Chapter 9
Gunner
Hunter was smoking a cigarette, as he leaned against my old beat-up car. We’d been waiting there, staring at the abandoned warehouse for about fifteen minutes. I was the only one who owned a car, while the others rode Harleys; so, I drove them for the recon mission.
Axel had assigned Tank and Glock to find out what was going on with the Dragon Knights, and they had brought Hunter, Sniper and me along as backup.
We were leaning behind the car, trying to keep a low profile and our eyes on the warehouse in the distance behind the barbed wire fencing. It wasn’t too far away and with the lack of buildings or structures around it, we could hear their voices as and when they appeared.
Not a lot of the Dragon Knights members were around and it was the middle of the day, which meant that we hadn’t been noticed yet.
“So, what are we doing here, again?” Sniper asked, sucking in a mouthful of smoke from his own cigarette.
Tank had been looking through the windows of the car, across to the warehouse, and he straightened himself up.
“Trying to see if these bastards are running a sex trade,” he said and took the cigarette from Sniper to take a drag.
“How are we gonna figure that out?” Sniper asked and Tank and Glock exchanged humorous looks.
“We sit here and watch this place till we get a clue,” Glock said and looked over his shoulder at the warehouse again. We hadn’t seen any of the DK members in a while and everything was quiet around us.
“So, this is their storage space or something?” Hunter asked and Glock grinned at him again.
“What are all these questions for?” Tank snapped in a growly voice.
“He’s only a baby, cut him some slack brother,” Sniper said and I watched as the orange glow at the end of his cigarette began to die as he took one of his last drags. I’d given up smoking when I joined the Army, but I missed it sometimes. The power I had over a burning object in my mouth…the smell of nicotine on my fingers.
“Well, the warehouse is full of storage containers,” Glock said. “So, it’s likely that they’re storing something in there,” he added.
“Like drugs or weapons?” Sniper asked and Tank shrugged his shoulders.
“In all probability,” he said.
“It’s not like they’ll keep their women in there right?” Hunter clarified and Glock exchanged looks with Tank again.
“Anything is possible. This is why Axel wanted us to check this place out,” he said.
I was staring at the warehouse, standing with my hands stuffed into the pockets of my jeans when we saw a girl walking around the front of the warehouse. We could hear her heels clicking against the hot concrete as she walked.
“Hey. Over there. Who is that?” Hunter alerted the others and we all crouched down a little under the car and looked through the window.
She was dressed in a way that a lot of the groupies did, so that wasn’t really telling. Impossibly high heels, a tight tank top with her cleavage spilling out, a short skirt that left nothing to the imagination and big fluffy hair. Her makeup was streaky and colorful and she had large copper hoops hanging from her ears.
We watched her as she walked up to the shutters of the warehouse and tapped on it twice.
“What is going on?” Sniper asked and Tank hushed him angrily.
The shutter was pulled up noisily and one of the guys from Dragon Knights crouched down and slipped out, pulling the shutter down immediately. We were close enough that we could hear them talk even as we remained hidden.
“What the Fuck are you doing here? You’re not supposed to be here!” the man stepped threateningly towards the girl and she stumbled backwards on her heels.
“I know I know…but I didn’t know where else to go,” she was speaking in a loud screechy voice, close to tears. The man reached out and grabbed the back of her head and shook her.
“What is going on? Why are you here?” he asked and she squealed as he shook her. I had to clench my fists to stop myself from hurling over the barbed wire and charging at the guy. She had done nothing. There was no reason for him to treat her like that!
“One of the girls…there’s an issue…the client is pissed,” she cried and I squinted my eyes to look at her better.
“Who is it?” the man growled, shaking her by her head again.
“Candy,” the girl said and he released her.
“Fuck! What did she do this time? Did she start crying again?” he said and I shifted, feeling a rage rising up in my bones. I knew exactly what was going on. Axel was right in his suspicions. These assholes were running a prostitution ring. Abusing these women. This one was definitely not one of the groupies and if she was, she was being sold to clients for money.
She had started crying by now and the guy grabbed her arm and twisted it as he dragged her around the warehouse.
When they were gone, Glock turned to look at me. His eyes were burning, just like mine were and he had his jaws clenched.
“These motherfuckers are going down,” I heard Tank say in a low growl and we straightened up and got into the car. I was driving while the others talked. We knew something had to be done, and for the first time since I joined the MC as a full member, I was glad of my decision.
The other things I didn’t care so much about, but putting an end to the abuse of women by another gang was something that I wanted to do. Something my father and Bryce would have done too. My veins were pumped and throbbing and I could feel a new energy coursing through me.