Chapter 19
Two Bit
“Hey.” Her voice instantly calmed me. I hadn’t had a chance to really talk to her after she left the Chosen’s clubhouse and was relieved when she finally called back. “I just had lunch with Kat and thought I’d call you on my way to work.”
“I’m glad you did.”
“How are things going over there?” she asked.
We were making progress, but it was slow. Tensions were high, and everyone was on edge. I was becoming impatient, but I told her, “It’s going. Just ready to see you.”
I could almost hear the smile in her voice as she replied, “I’m ready to see you, too. Maybe I can slip off a little early tonight, and we can do something.”
“What kind of something?” I teased.
“I’m sure we can figure something out.”
“I’m sure we can.”
“Oh, I told Kat about you.”
“Is that right?”
“Yep… It was all good, I promise. I’ll tell you about it tonight.”
“Sounds good. Just text me when you’re free.”
“Will do.”
“Bye, beautiful.”
“Bye, Seth.”
As soon as she hung up the phone, I went back over to the others. They were all sitting at different laptops watching security footage. With access to the clubhouse, shop, and Nudie’s, we were able to monitor every move they made. It was only a matter of time before we had everything we needed to cut them off at the balls. Cotton was riding us all hard. It had been weeks since they’d hijacked our delivery, and he was tired of waiting for his retribution. We were working around the clock doing everything in our power to get the intel we needed to shut them down. Back at home, Nitro had followed through on his part of the plan. Using counterfeit money with a tracking device, he’d bought most of our stolen shipment for twice the value. The dumb fuckers never even questioned it. They just took the money and ran. As expected, we tracked Nitro’s satchel of money to the strip club, which confirmed that the Chosen were using Nudie’s to launder their dirty money. We knew the tricks. Hell, we used them ourselves, but we had enough common fucking sense to make sure the money wasn’t counterfeit before we ran it through. It was one thing right after another. They still had part of our shipment, showing once again that they didn’t have the sense God gave a damned dog. There was a right way and a wrong way to do just about anything. The Chosen lived life with blinders on. They cut corners, stabbed folks in the back, and didn’t give a fuck about the consequences.
That was about to change.
“Hey, check this out,” Big shouted. “This guy looks familiar. Have any of you seen him before?”
I looked over at the screen, and a young Hispanic guy was talking to Hawk. The tailgate of his old, beat-up truck was backed into the garage, and it was filled with several boxes and crates. I leaned closer as I said, “Yeah… he does look familiar.”
Stitch peered over my shoulder and growled, “That’d be T-Bone.”
“That’s right!” Big told him. “Doesn’t he work for—?”
“Candelario,” Stitch interrupted. “He’s minor leagues, but he’s tough. Can’t believe he’s mixed up with the Knights. Figured he’d be smarter than that.”
I turned to Cotton. “You know anyone who’s got ties to him?”
“Yeah. Me,” he scoffed. “I’ll make the call.”
As he started walking towards the door, I heard him say, “Danilo… Cotton here.” After a brief pause, he continued, “Been better. That’s why I’m calling. You know that favor you owe me? Yeah, well… It’s time to pay up.”
When the door closed behind him, I looked over at Stitch. “You think Candelario will make good on the favor?”
“If he’s smart, he will.”
Moments later, Cotton returned with a stern look on his face. “It’s done.”
Clutch stood and walked over to him. “Then it’s time to get this party started.”
“Absolutely. We’ll wait until dark, then head over to their garage. We take what’s left of their supply, then burn the fucking place to the ground.”
We agreed that when we’d finished with the garage, the strip club would be next. Once it closed and the girls were gone, we’d torch the place, leaving the Chosen Knights with nothing. Their decision to fuck with Satan’s Fury would be a decision they’d soon regret.
As soon as it got dark, Big checked the security footage at the garage to make sure everyone had gone for the night. Once we were certain everything was clear, we loaded Cotton’s SUV and drove over to the alley behind the shop. Stitch slipped out of the back, and after he’d checked the surroundings once more, we followed him towards the garage.
The night provided cover as we crept towards the back door. Once Stitch had disabled the lock, we followed him inside. It took our eyes a moment to adjust as our flashlights skimmed over the room, but once we’d become accustomed to the darkness, it didn’t take us any time to find the boxes they’d stashed. A rush of adrenaline surged through me as we started ripping each one open, removing all the artillery and drugs they’d been collecting for the past month.
