Reed
Every time I crossed the border of the next state or stopped to fill my tank, I found myself looking over my shoulder. It was only a matter of time before the fucking cartel got wind of Juan’s death, and they were not going to let it go unpunished. Even if I had succeeded in taking out the associate and only witness on Juan’s side, they would surely figure out who he had made his latest deal with.
There was nothing that got past the leader of a cartel like that. They were all-seeing and all-knowing like a God, which was why I hated that the FBI had gone from getting Elena involved with a hard ass MC to making her give up sensitive information about a cartel. This cartel had a reach that was fucking miles long. They dealt with more than just women, and I knew that. Juan was only a small piece in a larger operation, and I was scared shitless right now.
I had just won a woman that could stand by my side as an equal, and be in my bed each night without fail. I wasn’t ready to lose her yet. And I sure as hell wasn’t going to let her lose me. She has gone through enough in her life. I was here to make sure it was better from here on out.
I was finally approaching Cincinnati, driving so fast other motorists probably thought the devil himself was on my back. That’s what it felt like as I navigated through the heavy morning traffic of the city. The highway was backed up to the point that I had little choice but to fly through the shoulder and passed all the traffic to make sure I got to her.
I had left Elena to her own devices long enough, and I wasn’t about to make her wait any longer to get to safety. I had a slight idea of what the bureau was going to have is to do. They would be giving us new identities of some kind and putting us into hiding.
It would mean that our MCs would have to be run by the VPs for the time being. I didn’t know how I felt or how my club would feel about that. I had never had to do that for more than a day before.
I knew that Dmitri would take care of things for Elena. He had been doing it most of the time anyway, even keeping the Vipers sane under Jimmy’s iron fist all these damn years. I could only hope my boy, Max, would pull through for me and keep my friends and family safe. I had to worry about Elena and me right now.
I sped up to the building where we met Kristie and John in the past. I wasn’t sure if Elena was there or if she was at her house or staying somewhere else entirely. I felt a bit out of the loop. So, I calmed myself and picked up my phone, turning it on for the first time since I had hopped on my bike an hour out of Laredo. I had kept it off because I didn’t want anyone, government, cartel, or otherwise to be able to use the thing to track where I was going. Every decision I had made from the moment I shot Juan was to give us enough time to get out of there safely.
I dialed Kristie’s number, unsure if Elena’s phone would have been changed out by now. If anyone else in the cartel had found her out, who knew what other information they had on her. It was a good thing Kristie had convinced her to come to Cincinnati to meet to discuss the cartel instead of talking over the phone about it
“Reed, is that you?” It was Elena’s voice, and I had never been so relieved to hear it. I was overcome with emotion, but right now wasn’t the time for breaking down. I could do that once we got to our destination.
“It’s me, Siren. I told Kristie I was coming for you. I’m in Cincinnati, and I need to know where to find you. Are you at your apartment?”
“No,” she answered, sounding distressed. I doubt she had been able to sleep since Kristie gave her the news in whatever way she saw fit. For all I knew, Elena hadn’t even known for sure if I was alright. “They let me go back there last night to grab a few things and then that was it. I am staying at Kristie’s now, and there have been armed agents around us pretty much the whole time. You need to tell me what’s going on. They’ve told me almost nothing.” She was more in panic mode than I was, but the answers would have to wait.
“You’re going to have to wait for that, babe. We need to get the hell out of here. Text me the address, and I’ll come for you. Get the plan from Kristie because we need to fly.” I hung up because time was of the essence here. I wasn’t’ going to hang around and wait for them to find us in her hometown. I took off down the road, glad that the address came through quickly. It wasn’t too far, and I found myself at a large downtown high rise in five minutes flat.
I took the elevator up to the tenth floor and found 1021, the unit that Elena had said Kriste lived in. I could see several well-planted people with guns if I looked hard enough, but they weren’t pointed in my direction. The FBI probably knew every time I took a piss at this point, so I had nothing left to worry about there.
I knocked on the door, and Kristie was the one that answered, pulling me in quickly and bolting the door behind her. “Fuck, Reed, it took you long enough,” she huffed, and I could chortle at that. Off duty, I kinda liked her.
She led me into the depths of the luxury apartment where I found a distraught Elena waiting for me. I took the time to meet her embrace and kiss her reassuringly before we got down to business.
“Now, what the fuck’s the plan?” I asked, looking at Kristie and the two black-suited agents that had made themselves at home there for the time being.
“There is an armored vehicle, completely unmarked, waiting outside in the lot for you. You get three bags of luggage altogether, and they are already packed inside the vehicle. One of them will contain your new phones, identities, and anything else you need to change your appearance once you reach your destination.
“Both of you are to lay low and to go into hiding. We will keep your motorcycle safe, Reed, and there will be a car waiting for you where we’re taking you. I highly suggest you don’t leave once you’re there. The two agents that are taking you will also stay with you for protection until the bureau gives the all clear. The only contact you will have is us. I want you to understand; this is no vacation.” I nodded, I totally understood that. I looked over at my Ol’ Lady’s pursed lips and knew she didn't like the talking to.
“So, where are we going?” she asked, standing up and putting her arm in mine. She looked as ready to go as ever.
“You know we aren’t going to tell you that. We can’t risk you calling someone on the way and putting them and yourself in more danger. The FBI is extending this protection to you because of the contact we have with you and your long-standing successes,” Kristie explained, flinching at her own formality. “They won’t be so forgiving if you decide to ruin this for yourself.”
I got the gist of what she meant. If we stepped out of line, we lost our protection and possibly our lives. Elena would certainly lose her job. I wasn’t planning on breaking any rules right now, no matter how bad ass I thought I was.
“Yeah, I get it,” Elena grumbled. I could see tears welling up in Kristie’s eyes. Elena had told me that Kristie was much more than her handler. They were best friends. I was finally getting a tiny glimpse of that.
Kristie came up and threw her arms around Elena in a tight hug. “Be safe,” she whispered to her, and Elena hugged back and nodded. I didn’t feel a whole lot of confidence coming from Siren at that moment, and I hoped our long trip in the car would be able to give me a chance to change her mind. If she lost confidence now, then all was lost. There was nothing left there to save.
“It’s gonna be okay, Siren,” I told her, kissing the side of her head as the two agents led us out of the apartment and down the elevator. It felt a little bit like the walk to death row, but I wasn’t going to voice that out loud. I knew that being whisked away by the FBI was no guarantee of anything, but I had to hold out hope that we would find a new and safe life for now and that they would be able to bust the cartel quickly.
“If you say so,” she said, as we were led to the parking lot and towards a large, black Infiniti that was waiting for us. The agents showed us that there were two bags packed in the trunk and one sitting in the middle of the back seat. That must have been the one that had our new phones in it.
We reluctantly handed our own phones over and got in the vehicle with lightly tinted windows. A male and female agent were dressed in casual clothes in the front seat, ready to take us to our destination. I couldn’t help but wonder where our home was going to be for the next several weeks or months until the cartel was no more.
I reached out and held Elena’s had as we took off, squeezing it with love. There were no words right now that would make any of this go away, so I was going to have to wait for the right ones to come to me later.
In my mind, I said my goodbyes to Seamus, Daisy, and all the others back at the club. My family was going to have to get on without me, and I just hoped that my leaving with Elena would mean they could do so in peace.