“Blackmail.”
“Basically, yeah. He’s got no boundaries and will go after whatever gets results. Families, including women and children, if it gets the desired outcome.’
“Fuck!” Just what I suspected.
“Let’s face it. A lot of guys in this business aren’t squeaky clean, and if he can’t find something to use, he’ll make it happen. Supposedly, he set up a guy with an underage girl who was working for him, got the whole thing on tape, then threatened to go to the cops. Sometimes he sets up a married guy getting balls-deep in a chick who ain’t his wife, or a married guy getting balls-deep in another guy.”
“Shit,” Samson pours himself another shot, “and he never gets caught?”
“Not so far. Between his daddy’s money and power, plus the money he’s accumulated, he’s practically untouchable.
“Pierce has a huge Beverly Hills estate, but he also has some villa in Pacific Palisades where he holds parties for all his rich clients,” Joker adds. “No big deal, except most of the women he invites are underage. Plus, hehas hidden cameras in all the rooms which makes blackmailing his famous friends that much easier.”
Rattler waves his hand at the topless women. “Nobody likes to party like the Serpents, but from what we hear, this guy has a habit of picking only young girls, and when I say young, I mean under sixteen.”
“Our sources say Pierce makes Epstein look like Walt Disney,” Cobra confirms.
“No doubt the Serpents like to crank it up,” Rattler says, “but we never prey on children.”
“Right, and every woman here is legal,” Cobra adds. “The bouncers at the door make sure of it. The women are here ‘cause they wanna be. Pierce, on the other hand, hires underage girls just for that purpose. Unfortunately, there’s a lot of guys out there who don’t give a shit if the girl is willing or legal.”
Cobra leans in to the table. “The bottom line is Pierce will stop at nothing to acquire more clubs and more property. Ever wonder how he has such a large portfolio? All smoke and mirrors. He just keeps pushing and stirring up shit until the owner gives in. Doesn’t hurt that he and his daddy have a few elected officials in their pocket too.
“This new information changes everything,” Cobra refills my glass, and I shoot it, hoping booze does its job.
“This fucker is definitely dangerous,” Samson confirms.
“Glad we could be of service,” Cobra says. “Any other help you need, let us know.”
Although the Serpents live on the edge of society, and Samson and I try to play by the rules now, we all have the same background. Fighting our way to the top at any cost. Samson and I worked hard to sever our ties with the Brooklyn mob, but deep down we still live the motto: Fuck With Me, and I’ll Fuck You Worse.
I run my finger around the rim of my glass. “There’s someone else I’d like Boa to check out.”
“Problem?” Cobra asks.
“Nothing urgent. Somebody popped up from my past.”
“That’s never good.” Cobra laughs around his words.
“I don’t think it’s an issue. The guy’s a fuckin’ loser, but I wanna look into it anyway. Got a lot more at stake now with Cheryl and Portia back in my life.”
“I feel ya, brother.” Joker leans in. “Especially after the shit I went through on Halloween.”
“Yeah, back in the day, me and Samson were balls out all the time. It’s different once you got family depending on you.”
“Shit, remember that one time we were doin’ collections for Frank down by the pier?” Samson laughs. “And the stupid fucker makes a run for it.”
I laugh ‘cause I know where Samson’s story is headed.
“So, we chase this fucker through an abandoned warehouse. He pushes out the back door and snags his jeans on this piece of metal. He keeps going, and the metal shreds the material of his jeans. So now we’re chasing him down the pier, and he keeps running while tryin’ to keep his pants up. Mind you, it’s January, and it’s cold as fuck.”
“Me and him,” I jerk my thumb at Samson, “are laughing our asses off.”
“The moron gets to the end of pier, spins around, his jeans fall to his ankles, he loses his balance and falls into the fuckin’ water bare-assed.”
“How much did he owe?” Cobra asks.
“All that bullshit for a grand.”
