Chapter Three Babe

CHAPTER THREE: BABE

"Shit. Min just saw them at the airport," I announce.

"What do you mean?" Dante asks.

"Min's bringing in a skip and said she just saw Billings with three men enter the airport."

"Call her back, get her to follow them," Dante orders.

Luckily, Min answers immediately.

"I haven't left the airport yet," she says when I ask her to go back and find the men. "I'm following them right now."

"Where's the skip?" I ask.

"I handed him off to a couple of cops."

"Good idea," I praise her.

"I have them, sometimes," she says dryly, which has Ghost snickering.

Rather than reply and distract her, I just shake my head and hold my tongue. We can all hear the sounds of a busy airport coming over the line until the sounds cut off.

"Can I help you, miss?" comes a voice.

"No, I'm waiting for a friend. We got separated, and I told him I'd meet him here," says Min.

"This is a private terminal for VIPs only," says the voice.

"Really?" Min asks, the tone of her voice a delightful mixture of awe and excitement. "Like, what kind of VIPs? Do you get celebrities in here?"

"I can't say."

"Oh, please, just give me one name. Come on, please?"

As the man who accosted Min berates her for wasting his time, we hear a woman confirming a flight to Chicago leaving in one hour.

"Okay, okay, sheesh, you don't have to be such an asshole," Min complains just before the background noises rise in level. "Okay, did you hear?"

"Chicago in one hour. Well done, Min," Dante says. "We need to get eyes on them in Chicago."

"Min and I could go to Chicago and track them down," I offer.

"They aren't skips," Grimm reminds me.

"No, but they're wanted men. We can still bring them in." I assure him.

"Okay, you can go to Chicago. Min, will you go with him?" Dante asks.

"Of course. I want to see Billings in jail for what he did to my father."

"Can we take the jet?" I ask Dante, but I'm disappointed when he shakes his head.

"Angela's out of the country and has the jet with her," he says. "You'll have to fly like a regular person."

"I have you on the next flight to Chicago. It leaves in two hours. You need to get to the airport," Byte says, rattling off the fight information.

"I'll meet you at the check-in counter," Min says before signing off.

"I know you need to pack, but let's call Chrome and have him get a few of his men at the airport," Dante says as Grimm calls the Chicago clubhouse.

"Dante, back from your honeymoon?" Chrome asks.

"Yeah, just got back last night. Look, we have a problem that's headed in your direction," Dante says before filling Chrome in on the four men flying toward them.

"I'll get eyes on them and we'll find out where they go," Chrome assures Dante.

"We'll need a place to stay and transportation," I chime in.

"We'll get you covered. Don't worry about anything."

Leaving Church, I rush upstairs to throw two weeks' worth of clothes into a duffle bag. Two pairs of jeans, five t-shirts, socks, underwear. The Kutte Bunnies in Chicago will wash my clothes if we need to stay longer. I don't know if Min has enough clothes to last that long, but figure we'll go shopping if she needs more than what she has with her. Heading back downstairs, I hit up Axle for a ride. I'd rather take my bike, but don't want to leave it in the airport parking lot. I'm disappointed we couldn't take Angela's jet. The cargo space has plenty of room to transport our bikes when we fly. I smirk at how quickly I've become accustomed to the convenience of a private jet.

During Dante's wedding, we learned Angela is more than just a successful businessperson. She's the head of a massive cartel. One that comprises several smaller cartels she brought together under a single leader. Her. We also learned she's the one who murdered our former President, Dante's father, Dale. She did it when she discovered Dale trafficked young women, including Dante's high school girlfriend and her best friend. Dante hasn't spoken about it yet, but then again, he just returned from his honeymoon.

"There's Min," Axle says, pointing to the curbside terminal for United. She waves as Axle pulls up near her.

"Thanks, man," I say to Axle as I pull my duffle bag from the back seat and join Min.

"I got our tickets so we can just head to the terminal," Min says when I reach her.

"Did you go back home to pack?" I ask her.

She frowns at me. "No, why would I? I have what I need in here," she says, tapping her bag.

Gotta love a woman who can pack light. I think the words, but don't say them. My relationship with Min is as turbulent as our flight's likely to be. Usually, I'm the one looking to slow things down in a relationship. If I'm not trying to avoid the relationship altogether. But there is something about Min that has me all in. Too bad she doesn't seem to feel the same way.

"Tell me about the skip," I suggest once we've taken our seats.

She gives me a look, but describes how she approached him and lead him to her room so she could take him down.

"He thought you were a hooker?" I ask, my voice too loud, considering the looks we're getting from the nearby passengers.

Min just chuckles. "Yeah, he did. Pissed me off at first, but figured I'd run with it. Got him to go to my room, didn't it?"

"I still wish you'd had waited for me to join you," I grumble.

"Why? I handled it," Min says with some bite.

"I know. Never doubted you. But we're supposed to be doing this job together."

"Hard to do the job if you don't get out there and track down any skips," Min points out. "Why are you hesitant to get started?"

"Hey, I just don't want to rush into anything and get in over our head. This is new for both of us."

She studies me for so long that I have to grip the armrests to keep from squirming.

"That's a lie and you know it," she finally says. "You do this kind of work with your brothers all the time. It's doing it with me that's the problem, isn't it? Do you not trust me to have your back?"

I open my mouth to deny it, but pause and consider her words. She's right. As the Enforcer, I'm usually the one picking up those Dante wants to have a chat with. I never question it, I just get the job done. Sometimes I'm alone, but most of the time Chaos or another brother would go with me. So why am I being so reluctant to hunt down skips? Is it because I don't think Min will have my back? Or because I'm afraid that I won't have hers?

"I trust you," I tell her. When her eyebrows go up, I raise my hand to stop her from interrupting me. "I do trust you to have my back. You're a warrior. But I still see you as someone I want to protect. Thinking of you being in danger scares the hell out of me."

Min leans her head back and closes her eyes. After taking three deep breaths, she opens them again and turns to face me dead-on. "Maybe we can't work together. If you don't see me as an equal, then what are we doing? I went through the training, just like you did. I can do this job. If you don't want to do it with me, then don't. But don't think I'm going to give it up. Bringing Humphrey back felt rewarding. He's had a tough life and I feel for him, but he broke the law. Doing this job gives me a purpose. You aren't taking it away from me."

I see the intensity in her eyes and realize that I made a mistake. Will I still worry about her when we're out there working? Yes. But I'd worry a hell of a lot more if she was out there without me.

"You're right. Not about us not working together. But about my needing to see you as an equal. I can do it, I know I can. Just have some patience with me, okay? This trip will be a test for both of us. Let's see how it goes, and then we'll have a better idea of how well we work together."

She nods.

"What do you mean by Humphrey having a tough life?" I ask her, needing to change the subject.

She tells me about how he broke his hand and can no longer work as a tattoo artist. "There are other ways to earn a living as an artist," I say.

Min chuckles. "That's what I said. He's being a dumbass. Now he's compounded his problem by getting arrested and skipping out on his bail. He has a little girl who needs her father, but he's failing her."

"Where is the little girl now?"

"Living with his mother. The little girl's mother is out of the picture or only shows up when she needs something. She needs her daddy, but only if he can stay out of jail. I asked Grant to monitor him while we're out of town."

"You taking him under your wing?"

She shrugs. "I don't know, maybe."