“So then what happened with Carl in the parking lot? Was that girl involved?” A faceless voice popped up in the room asking the million-dollar question everyone wanted to ask.
“Fine. Since you assholes have nothing else on your mind, let’s talk.” Benni had been listening suspiciously from his place on the podium. He had watched Vinny as he entered earlier and had sat back and let the men sneer and butcher him. Now he was practically throwing him to the dogs. But first, he was going to throw his own twist in, “That night, I got a call from some source.”
“What source? Who?” The same man who brought up the parking lot incident piped up again out of the blue. He had completely forgotten his place.
Benni shot him a look as he continued on, “It was a woman. I’ve never heard her voice before and her number came up blank. By the sound of it, I think we can all guess it is whatever girl Vinny was banging from Jackman’s…Gloria.”
Laughter filled the room, changing the tone unintentionally. A man standing next to Vinny pounded him on the back in a strange, out of place congratulations. The hit rattled Vinny’s chest as he struggled to remain standing despite the pain shooting through his body.
Benni waited for the laughter to quickly die down as he spoke over the men once again. His voice lowered, forcing them to cut the chatter, “Whoever she was, she told me she knew Carl was working for the Devils selling and dealing. She gave me some evidence I thought was pretty convincing. Before she had called, I had summoned Vinny and Junior here to discuss Junior’s intel findings and Vinny’s job getting in him to the Devils ranks. When Vinny showed early, I told him about Carl and asked him to stick around to get to the bottom of it.”
“Benni,” a smaller man a bit older than the rest of the crew raised his hand waiting for the leader to acknowledge him. Once he was given permission to speak further, he continued with his question, “Did Vinny say anything about Carl? Did he defend him or show any signs of knowing his position with the Devils?”
It was a great question—one that made Benni stop in his place and consider it further. “No, Pete. I don’t think he did. But if that caller was Gloria, I am guessing he knew something about it before I did.”
All eyes turned back to where Vinny was standing. His arms were folded over his chest tightly as she tried to figure out how to explain everything. He stumbled over his words as he spit out a quick, “I didn’t know anything for certain and Gloria had just told me when I got the text from Benni to meet him here. I got here early so I could let him know. Gloria just beat me to it.”
No one spoke for a long moment. Vinny took it as a good sign that no one questioned his actions. But Benni’s stern concentration told an entirely different story. Still, Benni continued on with his side of the story, “When Vinny left to go get Junior, I went back into my office to do some business and prepare for Carl. A couple minutes later, I heard some banging from the parking lot and I ran to see if we were under attack. From there, I saw Carl on the ground with a knife in his back. Vinny was next to him, badly injured. Junior was attacking him, but Vinny managed to fight him off and Junior ran off when Vinny collapsed. I made it outside in time to watch Junior ride off and help Vinny inside where I called the guard to help out with Carl’s disposal.”
Vinny stood in place, stunned. Benni had obviously witnessed the fight but was leaving out key details such as Gloria being the one who killed Carl and Vinny letting Junior go free. But it wasn’t just that. Vinny was shocked at just how easily he lied to the men. It was almost graceful in its execution as if it had been practiced over and over again to perfection. He could have won an award for his convincing performance.
A man seated next to Vinny, one of his seconds and commands, shot to his feet with a question, “Okay, so let’s say Vinny hasn’t told that woman about Carl…what are we going to do with her now? She knows too much. Someone’s gotta take care of her.”
Benni answered quickly with a canned response, “She poses no threat to us that I can see. But for the time being, I have put her under watch. A group of ten are tailing her until we can be sure she can be trusted.”
Vinny could handle that solution. Her being followed might be good for sanity, too. Trouble just seemed to sniff out Gloria wherever she went, and having her own detail of men may stop her from biting off more than she could chew. Vinny pulled out his phone to text her a warning, but he was stopped by the sound go Benni clearing his throat.
When he looked up, he could see Benni staring him down with a tired, well-worn expression on his face. His husky, throaty voice continued where he left off, “If the boys sniff out anything suspicious—like she is communicating with any Devils member or talking about any Horsemen other than Vinny, she will be taken care of.”
CHAPTER FOUR
“The fuck was that, Benni?” Vinny was raging. His blood had boiled over during that meeting, and it was not coming out in the most dangerous way—against his own leader. “You damn well know what happened out there in the parking lot.”
“No,” Benni said nonchalantly, not even bothering to look up from his desk to acknowledge Vinny’s tantrum. “I only know what I saw, friend. But please, enlighten me. Tell me what really happened that night.” He stared down at his notebook, scrolling through his own handwriting.
Vinny knew he could not take this further. Benni was refusing to recognize Gloria’s part in the murder. At least, he was not saying anything out loud to Vinny or the rest of his public. Benni could have sealed her fate and Vinny’s had he come out and said that Gloria had done the deed. No doubt that not only would the Horsemen rally against Vinny, word would get out to the Devils, as well, putting them in harm’s way from both sides. For now, Vinny had to play along, to play dumb if he was going to protect Gloria. He would have to hang back and earn Benni’s trust again. Luckily for Vinny, he was just about to get that chance.
