My face turned into a ball of fire as the ink jumped off the page at me. These fuckers were really trying my patience. I crouched down to stop my head from spinning. I just wanted the warehouse to stop spinning. I read over the note again. Now I had to call Ryder and the boys. This was it. I had to build the chapter quickly. I would need all hands on deck. I placed my splayed fingers on the ground and steadied myself. I let the anger wash over me. Once I gathered myself, I rose to my feet.
“Rick, hey, it’s Diego. How you doing?”
“Good, buddy, what’s up? I’m coming your way today. I was going to see if you wanted to catch up for a beer.”
I coughed. “How ‘bout you bring the beers here. I need your hands on deck. The chapter hasn’t even officially opened but we got a situation.”
“Uh-huh. Those dudes, right?”
“Yeah, how’d you know?”
“I been in security for a long time, I thought they might have been casing the joint. What’s the verdict?”
“You’re more than right. They got a ransom on my head.”
“Holy fucking shit! Do you know why?”
“Las Balas crew. I have a fair idea. Get here when you can. I could use a helping hand on the ground.”
“I got you, and I got a group of guys that can help us out,” Rick said. “Let me get off the phone so I can round them up. We can case the perimeter on guard until we catch these suckers. Give me twenty. I would start setting up barricades if I were you. Put blocks over the window so they can’t see in. Is the property insured?”
“Property’s insured and that’s a good start with the barricades. See you when you get here.”
I set to work with the spare MDF panels at the back of the warehouse. I carried them out from the back storeroom and to the first of the back windows to check the sizing match. Actually perfect. It was as if they were made to be boarded up anyway.
I grabbed the nailgun from my toolbox and set to work on each window. I kept my ears tuned for cars on the street, leaving one of the windows clear while I was inside so I could see out. I felt around for my gun and took it out of the holster and set it down on the table in front of me. The deafening roar of my heartbeat in my throat made it hard to breathe. The problem was I had no idea when the strike would happen. I had just about finished setting the boards when I heard the low hum of a car engine. I snatched my gun off the table and pinned myself along the side of the wall of the warehouse. I kept my voice still and my breath steady. I waited for the person to answer.
“Diego,” they called out, banging on the front door. “Diego, it’s me, Rick.” Beads of sweat had formed on my forehead. I jogged to the front door, gun in hand, and slid the door back.
Rick took one look at my face and the gun and said, “Holy shit.”
“Yeah, pretty much. I’m sweating bullets here.”
Rick beckoned to me and he had a four-pack of beer. “Let’s sit, form a game plan to win this.”
“Okay.” I pushed the loose strands back from my face as I sat across from him. He had a stern demeanor and was wearing all black.
“Okay. So what I didn’t explain to you is that I own a security company – it’s small. I do the weekend stuff for extra cash. If you want to hire me to run security I can and quit that. I spoke to Ryder and I’m going to come in and train the enforcers with a new bag of tricks.”
I gave him a handshake. “Sounds good.”
“Got the letter? Can we get this to the cops?”
“No. Cops are on payroll and pick sides. Plus, they would much rather we kill one another.”
Rick grimaced and twisted the top of a beer and handed it to me. “Here, drink up. Tell me more about the ransom and more importantly, does the club have the capital?”
I winced. “Yeah, we got it, they know that.”
“Okay, so what game are they running?”
“Two of the Las Balas crew are running a pro’ ring and they want to fund the operation. Apparently, these two are working alone. They were apparently kicked out of Las Balas. I’m not convinced.”
Rick looked confused. “Wait a minute. They are blackmailing you under the guise of Las Balas but they’re not part of the chapter?”
I sucked down part of the beer and stared at Rick. “Yep. That’s what I’m saying. The problem is, I don’t know whether to believe that or not. The source I’m not sure is credible yet. I have definite intel that the Las Balas boys like their pro’s so they’re seeking to profit off them.”
“Ahhhh. Okay, big business with brothels, maybe that’s what they’re trying to set up. There’s a few underground ones. Where the red lights are on, you know what I mean?”
