“The DA would like to see you in his office,” she said. For a moment I wondered if Richard had managed to convince the DA that I needed some time off as well. I shook the ridiculous thought from my mind, straightening my blazer before heading into his office, where he promptly motioned for me to sit.
“Good morning, Lacey. Please, there’s something we need to discuss,” he said sternly. I gulped, trying to keep a straight face while he fumbled through a few of the papers on his desk before looking up at me.
“Sir, may I ask what this is about?”
“We’ve received word that there’s a chop shop over in North La Playa that needs taking down, but we don’t have nearly enough evidence to do so. I’m putting you on the case, and I’m going to need you to do a little research off the books if we plan on nailing these guys,” he said, and I knew exactly what that meant.
“You want me to go undercover?” I asked, not sure if I was understanding him correctly.
“That’s correct, Lacey. You’re the only one that has their head on straight around here, and I think you’d be right for the job. I know everyone gives you a hard time about how much of your life you spend in the office, but consider this opportunity a pat on the back for a job well done,” he said, and it was probably the first time he’d ever personally acknowledged any of the work I’d done.
“Where would you like me to begin?” I asked, trying to swallow the fact that I was absolutely terrified. I didn’t know the first thing about making a good impression on people, especially when it came to hiding what my true purpose was. I had to give myself some credit, because my lawyer instincts were certainly going to come in handy when it came to getting under each and every suspect’s skin. I thought this could be my moment to make a name for myself and actually feel like I’d accomplished something real for a change.
“We’ve already arrested one guy that has some connections to that place, and it’s going to be enough to get you the information you need to start scoping the place out. If we plan on making additional arrests, we have to make sure that we have enough to shut the shop down for good. I feel like it has been in operation for quite some time and I refuse to let this go on any longer. I’m going to give you this file, which has everything you need to know about the interrogation we conducted on the first guy we arrested. Have a look over it and figure out how you’re going to get close enough to find out more. These people can smell cops coming from a mile away, and I have a feeling they’d never be able to tell with you, Lacey. Make me proud, and I will make this worth your while,” he said, and I nodded.
“Thank you, sir.” I left his office clutching the file he’d given me to my chest while I made the walk back to my office to figure out what my first move was going to be. Richard caught up with me for a moment before I managed to close the door, smiling, as though he’d learned what I had been up to the night prior.
“You look incredibly happy. I wonder why that might be,” he said, fishing for information, but it was quite clear that he didn’t know anything.
“I just received the biggest case of my career, and now I’m going to go off into my office, read the file, and get to work. No more pressing me about guys, but if you must know, I met someone last night that did pique my interest for a little while.” I felt my cheeks heat up again, but I was enjoying teasing Richard for a change.
“Is that so? So that’s why you look like hell today. Rough night out drinking, huh?”
“It was my neighbor’s birthday, nothing too wild. I promise to tell you more once I get through this case, all right?”
“Counting on it,” he said, shutting my office door behind him. I sat there for a moment, reading everything that the suspect had said, noticing how many considerable loopholes there were in his story. So much of what he said didn’t make sense no matter what context it was used in. It was like he was desperately trying to cover his tracks.
There’s something strange going on at that place, and I’m just going to have to figure out what that is.
Seven
Moves
I was up extra early that morning, sitting in my small kitchen, downing a cup of hot coffee as I thought about where the day was going to take me. I’d checked in with Chalupa the night before, making sure that he was doing all right and lying low while we got to the bottom of all of this. I knew that he was scared, that he had no idea who could’ve done this to him.
Hawk and I were still trying to figure out how best to go about looking around for any clues, but we had to stay out of sight because any indication that we were anywhere near the scene and we’d probably be picked up as well.
It was driving me insane not knowing who could be next, worried for each member of the Outlaw Souls, wondering what would happen if any of them got caught out at the wrong place at the wrong time. I made sure to schedule the meeting with all of them down at the Blue Dog, because they all needed to know exactly what they were looking out for and who to avoid while we got to work on finding out who was trying to frame Ortega’s.
I thought about the possibilities, about Las Balas, the rival gang that did the really nasty stuff that we wouldn’t touch. Were they trying to run us out of town so they could take over? I wasn’t going to let that happen. I was going to make sure that everyone had access to the right weapons, that we accounted for every single gun and dollar that traveled in and out of the Outlaw Souls. I was so afraid that something was going to get leaked, that we were going to be at our most vulnerable if they were ever able to get inside information from one of our own. I had to trust the other members, because as the enforcer, I had to make sure that no one slipped up while we were under such scrutiny.
I went outside into the yard to give my bike a tune-up, checking for my gun in its holster at my back before I rode down to the Blue Dog, feeling the collar of my leather jacket brush against my neck in the wind.
The heat was scorching when I finally arrived, and I felt a single drop of sweat trickle down my forehead as I entered the Blue Dog. I saw all the familiar faces I’d been waiting to see since Chalupa got arrested, and I could tell by the concern in their expressions that they were waiting for the answers we simply didn’t have. I wished I could’ve told them that I had everything figured out, that I wasn’t right there with them wondering who could’ve tipped off the police, because until we had solid evidence, we couldn’t even be sure that it was Las Balas.
“It’s about time, Moves,” Ryder said, giving me the side-eye as though he was expecting me to be here and ready to talk before everyone else arrived.
“I’m sorry I’m late, everyone. As you know, we have a bit of a situation on our hands. You all know what happened to Chalupa, and how he ended up at the police station with charges relating to stealing a car with the intention of getting it chopped, even though he was nowhere near the vehicle in question,” I explained.
“How can you be so sure?” Ryder asked again, looking around the room for support while everyone stood back in silence.
“I’m sure because I saw the look in his eyes when he told me he had nothing to do with it. You were the one that told me this entire thing was bullshit to begin with, and now you’re having doubts? We’re all in this together because we trust each other, because we protect our own, and it’s time that we start doing that. This is a threat to the Outlaw Souls, one that could very well destroy us if we’re not careful,” I replied.
“I said that because I believed it was Las Balas. They’re the only ones that would have reason to mess with us, and it would be good for them having one of our own go to jail. Can you imagine what they would do with La Playa if we were run out of town?”
“They would turn our town into a drug ring, and I want no part in it,” I said, raising my hand. “Neither should any of you. Now that we have that settled, you should all know that Hawk and I will be investigating this further, trying to get some solid evidence before we go around accusing people, even if we feel like we have reason to do so. The real reason I asked you all to be here today is because Chalupa is going to need a good attorney if he’s going to get out of this, and he doesn’t have the cash to pay out of pocket on his own. I would like to raise a vote to take some of the club funds to help him out.”
“We don’t have a lot of funds as it is,” Scorpion said, and I nodded.
