CHAPTER 8
GRACE
Nate asked me if I was nervous.
Of course, I was nervous, but was I going to show it?
No way. I’d learned long ago that was the worst thing I could do.
I kept my cool and followed the plan. Those two things would keep me alive.
Our plan was as foolproof as could be.
Slade called Tiny last night and told him he had a potential investor that wanted to meet with Snake. Even though Tiny was still a little annoyed that both Riot and Slade had slipped out of the party without partaking in any of the services they were offering them, along with the fact that the Gods had passed up his business proposal, he agreed to pass the message along. A few hours later, Tiny called back.
Snake was interested.
The meeting was arranged and Nate was selected to accompany me to the meeting. I’d present myself as a wealthy woman who made her money the same way Snake’s club was making theirs.
Human trafficking is prevalent along the I-5 corridor, victims being shipped night and day all along the West Coast. It’s been going on for years and sometimes I wonder if we’ll ever be able to save them all. Probably not. Unfortunately, I have to accept that grim reality, but I’m determined to rescue as many as I can. One case at a time, that’s all I can do.
But who knows? Maybe one day, all the suffering will end on Earth. Wouldn’t that be nice? The hungry will be fed, the homeless will be sheltered, the tyrants will fall and all the shackles imprisoning these women will turn to dust and freedom, true freedom, will reign…
I snapped myself back to the present. Sometimes, I get carried away with my fantasies of world peace, but this isn’t the time for that.
Keep my cool, follow the plan…
“Let’s go over things one last time before we get there,” I nodded to Nate, as he drove past the endless used car dealerships, fast food restaurants and strip malls that lined 82nd Avenue.
“Sure, sure,” he replied. I glanced over at him, trying not to notice that he looked nervous. Maybe I’d chosen wrong. Perhaps I should have chosen Fury. He was cold and hard, much more so than the two brothers. I wondered if I’d mistaken Nate’s steely silence and large size for strength and resilience.
It was too late to doubt him now, though.
No turning back.
“You’ve got your phone?” I asked. We were both in possession of brand new, untraceable burner phones.
“Yep,” he nodded, his eyes trained on the road ahead. It was rainy and dark and cold tonight, a typical Portland December night. The streets shimmered with bright, wet reflections of flickering street lights, mixed with the occasional Christmas lights, to create a kaleidoscope of colorful chaos in front of us. The headlights of my Mustang, the newest addition to our small fleet of vehicles that I’d claimed as my own, tore through the darkness as Nate turned left down Foster Road.
“Good,” I said. “Ryder and the rest of the guys are waiting at the hotel, so if anything goes wrong, you know where to find them.”
I’d had a huge fight with Ryder before we left, and I was still reeling from it. He’d wanted to follow behind us, stay a block away or so, but I insisted it was too close. If he wasn’t so worried about me, he would have been thinking clearly and realized that he would no doubt be spotted, if not by Snake himself, then easily by one of his men. But he wasn’t. Thinking clearly, that is.
He was thinking like a protective brute with a clouded mind and to be honest, although understandable, it was wearing on me. I needed him to be focused on the task at hand. Nothing was more important to me than saving these women. Not even my safety.
So, I’d left without our usual hug. Without our usual kiss.
Without our usual I love you’s…
I didn’t know which hurt more.
“Ma’am?” Nate asked, glancing over at me.
“Call me Grace.”
“Grace,” he nodded. “Grace, I just wanted to tell you that I appreciate the opportunity you guys are giving me, giving us, I mean. And I promise I’ll make sure you’re safe. I won’t let anyone hurt you in there. I know how much you mean to Ryder.”
I scoffed.
“Well, I hope you do it because that’s the job, not because of Ryder. But thanks.”
“That’s not what I meant,” he stammered.
“I know what you meant,” I said, smiling over at him. “It’s fine. Thank you. But I want you to know, Nate, that I’m pretty good with a revolver myself. I was a cop, remember? So, don’t worry. I’ve got your back, too.”
He smiled and nodded, his shoulders relaxing a little.
He seemed like a nice enough guy, but I couldn’t help but wonder who was protecting whom here?
Oh, well, I thought. What’s done is done.
After a few more turns, we pulled up to a cluster of warehouses, surrounded by tall chain-link fencing. Riot and Slade had drawn us a map of the place, so we already knew there were only a few ways in and out. The gate in the middle of the block was deserted and quiet, the speaker box barely visible in the darkness as we rolled up to it.
