by Wilder, L.
“Why you gotta be like that?” Danielle protested. “I’m just trying to help a sista out!”
Without responding, Reece followed me out to the dance floor, and like we’d done it a hundred times before, she slipped her arms around my neck while mine wrapped around her waist. It was at that very moment I knew I was in trouble—the kind of trouble that makes a man rethink his very existence. I’d never thought of myself as one of those guys who’d settle down and spend the rest of their life glued to one chick. I liked things to be easy. Get in. Get out. No feelings. No expectations. No complications. But after just one touch, she had me thinking of white picket fences and fucking station wagons. I couldn’t explain it, but there was something about the way her body was so in sync with mine. It felt so right, like a void that I didn’t know existed had suddenly been filled, and I was desperate to hold on to that feeling. When she rested her head on my shoulder, an odd sensation of comfort and ease washed over me. Then, she looked up at me and pressed her full, perfect lips against mine, and I was done. I had an overwhelming desire to claim every inch of her body, and there was no way in hell that I was going to let her leave that bar with anyone else but me. I was thankful that after a few more dances, some heavy flirting, and several long, seductive kisses, I’d managed to convince her to go somewhere quiet. Seconds later, Reece was on the back of my bike, and we were pulling out of the parking lot.
While that bike ride to my apartment and the nights that followed were unbelievable, they’d both come to haunt me in ways I could never have imagined. The sex was incredible, nothing else compared, but that wasn’t even the best part of our weekend together. It was the conversations we shared that left the biggest impression on me. Wrapped up in each other’s arms, we told stories that filled my small bedroom with laughter and unexpected emotion. I felt a connection with her—the kind of connection you’d expect from someone you’d known a lifetime—making me wish the moment could last longer. Unfortunately, all good things come to an end.
As Reece stood there in my doorway, looking up at me with those gorgeous blue eyes, stammering through her heartfelt goodbye, I’d never seen a more beautiful sight. I leaned against the doorframe, staring at the faint blush that still lingered on the crook of her neck, and when she handed me a slip of paper with her number and address, I wanted to reach for her, do whatever it took to persuade her to stay. Sadly, another night just wasn’t in the cards. While I thought I’d found the girl I’d been looking for, that all my dreams had come true, I would soon discover that she didn’t feel the same. She walked out that door, got in her cab, and never looked back.
CHAPTER 1
Riggs
When I was kid, I never would have imagined that I’d become a hacker for one of the most notorious MCs in the South. Back then, I didn’t even own a motorcycle, much less know how to ride one. I’d been too busy screwing around with video games. It was a way for me to escape my mundane existence and pretend that I was in another world, fighting battles that would alter my imaginary universe. In my small town, I’d been known as the best around. I’d win every popular game, conquering all the levels, and there wasn’t a kid around who could touch me—until Tommy Demarco. I thought he was lying when he started boasting about the secret levels and cheats he’d uncovered, so I went to his house to see it for myself.
He showed me how he’d managed to circumvent the manufacturer’s restrictions on the gaming system, enabling him to hack into all of my favorite games. I was blown away. Seeing what he’d been able to do set a spark inside of me, and I became obsessed with learning everything there was to know about hacking. It wasn’t easy. I didn’t have someone there to teach me, so I had to figure it out on my own. Thankfully, I had a knack for it, and with each new challenge, I became even more driven to succeed. In a matter of months, I had learned all the ins and outs of coding: with just a few manipulations, I’d uncovered a whole lot more than the same secret levels and cheats that Demarco had bragged about.
There was something about cheating the system that intrigued me, and I found myself wanting to know just how far I could go. I had altered the settings on my phone, my cable box, and my parents’ computer, and that was just the beginning. It wasn’t long before I was hacking into anything and everything, discovering a world that surpassed my wildest imagination—a world most people didn’t know existed. While my folks had no idea what I was really up to, they could see I had a gift; although, they’d hoped that I would use it to go to college and find myself an acceptable career. I gave it a try but quickly learned that I already knew more than most of my professors. After just three semesters, I became bored with the whole college thing and ended up dropping out. While my mother wasn’t happy about my decision, my father seemed to understand and trusted that I’d find my way. It took some time. I’d spent those next few months bouncing around the city, working odd jobs here and there, but eventually, I’d proven my father right and found the place I was meant to be.
