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Chapter 5

5

NEVADA

"We were in charge of gettin' Big Papa on the right side." Brew points at Cash. "And the second we had to go out of town to do a job, the biggest raid Louisiana has ever seen goes down and we weren't there to help out."

We've been over this before, but Brew can't let it go.

Brew and Haze are both big guys and look intimidating; both have large builds, with their gruff appearances, and have just as many tattoos as I have. They're both excellent fighters.

But Cash is in charge around here, and what he says goes.

We recently found out the brothers have their own personal vendetta against the human traffickers. Brew's old flame went missing six months ago and turned up dead; the authorities believe that she was kidnapped and forced into sex work. He's never forgiven himself. I get why he's mad, but he also has to see the bigger picture here.

"We gonna go through this again?" Cash steels his jaw. "Not gonna sit around on my hands while you two fuckers decide if you're in or out. This club doesn't run by the rules of Brew and fuckin' goddamn Haze!"

"Hey, don't bring me into this," Haze grumbles. "I told him we were cuttin' it close leavin' town to begin with, unfortunately duty called."

Brew gives his brother a sideways glance which says, ‘Shut the fuck up.'

It's no secret the brothers have been moving more into surveillance and security; helping out the club and keeping things in order with Big Papa in the underworld. Making sure he's safe and the other allies we have is our number one priority. The brothers don't deal drugs, Big Papa has a hand in everything illegal except trafficking and anything to do with kids. He shoots pedos in the head, just like we do.

"So what's the goddamn problem?" Cash barks. "You're not here for important take downs, that ain't my issue. We call a committee meeting on this; this shit ain't gonna fly with any of the brothers. I should throw you out on your asses for comin' in here and barkin' at me like I'm some little junkyard dog!"

I admit, coming in here to throw their weight around to Prez ain't a good look. Even if they do have their reasons for being upset.

"What Brew means is we're committed, Cash. We wanted in when we were underground fightin' and gettin' intel on that asshole from the Devils. We're pissed because we didn't get to haul ass after puttin' the time in. You know how we feel about gettin' this city back to how it used to be. It's more of a passion of ours, rather than a chore. Right, brother?"

Brew grunts.

"Nobody's doin' that, right boys?" I put in. Nobody likes to see Cash mad. His moods can go on for days if he's pissed off enough. "You're just pissed because shit went down you weren't here for, but the bigger picture is the mob got taken out, and our alliance with the Irish and the underworld is as strong as it's ever been. You had a big part in that."

Some say I'm the peacemaker. I joke around a lot, but sometimes adding fuel to the fire doesn't help anyone. I can calm any situation, more often than not that involves getting in the way and sometimes getting punched, but hey, all in the name of brotherhood.

They all look at me but Cash is the first to speak. "You drove the getaway car if I remember correctly."

When Priest saved his ol' lady from the mob after she was kidnapped, we all had a job to do, and making sure they got to safety was priority. West being there to help was an added bonus.

"I drive like a motherfucker." I shrug.

Brew snorts again then nods his head to me. "What's up with this chick who's been sniffin' around?" A change of subject is probably good.

"Her sister got taken by a suspected sex trafficking ring. Don't know much of the details, but from what I figure it was likely the mob. We all know the Caruso family was famous for trafficking all the way back to Texas," I say. "As far as I can tell she's run out of leads and heard you guys were the ones who did all the groundwork in the underworld. She wants answers, and trust me when I say she's a fireball."

"Great," Haze mutters. "That's all we need."

"Can understand the urgency to get information," Cash says, "but I still don't agree with her bustin' into Priest's weddin' like that. She needs to learn how the rules around here work."

I snicker and they all look at me. "Sorry." I wave a hand at them. "It's just I don't think Star has many rules where she comes from."

Cash sits back in his chair at the helm. "Well, I guess she's gonna be learnin' the hard way, right?"

"I guess so."

