CHAPTER 15

REAPER

As soon as the door closed behind the women leaving for the girls' shopping trip, I turned to the men in the room.

"What do we know about the ACES so far? Gunny, you and Thor, and Dog need to point us in the right direction."

"So far, this is what we have," Dog said, standing and walking to a whiteboard hidden in the corner. He pulled it out. It showed a map of the village.

"We know they are cooking meth somewhere around here. But their main drugs come up from the coast through the villages as they know the police don't have the manpower to do anything about it. Then through to London. They are transported via caravans and motorhomes. They set it up as a family on holiday, which is why they are hitting schools not just for distribution but also to provide cover.

"They are clever. They only do the runs during the main camping season, from March through September. That's how they have kept off the radar for so long. The problem with them using kids for distribution and cover is that they can't help but get cocky. That's how this has all blown up. Not sure how we can stop the transport, but we can slow down their production by getting rid of where they are cooking meth."

"I can help with the cooking sites," Gunny said gruffly.

Raising an eyebrow, I study him. "Yeah?"

Gunny nodded, pulling on his beard. By the stares Dog and Thor were giving him, they didn't know what information he had.

"Up until six months ago, I had someone on the inside, but I've checked the intel, and they are still using the sites for cooking. They are all within twenty miles of here."

Pulling a map from his back pocket, he laid it on the table and opened it up. The map was marked with fifteen red dots, all close to the manor.

Studying the map, I noticed they seemed to be old farms or undeveloped industrial areas.

"How do you know the person who gave you this won't give you up?"

He surprised us with the answer.

"Because it's Beverly, Alec's mother. She came to me when Alec was ten and getting into trouble he shouldn't be. She asked if he could come to the workshop after school and start working. The boy has always been good at mechanics. I was wary at first but agreed. Over the years, we've got to know each other. She got hooked on drugs when she was twenty-one and working in London. Alec's mother was a Personal Assistant to a big wig in the city. She found herself in the position of mistress, and he had her set up in a flat in London but kept her high most of the time. She finds out she's pregnant at twenty-five and refuses to have an abortion, so he kicks her out. So she came back here to where she grew up.

"Kept clean for three years before he found her again. Unfortunately, she doesn't stay clean this time, and he uses her as a prostitute for his important clients. She kept it from Alec for as long as she could, but when his father started making noises about spending time with him and with Alec constantly in trouble, she knew she had to get him off the estate.

"I was friends with her father, so she came to me. Alec has been living in the back room of the garage since then, or he's here with us. Beverly wanted out, her clientele had been getting rougher and rougher, and a couple of the girls had been killed.

"She's a strong woman. When the other girls were killed, she started weaning herself off the drugs, getting the information she could and passing it on to me. Hence the map. I got her out six months ago. Paying for a new name and identification, I got her into rehab to get the care she needed. I have her stashed in a place up north until she's completely clean and can come home.

"Before you ask, Alec is aware of what's going on. He always has been. The two of them don't keep secrets anymore. It's too important to his safety. Once I knew what was going on, I got him papers and gave him my name. As far as his father is aware, he died in an accident on the estate when he was ten. The problem we're going to have is that the sperm donor has moved up in society and is now a member of parliament."

There was silence as we all processed what was being said, only broken by Thor letting loose and punching Gunny straight in the jaw.

"What the fuck?" Gunny groaned, rubbing his chin where the punch had landed.

"You've been doing this alone for years, Gunny. We're your brothers, for fuck's sake. You come to us, and you don't do it alone. That's how Shep ended up in the hospital. Jesus, I'm fucking glad the boys are home. Maybe they can knock some sense into all you stupid old fucks. We work better as a team. We all thought Alec was yours, but you didn't want him to know."

"He may not be mine by birth, but he's my boy all the same," Gunny muttered, still rubbing his face.

"Jesus fuck, you still hit hard, Thor. I think you knocked a tooth loose."

I banged on the table, "All right, boys, if you are finished? If you aren't, you can take this to the ring tomorrow morning."

Getting chuckles from around the table, I stand up and look around.

