“Yes, I’m blaming you. I told you to wait, and we’d break into his house and steal his computer. Instead, you picked him up at a bar.” His eyes narrowed at the woman. “Did you think you’d get the information before me and hightail your scrawny ass out of town?”
Bernice’s eyes widened, and she licked her lips. “You know I’d never screw you over, Kenny. I got impatient, that’s all.”
“You’d fuck a donkey if you thought it brought in cash. Don’t think I mistake your loyalty as love. You try to double-cross me, and you’ll find yourself six feet under like Snake,” Kenny warned her.
“Hey, boss. There’s a man here who says he knows the location of the two girls,” Blade called out.
“Bring him in here. Did you check for any wires?” he asked, still giving Bernice a scathing stare.
“Yeah, he’s a bit drunk, but he described them to a T,” Blade explained.
“I can’t stand people who can’t hold their liquor,” Kenny mumbled as he sat in the chair on the podium. Bernice sidled up close to him, but he pushed her away. “Go take a shower, you stink like a whore.”
Bernice shrank back as the members gathered to hear the drunk stranger’s account.
Blade returned a minute later with an older man, who reeked of alcohol, sweat, and stale smoke.
“What the hell do you want, old man?” Kenny seethed, thinking the stranger wasted his time.
“The women you’re searching for are my daughters. I want to make a deal with you,” the man said, his hands shaking as he stared at the liquor bottle at the bar.
“Have a seat and tell me your name,” Kenny said, suddenly interested. He motioned toward the bottle. “Tell me what you know, and I’ll give you the entire thing.”
“I’m Steven Stewart. You’re searching for my girls, Riley and Tara. They’re staying at a ranch in Embers. They used to call it Serenity Ranch, but they put up a new sign calling it the Haven Ranch,” he informed Kenny. “I went there to retrieve Tara. Riley refused to let me have her.”
Kenny sat back in his seat, regarding Steven. “Why did you come and tell me where they’re staying. Don’t try to play me. We don’t want them to have tea.” The men in the room chuckled.
“Riley used to understand me. She knew how her mother’s death killed me inside, but she still stuck up for that bitch. If you give me Tara, I’ll give you the other one. After what she said, they’re no longer my family,” he gritted out angrily. “As far as I’m concerned, they’re already dead to me.”
“Then why do you want the younger one?” Kenny pushed, sensing more to the story.
“Because she needs to pay for killing her mother. Riley gave her a necklace, which used to belong to my wife. I put a tracker on it to keep dibs on my oldest. Tara has no business wearing it,” Steven said, vehemently.
“You want us to kill your kid?” Kenny said, surprised.
“No. I have something better in mind,” he said, glancing toward the bottle.
Kenny nodded, and a man brought out a glass. Steven’shands shook as he poured the glass nearly to the rim, took a deep gulp, and sighed.
“How do you know they’re staying there? My men said they have security everywhere. We tried to pay them back after they refused to let us take the girl. They have cameras everywhere, and men patrol at random times.”
“They have to leave sometime. You’ll have to grab them then,” Steven said, pouring another glassful.
Kenny leaned forward. “We’re running to Mexico for a couple of weeks. I want you to watch the ranch and tell me if you see them there. When I return, we’ll take care of it.”
“Two weeks,” Steven exclaimed. “Can’t you have your men grab them now?”
“Nobody tells me what to order my men,” Kenny spat. “You won’t do anything until I return. If you screw up or try to run, I’ll hunt you down and drag you behind my bike. Do I make myself clear?”
Steven nodded. “How will I know when you return?”
“I’ll find you,” Kenny promised.
Steven took his bottle and tucked it under his arm. He shook less with the alcohol in his system. Kenny shook his head in disgust. “It’s not a far guess we’ll find him in a bar.”
“Do you want one of us to stick around and keep an eye on him?” Blade asked.
“No. We’ll get the drugs in Mexico and run them as we planned. Then, we’ll take care of Garret Johnson and the women. Jade’s getting antsy, and even from prison, he pulls some heavy strings. We can’t afford to piss him off. The old drunk can wait. Maybe by then, we can talk him into letting us keep the younger one. We need a few more old ladies around here. These bitches have forgotten how to fuck,” Kenny boasted, making the room fill with laughter.
