Neither Black Nor White (Iron Dogz MC, #6)

by René Van Dalen

  “What? Are you crazy? The winds are treacherous so close to the mountain.” He looked up at the ceiling then closed his eyes as if begging the gods to give him strength.

  “It’s not that bad. I’ve done it twice and each time I’ve landed right in the safe zone.” I grinned. “Oh, wait, I didn’t tell you about the safe zone. The estate is surrounded by a two and a half metre wall with electric fence on top that heightens it to about three metres. Armed guards with dogs patrol the inside and outside of the wall and the grounds 24/7. But, there’s a small part of the garden where they aren’t allowed to go. A walled secret garden inside the actual garden. It was Dom’s grandmother’s escape from her duties as the wife of a multi-millionaire businessman. It’s been locked since her death and Dom and Pixie are the only ones with keys. And of course me, I have a key.”

  I let that sink in for a second before I continued.

  “The best part of the secret garden is that the guards ignore it. They’re under the impression that a threat would never come from that direction and that makes it perfect. Once you have blueprints for the house you’ll be able to plan how to move from the garden into the house and down into the dungeon or torture chamber.”

  Before he could answer I continued.

  “I suggest you pull all your guys who have been Reccies into the assault team that will go after Dom. They have been trained for this type of extraction or assault.”

  “Is Dom aware of how closely you’ve been watching him?” He asked.

  “No, he’s not. We’ve been very careful to remain invisible so as to not alert his guards to our presence. He only has himself to blame for making me his shadow second. But besides that, he’s my family, B-man, same as you. If you were going to pull the same ass-about-face crappy plan I would do the same for you. Go in and get you out alive, come what may.”

  “I get it, Face. Yes, we are family, have been since the night you saved our Mandy’s life. I have only one question. While we’re working on getting Dom out alive who the fuck is going to make sure nothing happens to you and your girls?”

  This was the tricky bit, the bit I hadn’t worked out yet. But I could run through it now because I had a man with vast experience of the criminal underworld sitting on the other side of my desk.

  “While I’m in Joburg you guys will be here with Carla, Pet, Star and Stella, which means they will be safe. But I don’t trust Murchison as far as I can spit so I’m still working on that part of the plan.”

  Bruno didn’t interrupt as I worked through the problem out loud.

  “I know Murchison is going to demand that I deliver the USB at some location owned by the Syndicate. I will be vulnerable, I admit, but I can handle it. I have to make a deal. He’s going to want to either kill me or take me in to play his games with me. We can’t have either of those things happening. I need to be able to walk away from the meet with him thinking he’s got the upper hand. We both know he doesn’t give a shit about Tershie so bargaining for the antidote to the poison is not going to work. The only bargaining chip I’ll have is that he can’t access the information without a key. A key I won’t give him and will only be given to him once he lets me go. I won’t survive it unhurt but I will survive it.”

  Dropping his head into his hands he shook it slowly from side to side. “How the fuck do I allow a woman I love like a sister to walk into a situation that will get her hurt or killed?”

  For the first time in a very long time I felt tears burning my eyes. I never knew he thought of me that way. He has done so much for me since before I got out of prison. The temporary accommodation he arranged for all of us during the renovation of our building, setting up bank accounts, getting us registered to work for his company, all of it he had done and never asked for anything in return. I wish he really was my brother.

  “Love you too, bro.” I said softly.

  He blinked furiously then cleared his throat. “Enough of this softy bullshit. We need to have this plan hammered out before you leave on Monday. I’m going to call my guys in and we’re going to get to work on the extraction plan. We’ll take over the gym and the computers in the safe room for the duration of this operation.” He grinned. “Don’t worry, Face, I’ll make it look like we’re getting a fresh team in to relieve the guys who are here already. They won’t know that the van will be bringing more men in than it will be taking out. At the same time they will be bringing Lilla and the kids with them.”

