Chapter 9
Big
I was beyond exhausted, but sleep just wouldn’t come. I tossed and turned, but nothing could get her out of my head. Our conversation about my past kept playing in my mind. I meant it when I said there was nothing for her to feel sorry about. I’d made my own choices, and the consequences were mine to bear. Surviving the hard times let me know what I was made of and how much hell I could really take. Between jail, Baker and his thugs, and all the other shit in-between, I learned early on I could take a hell of a lot. Each time I was knocked down, I learned to build myself back up, make myself even stronger, smarter, and in the end, I survived and I’m living the life I wanted to live. That’s all that matters. I’m not sure a girl like her could ever get that, especially when everything had been laid out on a red carpet. She’d had her hard times, but the real test – the one that would determine what she was really made of – was yet to come.
I had an early meet with Nitro to discuss what he’d uncovered, so I did my best to clear my head and get some sleep. I’d barely dozed off when my alarm went off. I jumped in the shower and headed out. The sun was just starting to rise when I pulled out of the gate and headed over to Nitro’s place. There was no way of knowing what he’d found out, so I didn’t bother telling Josie where I was headed. If he’d gotten bad news, he’d just blurt it out. It wasn’t his style to sugarcoat anything, so I figured it would be best for me to come alone. When I walked into his office, he was leaned back in his chair sipping on a cup of coffee.
His feet were propped up on the desk and his ball cap was pulled down low, covering his tired eyes. He looked down at his watch and shook his head. “It’s too damn early for this shit.”
I took the seat in front of him. “Figured you’d been up for hours.”
“I have been.” He took a long drink of his coffee. “Still too damn early.”
“Quit whining and let me know what you found out.”
He dropped his feet to the floor and sat up in his chair. “My guy said they’ve got some big buyers coming into LA in a couple of weeks.”
“What kind of buyers?”
“The kind looking to buy themselves a pretty, blue-eyed blonde. These guys come from all over the world and are willing to pay a pretty hefty price for the right girl.”
“You think that’s what they’re planning to do with Tristen?”
“She has the look they want.”
“But how can we be sure that’s what they’re planning?”
“There’s no way to be one hundred percent without seeing her for ourselves, but my guy had connections to Victor Aguilera, and he has a girlfriend named Lisa.”
“Damn.”
“They’ve got her. I feel it in my gut.”
“Any idea where they’re keeping her?”
“Nikko thinks they’ve got her holed up in Santa Fe Springs, a town close to LA. They’ll have her hidden away in some warehouse or a member’s home. Figure they’ve got her pretty heavily drugged and guarded around the clock.”
“This is crazy, brother.”
“Yeah, but there’s money in this shit, Big. Lots of it. Some of these girls go for up to three hundred grand.” He finished off his cup of coffee and reached in his pocket for his pack of cigarettes. After lighting one up, he continued, “The buyers will expect their girls to be unmarked, so I figure they’ll treat them differently than the girls they use for their prostitution ring. That’s a good thing for Tristen.”
I didn’t see anything good about it. The thought of Tristen chained to a bed and drugged out of her mind made me sick to my stomach. She was a good kid and deserved better than that shit. Hell, a damn dog deserved better than that shit. “How do we get her out?”
“We don’t. Not without a war.”
“War isn’t an option, Nitro. We don’t have the kind of manpower we’d need to go up against them, not for something like this.”
“There is one thing we could try,” he started as he took another puff from his cigarette. “I’ve got some connections. I could use them to get in on the auction. I’ll do whatever it takes to get the highest bid and …”
I leaned forward in my chair as I finished his sentence. “Buy her?”
“Yep. That’s what I was thinking. We could just pay them outright. It’s the only chance we have to bring her home without causing some rift.”
“I don’t know, Nitro. That shit sounds pretty fucking risky, and that’s a lot of money.”
“Maybe so.” He placed his elbows on his desk and smoke billowed around him as he leaned towards me. “But have you got any better ideas?” When I didn’t answer, he snickered. “Me either. They’ll bring the girls into LA for the auction in four days. That gives us a little time to get things prepared. Until then, we lay low. If they have any idea what we are up to, we’re all dead.”
“I gotta run this thing by Cotton.” I stood up and started towards the door.
“Knew you would. Tell him I’ve got it covered.”
“Will do.” I remembered I hadn’t gotten back to him about the new contacts, so before I walked out, I said, “Forgot to get back to you about your boys. Tate is legit, but Ballard doesn’t feel right. Give me a little more time with him.”
