Doc sat at the head of the table and Hawk and Dagger faced each other across the middle. Ice and the others settled in the empty seats around them.
Doc immediately started the meeting.
“We have a lot to get through so let’s get started. We don’t want the bastards to realise Hawk and Ice have been at the hospital too long. Dagger is having a great time in the back room of a strip club which means no one will bat an eye if he’s busy for a while.” Doc raised his eyebrows at Dagger who shrugged and smirked.
“Next time we have a meeting can we do it at a strip club, Boss?” Wolf asked with a grin.
There were snorts around the table.
“Not if he wants to keep breathing. His old lady will cut his nuts off or she will retaliate by taking the women to a male strip club.” Ice grinned at his boss who was frowning at all of them.
“You better stop grinning, Ice. You do know the women are going to take your old lady to a strip club for her bachelorette party when you decide to tie the knot, don’t you? There’s no way Krissie or Mari will let her get away with less. Those bitches are fucking crazy.” Dagger informed him with a wink.
“Nope, not happening.” Ice disagreed.
“And brother, just saying, we’ll be taking you to Moonlight for your bachelor party. You know it’s a tradition with the club. How can you tell her no when you are going to have strippers giving you lap dances and a lot more if you’re up for it.” Kid teased.
Everyone laughed. But Ice didn’t. No bitch was going to get into his lap and no thong wearing bastard was going to grind on his old lady either. But now wasn’t the time to talk about it. He would deal with the fucking strip clubs when the time came.
“Let’s cut out talking shit and get on with it.” Ice ended the teasing.
Doc immediately looked at Skelly and gave him the nod to start.
“Ziggy, Mad Dog and I have been combing the dark net for any sign of Jane Warne. She was last spotted in PE where she tried to set up a new pipeline but the Iron Dogz shut it down. Mad Dog and I were looking for any signs that might lead us to her when we came across another auction site. I’ve passed it on to Ziggy and he’s busy tracking them. This site is very different from the others we have uncovered. They are auctioning off pregnant women. Rider’s woman was on the site but her photo was removed earlier tonight. We are assuming it means she’s safe but I suggest an increased presence at the hospital until they are home.”
Ice knew what was coming as he sat frozen in his chair.
“Ice, brother, your old lady is on the site and she’s getting a lot of attention because she’s expecting twins.”
Ice’s blood ran cold in his veins.
“How the fuck did they find out about the twins?” Ice ground out through tight lips. “Her doctor has been made aware of the threats to their lives and has agreed to remove River’s details from the computer system.”
“Brother, not everyone is trustworthy. The scan technician or one of the nurses or an assistant could have been bribed. It happens.” Dagger said softly. “But it doesn’t mean I’m not going to be breaking fucking heads tomorrow morning. River is my sister and she means a lot to me and my club. Any threat to her is a threat to the Sinner’s Sons. We’ll find the fucking rat, don’t worry about it. You concentrate on keeping her safe.”
Ice nodded. For now he would leave the breaking of heads to Dagger. Keeping River safe was his top priority. He looked at Hawk then glanced at Doc. “We have to pass this on to Rick, let him and the taskforce do what they did for Duncan.”
There were nods of agreement around the table.
Skelly nodded but by the look in his eyes Ice knew more was coming. “Consider it done. But that’s not all we found. We have found Emma Coetzee’s connection to the Maingarde Organisation. Her father is Frederick James Harrison. Winifred Maingarde’s nephew and her brother’s son and right hand man in London. Freddy has been visiting SA for years, he still does. We suspect he comes over to check on Winifred and the business. He is married to the daughter of one of their Eastern European associates, has been for years. They have two sons, and both joined their dad in the business. It doesn’t look like he had much to do with Emma until her friendship with Genna was discovered. That’s when he and Winifred became a big part of her life. During her years at University she was drawn into the business and became one of their top operatives. We also uncovered that she never went to the US. She went to the UK and was living and working there before her return to SA.”
