Mason

 

“I’m putting everyone on high alert status,” I announced to the members sitting around the boardroom table at HQ.

 

I looked around at the stern faces staring back at me. We all came from different backgrounds. Some of the guys grew up on the streets. Others had run from the quiet, sterile suburban life to find something with more meaning. And we had members who hit every point in between, including military vets who hadn’t been able to find a place among the normals after returning home from war.

 

“We’ve lost a lot of money because of this thief. We were hit on the south side again last night,” I explained. “Whoever it is, they’re good. No one sees or hears anything. They strike in the blink of an eye, when you turn to investigate a noise, when you step away for one moment to take a piss.”

 

“I’m sorry about that, Mason,” Alec said, raising a hand. “But at least I checked the bags when I returned. Something told me to.”

 

“That’s good,” I complimented him. “That’s more than we’ve been doing. See, we don’t know when they’re hitting us. Most of the time, we don’t realize it until we’re delivering the drugs. I’m surprised no one has been shot over this yet. For that, you can thank the reputation I’ve built for this MC. But it won’t be long before they start asking for more concessions than just a lower rate.” I leaned on the table, hoping they all got my meaning without having to have it spelled out.

 

I’d worked too hard since taking over as president of Storm’s Angels to start losing customers because some little punk ass thief thought they could pull some bullshit on us and steal our drugs. So far, though, it felt like everyone else was just dragging their feet on this matter. They were all waiting on me to figure something out, instead of just trying to keep a better watch over our satellite stashes.

 

“What do we do to stop it?” Mick asked, giving me a knowing look. That was why he was my right-hand man. He already knew I had something in mind. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have called a meeting.

 

“I’ve already put the word out that we’re moving the drugs back to HQ.”

 

A murmur rushed through the room as all of my senior members looked at each other. Mick smiled and nodded. We were on the same page.

 

“Why weren’t we made aware of this?” Liam asked.

 

“For security purposes, I reached out to the community myself to spread the word,” I told them.

 

“You paid a crackhead, didn’t you?” Mick asked, laughing at me.

 

“I may have,” I answered with a smile.

 

“This isn’t some joke, Mason,” Liam said, standing angrily, planting a hard finger down on the table.

 

“I never said it was, Liam.” I rolled my shoulders and cocked an eyebrow. “But let me ask you something. Whose ass is on the line here? If shit goes sideways, who do you think has to answer for it?”

 

“Each and every one of us,” he snapped back.

 

“I don’t think so. When your mouth gets you shot because the dope isn’t there, who has to answer to your family, Liam? Who was supposed to have your back in that situation? Who was supposed to make sure we delivered what I promised to deliver? Who?” I slammed my fist down on the table.

 

Mick put an arm on Liam’s shoulder and pushed him back down into his chair. He shook his head when Liam looked back to see who it was, letting him know it would have been a bad idea to try to resist or start anything with him.

 

I sighed and shook my head at what I was about to tell them. If they didn’t like the idea that I’d gone behind their backs to put the intel on the street, they really wouldn’t like the next piece of information I had to share with them.

 

“Also, in the name of security, I have had our heroin stashes shuffled around to other locations. Only the men guarding them know where they are, and they’ve been paid nicely to keep their mouths shut, even if asked by any Angels. The only people who have access are myself and Mick.”

 

A wave of protests rippled through the room. I held a hand up to get everyone’s attention.

 

“I know what I’m doing is unorthodox. I know it’s not a popular choice. Once we solve this problem, I’ll loosen my grip, and we’ll start doing things the way we always have, but don’t think I won’t do anything I have to do in order to protect the MC. And that’s what I’m doing right now,” I explained.

 

“Where are the drugs, Mason?” Liam asked.

 

“Safe under lock and key,” I replied.

 

“Guys, we haven’t even heard the plan,” Mick announced. “You all want to fight, and we don’t even know what the hell Mason is doing.”

 

“Fuck, he doesn’t even know,” Liam chimed in.

 

Mick grabbed Liam by his salt and pepper mane and slammed his face into the table. “Watch your mouth, old man,” Mick threatened.

 

“Mick. Liam. Are you two finished?” I asked sternly.

 

“I am if he is,” Mick said.

 

“You’re the boss, Mason.” Liam held up his hands in submission before wiping his bloody face on his old t-shirt.

 

Sometimes it felt like I was in charge of a bunch of children. Everyone else, of course, simply sat and watched the spectacle unfold as Liam decided to test me once again. If he hadn’t been around since the early days of the MC, I would have booted him first thing upon taking the president’s seat, but he had contacts we needed if we were going to continue to prosper.