  I absolutely agreed with him bringing his family in. But I had something else I needed to ask his advice on because I’ve been chasing it around in my head and still had no answer.

  “Do you think we should bring War in on this op? If we brought him in then you and the men could get in and out by using their tunnel and no one would ever know. Except of course a few of the Sinners next door.”

  He sat for a while then shook his head. “I don’t know. Let me think about it and roll it around in my head while I set the wheels in motion to get the men we need in here.”

  “Okay, we have some time before I have to leave on Monday.” I agreed.

  “Talk to your girls, Face. Get them together and tell them everything, they deserve to know what they are getting themselves into and what might be coming for them.” Bruno warned as he stood and walked to the door. He looked over his shoulder and smiled as he opened the door.

  “You’re something else, little sister. I’m so fucking proud of you.”

  And leaving me with that zinger he walked out.

  I sat silently for several minutes just breathing and trying to work through the implications of the meeting with the Sinners, the Dogz and Dom. So much was going on, so damned much.

  Grabbing my phone I sent a group text to my girls.

  Family meeting on the roof. Ten minutes.

  Pushing my chair back I walked out of my office and quietly made my way up to my room. I didn’t want to talk to anyone until we were all together on the roof.

  Opening my curtains and sliders I smiled as I heard the music and voices coming from next door. Tonight they weren’t as rowdy as they had been last night and the noise level was considerably lower.

  I turned on the fairy lights we had in the trees and around the parapet and shrubs. Next I opened the weather proof cabinet and drew out the table lamps and set them along the centre of the table. I lit them and stood back to take in the soft warm light that now suffused our roof top. It turned the space into a dreamy looking garden in the sky.

  We had a small fully stocked bar tucked into a little alcove and I fetched drinks and water and set it out as well. I knew the girls would either bring snacks or we would throw a couple of burgers on the braai. Something quick and easy.

  I didn’t have to wait long before my girls started coming through the door carrying boxes of pizza and bowls of snacks. Someone had ordered pizza and I suspected it was Evvie. She hated cooking on a weekend. It also solved the problem of what to feed the men, she would have ordered enough for them as well.

  The boxes were quickly set out and serviettes and plates came out from behind the bar. While the girls and Stef took care of the food Star and I set up Stella’s camp cot in my room. She was already half asleep and when Star put down she dragged her doe-doe (blanky) up to her face with one hand while the other held on to the snout of her Aardvark. The little darling wouldn’t go to sleep if she didn’t have those two with her. Once she fell asleep nothing would wake her, not the sounds of the party next door or the sound of our voices.

  Back at the table everyone chatted about nothing much as we ate. It was a hard rule that we never discussed business while we were eating. Not since the day Evvie threw a roll at Cuba during a family meeting and it escalated into rolls being hurled at each other across the dining room.

  I waited until the left overs and boxes were removed before I started the meeting. My crew listened intently as I told them what had happened next door and what Bruno and I had discussed and decided during our talk.

  On
ce I finished I picked up my beer and drank almost half of it down before I put it back down.

  “So, let me get this straight.” Cuba said. “We are going to Joburg to do a job for the B-man as a cover for what we’re really doing. Supposedly infiltrating the Iron Dogz MC. Then you are going to move into their clubhouse with Kid, get into their server, and steal the file the asswipe wants. We then come back here and you meet with said asswipe who will hurt you to force you to continue working for him. How am I doing so far?”

  I shrugged and nodded. She was spot on.

  Evvie picked up where she left off.

  “If that’s not enough we now have to worry about Dom doing something so stupid I want to grab him by the nuts and swing him around the room. They are going to do shit to him until he agrees to marry that skank and if he does he’s as good as dead. The minute she pregnant with a boy he’s toast.”

  Star fell right in after her.

  “Oh, and let’s not forget Bruno and his guys acting like they’re a black ops team rescuing someone from the bad guys. This shit is far too dangerous someone is going to get dead!” Star snarled.