"We'll need to do some recon tonight, and we'll need supplies."

"We've got you covered. Well, Noni's ex-father-in-law has you covered," Thor grumbled, still annoyed.

"What do you mean Noni's ex-in-law has us covered?" Rogue interjected. "I thought her ex is in prison for life?"

"He is, but he still keeps in contact with Noni. You know he forced the divorce. Not many know that his dad still has a finger in a few pies. One of them is guns. When we saw how things were going, Noni went and spoke to him and got a few supplies, some I think you'll be surprised at," Dog grinned happily.

"Okay, so where do we find this treasure trove?" I asked.

Gunny slid a key across the table at me, "Follow the path past the barn to the old abattoir at the end of the road. It looks like it's falling down, but a bunker under the old office floor is still completely intact. We'll come and show you because it's hidden. Sam found it by accident one day. We think it was used during the War to hide allies or spies. When we opened it up, there was an old bed, table, and chair in there."

Standing, we all headed out. When we passed through the kitchen, I saw Ben sitting at the table with Mum and Aunt Kate helping them peel and chop vegetables for what I assumed was going to be our supper. He had another shake close to hand. I squeezed his shoulder as I walked past and got a smile in reply.

We made short work of getting to the old abattoir. It looked like it was falling apart, Gunny entered the doorway, and we could see some of the repairs that had been made but not many. From a distance, it still looked derelict. He went to the far corner and pressed down on one of the panels. Draco jumped as the floor moved where he was standing, making the rest of us laugh.

"Dicks," he muttered, narrowing his eyes at us.

Bending, I inserted the key in the lock, turned it, and pulled up the hatch door to find myself looking at a set of steps. Gunny handed me a torch, "You'll find a light switch when you get to the bottom. We had Abby's dad update the wiring before he passed away. Nobody but us knows this is here. The women didn't want to know. Plausible deniability."

Nodding, I went down the steps until I saw the light switch. Flicking it on, I whistled when I saw the cache they had hidden down there. Boxes upon boxes of ammunition, guns, crossbows, and knives.

The others had followed me down. It was getting a little cramped.

Dragon was turning in circles, trying to get a good look at everything. He moved over to one of the boxes, lifted the lid, and made a happy noise in his throat.

Walking over, I saw the explosives. Clamping him on the shoulder, I let our demolition guy enjoy the view.

"This looks like military issue," Draco muttered, picking up a handgun to inspect it.

"Ask no questions, and I tell you no lies," Thor grinned at him.

"I don't care where it comes from if it is used to protect our family," I replied. "I have girls now. No fucker's coming near them."

There's a loud shout of agreement from the men around me.

We spend a happy hour going through everything and sorting it for easier access.

I grab the night vision goggles, a bullet-proof vest, a handgun, and a couple of knives.

I turned to the others, "Suit up with what you think you'll need. We'll be splitting up for recon tonight Gunny with me, Draco and Thor, Rogue and Dog, and Onyx and Dragon. And remember, recon only for tonight. Tomorrow, we'll make a plan."

They all nodded and grabbed what they needed, putting them into the black backpacks that were hanging on the wall behind them. We left the cellar, locked it, and headed back to the house. The women were back from shopping. We headed into the house filled with laughter, noise, and the smell of curry.

My stomach growled. I'd missed home-cooked meals so much.

"Ace, Mum's curry," Onyx whooped as he pushed and shoved to get past us to the pot his mum was stirring.

We laughed as she slapped him when he tried to get a taste.

I made for my woman, who was leaning against the counter, a bottle of beer in her hand, watching everyone. I leaned down and caught her lips in a hard kiss, tasting the beer on her tongue.

I hummed in approval as my lips left hers. Taking Abby's beer from her hand,I take a swig. It was good. I turned it, looked at the label, and saw it was made locally. I handed it back to her.

I watched Onyx as he tried again to sneak some food, only to get another slap with the dish towel. The kids were laughing, and I knew he was hamming it up for them.

Feeling content, I leaned against the counter with Abby wrapping my arm tight around her shoulder. Watching our family and laughing at their silliness.