 

“All right, guys, if we’re done showing our asses, I’d like to tell you the rest of my plan. The reason I put it out there that we’re moving our drugs to HQ is so our thief will come to us.”

 

“So, we’re planning a trap?” Alec asked.

 

“We are. Whoever is doing this is good, Alec. They get in and out without making a sound, and they leave absolutely no trace of their presence. They don’t want us to know who they are. As both Mick and Liam have found from talking to some of the other organizations out there, no one even knows about the operation,” I explained for everyone’s benefit.

 

Mick and Liam has gone out for me at different times to track down our rivals and see what information they could find. They were pretty persuasive when they wanted to be; they just couldn’t work together. I’d spoken with some of our partners, and I believed them when they told me all they’d heard were rumors that some of our deliveries had been short. No one knew anything about a thief hitting us, which also led me to believe it could have been an inside job.

 

“Either that, or they’re all in on it and lying to our faces,” Liam growled.

 

“Way to stay positive, old man,” Mick added.

 

“No, for once, Liam is right, Mick. There’s always a possibility that some of the folks you’ve talked to were lying to us about this. I can’t believe everyone’s working together on this, but I would be surprised if it turned out that everyone was being completely honest with us. That would be a first.”

 

I looked from Mick’s face to Liam’s. Mick’s expression went sour as soon as I said Liam could have been right. Liam looked like he was fighting the urge to turn around and stick his tongue out at Mick.

 

“While we wait for the thief to show their face here at HQ, I want you all on high alert, like I said at the beginning of the meeting. We need eyes on all of our safe havens. I’ve got guards posted at every single one to make it look like we might have drugs there. If you hear or see anything suspicious, here, at a haven, or anywhere on the street, you call me immediately and let me know. We’ve got to catch this person before we start losing buyers because of their bullshit.”

 

I slammed a fist on the table to let everyone know we were done. As the seven other senior members got up to leave, Mick hung back. We watched the suspicious eyes of the MC’s leadership cut towards us with suspicion as they left the room. We listened to the murmurs.

 

“You’d better hope we find something soon,” Mick told me. “I don’t know how long they’re going to put up with this.”

 

“Well, if my suspicions are correct, it won’t be long before our little thief tries to hit us,” I said, sitting down in my chair for the first time since the meeting began.

 

“What are your suspicions?” Mick asked. He leaned over the table, his inked arms flexing, his dark brown beard hanging down. He tilted his shaved head, showing off the tribal ink wrapping around his bald skull. My right-hand man was a badass, and he knew it.

 

“I’m pretty sure our thief is working on their own,” I started. When he scoffed at the idea, I continued. “If they are working for someone, it’s someone in the shadows, someone who’s been hiding out for a while, but I’m almost willing to put money on the lone wolf here.”

 

“If you’re right, that would explain why no one knows about it,” Mick agreed.

 

“Exactly, and wouldn’t it be some shit if this person was able to get by all of the watching eyes we have in the city?” I marveled. The thought of an independent rival, working only for themselves without a boss to answer to, was pretty thrilling. But it was also terrifying to think we were being had by someone who didn’t have to answer to anybody. That meant we would probably never find them.

 

“It’s highly unlikely, Mason, and you know that. I’m willing to bet that at least one person has lied to us. We’re going to find out that this thief is working for someone, and we’ve already talked to someone in their organization. It’s not going to be a new boss. I can almost guarantee that,” Mick said.

 

I knew he was probably right, but I wanted to believe. There was something really fascinating about the idea of a rogue agent out there doing their own work. Unfortunately, we weren’t living in a movie. This was the real world, and more often than not, people able to pull off what this thief was doing had the backing of one or more of the major crime lords.

 

“Oh well, a fellow can dream, can’t he?” I laughed. “Too bad the days of the great lone outlaw are gone.”

 

“You’re still a little kid sitting in front of the TV playing cowboys and Indians, aren’t you?” Mick joked with me.

 

“I guess so. But tell me, which side are we?” I asked him.

 

“We’re the outlaws. We’re neither the good guys nor the bad guys,” Mick answered.

 

“I like that.” I leaned my chair back.

 

“So, what’s the next step, boss?” Mick asked, still leaning on the table.

 

“Well, now that everyone’s gone, I guess I’ll get my things and go sit downstairs while I wait for our guest of honor to show up for the drugs that aren’t here,” I told him.

 

“You’re going to catch them yourself?” Mick asked, astonished that I wasn’t sending a group of guys downstairs to wait.

 

“Of course I am. I want to be the first one to set eyes on our little thief. And if they don’t work for anyone, I’m going to offer them a job working for us,” I told him.

 

While he stared at me with his jaw on the floor, I got up and walked out of the room.