Chapter 24

24

NEVADA

It's a dirty business. We all know that, but as much as this stinks, it has to be done.

Jefferson didn't come empty handed, but we always knew that was gonna happen. He's the kind of asshole who likes to hide behind his heavies, and he does it well.

The meeting place is a large pig farm, of all places, in the middle of fuckin' nowhere. And it stinks like manure.

There's a large truck, assuming some of the girls are in there, but Monty Jefferson is keeping pretty quiet until negotiations are done. I don't like it one bit, none of us do, but we have to trust Bane and hope to God there isn't a whole lot of Skeletons MC or other assholes in there waiting to take us all out. I mean, that would result in Jefferson not getting paid, so it's unlikely that's gonna happen. And Bane has arranged the payment.

I gotta admire the man; there are other things he could be doing instead of putting an end to trafficking in his territory, but good men come in the most unlikely of places. At the end of the day, they want to put a stop to this, just as our club does. And that makes us brothers.

I turn to look at Star. Yep, she wrangled her way into the negotiating process and came up with a good idea; to be here for the women and make their transition a little less scary. She's beautiful, of course, but unassuming. And when Jefferson takes one look at her in her patent leather pants and low-cut top, he says, "You brought me a snack?"

I see her fists curl up while a low growl leaves her lips. I want to punch the asswipe in the face over and over, but I hold it in.

"Calm down," Bane says. "She's my sister, and I brought her here for the girls. Figure some of ‘em will be confused and even unwillin' to go. Star will make sure they're calm and give ‘em a sense of solidarity."

Jefferson smirks. "You've really thought about this, Bane. I'm impressed."

"I think of everything."

More like he's thinking about the hundred ways to kill him right now.

"Pity we couldn't do a swap." He eyes Star up and down and I want to slit his throat.

"Watch your mouth," Bane warns. "My sister does pack a mean punch. I could let her loose on you."

Jefferson claps his hands like a fool, practically drooling at the idea.

My girl has won the respect of the club, and if pretending to be Bane's sister is what it takes to have her by my side, so be it. It's not like I could honestly stop the woman anyway. She'd find a way to wrangle herself into this. At least being here with the brothers isn't putting her in immediate danger, even though this is a precarious situation. Leaving Star out would just be callous and mean, and I'm sure she could fight dirtier than some of Jefferson's own men.

The thought sobers me because this is still dangerous, and what Bane has to do once this is all over will spread like wildfire. We all have to be ready.

"He wouldn't last one round," Star replies, glaring at Jefferson. I can tell by her stance that she's ready to knock his head off his shoulders and I half wish she'll get the chance.

"So?" Bane barks. "We gonna get this done, or suck each other's dicks?" He signals to Shadow who appears with a briefcase.

"Do I need to check it?" Jefferson cocks a brow.

Shadow snorts. "Be my guest."

Jefferson opens the case, picks up a wad of neat bills and flicks through the fold. Then he turns and signals to his men. They disappear toward the large truck and a few moments later, the rear door is opened. I grind my teeth. I don't even want to imagine what these women have suffered, and if they haven't yet, then they're the lucky ones. "Got a real prize for you, my friend. Kept the best for last."

Bane stares at him, unmoving. I can tell by his rigid stance that he's half a second away from wanting to slice Jefferson's head off, but he composes himself well. I don't know if I'd have the willpower to be in his shoes. "I expect nothin' less after what I'm payin'."

Jefferson just laughs like the greedy motherfucker he is. The trouble with assholes like him is they get too cocky. They think they're invincible and can rule the world. He fails to realize that there is always some bigger kingpin out there willing to take his place. He'll be nothing soon and I hope that Bane makes him suffer.

We follow them around to the back and two armed men begin filing girls out. I stare in shock. Some of them come willingly, others are gagged and try to struggle. Each are bound with wrist and ankle ties like goddamn prisoners. My stomach recoils.

"Oh my God," I hear Star whisper.

I squeeze her hand.

"Any of them hurt?" Bane stops one of the men, then tilts one of the girls' face. Her tear-streaked eyes meet his and her bottom lip trembles.

"I wouldn't send you sloppy seconds, though I do want to keep a couple for my men." He eyes the terrified girl like a hungry wolf and Bane's hand tightens around her jaw. "Move." The guard does as he's told, and Bane lets go of her before turning back to Jefferson. "The deal was I get all the girls. I have a big MC and men who are willin' to pay good money for submissive chicks."

"Woah, calm down, soldier. There're plenty bitches to go around. You break in that sweet honey I gave you last night?"

"Didn't quite get the chance yet," Bane grits out. "Plan on it, though. That one might have a bit of fire in her belly that I didn't count on."

"Immigrants are more willing and able." Jefferson taps his nose. "Plenty of ‘em in your capable hands now. Most have fake IDs but not all."