Within seconds, the roar of vicious growling and barking tore through the air as the herd of dogs came barreling around the corner and stopping right in front of the car, our headlights illuminating their exposed fangs, their mouths gaping open with ribbons of frothy drool swaying under their chins as they fought each other for the chance to be closest to the gate.
“Jesus,” Nate said. We sat frozen in the car, watching them for a moment in awe. “They’re all muscle.”
“I wonder how many faces they’ve eaten off?”
“I don’t think I want to know.”
“There’s so many of them.”
“Slade said Snake has them under control,” I shrugged.
“I’ll call in,” Nate said, lowering his window. He paused and looked over at me.
“Ready?”
“Ready.” I nodded firmly, determined to remain completely professional. At least up until the dogs begin ripping my face off. He pressed a few buttons on the box and we waited in silence.
Ryder’s face flashed in my mind and I pushed it away. We’ll get through this. We’d been through worse.
After a moment, a muffled voice sounded from the box.
“Who is it?” A male voice crackled through the window.
“Grace Stevens. I have an appointment with Snake.”
“Stay in your car.” A few beeps and the gate opened. We waited, watching as the dogs swarmed around us. I stretched my head, looking down at the front tire as one of the dogs began gnawing on the rubber. The others barked and roamed around aimlessly. I jumped as one of them jumped up on two legs right next to my window and barked loudly.
“Get down, you asshole!” A figure approached in the dark, his frame silhouetted by the bright light coming from the building behind him. The dog beside me was pulled away. The figure walked past my door and around to the front of the Mustang, where he pulled out what appeared to be about five pounds of bright red flesh that he scattered around on the ground inside and just to the right of the gate. The dogs swarmed on the meat and all interest in my car disappeared.
The man walked over to my door and opened it, offering his hand out for me.
“Grace?” he asked.
“Yes, hello,” I said, taking his hand and gingerly stepping out of the car, keeping one eye on the pack of hungry dogs.
“I’m Snake,” he said, “Nice to meet you.”
“It’s my pleasure, Snake. I’ve brought my colleague with me,” I said, smiling and motioning to Nate. “This is Nate.”
“I’m mostly her driver,” Nate said, running around the back of the car to join us.
“Nice to meet you,” Snake said. I took a second to rake my eyes over him, surveying his body language at the same time as I checked for weapons. I spotted the outline of a handgun under his black leather jacket and the tip of a large knife poking out of his worn leather boot that he’d tucked his Levi’s into. I was pretty sure if I reached around behind him, I’d find another gun tucked into his waistband. But when he turned to me and smiled, I saw his real weapon.
Like a movie star, his smile lit up his face, oozing charm and rugged beauty and pure, animalistic masculinity — a powerful weapon all mixed up together. He was a seedy George Clooney or more accurately, an older, gruffer Jason Momoa, his long dark hair pulled into a loose ponytail, leaving wayward strands of salt and pepper curls falling around his weathered face, unsuccessfully attempting to obscure the angry, jagged scar that ran up his right cheekbone.
But I wasn’t fooled by that smile or enchanted by that charm.
Jeffrey Dohmer had the smile of an angel. I knew you couldn’t judge a book by its cover and you couldn’t judge a bad guy by the twinkle in his eye, either. From all reports, the man in front of me had committed unforgivable sins. I wasn’t about to succumb to the charms of a man like that.
I had integrity.
And after being around the Gods all these years, I knew what a real man looked like. I looked around slowly, first at Snake, but then at the countless other men milling around behind him in the compound, drinking beer and passing around joints, jovially joking around with each other.
At first glance, it looked like a normal group of guys.
But I knew what was lingering behind the closed doors. And I couldn’t wait to get inside and free those girls. My heart ached when I imagined all they’d been through. I wouldn’t stop until each and every one of them was safe.
“Why don’t you park the car on the street?” Snake said to Nate. “We’ll wait here. Nothing will stop those dogs from eating until it’s all gone, but once they’re finished, they just look for the next bite of flesh. Live or dead.”
“Will do,” Nate said, jumping back in the car and backing up. He parked it close by and jogged back to us.
“Come on in,” Snake said, walking through the gates and pausing to close it behind us. The dogs were still focused on the bloody meat they were tearing into and I shuddered to think of what Snake had described, what they’d be like when the meat was all gone.
