Chapter 19

Mace

C oyote and I had gotten up bright and early this morning to check out a warehouse on the south side of town. Someone had reported suspicious activity, which we thought might be related to the cartel. It turned out to be a couple of homeless people who were terrified when Nine went sniffing around them. We’d left almost immediately, and we were about to get back into my truck when my phone vibrated.

I pulled my phone out, expecting it to be Storm with some kind of update. Instead it was one of our prospects, Benny.

He said, “Hey Mace, I don’t know if you wanna know this or not, but your old lady just walked off our property without an escort. I know she’s in some kinda trouble, but I don’t know if she’s restricted to the clubhouse, so I thought I’d better let you know.”

Panic shot through my chest wondering what she was up to. Just then I noticed a text message my mom had sent me earlier, while I still had Benny on the line I opened it.

Mom: We think Alicia might be planning to link the feds with her father at some point. Her father called today while we were visiting. She’s worried about you getting hurt, so please be careful if you get involved.

Damn it! I put two and two together and practically yelled at the prospect, “Hell the fuck no, she’s not supposed to be leaving the clubhouse. Follow her, Benny.”

He seemed hesitant. “I’m on the grill today and Storm’s gonna be pissed if I leave everyone hangin’ on for lunch.”

“Forget about the fucking grill, Benny. The safety of my old lady is more important. Tell me you understand that, prospect.”

His whole attitude changed from casual to tense. “Yeah, I get that old ladies come first. I’m on it, bro.”

“Do not let her out of your sight, no matter what. Got it, prospect?”

“Yeah, I got it,” he responded, sounding like he was in a flat out run.

I hung up and called Storm. “We got a problem, Prez. Alicia just ran off and I think she’s gonna do somethin’ stupid. Benny’s going after her but he’s gonna need some back up. We can’t let her get away.”

“Well, she’s not a prisoner and you need to remember that, brother.”

“You know damn well that’s not what I mean!” I shot back, feeling panicked. “She met with my mom and gran today. They think she’s going to take the deal the feds offered. Said she was afraid of me getting hurt helping her.”

“Shit, I hate it when women do that kind of shit. Hang on a moment, we’ve got a tracker on her phone. I’ll see if Hacker can get a trace on her.” I could hear Storm shouting at someone then some muttering before he jumped back on the line, “Okay, we’ve got her. She’s moving at car speed, so I’m gonna guess someone picked her up.”

“Or someone just fucking abducted her,” I pointed out. I was fairly sure it was her own doing, but we shouldn’t rule out other options at this point.

Storm’s calm voice was pissing me off. He explained, “Look, either way it doesn’t matter, cause she’s gonna lead us straight to her old man who we’ve been trying to locate over the last few weeks. We’ll stay close and make sure to prioritize her safety once the fighting starts.”

“Once the fucking fighting starts? So, we’re using her for bait?” Every damn thing about this situation was pissing me off.

“Yeah, about that,” Storm responded. “That wasn’t the original plan, and you know it, but sometimes, things on the ground change. She chose this, not us. Our priority now is backing up her bad decision.”

“I don’t like how you phrased it, but point taken, I guess. I want to be there. I can’t leave her safety to anyone else, even my club brothers.”

“Turn on your tracking app and meet us at the Griffinsford city limits sign, looks like that’s where they’re headed. We’ll keep track and follow at a safe distance and update you if anything changes. Don’t worry, Mace. We’ll do anything and everything to keep your old lady and her mother safe.”

Feeling somewhat mollified but still extremely scared of her catching a bullet I said, “I’m in my truck and can be there in about five minutes.”

When my phone went dead, I pulled out as I quickly brought Coyote up to speed in the passenger seat. We hit the road to meet up with Storm and the rest of the brothers supporting today’s mission. I couldn’t understand why Alicia didn’t contact me if something popped off with her father. She knew that our club spent the last few weeks searching high and low for the bastard. I know my mom said that she was worried I’d get hurt, but still. I was pissed she didn’t trust me to protect her.

Although I didn’t know what this meant for our relationship, one thing I was certain of, was that I was determined to put a bullet in her old man’s head, so we didn’t ever have to worry about him lurking around and tricking her into another vulnerable situation.

I couldn’t imagine her being foolish enough to meet with him all on her own. But then again, he could have lured her out to meet with her mother in a public place. That I could easily understand, because Alicia had been desperate to be eyes on with her mom, just to know she was okay.

***

When we caught up with our club brothers, they were outside an abandoned chicken farm in an isolated area just outside of the city limits. Nine’s sniffer started going crazy, probably because he smelled chickens but didn’t see any running around that he could chase.

