“They went willingly?” I don’t know what to think of this new information.
“Apparently.” Saint seems to speak half to himself. “Look at the direction they’re taking.” He shoots me a narrowed-eyed look. “All we know is that Ace is in a vehicle moving south. It could just be her and the boy. Maybe she’s bringing him back to us.”
At that moment, Bullseye’s phone rings. He answers. “Freak? Yeah, we’re getting somewhere… Hold your fuckin’ horses andI’ll tell you. Trixie had the bright idea to put a tracker on Ace, and he’s now on I-17 just outside Phoenix.” Bullseye pulls his phone away from his ear, and while I can’t make out actual words, I can hear Freak screaming at him. Bullseye raises his voice. “Calm the fuck down, Brother. Who cares why she did it? You can talk about boundaries and overstepping once he’s home. It does mean we know what direction he’s heading. Yeah, Bro. Get your ass moving. We’ll keep you updated.” The call ends.
Prez’s cheeks puff out as he inhales. “Saint, I know you suggested Freak’s woman might be bringing him home, but the facts suggest she’d tried to cover her tracks so she could disappear with him. And being that the MDMC are involved, they’re not likely to just let a woman and kid leave.”
Saint swears loudly and brushes his hands back through his hair, gathering the strands together and holding them back in a ponytail. He shakes his head. “You’re right. We’ll work on the worst-case scenario. Our intel is that their main compound is close to Tucson, which could be where they’re heading.”
“Would make sense. But what the fuck do they want with Toni or Ace?” Prez rubs his eyes. “And why does Freak think that she went with them willingly?”
“Perhaps they’re going to ask us for a ransom?” the VP suggests.
I wince, knowing Freak would give up every last penny he owned to get Ace back.
“Anyone know the exact location of the MDMC compound?” Prez asks. I guess it’s a rhetorical question, as if they did, they’d already be locked, loaded, and ready to go.
“No.” Saint gives a shake of his shoulders. “When we met with Wrecker, their prez, it was on neutral ground.”
“So we wait,” Bullseye states.
“We could get some brothers on the road to rendezvous with Freak. If we’re right, and that’s where they’re heading, we could get to them quicker that way,” Saint suggests.
Prez shakes his head. “And what could they do? Ambush whatever vehicle the Mojave Devils are transporting Ace in? We don’t know how many there are with him. For all we know, the whole fuckin’ club could be riding as escorts, and any outright attack on them could lead to Ace being caught in the crossfire, or deliberately killed.” He pauses and rubs hard at his temples. “Freak’s going to fuckin’ hate us. I propose we need to get ready to ride, but hold off until we know where Ace lands, and then make a plan.”
Saint heaves a sigh. “Freak’s not going to like it. I’ll go update the brothers and get those off-site back onto the compound.”
“They’ve just joined I-10.” Pippa’s eyes haven’t moved from the screen.
Which means they’re heading toward Tucson. I watch Saint and Bullseye exchange glances. Then the VP offers a chin lift and leaves the room.
It’s now that Bullseye turns his attention to me. “While it’s fucking useful in this situation, you better have a damn good explanation for doing what you’ve done.” He looms over me, looking menacing. “How the fuck did you get hold of a tracker? Have you put them on anyone else?”
While keeping her eyes on the screen, Pippa raises her hand. “I had a couple of spares after buying them for you to hide on your bikes.” She shrugs. “I gave one to Trixie. Thought she could maybe put it in her purse.”
After casting a grateful look toward her for answering one part of his question, I swallow fast before responding to the other. “No, Bullseye, I swear it. As Pippa said, I only had the one. I just did it on impulse. When Ace dropped his jacket off, he’d told me he was going to be alone with his aunt.” The expressionon his face shows me I’ve not given him enough. “I didn’t trust her, okay? There was just something about Toni that didn’t feel right. So I used the tracker. I’d have removed it once he was back.”
“Why did you have suspicions?” he asks. He’s at last removed that piercing glare from me and is now leaning over Pippa’s shoulder. She’s managed to do some techy shit, and the map from my phone is currently displaying on her big screen. He’s watching the flashing dot like a hawk. “Did you really have something concrete, or was it lucky happenstance?” he growls. “In any other circumstances, putting a tracker on a club member or his kid without permission would be a breach of fuckin’ trust.”
Pippa pipes up. “Our Trixie survived the Mafia. She’s probably used to two-faced women, and what can be hidden under a pleasant enough looking façade.”
What the fuck?She must have done a deep dive on me. And I thought she was my friend. I blanch.
Bullseye notices. That man sees everything. “You think Irish didn’t give us your full background five years ago when you arrived? You believe we wouldn’t have asked why the Kings were transporting a half-dead woman across six states?”
“You never said anything.” My mouth drops open.
He shrugs. “Wasn’t our business.” Then his eyes narrow. “Is Pippa right? Was it some vibe you picked up on, one that we obviously missed?”
That they’ve known about and accepted my past so casually helps me regrow a spine. I go from defeated to wanting to contribute. “Yeah, she could be correct.” I hadn’t analysed it that way. “I’ve learned not to trust anyone. I grew up around women who wore masks. I wore one myself often enough. Freak and Ace weren’t looking for it, but I saw some of the looks Toni was giving behind Freak’s back. She dismissed me as a worth-nothing-whore, so acted as if I wasn’t there.” I hesitate.
Again, nothing much passes Bullseye by. “There’s more, isn’t there? Spit it out, woman.”
“When she stayed the night with Freak, I saw her look of distaste. As if she wasn’t really into it, you know?” Again, I pause, wondering how much I should say. “Look, us club girls are here to service the brothers. Sometimes one of us might not be in the mood, but we go along with it anyway. The expression on her face was one I’ve seen on Star’s, Heaven’s, and Sweetie’s faces from time to time. I know it’s been on mine.” I hurriedly add, “Hey, fucking you guys is normally no hardship, but sometimes it feels more like a duty, though we’re practiced at hiding it. Enthusiasm in bed is easy to fake. But us girls have a tell that’s not immediately apparent to you men. And that night, that was what I saw on her face.”
“You think she was trying to set Freak up?” He seems to be taking me seriously.
“Before I knew the MDMC were in the picture, I thought it was because she didn’t want her dead sister’s son to be raised by a biker. I believed she could make a move to take him for herself.” I shrug. “Hence, the tracker. From what I could tell, she was leading Freak on and wasn’t as enamoured of him as she led him to believe. But with that club involved?” I toss my hair and shake my head. “I can’t understand it. I’d have laid down good money she’d do anything for that kid.”