“Fuck,” Clutch growled as he opened a familiar crate. “This is the rest of our shit.”
“Good. You and Q’ start loading it in the back of the SUV,” Cotton ordered as he motioned over to me and Stitch. “Let’s check the other rooms and make sure we got it all.”
With flashlights in hand, we followed Cotton to the back of the garage. We spread out, checking all the closets and offices, and I thought we’d covered it all until I heard Stitch grumble, “What the fuck is this?”
Cotton and I walked over to him. He had his light shining inside a hidden room. It was small with no windows in sight and dirty concrete floors. As we stepped inside, we were hit with a foul odor which made the room seem even more ominous. There was a cot in the corner with bloodstained sheets, and a video camera on a tripod stood in the middle of the room. “Why would this be in here?”
“I don’t know, but I’ve got a bad feeling.” Cotton reluctantly walked over to the camera, and after pushing several buttons, he managed to play back the last minute of what had been recorded. Bile rose to my throat as I watched the video start to play. “Goddamn it!”
He quickly turned it off, but the visions of that little girl—her body bruised and bleeding, that motherfucker mounted on top of her, her wretched screams, and the tears streaming down her face—were burned in my brain. I looked around the room, trying to find any sign of her, but there was nothing. “Where could she be?”
Stitch started opening every door and cabinet trying in vain to find her. Just when he was about to give up, his flashlight flickered over a large black garbage bag in the corner. “You don’t think?”
The room fell completely silent as we watched Cotton walk towards the bag. He leaned down and carefully untied the plastic handles. When he spotted the girl’s blonde hair, a guttural growl vibrated through the room. He turned away from us, trying to contain his fury as he slammed his fist into the concrete wall.
While we were all appalled, the sight caught Cotton off-guard. I had no doubt that seeing that little girl made him think of Lauren. Over the past few months, he’d gotten attached to her in a way none of us had expected. Lauren was just eleven when Nitro rescued her from a sex trafficking ring. Not knowing what else to do with her, he’d brought her to the clubhouse for us to deal with. Cassidy, Cotton’s ol’ lady, took Lauren under her wing, and it didn’t take long for Lauren to win her over. She’d become like a daughter to both Cotton and Cass. They adored her. We all knew Lauren’s life would’ve been vastly different if she hadn’t been rescued by Nitro. I had no doubt that the thought had crossed Cotton’s mind that she could’ve ended up just like this kid, used and left like a piece of trash.
“I want them dead! All of them! Put a fucking bullet in every last one of them!” He looked over at us with rage in his eyes. I could feel it radiating off him as he growled, “Is that fucking clear?”
“Crystal,” Stitch assured him.
None of us spoke, each of us still reeling from what we’d seen as we headed back to the others. Once we helped them finish loading the SUV, Cotton doused the place with gasoline, then tossed a burning match on the floor. In a matter of seconds, the entire building went up in flames.
As we stood there watching the fire, I thought about that little girl in the back. For a moment, I considered going after her, but something stopped me. The thought of her parents seeing her broken little body—and knowing what those men had done to their daughter—made me sick to my stomach. No parent should see their child like that, so I figured them not knowing would have to be better. Or at least I prayed it would be.
Once we were certain the fire had taken hold, we got in the truck and headed back to the warehouse. Stitch filled in the others on what we’d found. Like us, they were disgusted and had no qualms about eliminating every one of them. With that tape, they’d shown just how far they’d go to make a buck, but we would put a stop to it once and for all.
As we pulled up to the warehouse, Stitch turned to Cotton. “How do you want to do this?”
After a long pause, he answered, “You take the reins on this one. I just want them gone.”
He nodded, and none of us had any doubts that Stitch would carry out the ultimate vengeance, making them all pay for the fucked-up shit they’d done. Once we were back at the warehouse, he and Big started working out a plan.
While they were talking, I took out my phone. With everything that was going on, I hadn’t had time to check in with Zoe. The last time we’d spoken, she was headed to work. It was almost closing time, so I reached for my phone and sent her a text message. When she didn’t immediately respond, I walked over to the laptop displaying Nudie’s security feed to see if I could spot her. I found her sitting at the bar with Kat. While I was relieved she was okay, seeing her made me want to hear her voice.