“So, you’re telling us they’ve had eyes on us for fucking years without us being aware of it?” Hawk was visibly pissed off.
“Yes, we still can’t find why Emma turned her attention to another man but I’m sure there was a reason behind her pregnancy. We just have to find it, and find the poor kid’s biological father.”
Suddenly it was as if a light had come on in Ice’s brain. He had a very good idea what their fucked up end goal was.
“Jesus. I can’t believe I had been so fucking blind. I was going to give the bitch my patch. But all she wanted was to get inside the clubhouse.” Ice looked over at Hawk. “Brother, I’m having a really fucked up thought. What if she used that fucking drug on a brother? What if the kid belongs to one of us? We know it’s not me because I’ve had the DNA test. But what about everyone else? Did Bounty somehow find out about it? Is that the reason why he was killed?”
Stunned silence hung over the table.
“Holy fucking shit.” Kid swore softly. “How are we going to test every single fucking brother without causing untold shit?”
Rubbing his hands over his visibly tired eyes Hawk sighed then laid down the way it was going to get done.
“I’m going to call everyone in, retired brothers as well. We will take the test during church, in front of our brothers. There’s no shame in it, because however this turns out, the bitch raped whoever it is by taking away his ability to say no. Fuck, I know as men we don’t want to hear this shit but we all know it happens.”
“How will a guy know if it had happened to him?” Wolf asked with a growl.
Skelly shook his head. “I didn’t know about the attempt to drug Ice so my investigation is a total coincidence. Mad and I found a dark website run by the Harrisons, they sell a drug called ‘Tranquillity’ to whoever has the money to buy it. And let me tell you it’s fucking pricy. We obtained a sample through a source. We had it tested at a lab we trust and it was found that this shit is super fucking dangerous. It causes a heightened sexual response, an inability to say no and finally total memory loss. The subject wakes up with no memory of the assault. It’s worse than the known date rape drugs as the subject is semi-aware during the rape and will respond to stimuli and then lapse into a coma like state. There is a high probability of heart attacks and seizures.”
“Jesus.” Wolf whispered.
“The fucking bitch was going to put that shit into Ice’s drink. Can it be put into anything else, like food?” Kid asked.
“No, it is more efficient if it’s put into a drink as it gets into the blood stream quicker. Food seems to dampen the effects.”
“What about our women? Can they be given this shit?” Hawk snarled.
“Unfortunately, yes. Everyone is vulnerable.” Skelly replied.
Doc tapped on the table and everyone’s attention turned to him.
“What this means is we no longer accept drinks we haven’t poured ourselves. Or better yet, we stick to beer and insist on unopened bottles or cans. This drug is a danger to all of us but now that we’re aware of it we can protect ourselves. Skelly will send a list of symptoms to your Information Officers. I suggest we make every single female, patch and prospect aware of the danger and give them the tools to know when they’ve been drugged so they can seek help before it’s too late. And we pass this on to Rick as well. The taskforce needs to know about this shit.”
Hawk and Dagger nodded their agreement. Silence settled in the large room as everyone contemplated
the shit they were facing.
Ice filled the heavy silence turning their attention to the other matter they needed to address. “I’ve forwarded photos of the Beemer we’re looking for to both clubs. These bastards have it hidden somewhere and if we all reach out to our contacts maybe someone will remember seeing it. We need to find it before they use it again. We’ve warned all our brothers to be on the lookout and to get out of the way should they spot it. It has been used for more than one hit that we know about and I’m sure there are others we’re unaware of.”
“If we all work together we’ll get through this shit relatively unscathed.” Doc said. “Take note I said relatively unscathed. We all know when they hit us we’re going to lose people. Tighten security as much as possible. I suggest we close our doors, no more parties, not even for club members only. Send all hangers on and club pussy home until further notice. We pull the vulnerable women and children in to keep them safe and we step up our efforts to finish this shit.”
He looked at Ice. And Ice knew he wasn’t going to like what came next.
