No one says a word until Incubus clears his throat.
“Girlie, no one wants either of you to go undercover for Christ’s sake. What we are thinking is, first we go to his bosses, offering the money the two of you were able to steal so we can work a deal to get the Mob off your asses and outta our lives. Second, as a backup plan, we can either bring in the FBI or local pigs, but that is up to the both of you too. Don’t have to answer us right now. Give it some thought. Cobalt will reach out to the bosses and we will see how it goes. Warning to both of you, and listen to me ’cause I ain’t fuckin’ joking. Until we’ve gotten some clarity, neither of you are to leave this compound for any reason. Girlie, we know you are single, but Stash do you have a snatch anywhere? If so, we can pick her up for you, if you want.”
Both Jimmy and I look to each before we bust out laughing. My brother’s face is turning a soft blush shade. Incubus is staring at us like we are losing our minds. Trying to catch mybreath to explain it, leave it to my Blue Eyes to have figured it out already.
“Brother, I’m guessing you picked the wrong gender. Our boy Stash swings the other way.”
I see it immediately, after he closes and opens his eyes I’m shocked as shit that Incubus shows no hatred or any kind of disgust because of Jimmy’s choices. This totally surprises me as I thought that at least Incubus would be kind of a dick about it. The surprise must show on my face because when he looks my way the expression he sends my way has the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Holy fuck, Incubus can be a good guy after all. Well, this is one time I’m going to try and keep my mouth shut and stay out of this man’s business if he wants everyone to think he’s an asshole. I’ve got enough on my plate. When I glance back at Incubus he looks my way, I nod, letting him know he can trust me to keep my mouth shut. He stares for a second then gives me a small nod, along with a wink. Guess that will do because that other look almost had me shitting my panties.
NINE
COBALT
This whole fuckin’ situation is getting out of control. Yeah, I reached out to Salvatore’s bosses, who surprisingly actually listened and asked a shit ton of questions. They wanted to know if I trusted Julie and Stash. I let them know the club and every brother in it trusted them and is willing to protect them ’til this shit is done. Anthony, one of the bosses, wanted to meet the brother-sister team, along with my VP and me, but I shut that shit down. We don’t know if they can be trusted at this moment, so nope, not meeting anyone and neither is the sibling pair.
Psycho heard that a few of Salvatore’s goons have been disappearing, which leads us to believe the bosses might be pulling them in to corroborate our story. I’ve not heard anything from Salvatore, which is just fine with me. We had two protection jobs so brothers have been coming and going. Stash now is setup in his own office, which we’ve tricked out with everything he needs to continue what he is best at; hacking. Though now he works for us which is the best arrangement for our club and for him. I’ve pulled Julie in to helping out with general bookkeeping for the club so she’s not bored to death. Though I first brought it to achapelmeeting to make sure all of the brothers were good with it. Since we’ve started the process oftransferring our past illegal ventures, Julie is given no information about that shit. She doesn’t need to know ’cause if we are ever raided, not knowing is the only thing that’s gonna protect that fine ass of hers. She’s driving me crazy with this dance we are doing. All I can think of is her, the smell of a garden mixed with a hint of vanilla and something else that is softly like a musk. That smell alone can make me instantly forget what I’m doing. Watching her interact with my Kings of Anarchy brothers makes me want her even more. She has a way that allows her somehow to assess each brother and give them what they need. When I saw her with Rocket the other day, showing him how to use a program on the tablet he was working at but not catching on, it took my breath away. My brother has some problems with concentrating and being able to work independently. Rocket is a great brother in training but when he was talking about it in the main room, Julie told him there are programs that help you with training your brain to function with more organization by teaching you the skills to handle day-to-day chores. Yeah, got to admit we kinda treat our prospects like total dog shit. We have to because, before we patch them in, they have to be strong enough emotionally and physically to handle all aspects of being a brother in our club. This ain’t for everyone and once you’re in, got your patches and club tattoo, that’s it. In for life. And that ain’t a bad thing, but for some, they think they want it until they are in the mix of it. We are always on the cops’ radar, not to mention the FBI and CIA. All of the Kings of Anarchy across the country are known for what we do, though each member is individual to their own club. Bottom line is, if a prospect can’t hold his weight and be trusted, this definitely ain’t the place for him. My mind turns back to Julie, I grin, knowing probably a handful of brothers are falling or thinking they are in love with her. I mean, once Rocket got the concept and was able to manage the skills to be able to use the teaching program, the look he gaveJulie was like a little kid looking up to their parent like they could do anything. And the biggest surprise of all is my brother, Incubus. Julie and Incubus have put down their guards and it seems like my brother might be on the road to trusting our lil’ purple-haired badass. Maybe not one-hundred-percent, but shit, sometimes I don’t think he trusts me fully, though we’ve worked on all of our individual shit together. Incubus and I have been to hell and back, all thanks to Uncle Sam. He seemed to get the worst of it when we were captured. I tried everything I could to keep him under their radar but he was their first go-to every single time. Probably because he drew their attention to himself to protect the rest of us.
