Chapter 13
Brody
I walk into the Demented Revengers clubhouse and I can feel the tension as soon the door closes behind me. I have been running leads with Tyler and Shane for the last thirty-six hours and there is nothing pertaining to the Hell Keeperz MC or Charity. Every lead is a dead end. I am hoping Tip has dug up some information. Today is the day that Cap wants answers from me and I get to meet the some of the members of the BlackPath MC. Everyone is hoping if we expand our search parameter that the Hell Keeperz may have let down their defenses since it is not close to home. Sooner or later one of the Hell Keeperz will screw up and drop the ball. I know right now that finding Charity is not high on our list of priorities, but I cannot get that woman off my mind. I have tried, and it doesn’t work. I am worried about her safety and she is a big question mark in this whole situation. That’s what it is, I don’t like unanswered questions it has a way of coming back and biting you on the ass. That must be the reason. Why else would she be taking up so much space in my head? She’s in the back of my mind when I am awake and the smell of her and the touch of her hands on my body haunt my dreams. There is no escape. I have been going over these same things in my head since I left Charity that morning. I keep telling myself this is not personal except for the fact I am trying to protect my loved ones. I am beginning to think there is more to it than that.
“Whoa!” Gracie shrieks and I catch her before she falls. I was distracted by the same insane thoughts that run a loop in my mind and I almost knocked Gracie on her ass. I grab her and pull her to me, trying to help her regain her balance. I realize this could be an unpleasant situation if Rebel sees it. I gently push Gracie back a few inches but keep a hold of her until she is steady on her feet. “Where are you going so fast Brody?” Tony, Gracie and Rebel’s son, runs up behind his mom. He sees me looking down at Gracie and he steps around Gracie and shoves my leg. I let go of Gracie because I see Gracie has her balance and I take a step back. Tony makes his way between his mom and me and he pushes hard on my leg. I hear a laugh from behind Gracie and look up and Rebel is standing there.
“That’s right Brody, my son has my back. No one puts their hands on my woman.” Rebel is laughing, and he bends down and him and Tony give each other high fives.
“I am sorry Gracie. I was lost in my head and wasn’t paying attention to where I was going. I didn’t even see you there.”
“No apology necessary, Brody. It was just as much my fault. Tony and I were playing a game of chase. I came running through the place not paying attention. Tony is full of energy and I was trying to wear him out, so he will be ready for his nap after lunch. I think I am the one tired.” Gracie is looking at her son and husband with a look that is very clear she adores them both.
“You need to be more careful woman. You could have fallen.” I laugh at Rebel. I know this man is a caveman when it comes to Gracie and their children, but this is beyond funny to me.
“Rebel, I hate to let you in on the secret, but Gracie is an adult and knows how to put one foot in front of the other and walk. I can’t believe you have turned into such a mother hen, Gracie,” I look at Gracie and make sure she knows I am just joking and giving Rebel a tough time. Her face is lit up with a beautiful smile. That smile is why I fell in love with Gracie at one time. “you need to put your foot up his ass, so he will give you some breathing room.” Rebel cuts his eyes at me and I can see he wants to go off on me, but when Gracie looks his way and shines that bright smile on him, his eyes go soft. I see that Gracie and Rebel are deeply in love. I am happy for them both.
“Not that it is your business asshole, but Gracie told me last night that she is carrying our next child. I don’t want her to trip over anything or get run down by anyone like you just run over her, asshole.” I look over to Gracie and she shakes her head yes. I wink at her and then slap Rebel on the back. I grab Rebel’s hand to shake it and Tony hits my hand.
“No!” The boy yells at me. Gracie, Rebel, and I all laugh at the same time. Tony may not be very old, but he is Rebel made over. Gracie stops laughing and reaches for Tony.
“That’s not nice Tony. Brody was playing with your poppy. Tell Brody you are sorry for hitting him, so we can all be friends.” I know Gracie is teaching Tony an important lesson, but she is too cute doing it.
