Chapter Twenty-Seven Dixie

We leave Mikel unconscious in his cell and set the security Pirate added. According to Lake, Mikel won't wake up. However, if he does and tries to open the door, he's in for a severe enough shock that'll knock him out again.

Back in the clubhouse, we crowd into the kitchen to grab breakfast. We lucked out when Nora came to us looking for a place to call home. Delphine is a wonderful cook, but she made it clear to Hex that she would not stay at the clubhouse if his expectation was that she cook three meals a day for the members. She still chips in occasionally, but only when she wants. Whereas Nora would rather cook than service the members any other way. The single guys have enough options for sex. They much prefer having three solid meals a day.

"Where is everybody?" I ask Nora as I pile eggs and bacon onto my plate.

"Jack and Levi are with Delphine and the others. They're working on the abandoned buildings. Jack told them you guys said it was alright?"

I nod. "What about Irish? I take it he made it back?"

"He did. He helped us get the greenhouses set up and then he went to catch up on some sleep. Cleo told him to rest."

"Good. Thanks for breakfast," I tell her before leaving the kitchen and joining Hex and the others at a table. "Irish is back. Nora said the women are with Jack and Levi cleaning up the site of our future guesthouse."

"Good. That should keep them busy," Hex says. "After breakfast, we need to head out and check on those locations Pirate identified from Mikel's phone. I want to start on the ones that belong to Cleo."

"Bad news," Pirate says. "They all belong to her. Some were under different corporations, but each one leads back to Golubrev."

"Fuck, that's what I was afraid of," Hex grumbles. "There are twenty buildings. We need to split up and check each one."

"Zip and I will group the targets for efficiency. I figured I'd stay here and coordinate, but that leaves one group short. Unless you wanted to take Jack?" Pirate asks.

"We'll take Jack. You stay here," Hex says. "We really need more members and more prospects. During our next meeting we should discuss patching Jack. He's only been with us for six months, but he's proven his worth." The rest of us nod in agreement.

"Okay, let's finish breakfast and get the fuck out there. The sooner we're done, the sooner we can end Mikel."

"Speaking of Mikel, should we leave someone back here to watch him?" I ask. "Irish could do it. See if he can redeem himself." God knows the kid could use some redemption. He's the most unlucky person I've met and always seems to come up short when tasked with an assignment. Like picking up and delivering the greenhouse supplies. A simple job, but one that he couldn't complete without a struggle.

Hex grimaces but agrees. "Yeah, he can watch Mikel. Make sure he knows not to engage him or open the cell. All he has to do is sit outside and keep watch. Even he can't screw that up."

Pulling out my phone, I call Irish and hear the phone ringing nearby. Irish answers it just as he's coming down the stairs. He glances up when he hears his name in stereo. I give him his instructions, explaining that Mikel should still be unconscious and that Pirate has electrified the cell. He agrees to stand watch before heading outside. I then call Jack and tell him to meet us at the clubhouse.

Pirate hands out the list of properties to each group. Zip has given us the best route to hit each one as quickly as possible. Zip and Lake take the properties north of I10. Abra and Jack have the area south of 61. Hex and I take the area between the two. We take several boxes of security cameras with us. The plan is to install the cameras at each location so Pirate can monitor them.

Our first stop is an empty storefront with no signs of recent activity. The place is clean, but empty. We don't find any clues why Mikel stopped here, but there is a coffeeshop a few doors down that may have been his destination.

"Why would Golubrev own this place?" I ask Hex, who shrugs as he glances at the list of properties in his hand.

"He owned this building and the buildings on either side. Let's check them." We do and they're just as empty as the first.

"Maybe he planned on tearing the buildings down or selling them off," I suggest.

"Maybe. I'll let Cleo sort it out. It's her deal now. Let's place the cameras and go to the next. Considering its location, it's probably a warehouse."

We arrive at the spot and find that it is a warehouse, but unlike the storefronts, this place shows signs of use, even though it's empty right now. The warehouse isn't massive, but it is a good size for storing weapons or drugs.

"My money's on drugs," I say, running my finger through a dusting of white powder and coffee grounds.