I shot a reassuring glance to Nate and we followed Snake in. I could feel the tension rolling off of him and it worried me, but I pushed it aside. I could handle myself. Nate was mostly here for show. I’d learned a long time ago not to depend on a man to have nerves of steel. Only the rare few could really keep their cool in stressful situations. Women were much better at that.
We strolled past the men I’d spotted earlier and they barely paused to glance at us. The party was in full swing, with some men wearing cuts and some without. The only other woman I noticed was walking towards us. She stopped when she reached us and Snake pulled her in for a long, sloppy kiss. Awkwardly, we looked on until he was finished. She stiffened under his embrace and pulled away with a sheepish smile.
“Sophia, this is Grace. She’s interested in possibly doing business with the club.”
“Nice to meet you,” I said, shaking her hand. She had long fingers, topped with talon-like, pointy black fingernails that raked against my palm as she pulled away.
“Nice to meet you, Grace,” she nodded, looking me over skeptically. “What kind of business?”
“I’m a broker,” I replied, trying not to shudder as I said the words.
She nodded and smiled politely, her eyes squinting suspiciously at me.
“I see. Well, I’ll leave you to your business,” she said, turning back to Snake. “I have to help my Mom out with that thing I told you about. I’ll be back in an hour or so.”
“Tell Ma I said hey,” Snake said, slapping her on the ass as she walked away.
“Will do,” she said, calling over her shoulder as we watched her disappear. Her jeans were tight and her low-cut, animal print blouse was just as tight, showing off all her curves. Her hair was long and black and perfectly curled, and it swayed around her shoulders as she walked.
“Well, now that the old ball and chain has left, let’s have some fun, shall we?” Snake said, grabbing my arm and pulling me close to his side. I laughed and flung my hair over my shoulder as I smiled up at him and leaned into him just slightly. I needed to get close, but there was no way in hell I was getting any physically closer to this prick.
“Sounds good to me,” I said, keeping my voice light, as I pushed the initial feelings of panic away. I gently untangled myself from Snake and we walked into the clubhouse with him.
A long, wooden bar with a raw edge sprawled along one wall, and if I didn’t know this was an outlaw biker’s clubhouse, I could have convinced myself it was any other bar, on any other day. Above the bar hung a twenty-foot long, shiny black serpent, forged from metal.
Raucous laughter rang out over loud rock music. The smell of stale beer, cigarettes and pot smoke hung heavy in the air.
Snake led us up to a dark booth in the corner and we all sat down as a big, burly man with a bald, tattooed head brought three beers over and sat them down in front of us.
“Want a bottle, boss?” he snarled.
“Bottle of Jim Beam, please, Bear,” Snake nodded. The guy wandered off and I wondered if they were all named after animals.
“So, you called yourself a broker, Grace,” he said, looking directly at me as he raised the bottle to his lips. Cold beads of perspiration dripped down the neck of the frosty bottle. “I have to admit, I was intrigued to hear a woman was coming to meet with me. But Slade assured Tiny that you were legit, and I gotta tell you, now that I’ve gotten a look at you, you don’t exactly strike me as the type.”
I took a deep breath and met his gaze head on, slowly leaning forward before letting a sly smile spread across my face.
“I can assure you that I’m the type of woman who is serious about making money. Obscene amounts of money.”
Snake laughed and pulled out a pack of Marlboros from the front pocket of his black t-shirt and lit up a cigarette. He shook his head, looking at me with amusement.
“Seems like a woman like you could find a different way of doing that.”
I shook my head, my expression growing serious.
“I’m very good at my job, Snake. There are all kinds of other operations, just like yours, up and down the coast. Now, you can sit there and size me up all you want. I’m used to men like you, you come with the territory, I get it. But what I’m not interested in is wasting time — yours or mine.”
He cocked an eyebrow, a half-smile lifting the corner of his mouth as he listened. I knew I was pushing it, but I had to find a way to gauge just how much he’d take. Bear returned with a freshly open bottled of Jim Beam and sat it on the table with three shot glasses, which he promptly filled before walking away.
“Men like me?” Snake asked, grabbing one of them.
“What?”
“You said, ‘men like me’, what did you mean?”
“Men who think they understand what makes me tick,” I said, my voice low and quiet.
He leaned forward, flashing those dark eyes my way.
“So tell me, Grace,” he said. “I’ll resist being presumptuous. Why are you really here?”
“I told you. It’s simple. Business. Let’s cut to the chase, shall we? I hear you have girls to sell and I’m in the market to buy some. If I’m satisfied with our initial transaction, I’d be open to doing further business with you.”