“Quit eyeing my woman or I will let my mini me go on you full blast. He takes care of all my light weight shit.” I laugh again. I didn’t think two years ago that Rebel and I would ever get back to the place where we would be in each other’s lives.
“How did you know I was eyeing your woman? I just didn’t want to knock her on her ass. I was trying to catch Gracie before she fell. Congratulations to both of you on the new baby in the works and Rebel, it is high time that I apologize to you. You have shown me exactly how much you love Gracie and you are a damn natural at this poppy thing. I didn’t think you had it in you, but you have shown me how wrong I am. When I am wrong, I say I am wrong, and I couldn’t be happier for your growing family.” I am speaking from my heart and I know I sound like a pussy. I am at a cross roads in my life and I want to do the right thing by letting family and friends know how I feel. I’m not getting any younger. I know Rebel is going to come back with some smartass remark and I am prepared for it.
“Thanks Brody, that is very nice of you to say. I am going to take Tony to the kitchen and get his lunch over with, so I can get you men food for lunch when your meeting is over.” Gracie moves towards Rebel. Rebel kisses Tony’s head and then kisses Gracie. Tony is eyeing me.
“Sorry.” Tony smiles at me.
“Thank you, bud. It is a good thing you take care of your family, but it is even nicer that you listen to your mom.” I try to high five Tony, but he doesn’t respond to me the way he did Rebel. He looks at me with crinkled eyebrows.
“No Bud,” Tony says with a serious look. “Tony.” That has Rebel and me laughing again.
“Okay Tony.” Gracie walks away, and I hear her snickers as she walks away.
“I was beginning to wonder if I needed to come drag your ass out of bed, so you could get to the clubhouse. We’ve changed a few things in the clubhouse. We have installed better surveillance cameras in all communal areas.” Rebel turns to walk towards his office without adding anything else. I follow him.
“I have been going through every lead I have. I haven’t found any militia communities or compounds around here. The thing is, I don’t think Charity’s family is a militia exactly, but more of a group of anti-government families that banned together.” Rebel stops walking and I almost run into the back of him. Rebel looks over his shoulder at me.
“You’re wrong.” Rebel opens the double doors across from his office doors. This is not where they hold church. I don’t remember these doors being here the last time I was here. They had big tarps hanging over the wall before. Rebel walks through the door and I follow. The room has a huge wooden table with chairs around it. The chairs are full of Demented Revengers and some men I have never met before. I see Cap and a big dark- haired man sitting with their heads together. They are talking in hushed voices. The minute Cap sees me he sits back.
“Nice of you to finally show your ass up Brody. I know you are a civilian, but you served in the military, you know time is not our friend on any mission. This may not be a typical mission, but you need to treat it as one, soldier.” I see that everyone’s nerves are on edge. I look straight in Cap’s eyes. I won’t let this man intimidate me. I’m too tired for this shit.
“I served in the Marines, not in the military. I was and always will be a Marine. I’ve only cat napped since I was picked up from the hunting camp. I have been running down every lead I have been made aware of. Have there been any new leads or any news at all?” I don’t wait for Cap to answer. I swing my eyes to Rebel, who has sit across the table from Cap. “What the hell do you mean I am wrong, Rebel?”
“Your point is taken Brody, but you need to sit down and let us catch you up.” I look back at Cap and don’t say anything else. At this point it wouldn’t do anything to help the situation. I sit next to Rebel at the table.
“First off, we are upping the security in all Demented Revengers MC clubhouses. We have also put someone on your family. I don’t doubt they can take care of themselves, but we are not taking any chances. I have talked to Kaden and he is alright with it. We haven’t been able to reach Jilly. She’s gone off on one of those women’s retreat but as soon as she contacts Kaden then we will get eyes on her too. Everyone here in the Quitman Chapter is on lockdown here at the clubhouse. We’ve had some problems. Cap has some vandalism and some of Lil’s farm animals were killed. Katie, Shine’s woman was run off the road on the way back from a doctor’s appointment.” I see the worry in Rebel’s body language. I know Lil is Cap’s woman, but I am not familiar with this other woman and Shine is one of Cap’s men.