The more I mulled it over, the more I thought it must be like my mom said in her text. Alicia was trying to solve all her problems at once by setting her father up for a sting by the US Marshals.

We were only there for a few seconds when Benny came running full speed towards our group. The prospect had beaten us here and had snooped around the farm, despite my orders just to tail them. In the time that he’d been prospecting, it was clear that following direct orders was an alien concept to the guy. I kind of got it, because I’d been used to being a lone wolf myself.

“Who the fuck told you to go off like that? What are you, a rebel without a fucking clue?” Storm growled out.

Benny grinned as he ran up to Storm. “Sorry Prez, I saw my chance and took it. Alicia’s in the building. I planted a listening device on the windowsill outside the room they’re in. If we’re lucky we’ll be able to pick up at least some of what they’re saying.”

Storm narrowed his eyes, “When you say listening device, you mean your phone, right?”

Benny gave him a lopsided grin, “Well, we both know I ain’t no spy or computer genius. So, yeah, I propped up my phone and called our group chat.”

“Good thinking,” Storm said grudgingly, as he took out his cell phone and glared at it. We could hear voices, but it was all a bit indistinct.

“Reckon Hacker could work some magic?” I asked.

At that moment, Hacker rolled up in his off-road wheelchair, seemingly out of nowhere, clearly excited. “What’s that I might do?”

“Reckon you could turn this shitty audio into something useful?” I asked. I saw Benny glaring at me, and I quickly added, “Not your fault Prospect, what you did was quick thinking, but the signal here ain’t too good.”

Hacker pulled out his laptop and started tapping away, “I might be able to hack into the app and get us a visual. Or remotely turn on the camera.”

Storm spoke up, “Alright, everyone quiet down and let Hacker concentrate.”

I stared at the one and only building still standing on the old farm. It was a huge barn where chickens were once housed. Without saying a word, I pulled my binoculars off my utility belt and focused in on the building. From this distance I could barely see shadows moving around in the windows. I wanted to get up close so I could hear what was going on properly, but I knew we had to hold back, which went against every instinct of mine that was screaming at me to save my woman.

After about ten minutes, which seemed more like ten hours, Hacker finally announced, “Done it! Let’s see if we’re able to pick up anything.”

We all gathered around. I shoved a few people out of the way, and they good-naturedly allowed it because my old lady was in danger.

Hacker looked at us irritably. “You can pull up the group chat and see the video feed for yourselves. There’s no need to crowd the fuck outta me.”

My other club brothers broke away and pulled out their phones. Me and Benny stayed in place and watched over Hacker’s shoulder. He had his laptop open, and it gave a better view. What I saw and heard made me hate her father even more than I did before.

Alicia was standing near the window of the barn. Her arms were folded over her chest and her body language was tense.

“You said Mom would be here,” she stated in an oddly flat voice. “You lied. You’ve been lying to me since I was a little kid. Where is she?”

The older man just stared at her for a long hard moment before dropping the bombshell of a lifetime on her. “I never lied to you until you were three, because that’s when you and your mama became mine.”

Alicia’s arms dropped to her side, and she turned around, closing her eyes. Her lips were moving but we couldn’t seem to pick up on what she was saying. It was Storm who figured it out first. “She’s fucking counting to ten. Must be fed up with the fucker already, because I only do that when I’m so frustrated I’m about to punch someone.”

Storm was right, I could see it now.

Finally, she spun around and stated angrily at him. “You’re lying. Mom would never have lied to me, allowed me to believe you were my father if you weren’t.”

“She welcomed me with open arms,” he said as he flung both his arms open wide. “And welcomed me into her bed with open legs.”

She threw her cell phone at his face, and he casually batted it out of the way. “Liar! Why would she want a man like you?”

“Who knows what is in a woman’s heart? All I know is that she wanted me enough to let you believe the man who came to her bed at night was your papa.”

“None of that’s true, Mom said you were a good man, but then you changed,” she insisted.

“She was lying to you, she didn’t want you to know the truth.”

“That’s not true,” Alicia said.

“She wanted me and didn’t want you growing up to hate her for taking your father’s brother to her bed.”

Okay, listening to their conversation was confusing.

“No,” Alicia insisted. “My mother hated you with the passion of a thousand suns. She would have never voluntarily stayed with you if she had another choice,” she paused, and I could see the realization dawning. “What do you mean, your brother?”

“You both belong to me. When my brother died, I inherited everything he owned, including your mother and by extension you.”

“If this is true, and you aren’t my father, tell me why he took me and my mom from the US?”

