With Todd back on board and Forsaken 99 once again in the good graces of the rancher consortium, Jules began to relax more and more. Rachel and her brother had agreed to split the days and shifts at the bar so that they could each enjoy some free time.
Before Jules had come into her life, she lived for her work. She would sometime date on Sunday or Monday, but if that was inconvenient for the boyfriend, that was just too bad. But with Jules, she cherished her time with him.
Two weeks after Todd’s about face, she moved in with Jules. It was a loose arrangement, consisting of mainly moving some clothes to his house, but doing so gave Will the run of her house without having her hanging around. He and Pam were beginning to date steadily, and as she shared a house with another girl, it gave them some privacy as well. That was her story, and she was sticking with it, though in truth she couldn’t be happier sharing Jules’s bed every night.
The day after Will arrived on a used Harley he had purchased, Todd nominated him for a prospect. The purely formal vote was taken and was unanimous. The rest of the members rode him hard, as was their nature, giving him every shit job they could think of, but Jules assured him it was just a rite of passage, and it would pass. Will accepted the jobs with good humor and dedication. It had been a while since they had a prospect to keep their bikes cleaned and polished, and Jules availed himself of the opportunity to have his bike waxed until it gleamed.
Todd was a changed man. The cartel had started testing them again, sending mules into their territory. Jules didn’t feel the need to run every intercept anymore—he had other things to occupy his time now—but he did run the first intercept when Todd called him.
He was a bit hurt that Ellis, their snitch in the Andres Cartel, now called Todd directly, though he couldn’t really blame him. Jules had promised to pull his family out and then burned him. It was a club decision, but it still bothered him.
When they stopped the mule’s SUV, Jules was holding the driver on his knees at gunpoint. When Todd pulled the kilo package of cocaine, one of fifty, from the back of the truck, Jules brought his weapon to his shoulder and prepared to end the man’s life. Before he could pull the trigger, Todd had stopped him.
That had caused a row on the intercept team, but Todd stood firm, saying the killings had to stop. Jules had mixed feelings about letting the man live, but punctuated Todd’s threat of certain death if he were to ever return with a quick gunbutt to the face. Apparently the threat worked, because nobody had seen the same face twice.
***
Sunday, Jules and Will were cruising the back roads around Vallecito with Rachel and Pam on the back of their bikes. Will was rapidly becoming his closest friend since the death of Fish and Bell.
“Are you taking us to your ‘thinking rock?’” Rachel called in his ear over the wind and engine noise.
“No. That’s my place. Well, our place,” he called back. “Why?”
“No reason. But I’m glad it is staying our secret.”
“I like Will, but some things I’m not willing to share.”
“You shared it with me.”
“You’re… more… than a friend.”
She reached around him and gave his gentlemen parts a single soft stroke. “As are you.”
“You had better stop that unless you want to get skinned up when I crash,” he teased.
“What do you think of Pam?” Rachel asked, changing the subject.
“What about her? I like her, why? What do you think of her?”
“I was just wondering what you thought of her. It’s hard sometimes because he’s my brother. It seems to me like she leads him around by his cock.” She couldn’t hear him laugh, but she could feel it in his back. “What?”
“And that is different than how it has been for the last million years, how?”
“I don’t do that! Do I?”
“Yes… but I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“I do not!” she protested.
“No… you don’t use your sexual favors to get your way. But you do make me want to do anything you ask… by just being you.”
“That had damn well better be a compliment, Jules Rivera,” she warned sternly, but with a smile he could see in his rearview mirror.
“Oh, trust me, it is. You just make me… shit… we’ve got trouble,” he said as the DEA Tahoe flashed past then braked hard and began to turn around.
Rachel looked over her shoulder. “What do they want? We’re just out riding on your bike.”
“It’s probably Schneider out to bust my balls again. But I don’t know why she would be in a DEA vehicle.”
“Schneider? Who’s that?”
“ICE. I’ve told you about her.”
“Is she that cop that keeps hitting on you?”
“Not hitting on me… she’s just… slimy,” he said as he coasted to a stop at the side of the road, Will rolling to a stop beside him.
“What’s going on?” Will asked as the SUV pulled up behind them.
“Just let me do the talking, okay?” Jules asked. Will nodded but said nothing as the two officers stepped out of the truck. “Are you carrying?”
“Yeah.”
“Afternoon Officer Schneider,” Jules said as Rian Schneider stepped up from the passenger side of the SUV. We are armed.”
“Jules…” she cooed, “you know I don’t care about that. Who’s your friends?”