“What did you mean about me being wrong about the militia group? What did you find out and have you spotted Charity yet? We owe her for helping us get out of that farm house. Have you found any clues at the farm house? I was going to head back out there tomorrow.” We were in a hurry when we left that place, we might have missed something.
“Place was burnt to the ground and so was the barn. There were plenty of bike tracks left behind. We also went to try and find the car you drove out of there in and it was nowhere to be found until early this morning. It was left at the front gate burning and the surveillance cameras didn’t catch anyone on it. That means we have a someone in our inner circles that is a traitor.” Cap hates traitors. Someone will pay dearly for touching his family. “I think it is more than one. The Quitman Chapter has no idea when one us would not be around our farm, so they could kill Lil’s animals and Rebel just put more cameras up and only someone that knew exactly where they were placed would know how to avoid them all.”
“What about the militia and Charity?” I ask again. The man sitting next to Cap looks at me.
“Are you more worried about the woman or what is happening in this town and with the Demented Revengers? It seems to me your focus is more on the woman.” I look at the cut the man is wearing and I see it is a BlackPath MC cut. I read his name and I see he is the president.
“Do I know you? What gives you the right to question me? I am here to help get these damn drugs off our streets and keep our loved ones safe.” I know I am being an asshole. I am sleep deprived and I can’t remember the last time I had a hot meal besides fast food. The man stands up and leans across the table getting in my face.
“I am the fucking man that will hand you your own ass. I came here to help and repay a marker, but I won’t put up with a pussy disrespecting me. Either answer my fucking question or get the fuck out now. I don’t work with men I can’t respect, this is a trust situation, the kind that I need to trust you to have my back, but I will not trust you if your mind is not on the job at hand and instead on pussy. I will not put my brothers or myself at risk.” I stand up and look at the man and I lean over the table towards me.
“I have never let anyone down in here. I have worked with these men here for a long time, off and on, and if one of them have questions for me, I will answer them, but I will not answer to an asshole that I don’t even know, so back the fuck up out of my face.” Rebel has a smile on his face. I want to knock it off his face. The man standing across from me never bats an eye. I know he wants to swing on me but today I don’t have a fuck to give. I hope he does. I have some aggression to get out of my system and this man’s face looks like a suitable place to start. Rebel slaps me on the shoulder, but I shirk it off.
Cap stands up by this man. “You two hot heads sit the hell down. We have enough people we are fighting. We don’t need to take each other out.” Cap looks at me. “Brody, this is Chief, he’s the President of the BlackPath MC. Him and some of his brothers came in from the Dallas area to give us a hand in this matter and they have information on the damn group in the Pittsburg area, they come from good people and they are good people, so calm your shit.” Cap looks at Chief. “This is Brody. He is a friend of Rebel’s and he is a bounty hunter, he has helped us out by using all his resources and contacts.” Chief and I stare each other down. We both sit at the same time. No one has said a word since Cap, and he is looking at both Chief and myself. “Now that the pissing match is over, can we get back to business? Chief tell everyone about this group in Pittsburg.”
“The BlackPath MC hasn’t had any contact or business from this certain group of people, but one of the other motorcycle clubs that we have ties with have had interactions with them. Sarge the President of the Rebellions 4 Blood MC has done some business with them from time to time but Diamondback, the original President had business with them all the time.” Devil must be joking.
“The Rebellions 4 Blood are a one percenter club, why would we believe any information that they shared?” If this is where Chief receives his information, I don’t trust it. Chief’s eyes are back on me and I see the anger there.
“Are you going to let me talk or do I need to get Tazer to gag and hog tie you? DO NOT INTERRUPT ME AGAIN!” I start to stand back up and I am shoved back down in my chair by Rebel. He bends over towards me and whispers where I am the only one to hear.