Shaking my head, I try to clear it of all the shit that continues to run through on a continuous loop. Julie provided me with the start of spreadsheets, broken down by business, month, expenses, and income. I’m currently looking at the master sheet that has all that is included to run this clubhouse. She scoffed at the news that we pay dues to the mother club on a monthly basis. She got really pissed off, which is beyond adorable. Ranting and raving about how we are the ones with all the risk and they get paid no matter what. Shit, gotta say, her support of my brothers and me is beyond refreshing. Since I was old enough to prospect for my ol’ man’s club I’ve been on the receiving end of all kinds of looks from the regular folks. Men who wished they could do their own thing like we do by following our rules and not answering to anyone. Grown women willing to throw themselves at us, come to parties, and offer up whatever a brother would want from them. I’ve grown to realize that no matter what I look like or do, some folks in this small-minded state of Indiana are gonna judge. Being in Tranquility, Indiana is like stepping back in time in many aspects. As much as I love my hometown, it doesn’t get by me that there are folks who have their own narrow-minded way of thinking. The split happening currently in our state isdue to all the different political views. That’s one thing our club thoroughly agrees on. Each man can believe in what or who he wants, but nothing will not come between our brotherhood or club. If anything threatens that, then there will be consequences. This club works because, besides following the KOAMC bylaws, we have incorporated our own rules within our walls. These are rules we’ve voted on as brothers and they can change as they are always up for discussion.
When my phone rings it actually startles me, which makes me chuckle. Man, I was deep into my own head. Reaching for it, right before I engage, I get a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach.
“Yeah, you got Cobalt.”
I hear a really breathy groan and then my worst nightmare when a weak, “Prez,” is whispered into the phone.
Recognizing his voice immediately, first anger hits then I feel nauseated as my head starts going through a shit ton of different scenarios. We don’t have that many enemies any longer…fuck, Salvatore. What did this motherfucker do?
“Rocket, brother, where are you? What ya need? Just tell me, I’ll be right there.”
I hear his raspy breathing and as much as it pains me to think this, it might be too late already. Son of a fuckin’ bitch. I push the button under my desk, which is only used in emergencies and this fucking definitely is one. I wait as Rocket tries to catch his breath, and whoever the bastard is never lets him catch a full breath, just keeps wailing on him. All I hear is skin hitting skin and Rocket’s cries of agony. Finally, not able to take it any longer, I scream into the phone, “ENOUGH MOTHERFUCKER!” This is what my brothers run into. My eyes first hit Psycho then Incubus, before sweeping the rest of the guys squeezing into my office. When I mouth, “Rocket,” all heads fall forward. Our youngest brother is very much liked and is on the path to being a strong member of our Indianachapter. Screaming brings me back to the phone in my hand. I pull it away from my ear and put it on speaker, then place it on my desk. Everyone stares at it like something is gonna jump through it. When I finally hear his voice, instead of getting hot and angry my body goes frigid, and I know right at this moment I will give Incubus the green light when it comes to repaying this motherfucker for making the worst mistake of his miserable life by taking Rocket.
“So do I have your attention, Cobalt? Or should I call you Prez like your little boy toy here?”
I growl but hold my tongue. Need Salvatore to think he has the upper hand. I look to Ajax, who is not only our secretary but our computer expert. I mouth for him to grab Stash and bring both their laptops now. He takes off running like his ass is on fire.
“This is what’s going to happen, Cobalt. You will return my other toys to me, and if you are unsure of what I’m referring to, I demand Julie and Stash back immediately. Also, for my inconvenience, you will send with them five hundred thousand dollars, of course untraceable. For your disrespect the next five jobs you do for me will be free. Now, do you understand or do I need to make some adjustments so I’m clear? Though just a warning, not sure how much more this kid is going to be able to take. He’s not as strong as some of your other brothers. I’ve done my research and know what each of you went through because of our United States military. Obviously, your club has lowered its standards with these new recruits. So do we have a deal?”
