His relief was evident. “Thanks, Copper. I’ll talk to him as soon as I get back to Croftridge.”
“Good. Come on. We’ve got Church in a few minutes.”
Once everyone was seated around the table, I called the meeting to order and introduced the members from Croftridge. “Have we gotten anything from the cameras on the Disciples’ clubhouse?”
“No, not yet. But I do know how they got the envelope past the gates,” Judge said. “They used a drone to fly it over the gates and drop it at the door.”
“A drone? How fucking fancy. All right, boys, we need to come up with a plan to take these fuckers down. I’m open for suggestions,” I said.
“I say we bomb their clubhouse like they did ours,” Batta offered.
“I say we position ourselves around the clubhouse and pick them off with sniper rifles one at a time,” Tiny suggested.
“I think we should start with grabbing a few of their boys and interrogating them,” Judge said.
“We should intercept their next shipment and let them know we have it. We can tell them we’ll return it after having a sit-down with Aim and Asp, only Aim and Asp, on our territory. If they refuse, we can threaten to turn the shipment over to Luke,” Coal said.
“If we do that, the other members will likely be hovering nearby, ready to defend their President and VP, meaning the clubhouse will be empty. We can sneak in and plant a bug, a bomb, or whatever the fuck we want,” Savior added.
I leaned back in my chair, rubbing my chin with my thumb and forefinger as I appraised the young Croftridge members. “I kind of like that suggestion. Brothers?”
Judge shrugged, “It could work. Do we know when their next shipment is due?”
“No, but I know who to ask if we want to go that route,” I said.
After more discussion, we decided to go with Coal’s suggestion if we could intercept the shipment in the next few days. I stepped out of the room and placed the call.
“Boar, do you know when the Disciples are expecting their next shipment?”
He chuckled, “Yeah, the stupid fucks have been doing their business like clockwork for the last two years. I can’t believe they haven’t been busted yet. Three days from now, it will be coming to their warehouse mid-afternoon,” he said.
“Perfect. Can you send me the location of their warehouse?”
“I’ll do you one better. I’ll get you the warehouse and the last leg of the incoming route,” he offered.
“Appreciate it, man. Everything still quiet in your area?” I asked.
“So far so good. I have a few boys ride by my hot spots a couple of times a day to make sure everything is as it should be,” he said, letting me know he was keeping extra eyes on our people still in his rental houses.
“I can’t thank you enough for your hospitality. I hope to have this mess cleaned up by the end of next week.”
“Not a problem. Take your time, Copper. It’s not inconveniencing me in the slightest, and Shannon is having a great time hanging out with the Old Ladies.”
We ended the call, and I went back into Church to update my brothers. Boar sent the location and route immediately. It didn’t take long for us to hammer out a plan. Once that was settled, all we had to do was wait.
* * *
Usually,three days isn’t a long time. The three days we had to wait for the Disciples’ shipment felt more like three years. We managed to make a huge dent in the repairs to the clubhouse during the days. Each night, I spent hours locked in my room talking to Layla. I missed her more than I ever thought possible. She assured me she was fine and had been having a good time with the girls, but I could tell she was saying it for my benefit.
When the day finally arrived, we rode to the designated location and patiently waited for the truck to make an appearance. I was a little on edge because I didn’t know exactly what was in the shipment. I was expecting it to be guns or drugs, but it could be anything from stolen goods to a truck load of women. And it better not be fucking women. I wouldn’t be able to contain myself if it was.
An elbow to my side had my head shooting up. Judge whispered, “There it is.”
In the distance, I could see a box truck approaching us. I whistled once and said, “It’s go time, boys.”
Surprisingly, we were able to take the shipment without any hassle. The driver had no idea what he was delivering, or so he claimed, and wanted nothing more than to escape with his life. We let him go once he had been properly threatened and drove the truck back to Devil Springs. Batta, Judge, and Tiny were like giddy little school boys who had just raided the candy shop.
Thankfully, an inspection of the shipment revealed that it was indeed guns they were expecting. They were shitty guns, but at least we didn’t inadvertently get involved in the world of human trafficking.