“Stay in your damn chair and listen. Do not interrupt Chief again, he is the only person that has brought us any kind of answers.” I don’t want to listen, but I guess any kind of lead is better than none. Just as Chief is going to go on someone is beating on the door and before anyone can say anything the door opens, and two men barge in. Rebel stands up to say something but Chief beats him to it.
“Speak of the devil.” The man beside Chief says.
“I’m not Devil, that’s the fuckhead that stole my woman and you now call brother in-law. I just call him asshole.” The man is smirking. That smirk has me looking at the man closer. He has a soulless look in his eyes. Something dark and unforgiving. My read on this man is he is a ruthless man, and I can’t see it keeping him awake at night worrying about it. I don’t trust him at all.
“Listen up, this is the man I was talking about, Sarge, the President of the Rebellions 4 Blood MC. Sarge, give us the down low on that group of people on Couch Mountain.” Chief seems comfortable around Sarge, but I don’t trust Chief either. Sarge and the man with him, Stealth, stand back from the table but close to Chief.
“The little group your talking about is not so little anymore. It started out over twenty years ago with five men and their women, the estimate now is closer to three hundred or more. Hard to track without legal records on them. This woman I was told about, Charity Connors, is the daughter of Darren Connors everyone calls him Pop and his wife is Alice and they call her Ma. The group was started by Pop, Richard Denson, Alvis Mills, Stuart Benson, and Cletus Brown. They are not militia but from time to time they do deal with some illegal weapons. They are not drug dealers on the corner, but they will move drugs from one point to another.” Semantics and bullshit. In my book, transporting drugs is as bad as the people selling them. Dealing weapons, the same. “As Charity told you this is a group that is anti-government, the only thing is, they all used to work for the government. That is the founding five and they have recruited more over the years, their specialty is technology. Things that are too smart for me, but I know that they get paid for their information and that is why they are off the grid from everyone. If there is a way to hide the information they are two steps ahead of whoever is coming after them. I know they are being investigated by several alphabet divisions of the government. It’s just a matter a time, and I think that time is near, for them to be busted and taken down, or so the chatter says. They have an escape plan in place. That’s why they traded this Charity woman off to the Hell Keeperz MC and why no one has any leads on the Hell Keeperz. The club bought technology from the little community to hide their activities. That makes the community dealing in organized crime. A big deal in many government agencies these days.”
“Charity said she had a normal loving family growing up, so how is this possible?” I need the answers to my questions.
“I can’t say for sure, but the best answer I have for that is, she was raised that way. Think about it. The kids growing up in that community have had very limited access to outside people, so they must think that what happens with their people is normal. How would they know any different?” Rebel answers my question.
“Bingo, we have a winner. The selling or trading of women has only been over the last year as far as we can track, and we only have gossip to go on until it is confirmed. The men up there also take multiple wives. Not all of them, but a great deal. They do not recognize any of the state or federal laws. With everything they have inside that community they only need themselves to rely on. I can’t see them leaving all their equipment there when they leave. It’s too expensive. That community is completely runs from solar panels and small windmills. They have a water purification system and a spring fed pond. They raise their own farm animals and their own crops. They have a saw mill that they use close by and acres of trees. They have big drums of both diesel and gasoline. They are probably transferring everything at night.” Sarge finishes.
“Do you know if they train people in weapons and hand to hand up there? Charity was knowledgeable in how to kick someone’s ass, how to use a pistol and how to look for car bombs.” Rebel asks Sarge and Sarge is shaking his head with a weird smile on his face.
“That’s what Diamondback said. They start training the children there as soon as they are old enough to take instructions. I think he said some were as young as five or six years old. That community trust very few people unless they are born in the community or an elder that started the place. At the age of eighteen they are all given the choice to leave or stay and only after the choice is made do they get the intense training of procedures and the knowledge of what they are all about. The females aren’t privy to any of the information until they are married and then the husband decides what to tell them. Each man decides how to handle the information, but if he decides no information, then no one can tell that female anything. They also believe that the men can have a heavy hand to their children and their wives. Some of those men have many wives and while that man is taking care of the questionable parts of their lives, then the wife and children are made to do menial jobs. The life there is hard, except for the men that rule it.” Sarge stops talking and looks around at everyone but no one is saying anything. I am speechless. My mind can’t wrap around it. I have known some militia groups, but this is worse than anything I have ever heard of. “That’s just the tip of the iceberg. The Hell Keeperz MC you are dealing with now, is not the same one that started this war. They are more organized, they are spread out and they know how to keep under the radar and they kill everyone that can lead you to them. They are some bloody ruthless bastards, but Chief knows more about that then I do.” Sarge and the other man go and takes seats at the table.