"Wait, is this the same chick who held a knife to your balls after she flipped you over?" Haze laughs.

"I heard about that, too," Brew chips in. "Bout' time someone knocked you on your ass."

"Yeah, yeah, she jumped me in the middle of the fuckin' Straight, lookin' for you two I might add." I try not to smile at the memory. "I took the brunt of it." Not that I minded one little bit, but they don't have to know that.

Haze's lips twitch, clearly enjoying the idea of my nuts almost being cut off. "Yeah, Hustle told us all about it."

"I bet he did," I mutter.

"Heads up boys," Manny sing-songs. He has a plate of freshly baked cookies in his hand piled to the sky. "The first one to turn that frown upside down gets the first cookie."

I waste no time, shooting him a big grin. "You ever need a taste tester, bro. I'm your man."

"Ding, you get the first one." He tosses a cookie at me and I devour it in two bites. It's delicious. Chocolate-chip is my favorite, but anything Manny makes is good.

Then he places them down in the center.

Cash, Brew and Haze all reach for the plate at the same time.

"Why you bakin' these?" Cash asks suspiciously.

Manny shrugs. "Can't I just do something nice for my Prez and his heathens when they have a meeting?"

I laugh. "No argument here."

Brew and Haze are already going back for more and I reach for the plate too before they're all gone.

"Not tryin' to butter us up, are you?" Cash goes on.

Manny tries his best innocent face and even adds a pout for good measure. "Don't know what you're talkin' about, Cash. But I do have two lil' ladies waitin' to come in. Don't worry." He gives us a wink. "I gave them cookies too."

I know it'd take more than a bunch of delicious treats to butter my little hellcat up, but I keep that to myself.

"Send ‘em in," Cash grumbles.

"As you wish." He takes a little bow before leaving and I grin at his retreating back.

"Thanks for the food!" I yell after him.

Keep the cook happy. That's a motto I learnt a long time ago.

"How much are we gonna tell her?" Brew asks between mouthfuls of cookie.

"Anythin' that doesn't implicate this club in what went down. If she's tryin' to find her sister then that sounds legit enough to me," Cash says.

We don't get to say anything else because a few moments later, Star and Halo walk in.

I stare at my girl and almost rub my eyes to make sure she's real.

Does she always look this good?

Her makeup is perfect, along with the dark pink lipstick she favors. Her hair is swept back into a high ponytail and her long nails look like talons. She's wearing a white top so sheer I can see her lacy bra. A surge of jealousy runs through me as I think about the other men in the room noticing that too. She's wearing skin-tight black jeans and a dark denim jacket.

Halo draws our attention. "Hello everyone," she gushes. Her cheeks are a little pink from excitement and she bounces on her feet. She's a fuller figured girl and wears it well. I hear Haze mutter a profanity from under his breath, and I know he's staring at her massive tits. "I'm Halo, and this is Star."

I roll my lips as Cash stares at them unamused. "We know who Star is," he says. "Not like I'm gonna forget her bargin' into a weddin' and bein' dragged out before makin' a scene."

I watch my girl stand there unaffected. She just stares back at him and says, "If dickface over there had given me your number, I wouldn't have had to take matters into my own hands."

Dickface? And here I was thinking we'd come so far. "Now, now." I go to stand. "No need for name callin', sweetheart. After all we've been through together?"

"Jesus fuckin' Christ," Cash mutters.

"Take a seat." I hold the chair out next to me, gesturing to the two women to sit.

Star reluctantly heads my way, her shoulders held high as she checks out Brew and Haze before she sits. Halo follows her lead.

"And you must be Cash." Halo beams at him. "Prez, right?"

It sounds funny coming out of her pretty, delicate mouth.

"That's me."

"Which one is Brew?" She looks expectantly at the two brothers.

Brew raises his hand.

I don't think Haze has removed his eyes from her chest yet.

"Okay, so you're Haze. Cool. Cool." She takes a seat next to Star. I glance at her, wondering why she's so quiet and why Halo is doing all the talking.