I had been bartending at one of the pubs downtown when Gus, the president of Satan’s Fury, came in for a drink. I was surprised to see him at my bar—and was even more surprised when I found out that he’d actually come there looking for me. After hearing about a job I’d done for one of his associates, he decided to offer me a chance to prospect for the club. Even though I’d worked with some pretty dangerous folks over the years, I’d never been approached by someone with his kind of notoriety. While there’d never been any witnesses to any of their crimes, or a mention of their names on the news, everyone in Memphis knew you didn’t fuck with the members of Satan’s Fury. Maybe it was all speculation, but these men had made quite a name for themselves, instilling a sense of fear throughout the city. Assuming the rumors were true, I’d always done my best to keep my distance, and being so close to their president had put me on edge. I couldn’t help but wonder if I truly had what it took to prospect for men like them, but my curiosity outweighed my doubt and I’d decided to take him up on his offer.
Over the past ten years, there hasn’t been a day that has gone by that I’ve regretted that decision. The ties I’d forged with my brothers were stronger than blood, and there was nothing I wouldn’t do for them, including hacking into the FBI’s data base to find information on our latest threat. It was something I’d done many times before, but on this particular morning, I was experiencing some difficulty getting past one of their security walls. I’d just come up on an unexpected end-to-end encryption, when Big asked, “Have you thought about trying a DDoS?”
Big was a member from our chapter out in Washington State and a fellow hacker. He’d come to Memphis with several of his brothers to help us track down Josue Navarro, a cartel boss who’d recently become a threat to our pipeline. Like the rest of us, he was eager to get the information we’d need to locate him by any means necessary. His suggestion to use a DDoS didn’t come as a surprise, but unfortunately, the method meant using multiple computers to simultaneously flood their system with data. Knowing it wasn’t a feasible option, I replied, “I considered it, but setting that up would take time and equipment that we just don’t have.”
“Damn.” He let out an exasperated sigh, then turned his attention back to his computer. Since he was considered to be a high stakes criminal, we both knew that the FBI would have the most updated information on our guy, but time wasn’t on our side. It wouldn’t be long before the FBI picked up on our presence, and then we’d be fucked. “What about using a RAT? We just need the right agent to take the bait, and then we’d have full control of his computer. We could use it—”
Before he could finish his thought, I told him, “I know how a RAT works, Big.”
“Sorry, brother. I’m just thinking out loud.”
“No problem.” I knew he was only trying to help, but this wasn’t my first rodeo. “Besides, I think I’ve got it. Just give me a second.”
The last time I’d hacked into their system, I’d left a type of malware that would be secured deep within
their data base, and as soon as I activated it, I’d have access to all the data it had saved on the main frame. Big leaned towards me, and once he’d seen what I’d done, he smiled and said, “A root-kit? Fuck, I hadn’t thought about that.”
Seconds later, I’d gotten in and started searching for Josue Navarro’s file—an infamous cartel boss who had the kind of power to take down anyone who got in his way. None of us considered him a potential threat until Shadow’s ol’ lady, Alex, mentioned his connection with her father’s business. As soon as Gus discovered that he was her uncle, he put the entire club on high alert. Alex’s father, Rodrigo Navarro, was one of the largest drug traders in California, and when he decided to expand his business, he set his sights on Memphis. Not only was this our territory, it was also the city where his daughter had been hiding for over eight years. Alex had done her best to keep her real identity, Alejandra Navarro, and her location a secret. She hadn’t even told Shadow the truth, hoping that her father wouldn’t be able to find her. Unfortunately, her efforts were in vain, and three days ago, he came after her. The club tried to step in, but Rodrigo was taken out before we ever had a chance to get our hands on him. Regardless of who’d killed Rodrigo, Gus knew that his brother would be looking for someone to hold accountable, and he wanted the club to be prepared if the blame fell on us.