“From what Light, the VP, and Titan, the Enforcer, said is that there has been a change in the officers.” Rebel speaks up.
“The President is Hack, and do not let his name fool you. He may know computers and computer programing, but he is one ruthless bastard. Then there is Dread the Sergeant at Arms and he is known for getting creative in extracting information out anyone that crosses their club.” It may seem like Chief hates these men, but I can also see a glimmer of respect. I don’t like it. “They are dealing in blackmail; prostitution and they don’t care if it is against the women’s will. They have some human trafficking, drugs, and illegal weapons. You name it and they have their hands in it with the backup of all the up to date technology to avoid the cops from detecting any of their movements or activities. They want to bring the Demented Revengers MC down. All the chapters, not just one, and then they are going to the next clubs on their list. They want complete control of Texas, one club at a time. That makes this problem all of ours.” Chief stops and looks at me. I know I am not going to like what is coming. I feel the tension coming off Rebel sitting beside me.
“The woman, Brody, and Rebel all have prices on their heads along with the Sheriff of Wood County.” I have a bad feeling this is not all Chief has to tell. “The entire Demented Revengers MC also has a contract on it, but it is only to dismantle the club and kill all the Presidents.”
“Who the hell would take on such a big contract?” Cap asks.
“Doesn’t need to be one person or one club. The prices on the woman, Brody and the Sheriff is two hundred and fifty thousand a piece. That woman must know more than what she said. They just want the Sheriff to keep the local office off kilter so the Hell Keeperz MC can have time to work. Brody is a well-known bounty hunter and his contacts are too good to leave as a question mark in the equation.” Chief looks right at me with a dislike in his eyes. “I knew who you were before I ever started the trip here. I do my damn homework. Only a complete idiot walks into a situation without knowing the players.” Chief looks at Rebel next. “Rebel, you, they have a hard on for. A one-million-dollar bounty for you. The Demented Revengers and the rest of the Presidents is a five-million-dollar price tag, so you know more than one person is after you. That is all we have for right now. We have feelers out and hope to have a location soon if we are lucky.”
“That is more than we had an hour ago. Now we need to come up with a plan and we need their location yesterday. We have help and some fresh eyes. Let’s get this done. I need a fucking vacation.” Cap laughs at the end. I am glad he can joke about this. I am scared for Charity out there by herself.
“I know I am coming off as a hard ass, but to get this situation under control we need to stay focused. All of you are running off raw emotion and I am going to make sure that doesn’t get you killed and if that means pissing you off, too damn bad. After this is over we can drink a beer and party, but right now this is all business.” Chief is looking at all of us and I can see the concern. I may have jumped to the wrong conclusion.
“We need to visit Couch Mountain, if for nothing else surveillance to see if they are moving their location. When this thing is over I am taking that damn cult down.” I say and don’t care what anyone thinks about it.
“I agree.” Sarge speaks up. I look at him and I can tell he is serious.
“First thing first, Chief when is ZMan and Tito going to arrive?” Cap asks.
“Anytime now. Let’s go over what Rebel and Brody brought to us one more time. Maybe there is something we missed.” I have been over and over everything that happened to us but if it will help then I am ready.
“I am going to my office and make some phone calls. I need to get more protection on Brody’s family and contact Kaden to give him a heads up.” I get up and follow Rebel. “We will get back to this in thirty minutes. I will have the women bring in some food. This is going to be a long day.” Rebel has never spoken any truer words.