"Are you good?" Cash quirks a brow.

"I'm a little nervous," Halo says, glancing around the large room. "It's the first time I've been in a biker clubhouse."

The table they're seated at is long, looks hand-made and could seat twenty people. The room itself is simple enough with two pieces of artwork and some inbuilt storage cupboards. All we do is conduct meetings in here. Aside from the storage and a coffee maker, it's not used all that much.

It's nothing to be nervous about, or maybe she just means us bikers?

"Thanks for seeing us," Star finally speaks and I wonder if that pained her to say thanks.

I want to ask her how she is. I want to touch her. But I can't. I have to sit next to her in my own personal purgatory while I take in the scent of her wafting over me; that wild storm again with a faint hint of roses. I have to find out what it is so I can buy it and douse my fucking pillow in the shit. It's like a goddamn cock-teasing aphrodisiac.

Cash levels her with an amused look. "Did I have a choice in the matter?"

"Look, I'm sorry I crashed the party, okay? But I have a sister… and I'm trying to find her."

"I told them about that." Our eyes meet so I quickly add, "to fill them in before you got here."

"How noble of you."

"I aim to please."

Cash clears his throat. "So, you wanted this meetin'. Talk."

All eyes are on her. "I… I first wanted to talk to the Nomad Brothers," she starts. "After the raid I figured they were the ones in the know. The cops never revealed that the club was involved in the takedown; I found that out later on my own accord."

That's my girl. Always resourceful.

We all know we have a deal with Callaghan. He got a nice shiny medal and we got away with murder. That's how it works in this town. Even do-gooders like Callaghan know that sometimes you just gotta take out the trash. Callaghan owes us and we will come to collect.

"Nomad Brothers?" Brew frowns. "Where the fuck are we known as that?"

I glance across the table. "Everywhere."

Haze rolls his eyes. "Seriously?"

"You didn't know?" Halo giggles.

If this wasn't supposed to be serious, I'd be laughing my fucking ass off.

Halo is like a deer caught in headlights and giddy like a child. I don't know what she's got to be so happy about. My girl, on the other hand, she's all business. No smile. No giggling. No nothin'. Gotta respect the shit out of a woman who can keep her emotions in check. I wonder what it would be like to crack that hard exterior. What would I find inside?

Would I be shocked to see she hasn't got a heart of stone? Or does she love and feel deeply for all things — not just her sister?

"Been called lots of names in my time, darlin' ," Haze says to Halo. "Usually it starts with ‘my, what a big dick you have' rather than bein' a goddamn fuckin' nomad."

Halo's cheeks flush and Cash pinches the bridge of his nose.

Brew gives his brother a knuckle punch.

Star sits up a little straighter. "Let's just get down to business. I haven't got all day and I have a business to run."

"That's the thing," Cash begins. "How it works in our world is we do something for you; you do something for us. It makes the playin' field fair."

"Fine. You need something done, you hit me up." Star does not miss a beat.

"Last thing I heard about the girls was they were bein' transported to Houston," Brew says. "We tracked the transportation, but the cops intercepted the bus before we could get there in time."

"My sister wasn't on that bus, she wasn't on the ship either." Star sounds hollow when she speaks. "What else you got?"

"Snitch told us some of the girls were taken off the bus at a checkpoint," Haze butts in. "We can't confirm if that's true or not. It isn't unusual though for transportation to switch buses or cargo before crossing borders."

"Cargo," Star mutters. "Is that what we call humans now?"

Silence fills the room. You could cut the air with a knife.

To her credit, Star keeps her back ramrod straight and doesn't miss a beat. She's a ball buster. Coming into church like she owns the place.

Fuck knows why Cash hasn't turfed her out by now just by her attitude, but he probably feels sorry for her. He's not completely heartless. Cash had a lot to do with taking in Jett as a teenager, who then became the treasurer for the club. His twin brother Rock recently joined the MC after years of doing his own thing.

