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Dad nods once. “Then bring it up again. You don’t need much from them, truth be told. Just some manpower, ears in the trees, and eyes on the road. You need to know what moves Colton is making, when and where, and with whom.” He pauses and looks my way. “You also need to reach out to your suppliers. The 457 cartel, specifically. You don’t want Colton going in there and making you sound like a pussy about to spill.”
“I’ve got this,” I reply harshly. “Leave the cartel to me.”
“Where’s Quicksilver on this?” my father asks.
“Nowhere,” Paddy cuts in. “Quicksilver has been out for a long time, Rufus. Leave him out.”
“It’s his club, too.”
“Not anymore, it ain’t,” Paddy reminds him. “You paid him off to that effect. He’s legal now and with plenty of money.”
It’s about honor. I get that, too. “It’s not the ’90s anymore, old man,” I tell my father. “We can’t just go in, guns blazing all gung-ho, and shoot our way out of the problem. It might’ve worked back then, but today, we’ve got RICO operations and Feds tapping everything. One wrong move, and we’re fucked.”
“You know, it’s something we should take into consideration,” Drake mutters as he stares at the whiskey bottle, likely trying to decide whether to take a swig.
“What?” I ask.
“Federal involvement. We’re trying to go legit. If we shake off our drug and gun routes, if we close those deals and pull away, we could reach out to our government buddies and offer intel in exchange for—”
“Immunity?” I cut him off. “It’s a huge risk, and you know it.”
“No bigger than Colton and his gang gunning us down in broad daylight,” Drake insists.
“Talk to the other clubs first,” my father calmly says. “See what they’re thinking, what they’re willing to do, and work your way from there. Let’s watch this whole shitstorm unravel. Let’s find out what Colton’s limits are because you bet your asses he’s going to test them. We’re the biggest he’s ever gone up against. It’ll cost him.”
Kai nods in agreement. “We should start retaliating in the meantime,” he says. “For every rider he drives off the road, we’ll handle one of theirs in a similar fashion. For every one of our shops they harass, we’ll tackle one of theirs.”
“Colton and the Devils don’t have businesses of their own,” Drake replies.
“But the MCs he’s taken over do laundromats, bars, pubs, and gambling dens aplenty,” Kai says. “It might even incentivize the likes of Lucius and Cody to work with us if it’ll help protect their businesses once Colton is out of the picture.”
It sounds like quite the master plan. We all know it will take more than common sense and diplomacy to get the other clubs on our side, especially after the pummeling they got from the Black Devils. Sometimes, it’s better just to roll over and hope to survive, but if we do that, it’s the end of everything.
My honor demands that we take action.
And we will.
It’s Nadia who has my thoughts unwinding, though. Drake and Kai are just as tormented about losing her. We’ve been keeping our distance and trying hard to keep her safe and out of Colton’s reach, but every day that she’s not around is another day we slowly die on the inside. I need her, her energy, the warmth of her body, and the kindness of her smile to fill my soul.
Otherwise, I may not have the necessary stamina to withstand this coming war.
I may not find my way back to her when it’s over.
13
Nadia
A couple of more weeks go by, but the days pick up speed once I find another job. To my father’s dismay, it’s not in his company.
I’m the newest barista at Marcy’s, a café in downtown Anaheim that sells French pastries and fruit smoothies that bring in the local gym afficionados on a daily basis. It’s a small, cozy place, easy to clean and manage on my own.
I haven’t yet figured out what I’m going to do about the baby. I haven’t told Dad, either. Truth be told, I’m terrified of his reaction. Time, however, isn’t in my favor.
I’m not showing yet, but it’s mostly thanks to my already curvy figure. Sooner or later, I won’t be able to hide it anymore.
“How are you getting on?” Sharon, the location manager, asks me. She’s about my age. Our location is one of five situated throughout Southern California. “Is anybody giving you any trouble?”
“God, no, the customers are all sweethearts,” I giggle from behind the counter.
