Chapter Twenty Min

CHAPTER TWENTY: MIN

"How are you doing?" I ask Cicely as I sit across from her and take a sip of the wine Sammy hands me.

"I'll tell you once I've acclimated. I've never been in a biker's bar before. It takes a little getting used to." I smirk when her eyes linger on two Kutte Bunnies walking by wearing jean shorts and tank tops that barely cover their enhanced assets.

"It does," I agree. "The San Diego Chapter is a little more tame, but that's only because they have a growing population of Old Ladies."

Cicely frowns. "Old ladies? Like senior citizens?"

I chuckle and shake my head. "The term ‘Old Ladies' is biker-speak for their significant other. Sort of like calling them their wives, but not all bikers marry their Old Ladies. An Old Lady is a biker's ride-or-die. Someone they've committed to forever."

"Oh," Cicely says, biting her lip as she processes what I've said. "Are you Babe's Old Lady?"

I shake my head, but then reconsider. Am I? Do I want to be? "We aren't there in our relationship," I explain. "We came to town as business partners, but we've crossed the line into something more."

"You mentioned the San Diego Chapter is more tame because of the Old Ladies. Does this club not have Old Ladies?"

"I don't think they do."

"So each Chapter is different?"

I shrug. "I think so, although I've only been to this one and the one in San Diego. Babe wants to take me to the clubhouse in Las Vegas. Not only do they have Old Ladies, but their SOA and Enforcer are women."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Their President is a former NBA champion, an injury ended his career. He goes by Puma now and has an Old Lady and step-daughter. I've heard they have several children living in the clubhouse. So you can imagine the vibe there differs from here. I guess Puma's step-daughter, who's five, is a real ball-buster and keeps the club members on their toes. Then there's the new chapter in New Orleans. Babe said the President's mother lives in the clubhouse. Heard she has a psychic ability and that most of the men in the club revere her. Can't imagine they have Kutte Bunnies walking around naked at that clubhouse either." I say this just as a Bunny with long blonde hair saunters by wearing nothing but her long locks. She's placed them strategically over her nipples, but her pussy is on full display. Her labia's pierced and she's sporting a tattoo of an arrow on her pelvis pointing downward. After she walks by, I see a second tattoo of a downward arrow on her lower back. Charming.

Cicely glances at me, and I roll my eyes. "This club needs a few Old Ladies to come in and kick some ass," Cicely says.

"You up for the job?" I ask, having noticed the proprietary look Chrome sent her way before he and the others disappeared into their inner sanctum.

"What?" Cicely blurts out just before she takes a sip of wine.

"Chrome," I clarify.

She shakes her head, but can't hide the blush spreading across her cheeks. "He's domineering."

"Yes. And hot."

"He's arrogant."

"Yes. And hot."

"He's bossy. And yes, before you say it, he is hot," she says as we both laugh. "I admit when he came barging into the pharmacy to get me, I felt safe. I looked at him and thought, no way would anyone get to me with him protecting me. Even though finding a man to protect me was never high on my bucket list. After what happened today, though, I can admit, I'm grateful to him and you."

"I'm glad we got there in time. I know you can't talk about patients, but can you think of anything that might help us figure out what these guys are after? You mentioned knowing Angie from your previous position."

"You know her name?" Cicely asks in surprise.

"Before you called, Babe and I were meeting with Detective Schwartz about the two women I brought into the hospital. He gave me her name. Confirmed she was a nurse at Mountebank Medical Group. That's where you worked?"

She shakes her head. "No, I worked there when it was Chambers Medical Group. When the owner, Dr. Vance Chambers, sold the practice, I found a new job."

"Angie worked at Chambers and Mountebank?" I ask.

"Yes, she didn't work for Dr. Vance. She worked more with his son, Colin."

"Other women who worked at Mountebank have gone missing. Were they also previously employed by Chambers?" I ask Cicely, showing her the list of names Schwartz provided.

Cicely reads through the names and nods her head. "I recognize all their names. Each one once worked at Chambers Medical Group. Two worked for Vivian and the other two, including Angie, worked for Colin."

"But you worked for Vance?"

She nods. "Is that important?"

"I don't know. Did many people who worked for Dr. Vance stay after he sold the practice?"

"I don't know. I don't think so. We all liked Dr. Vance, so we knew things wouldn't be the same without him. Most who worked for Dr. Colin or Dr. Vivian were hoping the new owners would be an improvement."

"Can you think of any reason these men would target employees from Chambers? Because I overheard the men who hurt Angie mention Chambers."

"Dr. Vance sold the practice after the FBI investigated allegations against his wife and son. Supposedly, they were part of a human trafficking ring. They hid the women as patients in the hospital. After all, where better to hide groups of women than in a secure wing of a hospital known for patient privacy? Dr. Vance would never have been involved in something like that. Maybe whoever is kidnapping these women wants to know about the trafficking."

"Maybe. You didn't know about it until after the fact. Do you think others knew more?"

Cicely nods her head. "I do. The FBI came in and searched through all the files and compiled enough evidence to clear Dr. Vance and indict Vivian and Colin. Although, they both fled the country before the FBI could arrest them."

"So, the men who killed Angie are looking for information about the trafficking, or for the two doctors?" I ponder these notions and realize they are the best ones I can come up with right now. Maybe we'll get more information once the police arrest Jordan and his men.

"Can I ask you something?" Cicely asks. I nod for her to go ahead. "Why did you become a bounty hunter? I became a nurse because I wanted to help people. Did something terrible happen that made you want to hunt down criminals? If I'm being too nosy, you can just tell me it's none of my business."

I chuckle. "Nothing terrible happened. Except for a cop burning down my father's business with my father inside. He's one of four men that Babe and I are hunting down here in Chicago. The two we caught today and two others. He's also the one that helped the others escape jail. I guess Billings burning down our dojo played a part in me accepting Babe's suggestion of going into business together to hunt skips."

"I'm so sorry. Is your father okay?"

I nod. "He is. A gang member rescued him. If you can imagine. The guy was trying to talk to his ex-girlfriend when he saw Billings go inside and attack my father before setting the fire. He saved several lives that day."

"Aren't you afraid of the men you're chasing? Although, you faced off against those guys today better than I did."

"I had a counter between us and backup," I remind her. "However, I also have several black belts that give me confidence when confronting men like them. Billings ran off when he saw me. He might have recognized me from the dojo. He set the fire after I left that day. I can hold my own against most. Men who rely on their size to intimidate others underestimate those who are smaller. Especially if they're women. Besides, most criminals aren't particularly smart. Like the guys we caught today. If they had stayed hidden, we'd have had a harder time finding them. But they went into a public place to hunt and focused on their prey rather than their surroundings."

"I hate being called prey, but I get your point," Cicely says with a grin.

"Sorry, I didn't mean it as an insult. There were three of them. At least one should have been standing guard to protect the other two or create a distraction. Billings was outside, but not until later. I think he showed up to see what was taking the other two so long."

"I'm just grateful you came to my assistance," Cicely says. "I was scared."

"Of course you were. We both saw what those assholes did to Angie. Although, I don't think the men we're hunting hurt Angie. Not that they aren't capable of it. The two me we caught today are guilty of hurting women. Besides Billings, there is also a doctor who killed several women in San Diego."

"He's like Vivian and Colin. Doctors are supposed to help people, but they used their skills to ruin lives."

Her words make me consider Blankenship and where he might be hiding.