“He didn’t take you, I did,” Ramirez said. Alicia’s face was a picture of confusion. “He thought he was better than us, he didn’t want to follow in our father’s footsteps, so I had to save the family’s honor. I took you both and claimed you as my own.”

Alicia was shaking her head from side to side, “No, no, this can’t be true. Why did my mom never say anything?”

“Because after your father died trying to get you both back, she realized that she had to accept her new reality. If she didn’t, then I would have killed you.”

I got the distinct feeling that all the puzzle pieces of her life have just fallen into place for her.

Alicia just shook her head, her voice sounding more despondent than angry, “She traded her body for my safety. That’s what you meant to say.”

“No. You’ve got it all wrong. I promised my brother on his deathbed that I would do my best to care for you and your mother. You were the apple of his eye. He loved you and your mother above all things. You know that, right?”

“How did my father die?” Alicia’s voice was flat.

Ramirez ignored her question, “You judge me unjustly. I only wanted a beautiful wife and daughter, exactly what my brother had. Is that so difficult to understand?”

“You are everything my father wasn’t. You’re a vile, disgusting liar who stole your brother’s family.”

“It is my fault that you grew up selfish and stubborn, I should have punished you for your disobedience years ago. This I will fix. My brother would want me to.”

Alicia added another piece of the puzzle. “It was you, you k—”

Another timid female voice came from behind them, finishing Alicia’s accusation, “You killed him.”

I surged forward and almost snatched the laptop up when a man wearing a suit walked in dragging the woman I presumed to be Alicia’s mother by the arm.

“Is that true, Ramirez? Did you kill your brother?”

“It was an accident. There was a shootout. He caught a stray bullet—”

Alicia’s mom cut him off. “If you hadn’t been running drugs for the Cartel none of it would have happened. When you took us, you knew he’d return to Mexico to try and get us back. It’s your fault he’s dead,” she shouted accusingly.

The suited man holding her mother’s arm jerked her back. “Enough of this.”

Ramirez asked, “Where did you find my wife?”

The suited man smirked. “I found her right where you left her. Why am I not surprised to find that you’re capable of killing your brother and stealing his family, when I found you had the audacity to lock your own wife in the trunk of your car?”

“We’re not married,” Alicia’s mother stated clearly as she tried to twist her arm from the man’s hold. By the suits, I had assumed that he was one of the federal agents that Alicia had been in contact with. But something about the way he was acting made me nervous.

“She was being difficult,’ Ramirez responded. “In fact, she’s always difficult. I don’t know why I put up with her.”

“From the sounds of the conversation I walked in on, you killed your own brother and took his wife for your whore? You must have coveted her greatly, so don’t act as if you’re the long-suffering victim in this situation.”

Alicia went ramrod straight and took a step closer to the interloper. “Why are you calling my mother a whore? You said if I cooperated with you, the US Marshals Service would make sure she wasn’t arrested, and we would get immunity for my father’s crimes. What’s happening here?”

Ramirez threw back his head and laughed, a genuine deep belly laugh born of genuine amusement.

Her mother hissed, “He’s not with the Marshals Service, Alicia.”

Alicia stammered, “I don’t understand.”

Ramirez, chuckled. “Of course you don’t. I think we already established that you are more stupid than any of us ever dreamed possible.”

His words stung. I could tell because Alicia kind of folded in on herself.

I muttered to my club brothers, “We need to get in there, before things really start to deteriorate.

Storm jerked me back. “Hold position. We don’t know if the one Alicia identified as her handler was lying when he said he was with the US Marshals Service or if he’s lying now. This could still be part of the sting. We have to figure this out.”

Alicia’s so-called handler spoke. “If you can take a break from attending to the family shit that you’ve apparently fucked up beyond all redemption, we need to talk about what you stole from me. You also killed five of my best men and I expect you to compensate me for the loss.”

Alicia’s hand flew to her mouth, and she took a horrifying step back. “You’re not a fed but a member of that Latino gang?”

The man pulled open his shirt collar showing a neck tattoo.

“How?” Alicia asked.

“The nine-four-five have people imbedded in several federal law enforcement agencies, mostly wives, girlfriends, or sisters, feeding us information. In your case, they erased evidence of your call and forwarded your number to me instead.”

“You used me,” Alicia whispered, clearly still in shock.

“Pipe the fuck down, puta. I made a deal, and unlike your uncle daddy, I’m sticking to it.” He shoved her mother hard in her direction. The woman was caught off guard and stumbled. Alicia was forced to leap forward to stop her from careening into the wall. Once they were in each other’s arms my anxiety clicked down a little. I prayed the gang member was serious about releasing her.