“You’re not a cop?”
“Hell, no,” I said, laughing and shaking my head. “Not by a long shot.”
He nodded, slowly, squinting his eyes again as if he were trying to get a psychic reading on me.
“So why haven’t I heard of you before?” He asked.
“Most of my operations are on the East Coast. I’m looking to expand.”
He nodded, pouring another shot and staring over at me thoughtfully.
“Time is money,” I said.
“That’s true,” he replied, “but time management isn’t the only important thing in this business. I’ve found that intuition is also of great importance, don’t you agree?”
“I do.”
“I’m glad. And here’s what you might not know about me, Grace,” he said, leaning in close across the table. I felt Nate shift beside me. “Despite my charm and handsome, eager smile, I’m actually not the most trusting person in the world.”
“Is that so?”
“It is,” he nodded. “So, you can understand why I’m not just going to sell off my best product to someone I just met, can’t you?”
“Sure,” I replied.
“Good. So there’s that,” he said. “But also, I really don’t think you can afford my prices.”
“You’d be surprised,” I said, lifting my chin.
He laughed and shook his head.
“My girls are very valuable. I can make at least a grand, maybe two, off each of them in just a few days.”
“I understand that,” I nodded.
“So, while it’s important for me to keep things fresh around here, while they’re here, each girl is an asset.”
“And when they lose their luster?”
“That’s when I turn an even bigger profit, because then I can sell in bulk.”
“Makes sense,” I said. “I understand the value, Snake. I wouldn’t be in this business if I didn’t. I’m prepared to compensate you generously.”
“Are you really? I’m talking twenty grand a girl, at least. More for the younger ones.”
“Yes, really, Snake. I didn’t come here to play games. In fact, I’m prepared to offer you double your asking price.”
“Double? Why in the hell would you want to do that?” he asked, his brow wrinkled.
“Well, I would have to inspect the merchandise first, obviously. But if your girls are as high quality as you’ve stated, then to me, they’re worth it.”
“Why?”
“Forgive me, Snake. I haven’t fully explained my plans to you. In New York, I run an elite agency, something unlike anyone else offers. Handpicked girls, the best girls, the ones that got lost in the shuffle and have serious potential to make thousands upon thousands of dollars. I clean them up, dress them — polish them, if you will — and you’d be surprised how my income has soared. Just as you have a need to keep things new and exciting, my clients desire variety as well. That’s why I’m here. I want to do the same thing in L.A. That’s why I’ll pay you double for your best girls, after I choose them personally, of course.”
He sat back, folding his hands behind his head and staring back at me.
“That’s smart,” he said.
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“There’s still one problem,” he said, shaking his head.
“What’s that?”
“I still don’t trust you.”
“Of course you don’t. You just met me, why would you? You’re smarter than that, I’d guess. So, tell me,” I said, leaning in slightly across the table, “what can I do to make you more comfortable?”
“That’s a good question.”
He squinted his eyes again before his face lit up with an idea.
“I’ve got it,” he said, his eyes raking down to my breasts. “Let’s just party. I’ll give you a tour, we’ll drink a little, hang out for a while and see where things go, what do you say?”
“Now?”
“Hell, yeah, why not?”
“I can stay for a little while,” I said.
He smiled widened and he finally met my eyes.
“Snake?” I whispered, smiling back at him.
“Yes?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.
“I’m not fucking you.”
He burst out laughing and nodded.
“Duly noted,” he said.
“Great. So, now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s party. But I do have to get going soon.”
“You got a man waiting or something?”
“Something like that,” I winked.
“A woman?” he asked.
“I don’t kiss and tell,” I said, flashing him a smile.
“Alright, alright,” he said, downing another shot of whiskey and pushing the shot glasses over to me and Nate. He looked over at Nate and nodded. “You don’t talk much.”
“Grace does all the talking,” he said.
“Well, I hope she doesn’t do all the drinking.”
Nate downed his shot and shook his head.
“No way.”
“Excellent,” he said, pouring another shot and lifting his glass. “Well, here’s to getting to know each other.”
Our glasses clinked together and we downed our shots. I smiled over at Snake and nodded towards the front door.
“How about that tour?” I asked.
“You got it,” he said, sliding out of the booth and grabbing the bottle of whiskey to take with him. Nate and I followed behind and I couldn’t help but feel a little jolt of joy.
It was working…