Sterling clambers down from the van to look at the body in the bag. “Got a friend who works admin at one of the body farms. Shehelped me out. He’s a John Doe and fits Burres’ height and weight.”
“A woman?” I bark out.
“Yeah, Pres. We served together, but she got hurt pretty bad. Don’t worry, she owes me.”
“Jesus,” I mutter, pressing my fingers to the bridge of my nose for a minute before returning my attention to Sterling. “You’d better be right, Sterling. We can't have this blow back on us.”
“Trust me, Pres. I promise Charlie won’t be a problem. She only told me where the body could be found. I’m the one who went into the system and altered the records so he was never there.”
I’m aware we’re wasting time, so I nod. “Okay, we’ll leave it for now. Let’s get him in the car so we can blow him up. Jesus, fuck.” I sigh. “That is not something I ever thoughtI’d say.”
“Oh, how our lives have changed.” Bolt chuckles as he comes to stand next to me, stripping off his gloves.
Brass and Iron lift the cadaver from the body bag and place him in the car.
Bolt nudges my shoulder. “Changed for the better, though, Pres.”
I turn to look at my little brother. He’s always been the wildest, but he’s grown up a lot in the last few years. More so since he married Jeanie and they’re expecting their first baby. She was the best thing that ever happened to him.
“Yeah, Bolt. Definitely for the better.”
“Okay, everyone strip,” Sterling orders, holding out a bag. “Put your overalls, gloves, and footies in here. I’ll burn them once we’re back at the club. You won’t need me until we have the information we need from Burres.”
We all strip off the overalls and put everything in the bag before climbing into the van. It’s a tight squeeze, but it’s only a short trip to where we parked our vehicle and sleds.
Copper lets us know that we’re a go.
We’re leaving the site when Cross presses the button on the device in his hand. An explosion lights up the night sky, and a few minutes later, we hear the sirens.
It’s done.
Now comes the important part—getting information from Burres. Not that I’m worried. Between my brethren’s Old Ladies and the truth serum, it shouldn’t take long.
Why humans choose to be cruel to one another is beyond me, but it feels good to be on the side that’s taking them down one trafficker at a time.
I’m relieved when we drive through our gates, and I see the van we left at the hotel for our brothers at the ball. We’re all home and safe.
I feel even better when I see Thea and Jeanie waiting for us near the QD with bags and relieved smiles. Parking my bike, I get off and stride to my Old Lady, taking her in my arms and kissing her like I haven’t seen her for days. This operation has been fairly easy, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t worry about all my brothers and their women.
We break apart, and I run a hand over Thea’s belly where our baby rests.
“Glad you’re back, aghrá mo chroí,” Thea murmurs, cupping my cheeks, her eyes searching mine. She was worried. I hate that, but it’s the life we’ve chosen to live.
“Me too, sweetheart. Everything okay here? Shea?”
“She’s fine, aghrá. All the kids are. We left them at home with Opal so we could bringyou clothes to change into before you get information from the gobshite. And we figured that Nora and Bee would be more comfortable in leggings and t-shirts under their coveralls rather than ball gowns.”
This woman. She’s the best Old Lady I could’ve wished for. The best thing that’s ever happened to me. Did she take me by surprise? Hell, yes, she did. Marrying her is still the best decision I’ve ever made.
Enfolding her in my arms, I hold her close, burying my face in her hair. “God, I love you, Thea Tin.”
Thea tightens her arms around me. “Love you too,a chroí.”
She hugs me close one more time before releasing me and stepping back. “Now go and do what needs to be done, then come home. I’ll be waiting.”
With one last smile, she turns and walks towards ourhome.
I whistle to get everyone’s attention. “Wraiths, Thea and Jeanie brought clothing for us to change into. Put them on under your coveralls. Everything gets burned at the end. One bag is for the brothers, and the other is for Nora and Bee. We’ll take it in turns. Tinman, take Mom back to mine. Make sure you burn your clothes from this evening. Thank you for helping tonight, Momma. I know this isn’t usually your thing.”