  I didn’t say a word, just sat back and listened as my crew let me have it.

  “I’m on board with the sting we’re pulling on the asswipe.” Mads jumped in. “I’m not on board with you or Dom getting hurt just so you can get your hands on the Syndicates’ damned files. Aren’t there like government types whose job it is to do that shit?”

  I wish the damned government types were doing what they were bloody well getting paid to do. We weren’t getting paid for the shit we were walking into.

  “I don’t know, but I think Dom is working with someone and that person might be a government type. To make it clear, I’m not happy with Dom either and I will take it up with him tomorrow. But we all know the man, he’s not going to listen to me. He’ll do what he believes he has to do.”

  I scraped a nail down the damp label on my now empty bottle. Stef grabbed it from my hand as he walked over to the bar and dumped it in the recycling bin. He brought drinks back for everyone then sat down and listened while not saying a word.

  “We’re going to have to be very careful. I can’t wait for Carla to get back so we know she’s safely inside the compound. What about her girls?” Pet wanted to know and at least I had an answer for her.

  “I talked to Carla earlier. She’s coming back early but before she does she’s dropping the girls off with a very distant family member. They will be safe on the farm because no one knows they’re family. Bruno’s family will be escorted in by his men when they come in to prepare for the operation to rescue Dom. While we’re in Joburg you guys will have plenty of guys here keeping you safe. There’s something else I want to run by you.”

  Their eyes were on me, listening intently as I explained my thoughts.

  “What do you think about us bringing War and his bikers in on Dom’s stupid mission and our plans to rescue the bastard from the granny-fuck’s clutches?”

  I could see all of them thinking about the consequences of pulling the bikers even deeper into our business.

  “I think we might have to.” Cuba said then held up a hand when Mads tried to interrupt. “Let me explain why I say that. Once we’re gone Star, Carla, Stef, Lilla and the kids will be okay because they will have Bruno and the badasses here to protect them. But when we get back we’re going to be spread thin once Face, Evvie, Mads and I go to meet with the asswipe.” I was about to jump in when she shoved a hand in my face and continued. “Round about the same time Bruno and his team will be getting ready to head out to retrieve Dom’s stupid ass. I suspect they will only leave once we get back from delivering the USB because that’s when Murchison and the granny-fuck’s attention will be solely focused on the files we’ve given them.”

  She waved a hand in the air to shut all of us up as she continued.

  “Now, if I’m a betting person, and I am, I’ll bet all the cookies in the snack cupboard that while they are busy with the files Murchison will have men crashing through our gates and coming over the walls to kill everyone in the building except Face and the kids. Remember, he still thinks Rentia, Denver and their kids are here. He knows he can get Face to do whatever he orders her to do if he has those kids, and don’t forget Stella, he’ll take her too.” She clapped her hands. “So, yes, yes indeed, I think we need the bikers at our backs so that when those bastards attack we can get Star, Lilla and the kids out through the tunnel and safely inside their clubhouse. And wouldn’t it be perfect if Murchison’s creeps are met by pissed of badasses and bikers? And us of course, there’s a reason I bought all those sniper rifles and insisted we all train with them. And then there are those nifty little sniper holes I had cut into the parapet walls. Everyone thinks they’re to enable water to run off the roof but, nope, that’s not what they are for.”

  There was a stunned silence for about two minutes before we all started laughing and clapping and Cuba jumped up and started bowing like a bloody circus performer.

  And once again Cuba proved why she took over from Carla as my second in command after we left prison. She approached a problem coldly and calmly until she found a workable solution and only then will she voice an opinion.

  “I agree with your assessment of our problem and the resolution you propose. Are we all in agreement with me approaching War Knight for assistance? Don’t make a mistake, it’s going to cost us, they won’t protect us for free.”

  “We all agree and whatever the hell they want to charge us we’ll pay. Star, Lilla and the kids are worth whatever they ask for.” Mads quietly spoke for everyone.

