Chapter Fifteen
Sapphire
Sapphire’s brain went ninety miles an hour trying to figure out what Sable could have done to make Tank peg her so quickly. The possibilities were truly endless and if Sapphire were honest with herself, she had bigger things to deal with than her sister and her shitty attitude.
“What am I going to do?” Sapphire asked.
“I don’t know,” Tank answered. “I want to be selfish and say walk away from the club and come back to Dallas with me, but I won’t.”
“What?” Sapphire asked, surprised.
“I like you,” Tank grinned. “And I think you like me, too. And I would love a chance to explore where things could go between us, but I know that is the last thing you need right now. You don’t need any added pressure put on you.”
Sapphire stood there, silent.
A relationship with Tank? Did she even want that?
Yeah, she liked him, but was that enough to walk away from here? To move her practice? To uproot herself and move across the state?
With a heavy sigh, Sapphire flopped down on the warm grass.
“I have no clue what I’m going to do.” Sapphire looked towards the sky hoping to find an answer.
“What happens if you don’t take over?”
“Honestly?” Sapphire asked. “The club would probably dismantle. None of them will follow Sable and Piper won’t step up. Scarlet is too young. The gangs and cartel would run over her in a matter of days.”
“So...” Tank replied. “Without you, there is no Iron Angels.”
“Right,” Sapphire sighed. “Without me, my mother’s legacy falls.”
“Is that what you want?”
“No.”
“Then it looks like you have your answer.”
Did she?
“Take over, Sapphire,” Tank said.
That wasn’t the answer she wanted to hear. She wanted someone to tell her reasons why she should just walk away. Taking over the club went against everything she fought so hard for — a life, family, a future. Now, she would lose it all. She would end up just like her mom — alone.
“I don’t know if I can do this by myself,” she whispered, pulling up a blade of grass.
“You won’t be alone,” Tank replied, sitting next to her. “I’m right here. I got you.”
“But, you can’t stay here,” Sapphire argued. “One day you will have to go back home. And then what?”
“And then,” Tank said. “You handle your shit. You take this club and lead it.”
Sapphire wanted to smile at that, but really the thought of Tank leaving actually made her even sadder; and that wasn’t something she was ready to examine.
“I guess I know what I have to do.” Sapphire stood and reached a hand down to help Tank stand, too. Not that he needed the help, but it was an excuse to touch him. For some reason, his touch calmed her; another thing she wasn’t ready to look at too closely.
“I guess so,” Tank replied, grabbing her hand.
Slowly they made their way back down the path towards the house. Entering the back yard, Sapphire came to a stop and took a long look around the property. Everything was just as it used to be when she was a child, yet completely different at the same time. The two-story house was still the same gray with black trim. The yard was still a vibrant green, thanks to the sprinklers and maintenance crew. Flower boxes, in full bloom, still lined each of the downstairs windows. The barn style apartment building that housed the majority of the Iron Angels, was still the same bright shade of red with trim that matched the house. Yet, looking at it now, so much seemed to have changed just since she had been gone. The place looked so...gloomy.
“You know,” Sapphire said, still looking around. “I just realized how dejected this place looks now. With my mother gone, it feels like such a huge piece is missing.”
“There is,” Tank replied. “It’s missing a leader.”
Taking a deep breath, Sapphire said, “Not anymore.”
Walking back into the house, she went directly to her mother’s — no, her new office.
“I need to look over everything my mother was working on. Something got her targeted. I need to know exactly what it was,” she told Tank as they entered the room.
“Any idea where she would keep that type of information?” He asked.
“Probably in the safe,” Sapphire answered. “But I have no idea what the code is to get in it.”
“I can help with that,” Tank said, pulling his phone from his pocket and placing a call.
A few minutes later, there was a knock on Sapphire’s office door and the last person she expected walked through.
“What’s up?” Sapphire looked between Tank and Diesel.
“I hear you have a safe that needs to be opened?” Diesel smiled.
“You know how to break into safes?” Sapphire grinned.
“I do,” Diesel smiled even bigger. “Call it job security.”
“If you can get into it, I’ll call it whatever you want me to,” Sapphire smiled back.
“I take it congratulations are in order?” Diesel asked.
“I don’t know about that,” Sapphire shook her head.
“Are you taking over?” Diesel inquired.
“Yeah, I am.”
“Then congratulation is definitely in order.” Diesel bowed low, like he was addressing royalty. “I am here to serve, Milady.”
“Oh good grief,” Sapphire giggled. “Just open the safe.”
“As you wish.” Diesel bowed again.
Sapphire waited patiently as Diesel got to work. Pulling a black roll from the inside of his jacket pocket, Diesel unfurled it on the table. Picking out which tools he needed, he got down to business. In less than three minutes, the door to the safe popped open.
“Voila!” Diesel announced proudly.
“Thank you, Diesel.” Sapphire gave him a quick hug.
“You’re welcome.” Diesel smiled, patting her arm he out of the room, but stopped at the door. “Just for the record, I think you’re making the right decision. Talking to people here today, it’s obvious they need you. I know how much you wanted away from this life. But really, it’s not a life sentence.”
“It feels that way,” Sapphire sighed. She had been doing a lot of that lately.
“Don’t look at it as losing your freedom. Look at it as starting a new adventure.” Again, Diesel tossed her one of his award-winning smiles as he left the office, pulling the door closed behind him.
“A new adventure,” Sapphire repeated. Turning to Tank, she smiled, “New adventure.”
“Kind of makes it a lot less ominous,” he offered reassuringly.
“Right,” Sapphire replied.
Pulling the four leather-bound books out of the safe, Sapphire carried them over to the desk and sat down. Absently, she rubbed her hand over the cover of the top book. How many times had her mother opened these books?