"Agreed. Whatever was here is gone now. I'll recommend to Cleo that she hire a security firm to secure this place. Whoever used it may come back. She doesn't need the hassle." We install the cameras before moving on.

The remaining locations are variations on a theme. All of them look as if they've been in use until recently. "Mikel could have been checking the locations to see if he could use them or he was clearing them out," Hex says. "He likely knew it wouldn't be long before Cleo sent someone to check on all the properties owned by her father."

We just finish our last building when Pirate calls Hex. He puts it on speaker.

"Prez, Abra found something you need to see," Pirate says before giving us the address. "Zip and Lake are on their way there."

We head for the address Pirate provided and find everyone but Jack waiting for us in a parking lot near the address. We climb off and join the huddle.

"The building is on the other side," Abra explains. "It looks like it used to be an office building. They have guards on the roof and security cameras all around. The place has barbed wire surrounding it. It looks like a prison. So, either they're trying to keep people out or keep something in."

"Where's Jack?" I ask.

"He's checking the stores to see if we can get a view of the building from one of them. We tried approaching the building, but we couldn't get close enough to see anything but the security measures," Abra explains.

I hear someone running and turn to see Jack coming towards us. He's carrying a bag in his right hand.

"You went shopping?" I asked.

"Kind of," Jack says, pulling a box out of the bag. It's a small drone with a camera attachment. "I found a way up onto the roof, but nowhere to observe without them seeing us. I spotted this inside the electronics store over there and thought we could use it to get a closer look."

Hex grins at the young prospect and nods his approval. "That's thinking. Okay, let's see what they're up to over there."

We move as close to the building as we can, but remain out of sight. Jack opens the box and fiddles with the drone for several minutes. He finally claims it's ready and soon it is up in the air and on its way. Jack uses his phone to control the device. We stand around the prospect and watch the progress.

Jack maneuvers the drone high into the sky before sending it over the top of the target building. We can see guards standing in each corner, their eyes on the ground. The sound of a car getting closer to the building has him sending the drone over to the opposite edge of the building. He gets there in time to see a man leaning out the car window and entering a code into the security box. The driver ducks back into the car before driving forward.

"Must have underground parking," Abra says. "Need to see what's inside."

Jack maneuvers the drone between the guards, making sure they don't see it. The drone slips down the side until it hovers in front of a window. Even though the window is dirty with grime, we can make out what's inside and we all suck in a collective breath.

Rows of beds with curtains between them fill the space. A naked woman lies in each bed. She's on her back with her hands and feet tied to the bed so she's spread eagle. We can also see two men, their naked asses in the air as they pound themselves into the vulnerable woman beneath them.

Next to me, Abra swears and I feel him pulling his gun from under his kutte.

"We can't go in there guns blazing," I remind him.

"Check out each floor," Hex says. "We need to know everything. Are you recording?"

"Yeah, I'm recording," Jack says, swallowing hard. I can hear his voice breaking, so I clap him on the shoulder to offer him my strength. Because I know just what he's thinking.

"This has to be what Mikel was talking about when he said he could destroy Cleo. If the cops raided this place, she'd have no way of explaining that she didn't know what was happening here," Hex says.

"She could call it in herself," I suggest. "Call the cops and tell them she discovered this when she was doing a check of all the buildings owned by her late father."

"That's an idea," Hex says, taking his phone out of his kutte. He calls Cleo and gives her a brief description of what we've found. I hear her distress and hope Delphine is nearby to comfort her.

"Another car's coming," Jack says, moving the drone into place. What we see has us rethinking our plan. A police car drives up and the cop inside leans out and enters the code before driving in.

"Fuck," Hex mutters and I hear Cleo asking for an update. He tells her what we just witnessed. Cleo says something back to him before he ends the call. "No calling the cops," he says. "Cleo said Golubrev had several of them in his employ. Even FBI agents. We don't know who we can trust."

"Which means we have to close this place down ourselves?" I ask.

He nods.

"Fuck, we need to expand our ranks," Hex mutters and I nod. These past few days have driven that point home.