Just as he finishes, Ajax and Stash run into the room, both men jerking their laptops open. With a brief discussion they start pounding on the keys so I mute my phone. I know this motherfucker isn’t gonna give me a ton of time to decide, which proves true when we hear Rocket screaming for me to makethem stop. My heart stops just as I look up to see Julie stomping toward my desk a worried pissed-off look on her face.
“What the hell is that Blue Eyes? Who is on that phone? Don’t tell me nothing, asshole, just say it.”
Again, Incubus steps up surprisingly, putting his hands gently on her upper arms, moving her away from my desk, and whispering in her ear. I see the moment he gets to what is going on because I’ve never seen someone move so fast, but before any of us know her intentions she reaches over, grabs my phone, looks at it, unmutes it, and puts her hand up at me then starts talking.
“Salvatore, it’s me Julie, please stop. There is no reason for anyone to get hurt. This is between you and me. I was wrong and apologize. Just tell me what to do for you to release Rocket and I’ll do it. My God, quit hurting him, he’s innocent.”
Hearing Salvatore’s insane laugh, I’m thinking this isn’t gonna end well. Then this little spitfire gives it her all. She’s proving to be such a badass.
“Okay, whatever. I tried, just remember if that kid shows up dead, you will never see your millions ever again. I will give it to his family, friends, charities in the area, or I’ll take bags of it so I can pass it out to the homeless in town. I’m done fucking around with you. What you’ve been doing is wrong and you know it, you insane bastard. Thank God this club knew how to get in touch with your bosses because I’m getting the feeling you aren’t long for this world. So go and try to make a lasting impression. Doesn’t matter because, in the end, you will be the one with a bullet between the eyes, in a shallow grave in the middle of a forest preserve, or maybe behind the Kings of Anarchy’s clubhouse. That way it’ll give these guys a place to piss when they are partying out back.”
Incubus puts his meaty hand over her mouth as I see many emotions running over my brothers’ faces. Even her brotherdropped his head, shaking it. For me, I don’t know if I want to kiss or murder her. You never poke the psychopath when you don’t have a plan to follow through. We can hear heavy breathing before, in a strangled voice, we hear Salvatore scream to someone to stop. Then he tells someone to get Marissa down there to look at the kid. What? My head shoots up as Incubus’s hand falls down, though there is shock written all over his face. Psycho lets out a very low whistle to catch my attention. He lifts his laptop to show me a map with a blinking dot above what looks to be a commercial area. Salvatore finally replies to Julie’s rant.
“Did I hear you correctly? You went above my head to my bosses and told them what? That I hurt your little feelings? Like they would give a shit about that, Julie. I thought you were smarter and knew that the nature of our business happens all the time, but apparently, I was wrong. We are having Rocket tended to so he can be transferred back to your clubhouse. Cobalt, he will be dropped off to your club shortly. Let’s just call this a huge mistake and move on to more important things. Cobalt, I want you to turn Julie and Stash over to my men and we will make a switch—the kid for the sister-brother team. There will be a bag of money for his troubles to help with healing and shit. Best I can do, amico. Growling, I wish I could jump through the phone and tear his throat out then piss down it.
“Get something straight, you motherfucker. I am not your friend, so never say those words in reference to me like that again. You better pray to the devil himself my brother pulls through, or you won’t believe the rage that will rain down on you. I know you think we are just a small club in Indiana, but one phone call and every single club chapter will be on their way to Indiana to annihilate every individual associated with your name. And just sayin’, Sally, it won’t be pretty. The screams will be heard all the way back to your little town in Italy when wefinish. You will be saved for last after all those in your life have suffered. We’ll be bringing in some of those little boys who have remained alive after your abuse and torture. They will get the pleasure of returning the love. I told you never to fuck with the Kings of Anarchy, and you dumb bastard should have listened to what I said. Now, how long until Rocket is returned to us?”
Soft whispering can be heard before he replies.
“Marissa has to cauterize one of his injuries then we will transport him to you. All I ask is that you take pity and reach out to the bosses, letting them know I’ve cooperated with you. Come on, Cobalt, we’ve worked together for years, doesn’t that mean anything?”