Opening the first showed her the financials of the club. The zeros that followed the forty had Sapphire’s mouth almost hitting the floor.
“What the hell!” she exclaimed.
“What?” Tank asked, coming to stand behind her.
“Forty million...” Sapphire stared at the book. How?
“How in the fuck is that correct?” he asked.
“It can’t be,” Sapphire thought out loud.
“You could ask Sledge to look it over to see if it’s correct,” Tank suggested.
“Call him.” Sapphire needed to know.
All of the sisters and her mother invested a lot of money back into the club, but forty million dollars’ worth? That didn’t seem right. How could her mother have that kind of money saved?
Sapphire set that book aside and opened another as Tank made the phone call.
The second book was a complete dossier of every member of the club. Past history, financials, current employment, birthdays — literally everything, including a photo.
The third book was what Sapphire had been looking for. It was a paper record of every gang and group that the Angels had ever come across, but nothing about the cartel.
The fourth book was just like the third, and where she finally found the information she was looking for on the cartel. The book gave dates and times of shipments, inventory of cargo, leaders’ information, and much more. Everything Sapphire needed was in that one book.
“Knock, knock,” Sledge said, walking into the office and closing the door. “What can I do for you?”
“Look at this,” Sapphire said, passing him the first book.
Sledge took the book from her and flipped it open to the first page. A low, long whistle escaped his lips.
“Is that right?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.
“I don’t know,” Sapphire admitted. “That’s why I had Tank call you. I need you to look over the book and tell me.”
“It’ll probably take me a few days,” Sledge answered.
“That’s fine,” Sapphire agreed. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“So, you taking over the club?”
“Yeah,” Sapphire replied. “I am.”
“Good. They need you.”
“That’s what I hear.” Sapphire shrugged a shoulder.
“Listen, if you need anything, and I mean anything at all, just let me know,” Sledge offered. “I will always be just a phone call away.
Emotions on complete overload, Sapphire had a difficult time seeing through the tears. “Thank you,” she choked past the clog in her throat.
“No thank you needed,” Sledge replied.
With a nod of her head, Sapphire went back to reading the book in front of her.
“What’s that?” Sledge asked.
“My mother’s notes on the cartel.”
“Mind if I take a look?” Sledge questioned.
“Not at all,” Sapphire replied. “We’re in this together.”
For the next several hours, Sapphire and the guys looked over every page, read every word. Sapphire even copied each page of the book for Sledge to take back to the Henchmen compound. Right now, they were in this together. Devils and Angels fighting the same demon — The Cartel.
“Okay, we are heading back in the morning. The guys got a lot accomplished today. All the living spaces have been cleaned and most of them have been repaired,” Sledge said as he walked towards the door.
“I’m going to stay here,” Tank stated before Sledge could leave the room.
“What do you mean you’re staying here?” Sledge asked. “The Angels can handle the rest of the cleanup.”
“I mean just what I said,” Tank retorted. “I’m staying here. I’ll be home later in the week.”
Sapphire could see the wheels turning in Sledge’s head. Could almost smell the smoke. She knew he didn’t like what he was hearing, but Tank wasn’t an official member. Sledge couldn’t order him home.
“You know,” Sledge started. “With the Angels hit, the Henchmen could be next on the cartel’s list. We could really use you at home.”
“I’m staying,” Tank reiterated. “Y’all are trained military. I’m sure you can survive just fine without me.”
“Maybe,” Sledge shrugged. “But family needs family.”
Sapphire hated to be the cause of any trouble between these two. She knew by the way they interacted that they had been friends for a long time.
“You can go back home,” Sapphire said.
“See, that settles it,” Sledge said reaching for the knob.
“It settles nothing,” Tank replied. “I’m staying.”
Sapphire heard the command in Tank’s voice; Sledge would have to be a fool to have missed it. And Sledge was definitely no fool.
“Are you seriously doing this?” Sledge asked.
“Yes,” Tank sighed. “What the fuck is your problem?”
“Nothing,” Sledge sighed. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I think I’m turning into a mother hen wanting all my chicks under my roof.”
“Dude,” Tank chuckled. “I am no fucking chicken.”
As the two men shared a laugh, some of the tension drained from Sapphire’s shoulders. She didn’t want to be the reason for a fallout between Sledge and Tank.
“Anyway. It’s getting late,” Sledge said. “I’m gonna call it a night.”
“Good night, brother,” Tank replied.
“Good night,” Sapphire followed.
“Night.” Sledge walked out of the door, softly closing it behind him.
Well,” Sapphire said a moment later. “That wasn’t tense at all.”
“Stop worrying,” Tank said, massaging her shoulders. “Sledge will be fine and so will the rest of the guys.”
“Are you sure you shouldn’t just go back home?” Sapphire asked. “I mean, if I need help, I could always just call or something.”
“I’m staying here,” Tank repeated. “This is where I want to be.”
“Okay,” Sapphire conceded.
“Good,” Tank replied. “Now that that’s over, let’s head to bed. We can start back on this first thing in the morning.”
“What do I do with the books? I can’t put them back in the safe.”
“Take them to the bedroom with us.”
“Us?” Sapphire asked. “Who said anything about us sleeping in the same bed?”
“I did,” Tank replied.
“Is that right?”
“Yep.”
“Hmm.”
Sapphire picked up the four leather books and tucked them closely to her chest. Walking to the door, she cast a wicked glance over her shoulder to find Tank watching her every move.
“Well, if you’re going to be keeping me company, you better come on.”
“Yes, Ma’am,” Tank grinned, tipping his invisible hat in her direction.