“Our first step is telling Emma Coetzee to fuck off. Be brutal, we need her to react. If we’re lucky she’ll call Jane in to help her with whatever fucked up plan she cooks up. It’s a given that when she hears about River she’s going to lose her mind and go after her. River is already a target because of the babies she’s carrying. The bitch will tell your old lady you have a kid with her and that you abandoned the child and her.”
Doc’s intense eyes met his as he continued laying out what had to happen.
“We make damn sure River is covered and knows exactly what’s going on. You tell your old lady everything, Ice. Leave nothing to chance. Emma Coetzee is like Winifred Maingarde, an evil manipulative bitch. And they don’t like competition, especially female competition. Don’t ever fucking forget what happened to Freeze’s old lady and take the necessary precautions.”
There was no way Ice would ignore the advice. Freeze’s old lady had been gunned down in a drive-by shooting. It was not going to happen to River. Not now, not ever.
While Ice had been listening to Doc, Skelly had rushed from the room but now he was back with some electronic gadgets which he proceeded to connect to his laptop. He was tapping away with intense concentration then sat back and winked at Ice.
“Right. I’m ready to rock and roll.” He said with a wide grin.
Everyone, except Doc and his guys, frowned at him.
“You are ready for what?” Dagger asked.
Skelly gave an evil grin. “I’ve set it up so we can all listen when Ice calls the bitch, but she won’t know she’s on speaker plus I’ve set up some background sounds that will make it sound like Ice is at the hospital.” He gave a quick grin as he glanced at Hawk. “DC and River arrived at the hospital a few minutes ago, which means this is the best and safest time to kick the bitch to the curb.”
Ice felt everyone’s eyes on him as he pulled his phone from his pocket and shot it across the desk at Skelly. He immediately slipped it into a strange dock like contraption and typed shit into his laptop.
“Okay, we’re ready when you are Ice.” He said as he pointed at the open seat next to him.
Taking a deep breath Ice pushed his chair back and went around the table and sat down next to Skelly.
“So, this is how it’s going to happen. We’re going to call her, you’re going to kick her ass out of your life, and she’s going to plead, beg or threaten. No matter what she says, brother, you tell her you’re done. You’ve got an old lady and she’s pregnant with your kids. They already know about the twins so don’t try to hide it. Let her know you’re giving your old lady your patch and you’re getting married. She’s going to come at you with the other kid. You tell her you doubt the kid is yours or whatever you want to say. Are you ready?”
Ice drew in a deep breath and nodded. Fuck yes. He was ready to be rid of this bitch. He listened to the phone ringing and then she answered.
“Gray?”
“Emma, I’m not going to waste your time or my own. I’m done with this shit between you and me. I don’t want to see your fucking face ever again, are we clear?”
“What? What the hell are you talking about, Gray? I thought we were working through our problems. Working towards becoming a family. I know you still want me, I know it.”
Ice snorted derisively. “I was done with you when you called me names in front of my brothers, Emma. I needed to close the book on that fucked up shit and that’s the only reason why I continued to meet with you. I don’t need or want you, you fucking disgust me. My old lady is pregnant with my babies and we’re getting married.”
There was an angry screech. “No! You lie! You don’t have an old lady! You want me! You’ll always want me! What about our child, Gray? What about her? Are you going to kick us aside to play house with some bitch you screwed at your clubhouse? I won’t allow it. I’m warning you. You are mine, you’ve always been mine and no one will ever take you away from me.”
Looking up at his prez Ice raised his eyebrows and Hawk nodded as he made a note on his phone.
“It’s done. I’m gone. And that kid of yours? No way she’s mine. Try that shit on someone who might give a shit.”
A wild scream sounded as Ice sat back in the chair and Skelly tapped a key to end the call. He kept on tapping away then leant forward and stared narrowly at the screen. Ice leant over and saw a street map with a pulsing red dot.
“This is not good.” Skelly muttered with a frown.
