“They’re a new motorcycle club associated with the MC I grew up in.”
No wonder Brent hadn’t spilled the news. If Elias had known the truth, he might have pulled the plug on the mission before they’d gotten started. “Is it safe for you to do this assignment?”
“I think so.”
She glowered at him. “That lame assurance isn’t good enough.”
“It’s the best we have, Iona. We can’t let the Blackthorn Riders sell the weapons or armor-piercing rounds. Too many people will die if they do.”
“Look, I understand how important this mission is, but I’m not willing to lose you.”
“She’s right.” Noah stared at their boss. “You knew about their connection to the Reckoners and remained silent. Why?”
“I didn’t expect Knight to take this assignment on as a lone wolf. I expected he would enlist the aid of his team.”
“Artemis and Echo are in this with Elias,” Seth said. “Brent, we have a lot at stake here. We won’t let Elias do this op alone. You should inform the FBI.”
“After the mission ends. I’m not convinced the feds have closed the information loop on this.”
“Yeah? What happens if the feds arrest us when they arrest the Blackthorn Riders?”
“We’ll send a shark of a lawyer to your defense and pay whatever fine law enforcement comes up with to earn a buck or two.”
This wasn’t right. Elias didn’t want his teammates in the thick of things if it wasn’t necessary. Putting them in jail was a bad idea. None of them would tolerate bullying or abuse by other inmates. Talk about causing problems.
“Brent, I can help with that issue,” Zane said.
“How?”
“Since I’ll be providing tech support for this mission, I can send all the information needed to clear Echo and Artemis to the local police and the FBI as soon as Seth tells me to deliver the information. I’ll put the packets together and have them on standby.”
Brent looked at Seth with his eyebrow raised. “Satisfactory, Dixon?”
“Yes, sir.”
He shifted his attention and question to Elias. “Knight?”
What more could be done? He didn’t enjoy taking the people he cared about into the heart of danger, but that would mean Echo and Artemis would never take a mission. This solution would work. He just hoped the information was quick to filter down quickly to the right places. He nodded, promising himself that he would talk to Zane about sending the packets to people with authority who were involved in the case.
“Excellent. I’ve ordered lunch to be delivered here in an hour. After that, you’re free to leave for the compound. Zane told Dutch to expect you later this afternoon. I expect reports every six hours. Understood?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Watch your backs. If you run into more trouble than you can handle, bail. Finishing this mission isn’t worth losing even one of my people. Iona and Elias, with me.”
What now? He’d already had a nasty surprise this morning. He’d rather not have another one. With no choice, Elias got to his feet and held out his hand to help Iona to hers. They followed Brent from the conference room to his executive suite and into his office.
“Have a seat.” The boss circled his desk and dropped into his chair. He watched them a moment, then focused on their clasped hands. “That’s new.”
“Yes, sir.” And not up for discussion. As much as he loved his job, no one would tell him he had to break up with the woman of his dreams.
“It’s a distraction.”
Elias waited.
“Will you be able to stay focused?”
“I will, the same as I’ll ignore the pain in my shoulder.”