“I’ll touch base with Tate. Thanks, brother.”
“Anytime.” I headed out to the parking lot and got on my bike. We’d had another shipment going out, so I knew Cotton would be working in the office for most of the day. Since he was expecting to hear from me, I headed straight there to fill him in on what Nitro had uncovered. As expected, when I walked into the office, he was sorting through a stack of files. I walked over to him and asked, “Got a minute?”
“Got a few.” He placed a file down on his desk as he leaned back in his chair. “What did you find out from Nitro?”
I could see the disgust creep across Cotton’s face as I repeated everything Nitro had told me about Tristen and the Calaveras. Once I was done, he leaned against the counter and growled, “Fuck.”
“It’s not perfect, but it could work. It’s a lot of money.”
Cotton didn’t even bat an eye when I brought up how much it could cost to get Tristen back. The club has always done well, money was always there if we needed it, and if spending a shit ton now meant keeping us out of war, Cotton wouldn’t think twice about it. “You’re right. The plan isn’t perfect, but it’s the only chance we’ve got of getting our girl back. Do what needs to be done. Money isn’t an object. Tell Nitro we’ve got it covered.”
“The auction is a few days away. We’ll head out tomorrow night to make sure we’ve got everything covered.”
“Good. Get with Stitch. Fill him in on all the details and let him know when you plan to leave. Get Maverick too, if you think you’ll need him.”
“We’ll be good with just Stitch. Nitro is bringing a couple of his guys along, too. We don’t want to draw any unnecessary attention.”
“Let me know if you change your mind.” He ran his hand along the base of his neck. “You got plans for Josie while you’re in LA?”
The thought of leaving her behind hadn’t even crossed my mind, so I replied, “She’s going.”
He looked surprised by my response. “Not sure that’s a good idea, brother.”
“I do. We’re gonna need someone like her. Someone who has the skill set to monitor camera feeds and radio frequencies while we’re on the inside.”
“You think she can handle it?”
“I do.”
“Then she’ll be your responsibility. Make sure she has whatever she needs. And so we are clear, I don’t want any of this to come back and bite us in the ass.”
“Understood.”
I was about to turn to leave when he said, “If you’ve got a minute, see if you can help Two Bit out in the garage. His little project has been giving him some trouble.”
I nodded and headed out to the garage. When I walked in, I found Two Bit with his head still crammed under the hood of the cream colored 1947 Buick Super. It was hard to believe it was the same car he and Q’ had brought in a few months back. Back then, it was a rusted, ragged-out piece of shit, but they did a complete overhaul on it. Now, it was a real beauty. “You need a hand?”
He growled, “I’m about to lose it on this damn thing.”
Two Bit had his talents, like breakdowns, sanding, and anything that dealt with hard, physical labor, but engine work was not one of his strong suits. “Let me take a look.”
We spent the next three hours working on her, and once we were done, she purred like a kitten. Two Bit smiled like a kid on Christmas morning as he sat behind the wheel and revved the engine. “Sounds good, don’t ya think?”
“Perfect.”
He was still smiling when he killed the engine and got out of the car. “Thanks for the help, brother. I owe you one.”
“Anytime.”
I was just about to leave when he waltzed over to me with a cheesy grin. “So, what’s the deal with Tristen’s sister?”
He was interested in her. There was no mistaking it. I couldn’t blame him. She was beautiful without letting it get to her head, classy but not too classy, and smart without needing to prove it. And that sexy little lopsided grin of hers didn’t hurt things either. I understood his interest, but that didn’t mean I liked it. “Leave it, brother.”
“Whoa, man. I didn’t know.” He took a step back and raised his hands in surrender. “If you had a thing for her, all you had to do was say the word.”
I had no claim to her. Hell, I hadn’t even kissed her. I knew I had no right to tell him to fuck off, but the words just rolled off my lips. “Consider it said.”
“Well, I’ll be damned.” He slapped me on the back and smiled. “Big Mike’s done gone and got himself a girlfriend.”
“Shut it, Two Bit,” I told him as I turned and headed for the door. “Not in the mood for your bullshit. Besides, it’s time for you to get started on the Ford.”
He chuckled under his breath. “On it.”
I was still cursing myself when I got back to my room. The last thing I needed was my brothers thinking I had a thing for Josie. She wasn’t mine, and it was a waste of time thinking she ever would be. The thought tore at me, making me wish things could be different. I had to pull my head out of my ass and remember that I was there to help get her sister home. Nothing more. Nothing less. Too bad that was easier said than done.