  Star was the only one who looked a bit pissed. “Why can’t I stay here with Stef and help?”

  “Because Stella needs her Mumma, as simple as that.” Evvie said as she patted her on her back and Star immediately nodded. She understood.

  “Let’s put our worries behind us for tonight and relax because tomorrow is going to be busy as hell. I want to spend time with my friends, hanging out, having a drink and scoffing down those snacks we have over there on the bar.” Pet said then got up and brought the trays over.

  Even though we had stuffed ourselves on pizza we nibbled on the snacks, chatted and drank our drinks slowly. No one got drunk and they didn’t stay late. Pet and Stef helped Star to carry Stella down to their room in her camp cot while Mads, Evvie, Cuba and I cleared up and put away the lamps.

  When they left I closed the steel door and listened as the mechanism locked from the inside.

  Suddenly I was alone on the rooftop with a chilly wind sweeping in from the sea. Every now and then the smell of wood smoke wafted my way from the enormous fire pit the bikers had going.

  I leant against the parapet on the darkened rooftop, the only light coming from the fairy lights still twinkling in the trees outside my room. I wasn’t consciously watching the bikers while my mind worked through everything we had to get done before we left on Monday morning.

  A flicker of movement caught in the corner of my eye had me turning towards it. Shit. I wish I hadn’t. Kid and Rock leant up against the outside of their clubhouse and there was a red haired woman standing in front of them. She was talking animatedly, her hands flying and the men watched with interest on their faces. The wind blew her hair over her face and Kid reached out and moved the hair out of her face with a long finger. Damn it was a sexy swipe kind of move. The redhead reached up and held on to his hand but he immediately pulled away and crossed his arms over his wide chest.

  Hmm, he can touch but he doesn’t like to be touched. Interesting.

  And what do you know, the woman was petite and curvy. Proof this mission could fail before it even started.

  I was about to turn away when Jameson materialised out of the dark and rested his forearms on the parapet next to me. How the hell did he get up here so silently? Did he ninja up the outside of the building?

  “Bruno sent me to check on you. He saw you up here when he did his rounds.” He
said then nodded at the two men and the woman. “I wonder if they’re going to do her. I wouldn’t.”

  I turned towards him and lifted an eyebrow. The one that still worked. “Why? Isn’t she what all men want?” I turned back and gestured towards her. “Look at her, petite, curvy, pretty and willing to do a three-way.”

  “Babe, that shit is not what all men dream about. Some of us have different dreams. Me, I’d rather hold out for a woman who would never touch my brother’s cock. That would have my cock soft as fuck instead of being hard.” He shrugged. “But that’s just me.”

  I nodded and looked back at the two men. The woman was no longer with them and they were both staring up at us. I pretended not to notice and looked away. Jameson was now standing next to me but turned sideways with his hip resting against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest as he looked at me. And the man really looked at me, it wasn’t a glance, he looked.

  “Why don’t you have a man? You’re fucking awesome but I’ve never seen you with anyone.” He reached out and pushed my hair from my forehead and rubbed a finger over the scar in my hairline.

  I was speechless for about a second or two before I reached up and pulled his hand away from my face.

  “You touched one of the reasons plus I’m no fragile flower a man can feel all protective over.”

  “That’s utter bullshit. You are more than that redhead could ever hope to be and any man would be lucky to have you as his woman. Your face is the face of a survivor, a fighter and a warrior. It’s a pity we have zero chemistry because, babe, if we did, you would be naked and spread out on that table back there like you were my favourite dinner.”

  My mouth fell open and then I burst out laughing and smacked him on the chest. “Fuck, J, now you have me wishing we had chemistry.”

  We laughed and Jameson threw an arm around my shoulders and started turning me away from the parapet. Just before we walked away I turned to look at where I had seen Rock, Kid and the woman.

  And what do you know she was back, and cuddled up against Rock, her red hair shining under the lights.