"Speakin' of which… you get that other thing I asked for?"

Jefferson takes a breath. "It wasn't easy, more the point, what do you want a bunch of dead girls' IDs for?"

"Told you before, got an enemy who had a girlfriend go missin'. Can use it as leverage to start a turf war if she's dead. It'll be just enough ammunition to make him come outta hidin'. Then this club won't ever be scratchin' for crumbs ever again." Of course it's a lie, but this ID shit is news to me. I guess when they snatch girls and they're not an illegal immigrant, they'd have some form of ID on them. And that's worth money.

Jefferson rubs his chin. "You mean the Skeletons MC?"

"Why? That gonna be bad for business?"

"Not if you have a bigger club that pays more money. My loyalties lie wherever the wallet is thicker."

Bane grunts. "Figures."

The girls still file out and I can see Star assessing every single one. I know she wants to run over and grab every girl, check to see if she's Tilly, but she waits for my instruction. She knows she has to behave like an obedient ol' lady when she's in public with these men, and she plays the part well. Only I know different.

I turn and give her a chin lift. "Check the girls over."

She nods once, then strides to where the girls are being lined up. Bane brought several smaller trucks and vehicles to get the girls to safety, but as they keep filing out, I can't believe he has this many women and where the fuck did they all come from?

I watch Star, giving every single girl a check over as she says something quietly to them. A few let her, a few still struggle and one or two are completely subdued, like they've given up. My throat feels dry as I watch the commotion. These women have no idea they're safe, and neither does Jefferson. There's at least thirty of them, and from the way Star moves down the line, I can tell she's frantic, but so far… no Tilly.

Jefferson's other guard hands over a bag and Bane snatches it. "Pleasure doin' business."

Jefferson grins. "Let me know when you want more. New cargo comin' every month. Like I say, I'd send the Carusos a bottle of wine if any of them were still alive. Business is boomin'."

"Glad to hear it." Bane motions for Shadow and Viking, and they signal Hawk, Tag and Harlem over toward the girls. We need to start getting them away, and fast.

If the cops arrive, we're all fuckin' implicated.

Star gets to the end of the line and turns to look straight at me. She shakes her head once. I see the sorrow in her eyes, but all isn't lost. We've come this far…

Jefferson holds his hand out and Bane shakes it, his jaw tight as he forces a smile. I have no doubt that Jefferson is gonna take his last breath tonight, and when that goes down, this city is going to go up in flames. Bane's next move will be taking out the Skeletons and their turf, and when that happens, we wanna be the hell outta dodge.

I move toward Star. "Start gettin' ‘em in the vehicles," I say. "Now, baby."

She nods, turning back to help the girls as the guys do the same. I can only imagine what they're thinking, seeing all these big bikers standing around them.

Of course, the asshole wants to stand around and chat. He's clearly not in any hurry and has the usual businessman mouthpiece. He just likes the sound of his own voice. Which is good for us, I guess, because it means that Bane might get his wish to slice this guy quicker than we imagined. He has no fucking idea that his days are numbered. He doesn't even have days; more like minutes.

I know Bane wants us to move fast for obvious reasons, and this is going to be a bloodbath. One a long time in the making.

I take a breath, knowing that Star must be feeling a little dejected right now. I know we have a ton of other women here that will never know what it really means to be a slave, and for that it's gotta be worth it. I just wish for her we would've gotten lucky. I guess this really does mean that we have a lot more work to do.

"Get ‘em into the trucks, fast," Hornet mutters as the boys work quickly. Harlem and Tag taking the feistier women whom, if they weren't secured by restraints, I'd have no doubt would claw their eyes out.

"Jesus Christ." Tag runs a hand over his face. Harlem mutters something under his breath, and as a father of a teenage girl, I can only imagine what's going through his head right now.

"Assumin' you got a medic on hand?" I ask Hornet on the sly.

He nods. "One of the girls from the club is a doc. She's ready and waitin' at the clubhouse in Ridgehaven; that's where we're headed after this."

After this being the massacre that's about to go down. Holy shit.

The trucks have to get out of here safely, and unbeknown to Jefferson and his henchmen, Bane has the manpower. At least fifty men and counting surround the facility, but I'll be betting he didn't bring snipers like we did. Is he that cocky to think this is just a cut and dry deal? More fool him. I crack my neck, the adrenaline pumping. I was there the night when Cash killed the Caruso underboss, and later the entire Caruso mafia, with the help of our allies; the Irish mafia and Big Papa — the new ruler of the underworld.

But this — this is taking down the most ruthless man in Mississippi and not giving a shit about the consequences. This is sending a message that the Ridgehaven Hellions MC are not here to play. They are the kings and rule this city.