I dialed her number and watched as she reached for her purse. She started fumbling through all the different pockets as she searched for her phone. I was still watching her when something in one of the other cameras caught my attention.
When I leaned closer for a better look, the breath rushed out of my lungs. Making my bad day dramatically worse, I saw Slider walking next to Hawk, and they were headed for the front door. I looked back over to Zoe. She had her phone in her hand and was smiling, totally unaware that he was approaching. When she finally answered my call, I yelled, “Zoe, I need you to get the hell out of there.”
“What’s going on?”
“There’s no time, Zoe. Move your ass now!”
My blood ran cold as I watch Slider’s hand reach for the door handle. Still trying to understand what I was saying, she asked, “What’s wrong?”
“It’s Slider! Listen to me! You’ve got to get the hell out of there!” I shouted.
She stood up and took her purse in her hand as she started to back away from the bar. “What do you mean Slider?”
“He’s there!”
It was too late. He was already through the door and charging straight towards her, and there wasn’t a damned thing I could do about it. I heard him snarl, “Who the fuck are you talking to, Zoe?”
Rage enveloped me as I watched him jerk the phone out of her hand. He forced her against the counter of the bar and looked down at the screen.
Zoe mumbled, “It’s no one, Slider.”
“It’s him, isn’t it?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He leaned over her, his face just inches from hers. “I’ve been racking my brain trying to figure out who’d stabbed me in the fucking back, who’d have the balls to plant all that coke in my bike.” His nose crinkled like a mad dog as he continued with his attack. “I had no idea who it could’ve been, but then I get word from Dodger that you—my fucking ol’ lady—were whoring around. He told me that you met up with some guy in a fucking hotel room, that you’ve been running all over town with this asshole, and that got me to thinking.” He wrapped his fingers around her throat, squeezing tightly as he barked, “It was you, wasn’t it? You fucking whore! You’re the one who stabbed me in the fucking back!”
She shook her head frantically but couldn’t speak with his fingers wound so tightly around her neck. I had to do something or he was going to kill her. Knowing I didn’t have much time, I yelled, “Big!”
“What’s wrong?” he asked as he turned around in his chair to face me.
“Zoe, she’s in trouble.”
He came over and looked down at the screen. We both watched in horror as he slammed his fist into her ribcage, knocking the wind out of her. Before she could recover, he reared his fist back and slammed it into her jaw. “I knew when we killed your father that we should’ve killed you, too. No fucking pussy is worth all this bullshit.”
Big’s eyes widen with disbelief. “What the fuck?”
“He’s gonna kill her. We’ve gotta get over there before it’s too late.”
Slider punched her once again, and when I saw the blood streaming down her cheek, I called out to the others. In a matter of seconds, we were in the SUV and driving towards the bar.
Big had his laptop out and was steadily typing as he said, “I’ll kill the power. Maybe that’ll buy us some time.”
I glanced over his shoulder and saw that he was using a split screen, with half being used to type in codes and the other continuing to display the camera feed. My heart pounded in my chest as I watched Kat run over to Slider. She tugged at his arm as she pleaded, “Slider! Don’t… She didn’t do anything! I swear!”
His hand flew back and collided with her face, causing her to stumble back. Even though she was dazed, she didn’t stop. She reached for him again, and his attention was diverted over to her as she pleaded, “Slider! Let her go!”
A feeling of nausea twisted in my gut when Hawk reached for the back of her hair, fisting it in his hand as he forced her forward. He slammed her head viciously into the counter, knocking her out. Her limp body dropped to the ground. With an angry scowl, he kicked his daughter in the side and growled, “You should’ve stayed out of this, Kat, but then, you’ve always been just like your mother. A stupid, good-for-nothing whore. I’m done with your ass.”
Just as the words left his mouth, the lights cut out. “Goddamn it!”
We were still five to seven minutes out, which seemed like a lifetime as Cotton sped towards the bar. When we finally arrived, I got out of the SUV and raced towards the door. I could hear them calling out to me, telling me to wait, but I couldn’t wait a moment longer. I had to see if she was okay. When I made it to the door, I gave it a hard tug, but it was locked. When I looked inside, everything was pitch black, and there was no one in sight. I took a step back and kicked the glass door, shattering it to a million pieces. The others came rushing up behind me, and we all charged inside.
The place was completely empty with no sign of Zoe.