Chapter 17: The Devil’s Reward: Chapter 16

Bullet looks at the large baggie full of smaller ones, eyes hard. His jaw is clenched, along with his fists, and I can sense the anger brewing inside him. “Fucker,” he snarls, looking at Viper and I. To be on the safe side, we decided we would meet here at the security company office, along with Torque, King, and Stone. Cryos is currently back at the clubhouse, foaming at the mouth that we dare to mess with his equipment. I’m not sure what excuse Viper gave him, but whatever it was, Cryos bought it enough.

“I’m going to take him apart,” Torque seethes, practically vibrating with fury. “He put that under our mattress, like he was taunting Izzy. As if shooting her up with this shit wasn’t enough.”

“Who’s on her and Sage now?” I ask.

“Sniper,” King replies grimly. “The mole would be a fool to piss him off further than he already is by trying to go after either of them.”

I nod in agreement. Sniper isn’t someone any of us want to piss off on a good day, let alone a day like today.

“Our mole is playing games,” Stone remarks, sounding just as angry as his father. “So he knew of this plan. A plan I’m fucking pissed about, let me add. What the hell were you thinking, involving the cop? Especially in club business.”

“For fuck’s sakes, she’s not a fucking cop,” King snaps at his brother. “She’s a dog trainer who happens to work for cops. And thank God Viper and Shadow thought of this, because if the mole had thought to call in a ‘tip’, we’d have all been fucked. So just shut the hell up about her, alright?” He gives Stone a hard glare, and the two brothers scowl at each other.

“You two can argue about that bullshit later,” Viper tells them coolly. “Right now, we need to talk about our mole and how he got ahead of us. Him putting this shit in all the rooms is his way of taunting us, while incriminating himself along with everyone else. We have no idea who planted them, and we look like we’re chasing our tails.”

“Not to mention, we don’t know if he’s going to hide more soon,” Torque points out.

“Anyone check the cameras?” Bullet asks.

I shake my head. “Cryos won’t let us near them right now, and honestly, I don’t know if pulling the plug on everything affected the cameras.”

Bullet nods slowly. “Make a note to check with him when he calms down. You said you found some in his office too?”

I nod. “Makes sense that our mole put it in there, though. Especially since it was only one packet. Cryos spends most of his time in that room anyway, so he was probably covering all bases.”

“What I want to know is, when would he have had time to do all this shit, and how did he get into the rooms,” King says slowly, eyes narrowed in concentration.

“Picked the locks or made a master key, I’d say,” Viper replies. “Which means he’s swiped one of ours without us noticing.”

A thought that doesn’t sit well with me, especially since we don’t know if that’s all he swiped.

“So now we need to figure out how he heard about the plan,” Stone says.

Viper and I exchange a glance. “The only places we discussed this were in Bullet’s office and at the offices here. We searched Bullet’s office and found this,” I tell them as I pull the small bag out of my back pocket, showing them the tiny device we found taped to the back of a picture of Rose on Bullet’s desk.

“We’ve de-commissioned it,” Viper adds when they all let out curses. “So we know that we’re good now.”

“Any way to trace it?” Torque asks.

“Cryos would be the one to do that,” Bullet remarks.

“But we don’t know if we can trust him now,” King supplies, realizing where this is going. “It would make sense, especially since he has so much opportunity with electronics. He could jam his own signals easily enough.”

“Fuck, this is a fucking mess,” Stone growls. “Can’t trust our own brother to check this shit out.”

I glance at Viper, who gives a slight nod to okay me offering my suggestion. “We have another option,” I say carefully.

They all look at me in surprise and suspicion. “Who?” Bullet asks carefully.

“Crypt.”

“The new Prospect?” Stone asks in disbelief. “As in, the man you’re sponsoring and has been a Prospect all of twenty-four hours?”

I nod. “He’s former Forces, and his specialty is covert intel. He’s also handy with computers.”

“We don’t need to tell him why we’re giving him the device,” Viper points out. “We could just tell him we want him to track down where it came from, see what he comes back with. Hell, tell him it’s a test to see if he can handle that kind of shit on his own. We don’t have to say outright that it’s club business.”

“We shouldn’t have to resort to this kind of shit in the first place,” Stone snaps. “What the hell kind of club are we becoming where we’re inviting women and fucking Prospects to solve our problems? To track down a mole?” His frustration is evident.

“You think we’re happy about this?” Viper snaps back at him, his own anger swirling.

“I think that I’m ready to call people out, and fuck this stealth mode,” Stone replies coldly.

“And send our mole right back into hiding, or tip him off enough to run to Dmitri and bring a war to our doorstep we’re not ready for,” I point out as calmly as I can, my temper slipping.

“Oh, we’re ready,” Stone disagrees with a rictus grin. “I for one am all for getting our hands dirty if it means getting Dmitri and his poison out of our town. If we take out our mole at the same time, all the better.”

“Or he’ll be fighting behind us, stabbing or shooting us in the back,” Bullet points out grimly. “I get what you’re saying, son, and trust me, I want to be right there with you, but Hammer, the others, and I worked hard to get us out of that life. The bloodbath back then cost us more than you can imagine. You think you’re ready, but when it comes to making a choice about which brother to trust, there’s a whole other side to it. You could gun down a man you think is guilty, but is actually innocent, while the real animal is safe on the sidelines, laughing at what he’s caused.”