We load the girls into the waiting vehicles and it's then that all hell breaks loose…

I duck for cover, bringing Star with me, covering her with my body as I draw my gun at the same time. "Fuck," I mutter.

"Let me up!"

"No," I bark. "Stay down, we were supposed to be long gone before this went down."

"Plans changed," Hornet grunts next to me, pulling his gun. "Get her into the car and get the fuck outta here."

"Now!" Bane yells from behind me, gun in his hand.

Tag climbs into the passenger seat and I'm out of time to really tell Star what I need to. If she really knows how I feel about her.

I pull Star into my arms but she's not making it easy. "Please, Nevada!"

I open the truck door, wrapping an arm around her waist. "No. This isn't your time to be brave, baby. You've done all you can." I shove her inside as Harlem takes the wheel.

"Get in or shut the fuckin' door!" he barks. "Gotta move."

I press my lips to hers. "I'll be right behind you."

"No!"

She doesn't get a chance to jump out. I shut the door and place my palm on the glass as she bangs against it, crying out for me. Then Harlem takes off. Her face is the last thing I see as she bangs harder against the window.

I hated to do that to her, but I need her safe. I can't let her go getting in a jam and doing something that'll put her in harm's way. That just ain't gonna happen. There are plenty of soldiers here without putting her in jeopardy.

I turn and run back to the sound of guns going off all around. I don't see Bane, and I don't see Jefferson.

"What the fuck?" I bark, joining Viking behind the transport truck.

"Jefferson tried to pull a swift one." His face is grim. "Lucky we had a couple guys on the roof of the fuckin' barn or Bane would be dead."

"Holy shit."

"Seems that Jefferson was gonna kill us all and this was just a ploy."

"Fuckin' asshole."

A slow smile spreads across his face. "We got him, and he's still alive."

A stray bullet comes flying past us and we duck, I fire back in the same direction and we both surge forward.

I haven't seen Hawk or Riot, but as I approach the ground where Bane and Jefferson were just standing, I can see bodies lying all around. It's pretty isolated out here, but it won't be that long til the cops get wind. I hit one of Jefferson's men in the shoulder with my 9mm and he goes down.

"Took you long enough!" I'm relieved to hear Riot's voice as he straddles a man, letting him go after beating the shit outta him. I toss him my other pistol and he gives me a grateful smile. "This got outta hand quickly."

"No shit." More bullets fly by and I turn and shoot, moving in front of Riot.

"Need to get the fuck outta here," Riot says.

I look around. "Where the fuck is Bane?"

"Don't worry about him. He's on the other side of the field," Viking says, then smirks. "Makin' sure Montyfuckface is fuckin' done. We clean up here, and we get to have fun later."

The Prez is always protected, but Bane was right in the thick of it with the rest of us.

"Follow me." We hear Viking and two other bikers —whose patches read; Radium & Archer — both stay in front as we keep low running toward a large truck with multiple bullet holes and we climb inside.

"Jefferson piqued too early," Radium laughs. "Stupid fuck. He's gonna pay for that."

He spins the tires and we take off, smashing through the gates at the other side of the pig farm, and then we're on a dirt track, sliding around until Radium gets the truck under control.

"You good?" I ask Riot. He's patting himself down to make sure he wasn't shot.

"Still live to see another day."

"Holy shit, that was wild," the one named Archer says, sounding like he wishes he were back there in the fray. "That dirty fuckin' piece of shit's gonna go back to the warehouse and endure the wrath of Hornet and Viking. Sucks to be him."

Viking just grunts. All in a day's work for him.

I just need to get back to my girl. She's gonna be devastated that there was no sign of Tilly.

I swipe a hand through my hair, my heart racing as I tuck my gun back into the holster under my cut. "So much for Jefferson makin' sure the Hellions were his number one customer."

"Piece of shit got greedy. Gotta be the Skeletons," Viking mutters. "That's what happens when you think you can outsmart the Hellions. After this, we hit the Skeletons and fuck them up, too."

There were a lot of dead people back there, and as we make it to the highway, there was still no sound of any police sirens. I guess that fucker Jefferson chose his playground well.

"Bane's gonna be pissed he didn't get the first shot," Radium goes on. "You know how superstition he is about this shit."

I smile to myself. Priest and Harlem are similar. They always trust gut instinct, and tonight I'm glad we had the backup of the MC. Which reminds me, "Didn't see Hawk?"

"Was in the first truck with Panic and Savage."

Everyone from the MC is accounted for, not that I'm unconcerned about the Hellions, but I'd hate for any of my brothers to get hurt over a mess they really had nothing to do with.

"Nice night for a siege, don't you think?" Archer laughs.

"Long as Jefferson's men are the ones gettin' hit," I say.

"Sit tight. We'll be in Ridgehaven in about thirty."

I sit back and close my eyes, trying not to think about Star, but her face is all I see.

I need to get back to my girl.