“I didn’t want out of the MC world, just out of the area where trouble dogged me.”
His men roared with laughter.
When the laughter subsided, he turned to Seth and Noah, pointedly ignoring Elias again as well as the rest of Echo unit. “What do you want?”
Seth’s lips turned down. “We told you. We want to help.”
“Not buying it, Seth. Nobody does anything for zero payback in our world. Let’s have it. What do you want?”
Seth folded his arms across his chest. “All right. You’re correct. I want something.”
“That’s more like it. Let’s hear your request.”
“You said you want us to help with security.”
“Yeah. So?”
“For someone who’s willing to take on a team of ten for security without a background check, you’re close-mouthed about the details.”
Dutch sneered. “I don’t see a problem here. Loose lips sink ships, right?”
“We’re putting our lives on the line, putting our Old Ladies’ lives on the line. I want details before we walk blindly into whatever you’ve got going on here. No one is putting my Old Lady’s life in jeopardy or the lives of my team.”
“Yeah? I’m not fond of walking into an ambush, either. And that’s what could happen if too much information leaks out.”
Seth gave a slow nod. “Although I can understand that, I know we owe you a favor for taking us in and providing a place to stay off the police radar.”
Elias wondered just how off the radar they were. A time or two when they were in and out of the cabin, he thought he’d seen some of Red Rock’s finest in the shadows. Did they know what was going on? Were they in on it, or were they hoping to catch Dutch and his crew with their hands dirty?
“Of course I’d help. Elias is my cousin. Blood is thicker than water, right?”
“And yet you didn’t tell Elias who you were. The change is dramatic.”
A shrug from Dutch. “Maybe E has a faulty memory, or he’s not as smart as he’s cracked up to be.”
Elias rolled his eyes. “You’re playing games again, Dutch. We don’t have time for games.”
“Who says I’m playing, cuz?”
He stilled. Not good. His cousin hadn’t minded stretching the truth when they interacted. Most of what he said was true, but which part was a lie?
“If you want our help, tell us what we need to know,” Seth said. “If not, you’re on your own. I’m not taking my people into a dangerous situation without knowledge. That’s how we lost too many friends and brothers in the Sand Box. If the situation was reversed and I was the one in need of security help, would you risk your own men’s lives without asking for details?”
Blackthorn’s leader held Seth’s gaze for a long moment. “Fair enough. I can give some details, but not everything. You understand? Not all of this is my decision to make, and I can’t tell you what the cargo is, so don’t ask. What do you need to know?”
“Where is this security gig going down?”
Dutch gave a wry laugh. “You asked the one question to which I don’t have an answer.”
Seth’s eyes narrowed. “You don’t have a place for the exchange?”
“I had one. Now, I don’t.”
“You were supposed to use a building on Merriweather’s property.”
“How did you guess?”
“You and the farmer were friends. It makes sense that you would ask to use one of his barns or a large outlying building for the exchange.”