As soon as I got the information we needed, Big turned to me and asked, “What do you need me to do?”
I handed him a sheet of paper. “Here’s a list of their latest stakeouts. See if you can figure out what’s what, so we know where to focus our search.”
We spent the next few hours collecting everything we could find on Navarro, and once we had it all sorted, we took what we’d found to Gus. When we made it down to his office, he was sitting behind his desk talking to Cotton, the president of the Washington chapter. Gus looked over to me and asked, “Were you able to find him?”
“Yes and no. I already knew that his cartel, the Parcas, was based out of Colima, Mexico, but I didn’t realize how powerful he’d become. He’s been shipping his product all over the world, and his distribution to the US has nearly tripled over the past year. The FBI has been trying to shut him down. From what we could tell, Robert Hamilton, the agent who’s been investigating him, was getting close to taking him down—too close.”
“And?”
“Navarro has gone underground. There’s been no sign of him in months.”
Big handed Gus the file as he said, “Looks like the agent was able to catch a break when he connected Navarro to the murder of six men in Cancun. They were competitors of his, and this motherfucker not only had them tortured and killed, he hung their bodies from local bridges for everyone to see.”
“That’s one way to make an impression,” Cotton grumbled. Over the years, Cotton had made his own impression with the brothers in our charter. He was one of the youngest presidents, but he’d proven himself to be a strong, unwavering leader. I wasn’t surprised when he came up with the idea for several of our clubs to join hands and create a pipeline for our gun distribution. It has been a profitable venture for all those involved, and I had no doubt that Cotton wasn’t happy that the last run had been put on hold. He leaned back in his chair with a blank expression and grumbled, “If he’s smart, he’ll cut his losses with his brother and move on.”
Gus cocked his eyebrow as he replied, “I highly doubt that’s going to happen.”
“The Parcas are at war with a neighboring cartel, the Mortales.” Big shook his head as he continued, “Hell, the entire city of Colima has turned into a battleground with bodies turning up left and right. It’s only been a couple of days, so maybe there’s a chance that he’s been too distracted to even know that his brother is missing.”
“Maybe, but it won’t be long before he gets suspicious.” Gus reached into his pocket for a cigarette, but just before he went to light it, he said, “We know Josue is the lead man. Hell, I bet Rodrigo never made a move without consulting him first.”
“Have to agree with you there. There’s no doubt Josue knew his brother was in Memphis, and I’d go so far as to say that he knew he’d found out that Alex was here and was planning to bring her home.”
Gus took a long drag off his cigarette as he replied, “You’re probably right about that.”
“Which means, he’ll come looking for her when he can’t contact her father,” Big added.
“Fuck. We don’t have time for this shit,” Gus barked. “Our buyers are waiting on their shipment, and we can’t keep putting them off.”
“We can’t put the pipeline in jeopardy. It’s too important,” Cotton replied.
Big glanced over to me and suggested, “Maybe we can come up with a way to distract him … just long enough for us to get this run carried out.”
“I was thinking about that myself.” Cotton looked over to Gus as he continued, “You know, you told me everything that happened with Rodrigo and how he was killed, but you never told me what you did with his remains.”
Confusion crossed Gus’s face as he answered, “Didn’t think that was important … but you don’t have to concern yourself with that. My boys are careful about that shit. It would take some fucking miracle for anyone to ever find his body, including Josue. For all anyone around here knows, he’s still alive and well. You have my guarantee on that.”
“That’s just it. Maybe it would be better if Josue actually knew he was dead.”
“What are you getting at, brother?” Gus asked.
“If we moved Rodrigo and his men to some remote location and staged the scene to look like someone else had killed him, then there would be an investigation. It would only be a matter of time before the news hit the papers, and Josue would be all over it. He’d want to find out for himself who’d killed his brother, and—”
Before he could finish, Gus said, “He’ll go looking there instead of searching for him here.”