Ramirez grumbled, “Don’t go too far. You’re both coming home with me, right after I get rid of this last loose end and figure out who has my fucking merchandise.”

Alicia’s fingers tightened around her mother’s hand. “It’s all gone. The Slayers destroyed it.”

The fuck? A sense of dread crept into my stomach. Why was she telling him that?

She continued. “America isn’t the wild west anymore. That means your days of coming here to sell poison are numbered. The Dark Slayers MC is just one of many groups now policing their own territory. If you keep coming here, your men are going to continue dying and your drugs and guns are going to continue to turn up missing.”

The older man looked proud. “What an outstanding little liar you are, Alicia, proving that deep down inside you are more similar to the man who raised you than the one who planted his seed in such fertile ground.”

Her mother spoke up, “You might have trafficked us, but you never raised my daughter. How could you, when you were hardly ever home? I raised her with her father’s values, her real father, and you can’t stand that, can you?”

He flung back, “Look how brave you are when you’re out of striking distance. When I realized you couldn’t have any more kids, I should have thrown you and your daughter out. Fucking ungrateful puta . You had a life with me, not a half life in America that you would have had with my pathetic brother.”

The gang member grew impatient with their family dynamics. “You three can hash out your personal shit on your own time. Somebody’s gonna pay me the money they owe me, or there ain’t nobody walking outta here alive.”

Storm jerked his chin towards the barn, “That’s our cue to get in there and diffuse the situation before the shootout starts. Mace, you and Coyote get the women to safety, while we deal with the assholes fighting over drugs and money.”

“You got it, Prez,” I told Storm. “If at all possible, don’t start shooting up the place for a few minutes. Once we get them to safety, we’ll circle back around to provide backup. I can’t believe both Ramirez and that fake fed showed up without backup of their own.”

“Thor, Mack, I want you to scout for their men. Take Benny.”

“On it,” Thor said.

“I didn’t see any signs of Ramirez’s men when I pulled up here, but if that other guy is a gang banger we might be heading for an ambush. You want me to call for reinforcements?” Benny asked.

Storm threw his cell phone to Benny. “Send out an alert, I want all brothers here.”

“Yes, sir!” Benny said and ran off at top speed with Thor and Mack behind him. Suddenly, the eighteen brothers that we brought with us didn’t seem like it was quite enough if we were gonna have a shootout with the cartel and a bunch of gang bangers.

Hacker’s voice sounded a warning as he wheeled his way back to our armored van. “Time to get your asses moving. Things are getting heated up in there.”

Storm made a circle in the air with his index finger beside his right ear. “Get moving. Everyone needs to stick to the original plan. We’re burnin’ daylight here.”

We’d come up with a painstakingly detailed plan where every brother had a vantage point to cover and a battle buddy to protect. Storm and Hacker’s detailed plans were becoming routine for me by this point and had the advantage of working with nearly a hundred percent accuracy.

I pulled out my handgun and checked to make sure it had a fresh clip. Coyote and I approached from the side with the window. My plan was to break through the window a second after Storm and his team busted into the room. When I got close to the window, fear spiked through my chest at what I saw.

The man who’d claimed to be her father all these years was moving forward towards Alicia and her mother with a determined look on his face. Alicia pulled out the small handgun and pointed it at him. Damn it! For a moment I wondered where she’d gotten it from, then I remembered handing her Alejandro’s gun the day I rescued her. Ramirez stopped in his tracks just as I lifted my gun and took aim.

A look of rage jumped onto his face when he saw that Alicia had a weapon. When he lunged, Alicia hesitated. If I hadn’t squeezed off a shot it might have been a fatal mistake on Alicia’s part. Fortunately, I didn’t hesitate and I’m an exceptionally good aim. When I want to kill someone, I always go for a headshot. It’s messy but effective in putting them down permanently.

I knocked out the rest of the glass on one side of the window and jumped into the room as Storm and the others were cornering the gang member. When Alicia and her mother ran over to the window, I apologized as I gestured to the dead man on the floor, “Sorry about the mess.”

Alicia’s mother walked over and spat on his dead body and gave it a good kick before rushing back over to us. Alicia and I shot each other a worried look. Grabbing Alicia, I told her, “We need to get you both out of here. It’s not safe.”

“We’re more than ready to get the hell outta here,” she responded as she moved closer to me. I picked her up and set her safely outside the window and then did the same to her mother.

Then I whistled for Nine. He came running from the back of my truck and was within sight in two seconds flat. I commanded, “Guard,” and pointed to Alicia and her mother.

Turning to Alicia, I told her, “My truck is about twenty yards that way. Do you need me to escort you, or can you go with Nine?” These women had been disempowered for far too long. It was time to give them some personal power back.