Benni opened a new page of his notebook and wrote out a name. Ripping the page, he handed it to Vinny. “I need you to track down a man named Calvin Smith.”
The name was setting off alarm bells in Vinny’s head, but he just couldn’t put the name with a face. He interrupted to ask, “Who is he?”
But Benni failed to register his question. He continued on, “When you find out where he lives, head to his place immediately. You are not to hold back. You take it to the end if you have to. Do you understand?” He looked up waiting for Vinny to nod his head in understanding. “If he fails to give you information, you are under my order to take him out and his wife, if she is home. Burn the evidence.”
“Okay…” Vinny felt he had every right to be reluctant. He had yet to hear Benni give him an order to actually murder a man. He’s beaten the crap out of his fair share of guys. But most of those times have been in club headquarters or off-sites. Doing such a deed in a man’s own home was stepping over some blurred lines for Vinny.
“The man’s Junior’s father. He’s either harboring Junior, or he knows where he is. No doubt about it. He doesn’t give him up, he tries to run, he attempts to hide the son of a bitch—you do what you have to do.” Benni was so calm and cool about it. It was easy to give bloody orders when it wasn’t your own hands getting dirty.
Vinny swallowed hard and headed out the door. He was stopped by Benni continuing, “Do you really think I trust that you’re going to get this shit done? We know far too well that you went easy on Junior last time. You’re the reason he’s out there spilling secrets to the enemy. No, you’re not going out there alone. You’re taking Quimby with you.”
“What? I work alone—and you damn well know that!” Vinny had never had a partner joining him on an assignment since he was first proving himself as an enforcer and runner.
Benni shut his book quickly and pounded his free hand on to the wood desk as he turned to Vinny, “You take Quimby and get the job done, or Gloria’s watch turns into something far worse for both of you.”
Vinny opened his mouth to respond, but he found his place. He was not abou
t to let this end here in the office. He was going to have to put all of his few morals aside and just go with this.
But Benni wasn’t finished with Vinny. He gave a final word of warning, “And, Vinny, if you let the man slide or escape, I’ll find out about it. I’ve got eyes and ears all over this town. There is nowhere on this earth you could run from me.”
“I ain’t goin’ nowhere, Benni. The job will get done.” Vinny stormed out of the room, running face to face with Quimby himself. He had been sitting outside the door the whole time, just waiting for Benni to finish with Vinny.
Quimby broke the icy silence first, “When we doing this, man?”
“Tonight. Three A.M. They won’t be awake to get Junior out in time if he’s stayin’ at their house. If the Devils are protecting him or the family, they won’t be too alert at that time to stop us. Meet me at my place, and we’ll ride there together.” Vinny’s mind raced. He had much to do beforehand.
“How you plannin’ on findin’ his address without me? I was told to stay with you at all times.” Quimby was already eyeing his companion suspiciously. Vinny going off on his own for hours was certainly not in the plan.
“I got my sources. I can find out where he is. I just need a couple hours to get the information.”
“You know I can’t let you do that. I either go with you or you back out of this job and wait to see if Benni forgives you again.”
“Do you think I give a shit about what Benni does to me at this point?”
“No, but I think you sure care an awful lot about that whore bar singer you’re protecting. I don’t know what she did to earn it, but I’m guessing it wasn’t just giving you head. And if I was a betting man, which I am, I am going to say you’re heading out to her place to get Calvin’s address. After all, she knows things, am I right?”
“I don’t know where she is.”
“Cut the shit. You think we’re stupid, but we all fucking know she’s been staying with you since that night. How’s domestic life with a new mommy to care for you?”
“Shut the fuck up, Quimby!” Vinny grabbed the man by the collar of his dirty gray t-shirt and pushed him hard against the wall. This man had always annoyed him before, but now he was purposefully pushing at buttons. “You meet me at my place at three, or I don’t do this. It seems like I’m the only one who knows how to find where Junior’s at. So if you wanna get this job, you let me do it my fucking way!”
Quimby threw up his hands as Vinny released him. The man slumped to the ground and sat there for a moment before saying out of the corner of his mouth, “Three A.M. Your place. You run late, I’ll be calling Benni.”
Vinny didn’t even give him the time of day with an answer. He was already out the door of the meeting hall and heading quickly to the parking lot where his bike was waiting for him to ride. He sped through the streets as he gritted his teeth through the strength it was taking to fight through the searing pain. His side ached and throbbed from the energy he expended on Benni, Quimby, and the meeting. And by the sound of the rest of his night’s plans, he could not imagine the pain going away anytime soon.
