnapped his step mom, terrorize her, beat her within seconds of dying, while he took his sick pleasure from Taylor. Lee had been eight years old, sitting in the dark when everyone thought he was sleeping, when he'd overheard the cries, the pain, the fear coming from Taylor as she recanted the horror of what she'd gone through to his dad.
That day, he'd sworn to get payback for what they'd done to the one woman who chose to love him when his own mother abandoned him.
"Man, I need in there." Lee held up his hands. "I'll go in there unarmed if that's what it takes, but I need to see Herrera when he knows his life is over."
It was finally time to pay Herrera back for what he'd done to Lee's family.
"Let it go," Tango said.
Lee shook his head. "I can't. It's who I am."
"God dammit." Tango stared him down.
Lee wasn't moving. He'd stick to Tango's side and force him to take him or call off the takedown. He wasn't giving up on his promise. He would get justice.
"You kill anyone, and you'll go down as a citizen and rot in prison. As of right now, you have no connection to the federal government. As far as we know, you don't exist, except on a profile for Bantorus MC. I will not save your ass. In fact, I'd like nothing better than to send you up to the state pen and keep you away from Shari."
Lee nodded. "Understood. Now tell me where and when Los Li's going down."
Tango said, "Ten o'clock, Moondust motel. Meet me five minutes before at the Conoco gas station. If Los Li's still there, then every sting from Idaho clear to Cali will be ordered active at the same time. You make one wrong move or your club fucks this up—"