“Good work, brothers. Let’s give them time to realize their shipment is missing and start looking for it. We’ll have Church tonight, and I’ll make the call to Aim,” I announced.
* * *
Judgeand I had been watching the live feed of the Disciples’ clubhouse for the better part of the evening. Needless to say, there was a lot of activity. I couldn’t stop myself from laughing every time one of the Disciples frantically ran out of the clubhouse and took off on their bike. No doubt Aim was losing his shit trying to find their missing guns. I was tempted to wait until morning to make the call.
With my brothers gathered around the table, I dialed the number Spazz had located for Aim and placed my phone on speaker. He answered before the end of the first ring, “Aim.”
“Copper Black,” I said, trying to hold back my laughter.
“You motherfucker!” Aim screamed.
“Excuse me?” I asked, feigning innocence.
“You and your club stole our damn guns. That was a big fucking mistake, Copper. One I’ll make sure you regret.”
“I see. I guess this means you don’t want the information I have for you. Oh well…” I trailed off.
“What information?”
“The kind that doesn’t need to be discussed over the phone. You and Asp be at the old dive bar on Neely Ferry Road at ten o’clock tomorrow morning. Only you and Asp,” I demanded.
“And if I don’t show?” he asked.
“Then the info I have will be given to morelegitsources.”
“Fine,” he huffed. “We’ll be there.”
“Oh, one more thing. If anything happens to me or any of my boys, the info goes straight to the feds,” I said and disconnected the call. Now, we just had to wait.
23
Iwas starting to get a little cabin fever. I needed to get out of the house, even if it was just for a brief amount of time. And, I wanted to have a few minutes alone. I wasn’t used to being around people every second of every day, and it was slowly driving me insane.
And I missed Copper. A lot. He called every night and sometimes we talked for hours, but it wasn’t the same as being with him. I wanted to feel his arms around me, inhale his scent, have his lips pressed against mine. I wasn’t sure how much longer I could stand being cooped up in the house away from him.
He told me not to leave the house. So, technically, the front porch and back deck were a part of the house. At least two men had been posted on the front porch at all times since Copper and the majority of the club returned to Devil Springs. That left the back deck. Surely, I could slip out there unnoticed and have a few minutes of peace to gather my sanity.
I tiptoed down the hall to the kitchen. It was late, and I was pretty sure everyone was asleep, with the exception of the two guys out front. I peeked through the window, and, when I was sure the coast was clear, I carefully pulled the backdoor open and stepped outside for the first time since Copper left.
Inhaling a lungful of cool, crisp air, I sighed. If only I had thought to bring a steaming mug of hot chocolate with me. Maybe next time. Curling up in one of the chairs, I tilted my head back and gazed at the stars. Before I knew it, I drifted off to sleep.
When I woke, my head was pounding, and I thought I was going to vomit. Deciding it would be best to be in the bathroom if I did indeed throw up, I moved to get out of bed. A cold feeling of dread washed over me when something prevented me from rolling my body to the side.
My eyes shot open and darted around the room. Despite the darkness, I could instantly see I was not in any room I had ever seen before. I tried again to move and discovered my arms were restrained above my head. I tried my feet, and, thankfully, my legs were not restrained.
Forcing myself to remain as calm as possible, I tried to remember what happened. I was outside on the deck looking at the stars, and I fell asleep. Then, I woke up tied to a strange bed. What the hell?
With tears running down my face, I could do nothing but wait for someone to come in and pray they wouldn’t hurt me.
It felt like hours of maddening silence passed before I heard a noise beyond the closed door, and the war within myself began. Did I want someone to come in, or did I want to continue suffering in silence?
I listened intently but heard nothing but silence. I’d almost convinced myself I’d imagined the sound when I heard someone wiggling the door knob. Moments later, the door flew open, and I immediately recognized the man filling the doorway. I could do nothing but stare at him as the tears poured down my face.
24
We arrived at the bar thirty minutes earlier than we told Aim and Asp to be there. I wanted to make sure they weren’t going to try something stupid like ambushing us when we walked in. The owner wasn’t happy about having to open his doors to us at the early hour, but he owed me more than one favor and couldn’t refuse my request.
I still wasn’t one hundred percent sure how I was going to handle the situation. I had their stash of guns hidden, and a few of my brothers were guarding it. We had the two prospects from Croftridge monitoring the surrounding area for any signs of the Disciples. I had no doubt the rest of the club would be somewhere in the vicinity. Tiny, Spazz, Coal, Edge, and Savior had ridden out to the Disciples’ clubhouse to hopefully plant some listening equipment in their clubhouse. However, that might be a moot point depending on the outcome of the meeting.