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Elle had just fallen asleep with the biggest smile on her face. With deep exhales and thank yous, she made me feel as if I was some sort of sex god. Here, outside, my well-inflated ego nose-dived. This precarious situation was really starting to unnerve me. I grumbled, “I guess our ploy at breakfast was pointless, with me sharing a room with her.”
Solemnly, Vice assured me, “Not on you. Them learning who she is to you was inevitable with these persistent fuckers.”
Lorenzo was toying with us. He was informing us that his men were expendable, especially when it came to Elle. Now it was a matter of how long we were willing to play his game.
Arms crossed over his broad chest, Pops shook his head very slowly. “The balls on this guy.”
Even Dagger was no longer amused. He was worried. “Prez, somethin’ ain’t right.”
Pops lit a cigarette while putting his back to the Italians’ motel room. Quietly, he said, “Okay, let’s rehash some shit. Fact, we’ve missed a bug. It’s on something in the truck or trailer.”
Brown eyes wide, Vice yanked on his wild hair. “I’ve. Checked. Everywhere.”
Pops waved him off. “This ain’t on you. At the moment, we’re all being outsmarted, so let’s go back to basics. Put ourselves in our enemy’s shoes.” He thumbed over his shoulder. “Why sacrifice your men?” He shrugged. “He knows they won’t see the light of morning if he doesn’t send reinforcements.”
Dagger nervously scratched at his eye patch strap. “Umm, he’s trying to gather intel. Our reactions are what he’s gauging.”
Pops pointed to him. “Agreed. But bikers being trigger-happy isn’t exactly a no-brainer. What else does he want to know?”
When he looked at me from the corner of his eyes, I realized… “You already fucking know.”
“Huh?” he asked, buying himself time to react properly.
“You heard me, you fucking tricky old bastard.”
Dagger started chuckling. “The jig is up, Prez.”
Pops threw his head back. “Fiiiine.” Then he glared at me and Vice. “Pups, fucking think. How do you figure this out?”
Vice shrugged, repeating, “Put ourselves in our enemy’s shoes?”
Dagger popped his eyes patch, teasing, “This one is quick.”
Pops slapped his forehead. “I can’t ever die and leave these minions in charge.”
I lit a cigarette. “Alright, alright. Stop the dramatics and let me think.” Inhaling my cigarette, I stared at the dark car lit by the only overhead light available.
To put myself in Lorenzo’s shoes, I had to first try and imagine someone taking Elle from me. Blowing smoke into the air above me, the mere thought of her slipping from my grasp had my stomach turning instantly. Since Pops and Dagger were studying me, I did my best to muffle a cough when the smoke got caught in my now-restricted throat.
Dagger goaded, “You’re right, Prez. The club is doomed.”
Squinting due to choking and my body doing all kinds of weird shit, I asked, “How did I become a puss in a blink of an eye?”
Pops grumbled, “Fucking. Women. The Devil’s best ploy.”
Holding the back of my neck, I admitted, “If I were Lorenzo, I’d be leading a fucking army to get Elle back. I mean, fuck loads.”
Pops agreed, “Yet he’s not. Or, at least, he’s not revealing it.”
Vice suggested, “He could still be in Italy?”
Pops peered over his shoulder. “Nah, too much at stake with her free. He’s either back or almost here. My guess is he’s getting his boat to where he wants for a quick escape once he gets his hands on—”
“Pops,” I advised.
“Then stop acting like a pyromaniac with an unlimited supply of matches and get to figurin’ this shit out and saving your girl.” He spread his arms as if needing to remind me of this shit show. “Two men at a time? That’s no threat, even for a small group of one-percenters. Now ask yourself why he’s doing this.”
Again, I tried to think like my enemy. I’m Lorenzo. I’m Lorenzo… but I kept coming back to how I would react if Elle were taken from me. “This is hard. My mind is so consumed with her and her safety. If this were me, as soon as I learned of her location, I’d get her. Kill anyone in my way.”