“Exactly. I’m not saying that it’d take heat away completely, but it might buy us some time to pull off the run. Once we get that out of the way, then we can figure out the best way to take this motherfucker down.”
I was skeptical at best and didn’t hesitate in asking, “You really think that could work?”
“No idea.” Gus stood up, and he sounded optimistic as he continued, “But it’s worth a shot. Let’s go discuss it with the others.”
We all followed Gus out of his office and down the hall to the bar. When we walked in, Shadow, T-Bone, and Murphy were at one of the tables drinking a beer with Stitch and Clutch. After each of us grabbed a beer of our own, we went over and joined them. Murphy, our sergeant-at-arms, had an amused look on his face when he asked Clutch, “So, you’re saying you’ve got yourself a weak stomach?”
Clutch reached for his beer as he said, “Poke fun all you want, but you didn’t hear the conversation I just heard. I’ve always known Stitch could do some fucked up shit when he had to, but listening to him talk about it with Shadow shed a whole new light on the situation. There’s no way in hell I’d ever want to be on the other end of what they were dishing out.”
Shadow hadn’t been our club’s enforcer for very long, and he’d taken Stitch, the Washington chapter’s longtime enforcer, down to his holding rooms to see if he had any suggestions. Against Clutch’s better judgement, he went along for the ride and ended up getting more than he bargained for. “I never knew all the things that you could do with a simple set of pliers. Damn. That shit is gonna give me nightmares,” he said with his face contorted into a grimace.
I’d met Clutch just over a year ago when he was establishing the route for our pipeline. At the time, our lead mechanic was laid up after a motorcycle accident, and Clutch ended up staying several weeks to help out in the garage. While he was here, we all learned that he had a great sense of humor, so I had no problem busting his chops. “Too bad your girl, Liv, isn’t here to hold your hand.”
“I wish she was … I don’t think I’m gonna sleep a wink tonight.
”
“Don’t worry. Stitch will be there to keep you safe.” I chuckled.
“Is that supposed to make me feel better? Because it doesn’t.”
I was just about to respond when Gus interrupted me. “I hate to break up this riveting conversation, but we have an important matter that needs to be discussed.”
The group fell silent as they listened to Gus share Cotton’s plan. It was clear from their expressions that Shadow and T-Bone were intrigued by the idea, but Murphy was a little skeptical. “You do realize that these guys have been buried for days.”
“Yeah, but it might not be as bad as you think,” T-Bone argued. “We wrapped and bound each of them in plastic. That, along with the lime we poured over the ground, should make it easier to move them.”
Shadow turned to Murphy and said, “Really, it doesn’t matter the shape they’re in. We’ll torch the place and burn whatever is left of them.”
“You’ve got a point there.” Murphy chuckled. “We’ll need to leave the cops a few clues to help them identify Navarro, otherwise it could take weeks to sort through the ashes.”
“No doubt about that.”
Murphy looked over to Gus and asked, “So, when you wanna do this?”
“The sooner the better.”
We spent the next half hour making arrangements to relocate Navarro’s remains. While none of us believed that it would keep Navarro’s brother at bay forever, we all agreed that it would buy us some time—time that we would use to prepare for the day he came knocking at our door.
CHAPTER 2
Reece
I always believed that moral integrity and honest behavior was the key to becoming successful. I thought if I plotted out every detail of my life, even the most minuscule moments, then I would be prepared for anything. While others found my obsession with to-do lists and calendars to be tedious, it gave me a sense of control to be as organized as possible. I believed that a semblance of structure needed to be maintained if I wanted to graduate from law school, especially from a prestigious school like Vanderbilt. I was determined to become the best prosecutor in the state, so I did everything in my power to keep myself on a straight and narrow path, letting nothing steer me off track. Unfortunately, after one unforgettable mistake, my life became filled with bumps and curves that I didn’t see coming, and I ended up having to drop out of law school.