Jackman’s Tavern was thankfully only a few miles away from headquarters. By the looks of the bikes and the men hanging out in the parking lot, it appeared that the meeting had continued on to Gloria’s workplace. Their presence only added another roadblock for Vinny. He had to pull Gloria out without raising suspicions among the men. No doubt that Benni was not lying when he said he had eyes and ears all over the town. Giving Gloria too many details about where he was going and what he was assigned to do was not going to fly with anyone in the Horsemen.
His best bet was to keep it cool, to play it up like a friendly visit to a new Horsemen bar. He walked into the bar with his head held high. The first person to notice him was one of his own, one of his longtime allies from way back. “Michael, my man! How you doing tonight? Can I buy you a beer?” He patted Michael, on his back heavily as he took a seat on a stool next to him.
“What you doing here, you son of a bitch! Shouldn’t you be back home nursing that rib of yours?” He gestured to Vinny’s side as he chugged down the beer he was already nursing.
“Nah, gotta go on an assignment for Benni before the night is done. I just gotta let the old lady know.”
“She ain’t here, kid. Her and her watch left ‘bout an hour ago. I think they said she was heading to her place. You know where that is?”
“Yeah, I’ve been there once or twice...“ He elbowed the man jovially as he tossed some money on the bar. “You ride safe, y’hear?”
Michael was right. When Vinny arrived at Gloria’s place, he ran right into her watch. Ten or so men dressed in all black waited around in her parking lot playing cards and drinking beers. Only one was really paying attention to Vinny as he strode quickly past them. The man tried to protest, but Vinny held his hand up and continued on. No one seemed willing to chase him, but he had no doubt that one of them was going to call Benni for instructions.
Vinny only had minutes to get Gloria to cooperate. He knocked urgently at her door, rang her doorbell. No answer. He shouted her name, “Gloria! Gloria! Open this fucking door!”
Inside, Gloria watched from her bedroom window. She hadn’t moved from her perch since she got home that night and watched as the men pulled into the parking lot outside of her townhome. A bat was in her hand as she nervously traced the lines in the wood over and over again. If they were coming for her, she was waiting and ready.
Now, one of them broke their ranks. He had walked quickly to her door and began to pound away at the wood with his fists. Her heart raced as she worked out where she could run or hide, but she suspected that no matter what she did, she was powerless from it all. But the voice calling her name was familiar. She made the decision to turn on the lights, revealing Vinny as he continued to pound and scream out for her. She looked back at the rest of the men. They were still there, not moving. They just watched with a renewed interest, but they seemed harmless.
Gloria ran down the stairs and removed the propped up chairs from the doorknob. As she released the safety chain from the lock, she paused as Jordan’s warning from earlier in the night played out in her mind. What if Vinny was there to take her away, to do her in? Could she trust him? She could really see no option other than to put her faith in him that he was not there to harm her. He was the only thing left in her world she could put any stake in.
She opened up a crack, giving him just enough room to slip in. He wasted no time as he stared her down, “I need you to give me Calvin Smith’s address.”
“Who?” His odd, sudden request had given her no time to think.
“Junior’s dad, Gloria! I need it now.” Vinny was screaming at her. His voice was thundering and bouncing violently off of her walls.
“Wh—what are you talking about? I don’t know anything about him.” Gloria could only do the one thing she knew would keep her safe—deny.
“Cut the fucking shit, Gloria. I know you have his information. You have that information on every single one of your clients.”
Gloria relented. She should have known better than to bullshit Vinny. He had been privy to her business doings for weeks now. Of course he knew that she kept all that information in her binder. “Fine. Fine. But I’m not giving it to you until you tell me what the fuck is going on.”
“Listen to me,” he growled, approaching her without warning, taking her tiny, pale face in his strong hands. He forced her to keep eye contact with him as he explained, “They’re gonna kill both of us if you don’t let me do this. I need that address, Gloria. I need it now.”
“No, I can’t give that to you. I swore I’d protect—”
“You’d protect him over savin’ your own life? What the fuck is wrong with you? If you don’t cooperate, they’re not gonna let you go because you have information or because you are good looking. They’ll kill you, and Jordan, and everyone else you love. For fun. I can’t keep you safe anymore; you have to do
this.”
She shook violently. She had feared for her life the entire night, and now she was getting confirmation that those men really did come after her to harm her. Gloria could only do one thing. She had to play by their rules. She ran to her kitchen to grab her bag where her binder of information lay. Vinny followed behind her and watched as she searched through her names until she came to Smith. She looked up at him and quietly said, “Do you want me to write it down or what?”
“Just tell me.” Vinny could feel her fear. He lowered his voice to keep her calm and said reassuringly, “I’ll remember it.”
“201 North Maple, Jackson.” She looked up at him with pleading blue eyes, adding, “He’s got a wife, Vinny.”
“If he gives me what we need, they won’t get harmed,” Vinny said, though he knew it would not be that easy.
Ride Me Hard (Black Horsemen MC Book 2) Page 3