“I traced the call while Ice delivered his message. It looks like she’s on her way to the Iron Dogz compound. Hawk, I think you need to warn the brothers you left behind to be prepared.”
Hawk didn’t hesitate, he called immediately. “Jagger, you’ve got incoming. Close the road.” He was silent for a beat. “Yes, don’t let anyone through. It looks like Emma fucking Coetzee is on her way to stir shit either at the club or with Bulldog and the family. Ice just told her he’s done with her skank ass. And the slut is a teeny tiny bit pissed off.”
Hawk laughed at whatever Jagger said before he shut it down. The laughter disappeared as he focussed on the next step.
“We need to get out of here and back to the hospital. I think they are going to make their play early and I’d like to get my woman safely inside the compound.”
Doc nodded his agreement. “You know they are going to be waiting for you on the road, don’t you?”
Hawk sneered. “The bastards will be waiting for a damned long time.”
There was an alternative route back to the compound.
They would return via back roads and through the hidden access on the neighbouring property. It belonged to the club but was hidden behind a shell company and was rented out to a family who didn’t exist. Only the officers knew about it but now they would be revealing the existence to a few more brothers.
The bitch was going to be enraged when she was unable to get to her targets. Maybe it will push her into making a mistake.
A phone conference was arranged for the following day instead of another face to face meeting. Their enemies had to be kept in the dark about the fact that the three clubs were now united against them. The meeting ended and then they were on their way back to the hospital.
His woman wasn’t going to like what he had to tell her. Ice didn’t know how he knew she was going to be pissed. He just knew it. He hoped like hell she understood that her safety and the safety of Duncan and the babies were most important to him right now.
On the drive home he would tell her about the drug and Emma. But there was no way he was going to tell her Emma and Jane murdered her man. If he had his way she would never know.
He would leave the discussion of the move to the compound for when they were in bed. He might get her to agree if he held her in his arms while he explained.
During the ride back to the hospital they planned the evasion of the ambush that had been set up on the road leading to the club. The ambush w
as on the eastern approach to the club. Some of the brothers would take the long way around and approach the compound from the west. Riding without lights they would be inside the walls of the compound before the bastards knew they had been tricked. Hawk and those riding with him would use the back road and hidden access onto the property.
From now on they would make sure they had eyes on the roads around the compound at all times. They had almost been caught unprepared.
If Ice hadn’t made that call there was a very good chance they would have ridden into an ambush. They would definitely have lost some brothers or even Hawk and DC. It was not acceptable. Along with Jagger he would be seeing to it that they stepped up their already tight security.
Ice hated letting someone else ride his bike but he wanted to be the one driving his old lady home. Sam and Terror rode his and Hawk’s bikes as they both had the same idea. Plus he was using the drive home to tell River as much as he could without endangering her or the club.
“Oh my word! Are you serious?”
River was turned sideways in her seat her eyes wide with shock. Ice had to smile at those wide blue eyes.
“Very serious, Blue. Between planning to drug me and telling me she lost my kid and then changing her story and telling me she had the kid she was definitely trying to play her fucked up games with my head.”
“Wow, what a bitch. Did you tell her you have DNA proof the kid isn’t yours?”
“No I didn’t. We decided to not say anything. We’ve got the kid and her parents in a safe place until we can rid ourselves of this problem. We can’t be sure she won’t try to use the kid to manipulate the club.”
“I can’t believe somebody could be so callous with their own child. It blows my mind. I would never do something so horrible to Duncan or the prawns.”
Ice glanced at her and smiled. “You have a heart and a conscience, she doesn’t. Blue, I need you to be very, very careful. You stick with the brothers assigned to protect you. You don’t drink anything you haven’t opened yourself. The same goes for your mum, dad and Duncan. And if she calls you end the call. You don’t listen to her or talk to her under any circumstances. She’ll say things that will hurt you and I don’t want that.”
Lost And Found In Blue (Iron Dogz MC Book 2) Page 20