“Rachel, Pam and Will,” Jules said.
“They have last names?”
“Yes.”
“Look, asshole—” the driver of the SUV began, but Schneider held up her hand to quieten the man.
“Jules… why are we always like this? I really don’t think you like me.”
“Whatever gave you that idea?”
“Let’s see some ID,” she said, her voice hardening.
“Get off,” Jules said, and then eased the bike to the side stand after Rachel dismounted. “The women are not armed… just Will and I.”
“I don’t have my ID with me,” Rachel sneered. “I didn’t realize the Gestapo was going to be out busting my ass today.”
“Cute,” Schneider said. “What about you two?”
Will pulled his driver’s license from his wallet and handed it over.
Pam shrugged. “I left mine in my purse at Will’s house.”
“There is no motorcycle endorsement on this license,” Rian said, snapping the card with a finger.
“What do you want, Schneider?” Jules interjected. He knew this wasn’t a traffic stop, but this was how she played the game.
“Besides your hot little body? Information.”
“What kind of information?” he asked, trying not to grin as Rachel stared at her with daggers in her eyes.
“It seems that the DEA thinks drugs are flowing through Forsaken 99 territory. They asked me to help them out since you and I have such a… close… relationship,” she said seductively as she stepped in close and scraped Will’s license under his chin.
Jules snatched the card from Schneider’s fingers and handed it back to Will. “I wouldn’t know anything about that. Will and I are just out for a nice ride in the country… with some pleasant companionship.”
“So I see,” Schneider said as she gave Rachel an obvious appraising look. “You don’t know anything about drugs? I would feel bad if anything… happened… to your companion because of drug runners. That would be a real shame.”
“I think I can take care of her.”
“Ooooh… of that I have no doubt. You know, Jules, when you were just small time thugs playing cops and robbers, the DEA had bigger fish to fry. But a lot of drugs are coming up 118. A lot more than there used to be, a lot more than can reasonably be explained. If we find out you and your motorcycle pals are muling drugs… I will bust your balls. And that will be a real shame… because then who would take of your friend here? Hmmm?”
“Officer Schneider, I have told you before, we are just a group of guys that like to ride motorcycles. I don’t know anything about drugs, or illegals, or any other illegal activity.”
“So you have said.” Schneider smiled. “But this is DEA’s gig now. I am just along to make introductions. Congratulations, Jules… you’ve just moved up to the big leagues.”
As she turned, to head back to the SUV, she paused then turned back. “Enjoy him while you can sweetheart,” Schneider said to Rachel. “You may not have the chance much longer.” With a nasty smile, she turned back toward the SUV without a second glance.
As the SUV pulled onto the road, Rachel gave it a vicious middle finger. “If you have ever fucked that... bitch... we’re done!”
Jules began to chuckle. “God no. She would eat me alive.”
“I don’t know, I thought she was kind of hot,” Will said then ducked and grinned when Pam punched him.
“I would like to have ten minutes in a locked room with her. I will kick her fucking ass!” Rachel snarled.
“Just calm down. That is exactly the reaction she wants. If you get pissed off, you might say or do something to help her. Just let it roll off of you.”
She stared down the road after the SUV. “Okay… but I would still like to have ten minutes alone with her.”
“Yeah!” Will agreed with a huge grin. “You two, nude, covered in baby oil, in a caged death match! We’ll sell tickets! We’ll be rich!”
“Is being a pervert a requirement of being in the club?” Rachel asked as they turned to the bikes to mount up.
“No… but it helps,” Jules said as he grinned at Will.
As Rachel settled on the bike behind him, his grin widened as he looked at her in the rearview. “Actually… that sounds pretty hot,” he said just loud enough for her to hear.
Rachel brought her head forward in a sharp motion, hitting him in the back of the head with his helmet.
“Owww! Shit! That hurt!” he cried as he rubbed the back of his head.
“Remember that before I have to kick your ass.”
“Nude… with baby oil?”
“Owww! Damnit!” he cried again when she repeated the head-butt.
“Let’s just go,” she growled, but she was smiling. Getting down and dirty in a cage match with Jules, covered in baby oil, doesn’t sound so bad…
With a laugh he thumbed the bike to life and stomped it into gear.
As he pulled out onto the road, he gave the throttle a firm twist, the Harley bellowing as he banged up through the gears, still grinning at Rachel’s reaction to Schneider. As the bike settled into the cruise, his smile faded. I wonder what Schneider meant about the flow of drugs being more than can be explained?