Turning to the rest of the Kings, I said, “I have a contact in Elmwood. The guy doesn’t work for cheap, but he’s reliable and always comes through. If we can get him information on Garrett’s family, anyone close to him that he would care about, we’ll have our leverage.”
“Already on it.” Damon pulled out his phone. “Garrett is married. He and his wife have a two year old.”
He held out his phone, showing me the wife’s Facebook page along with her full name. I didn’t doubt that Garrett would trade Dom for his wife and kid. I didn’t enjoy using kids as bargaining chips, but in this case, I was willing to do anything.
“Anyone have a burner phone handy?” I surveyed the group of men, knowing one of them would come through.
Rebel pulled a small prepaid flip phone from his back pocket. “Here. What’s the plan?”
“You’re about to find out.” I made the call, almost ecstatic when the guy answered. “I have a job for you. It’s an emergency. It has to happen now.”
There was a pause on the other end before a gravelly voice said, “Emergencies cost extra.”
We went back and forth, negotiating the details. I gave him Garrett’s name along with his wife’s. Finding their address was part of the job. My guy had come through before, and I believed he would again.
“Don’t kill her or the kid,” I instructed. “Tie her up. Make it look serious. Send me a photo and the address where you take her.”
“Ten grand. I’ll be in touch.” The call ended. Now we waited.
“I know this guy, Phil, he’ll grab the wife and kid. We’ll use them to get Dom back. I think we all know that Garrett has no plan to let him out alive. I overheard him say something about The Vultures MC. He’s up to something. Anyway, it’s going to be ten grand. I’m happy to put up the money. I have a stash of cash back at the house.” This wasn’t the kind of payment one made through their bank app.
“We’ll pitch in,” Rebel said, nodding to the SUV they all arrived in. “Let’s get the fuck out of the cold.”
It would take Garrett around an hour to get Dom back to Elmwood. If Phil moved fast enough, he would be able to grab Garrett’s wife before they arrived. The rest of us headed back to my house for the cash.
I couldn’t shake the impatience that had me fidgeting. Unable to sit still. I wasn’t sure exactly what Garrett had planned for Dom, but I knew it wasn’t good.
“The Vultures MC hates us,” Auryn explained on the drive back to my house. “We refused to deal some shady drugs to them. Instead, we formed a partnership with their rivals, theHorsemen. Garrett must be using Dom to form some kind of alliance with The Vultures.”
I didn’t have much experience with any of the MCs from any nearby town or city. When we were hired to do a job, we did it and moved on. Most of what we did involved physical violence and murder for hire. Stuff the MCs didn’t generally hire out for.
“Phil will come through for us,” I promised. “He’s never let me down.”
Phil himself was a pretty shady guy. He had a knack for finding people. Nobody could hide from him for long once he started looking for them. Known for being a hell of a good tracker, he was worth every penny he charged.
Back at the house, I went to my bedroom, to the safe in the back of the closet. After entering the combination, I popped open the door. Stacks of cash greeted me along with a few expensive watches and a gun I used for specific jobs. I counted out the money for Phil, making sure it was all there.
“We’ll pitch in five grand. I sent Stray to his place to grab it. He won’t be long.” Rebel stood stiffly in the middle of the living room. His gaze darted to me a few times as he glanced around the room. I got the feeling there was something else he wanted to say.
Trying not to crawl out of my skin while we waited for Phil to contact us, I chewed my bottom lip until I tasted blood. When Garrett had shown up at the house, he’d taken Damon and I by surprise. He knew we were working with the Kings. He and his followers had forced their way inside, beating the crap out of Damon and grabbing me. I was greatly relieved to see that Damon was all right other than some nasty bruising.
I’d known that Dom would trade himself for me. Not for a second did I doubt that he would take my place. Still, it was a punch in the gut. Having to watch him get in that van. I didn’twant him to be at Garrett’s mercy. Knowing that Project X had something planned.
Shifting from foot to foot, I ran a hand through my hair, trying to calm my racing heart.Come on, Phil. Don’t let me down man.
“Dom never doubted you,” Rebel said suddenly, breaking the tense silence. “When you didn’t show, he never really believed that you’d screwed him over. The rest of us did. But not him.”
My upper lip curved into a slight smirk. “I’m sure he was thinking it.”
“I can see that the two of you really do care about each other,” Rebel continued. “When this is all over, I think we all need to sit down and talk. Maybe it’s time for a new chapter. Maybe it’s time for you and Damon to join the Kings.”
My head snapped up. I searched Rebel’s face. He wasn’t the kind of guy to fuck around. If he’d been thinking about this enough to say something, he meant it.
So much had gone down between our two groups in the past. I wasn’t sure we could leave all that behind and start fresh. Although I was willing to try. Because of Dom.
I nodded. “I think that would be a good idea. We definitely need to talk.”
Damon sat there on the couch scowling, wearing the worst poker face I’d ever seen. I understood why he wouldn’t be thrilled about joining the Kings. They killed two of our friends. It was hard to overlook something like that, even if those friends had brought it upon themselves. Hell, they’d almost killed me.