Together Cash and Jett officially formed BADVA; Bikers Against Domestic Violence Association. An organization that all of us helped fund. Now and again when there is a court case involving women and children and they have to testify, the club will send members to protect the victims during a court trial. It's Cash's way of giving back and we all feel a sense of responsibility to the community, especially the way the world seems to be heading.

I've never really been interested in bringing kids into the world. It's bleak and miserable, and frankly petrifying. I look at Ryder, our VP, and his ol' lady Crystal and their cute little boy, plus Cash and Deanna's new baby girl, and I feel a sense of dread for the world they're growing up in. How do you honestly protect kids these days?

I clear my throat. "What he means is, if we could get a location or footage of the route, it may be worth lookin' into."

"Like lookin' for a needle in a haystack," Cash mutters. "Even if they did switch, the second bus could've gone anywhere."

"Or maybe they're bein' held until it blows over. There are warehouses all over the place. Once the cops were all over the Carusos, everythin' went quiet," Brew says. "Everyone laid low. Bet your ass it only pushed the network further underground. That ain't good when you're tryin' to find someone."

Haze looks at his brother. "Which is what we're workin' on. Me and my brother are startin' a new security business. Got a new crew. We're the middlemen, so to speak. We keep the important people in this city safe." I guess that's one way of putting it. He turns back to Star.

"My sister was taken after the takedown," Star tells us. I'd already done the mathematics. "Not the Carusos, but that doesn't mean some other asshole didn't take over the business operations."

Essentially, that's what it is these days. A very profitable one at that. "Means that we still have a problem in this city." I run a hand through my hair. Just when you think that one problem is over with around here, another one surfaces. Dealing with crooks, especially people traffickers, is a lot like whack-a-mole. No sooner are you taking down an entire syndicate, the next new operation is starting up faster than you can blink.

Cash shifts his gaze to the women. "We believe the Caruso family — not that there's any hierarchy left — kept operations goin' back in Houston. They moved their business to New Orleans to claim back old territory, mainly runnin' drugs and guns, but more recently human trafficking was their biggest income earner. Rumor has it the Gulf Cartel snuffed out the Caruso's claim over most of Southern Texas, that's when things got ugly and they shifted tact to Louisiana."

That would explain a lot.

I get a tight feeling in my gut. We had the Cartel — who operate in New Orleans — on our side some time ago when we first had problems with Forger. He was the Prez of the Devils Ink, not that his reign lasted long. The Cartel wanted any threats to their business taken out, and agreed that no human trafficking would take place under their reign. They'd also keep drugs and guns away from our territory and the French Quarter; the Irish's claim. It's a win-win, not that peace ever lasts long anywhere. Being in this life means there are often problems to deal with, but if it makes my city a safer place, then it's all worthwhile.

We can't beat all the bad guys over the heads with clubs, and looking the other way is a way of life around here if you want to survive. If the Cartel or the Irish cross the line, the Rebels will fight back. We will always fight for what's right regardless of alliances.

Of course, the Cartel aren't the same organization as the Gulf Cartel, and we sure as shit ain't moving to Texas. But I want to help Star. Seeing her face that night she fessed up about her sister, it made something inside me sit up and take notice.

This was never just about getting into her pants. Okay, maybe at first, and I'm not saying I don't want to, but I wouldn't mind being the one to put a smile on her face.

Star looks like she hasn't smiled in a long while. And now, after being around her and seeing her with others present, I can sense that she's a woman of principal; she's doing all of this to get her sister back. It can't be easy coming into a biker clubhouse, or a bar like Whiskey Straight, trying to get information. Especially from people who really don't wanna talk. My girl is tough, and she's gonna need every ounce of that spirit to keep surging forward, because in my gut, I know that the likelihood of finding her sister alive is slim. And I don't know if Star is ready for that kind of fall.

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