Alicia glanced down at the gun in her hand and then lifted her chin slightly. “I can find the way. In case you’re wondering, the black SUV on the far side of the building is full of fake agents.”

Just then the sound of gunfire came from that direction. “Yeah, Storm thought it was weird that these two showed up alone, so my club brothers went to check the perimeter.”

My heart raced as I watched them jog off towards my truck. My job now became to look for stragglers who might pose a danger. I couldn’t help but watch Alicia and her mom run side by side, happy and free together for possibly the first time in their lives. It was gratifying to see them like that.

I decided to shadow them to the truck on the off-chance there was a threat we’d missed—which turned out to be a good idea. My panic spiked when I saw someone come stumbling out of the bushes. It was a man with an unsteady gait. He had a gun in his hand and a furious expression on his face. I recognized that fucker, it was the dude who was threatening to rape her at the riverside.

“Stop where you are. Turn around. You’re gonna come with me,” Alejandro ground out, his voice rough. “Both of you are gonna pay for me getting injured by that fucking biker.”

Alicia jumped in front of her mother and yelled back. “What are you talking about?” she demanded. “My mother hasn’t done one single thing to you.”

“Your papa said you were mine,’ he replied triumphantly. “He’ll thank me for returning his property. Don’t know what he sees in your mama, but he’ll look kindly upon me for returning her before she got too far away.”

“He’s going to have a hard time showering you with gratitude, since his brains are splattered all over the floor in that barn back there.” Alicia said the words with calm indifference while pulling one thumb back over her shoulder.

He glanced from Alicia to the barn behind her and back again. As he thought it over, Alicia took a step forward, lifting her pistol. “You’ve always been such a smug bastard, Alejandro.”

“You don’t have the courage to draw down on a man, Alicia. You know that and I know that.”

I stepped out of the shadows and my voice rang out. “Maybe she doesn’t, but I sure as fuck do.”

He spun around and caught sight of me almost immediately. “You,” he snarled. “You have caused me no end of trouble. And today to you are going to pay for it, you gringo motherfucker.”

I just shook my head, frowning at him. “I’ve already killed your boss today. Abducting my old lady has given me a twitchy trigger finger. So, how’s about you don’t try my patience today.”

He raised his gun to take aim and before I could pull the trigger, Alicia did. Of course she was aiming for his legs. She missed though and caught him in the balls. Which, to be fair, was probably an even more effective deterrent. When he pulled his gun back to aim at her, I nailed him with a head shot. He fell to his knees and then forward onto what would have been his face if it were still intact.

I lowered my weapon and rushed over to where Alicia and her mother were standing. “Sorry again. You shouldn’t have been subjected to the sight of brains twice in one day. That’s just horrific.”

“You’ve managed to kill both the men who were intent upon trafficking me in one day. There’s no need for you to apologize for anything.”

I gestured towards Alejandro with the end of my pistol. “Dude could have spent years trying to escape from a super max prison, but he threw it all away trying to kill us today.”

Alicia lowered her gun down by her side and gazed up at me. “Some people just aren’t too smart.”

Standing there looking into her eyes, if there had ever been a doubt that Alicia was my one, it disappeared. My phone buzzed with the all-clear from Storm, so I put it away and tugged Alicia closer. “Thanks for having my back just now.”

She slid her gun back into the holster at her back and moved closer, resting her hands against my chest. “I can’t let anything happen to you because you’re my old man.”

“You got that backwards, sweetness. You’re my old lady.”

Her fingers walked up my chest to my collar and she tugged me down. “Are you going to kiss me or stand there arguing with me?”

“You never have to tell me twice,” I mumbled before dipping my head and giving her a long lingering kiss. I don’t know how long we were kissing because it was just such a relief to have her safe and sound, and in my arms again.

Eventually, her mother cleared her throat. And I’ll be honest, I had forgotten she was there.

“Good afternoon, Mrs. Ramirez,” I said apologetically. “Pleasure to—”

My attempt at making a good first impression on my future mother-in-law went haywire at that point, as my words got cut off when Alicia grabbed my braid and tugged me back down for another kiss. Truth be told, I didn’t have the heart to deny her.

Eventually, her mother got into the truck. Whether it was to get away from our public display of affection or the dead body nearby, I couldn’t say.

The one thing I was sure of was that this just became the new best day of my life, the day I eliminated the men who had made it their life’s mission to keep the woman I loved down. That had been some horrific shit for anyone to go through, much less an innocent woman like Alicia. From now on, I’d be her protector and make it my life’s mission to see there was only sunny skies and rainbows in her future.