“Which brings us back to my original point,” I interject before Stone can argue. “We have someone who we know hasn’t been bought off by Dmitri or one of his men. Let him look at the bug, see what he can dig up on his own, and then we decide.”

“And we don’t tell him what it’s for, or how we got it?” Bullet asks.

I nod. “For all he’ll know, it’s just routine work for a case. If he finds anything else, we’ll instruct him to speak to only Viper or I, no one else.”

“And you trust him?” Torque asks quietly, looking at me with eyes a lot like his father’s.

They all turn to look at me, even Viper. I nod firmly. “Yes, I trust him. He’s been in situations with me before that few could handle, and had the request been granted back then, he would have been on my team. I checked what records I could after I offered him the job, and he’s been decorated multiple times. If I’m wrong, then it’ll fall on me.”

I learned a long time ago to trust my gut, and with Crypt, it’s telling me we can trust him.

“That’s good enough for me,” Bullet says quietly. “We’ll give the bug to Crypt, get him to look into it. Depending on his findings, we’ll make a plan for our next move. If he can track it, even tell us who bought it, we’re one step closer.”

“I doubt our mole bought it himself,” King mutters. “Probably got it from Dmitri or one of his goons.”

“Probably, but if we can trace it back to them, then it’s possible we could find a path to our mole,” Viper points out.

“Do we have any ideas about who it might be?” Stone asks, glancing at Viper and I.

I shake my head. “It’s still too early to speculate. Not with so many possibilities.”

“Can we eliminate anyone besides ourselves and Sniper?” Bullet asks.

“Still too early for that too,” Viper replies grimly. “I hoped that Syn’s dogs would find something, which they did, but all it did was send us in circles.”

We’re all quiet for a moment. Finally, Bullet sighs and says, “Alright, well, let’s head back to the clubhouse. I don’t like being away from it for too long. We’ll start raising suspicion otherwise. Best to stagger ourselves back, though, so we don’t all arrive at the same time. I’m going to put some thought into our next move and then I’ll call Church.”

“The brothers are going to have some questions,” Stone points out. “I’ve heard a few mutterings and questions about why we haven’t discussed our mole much in the past few days.”

Bullet gives a curt nod. “They will, but I don’t give a shit about what they want or feel. One of them is undermining our club, and we need to figure out who and take them out. Make sure that every other brother sees the example we make of them. We’re a brotherhood, and we have each other’s backs. Shouldn’t ever be a time that we ever have to worry who’s behind us.”

We all voice our agreement at his words. “We also need to focus again on where Dmitri and his men are running their businesses, and how the hell they’re staying off the radar so well,” I remind them. “It’s one thing to track down the mole, but we have another enemy behind him. We need to cut him off before they’re so entrenched in our town we’ll never get them out.”

“I’m going to check on some snitches,” Viper says. “See if any of them have reconsidered about talking to us.” He cracks his knuckles for effect. I smirk.

“I’ll come with you,” I offer. “I doubt there will be much, but I also have a few sources we could tap.”

“I’ll have Cryos do another search on possible Russian and Italian run businesses, and any new names in town,” Bullet says thoughtfully. Then he grins slowly. “After he’s done plotting his revenge on your asses. I’d be watching your backs if I were you two. He’s damn creative.” He eyes both Viper and I.

Viper snickers. “We’ll see you back at the clubhouse.”

Everyone disperses, while Viper and I hang back in my office. Better for us all not to be seen leaving the building at once. I blocked some cameras and turned off others, but Cryos will have them back on in no time.

Once they’re gone, Viper looks at me and asks, “Who do we want to visit first?”

“I say we visit Louie,” I reply after a moment, grabbing my gun out of the locked drawer in my desk and tucking it into the back of my waistband. “This time of day, he’s usually not drunk yet. He’ll be looking for some cash to grab his next bottle from the store.”

“And his spot is close to Volos Garage,” Viper adds, cluing in to my train of thought. “Might as well see what we can find out from the Russians-turned-Italians, I suppose.”

We make our way out of the office, locking up the building behind us before we straddle our bikes and head towards the edge of the uptown core. It’s early evening, so there is still some decent traffic, but definitely not as much as during the daylight hours.

We make it in record time, parking our bikes down the road from the garage, and head off in the opposite direction. If anyone is watching, we don’t want them thinking we’re snooping around. Instead, we head for the alleyway Louie likes to frequent. It’s our lucky night when he lifts his head from where he’s sitting beside the dumpster between two buildings.

I’d put him in his late fifties, with stringy grey hair that hasn’t been washed in a few weeks. His clothes are dirty and full of holes. His eyes are glassy, but still clear enough that I know he’s not quite to the drunk and belligerent stage. His entire body straightens to attention when he sees us and he gets to his feet, though he’s not quite steady enough to do it without leaning on the dumpster for support.

“How’s it goin’, boys?” he drawls at us, showing us a mouth with a fewer teeth than the last time I saw him. “Long time no see. You got somethin’ ‘or me?”

Viper leans against the brick of the building to our left, perched not too far away from the opening of the alley, but enough to keep someone from coming in or out while we talk to Louie. He crosses his arms over his chest and levels Louie with a cool stare. Not that Louie is affected, since he never loses his smile.

“That depends, Louie,” I tell him easily. “What do you have for me?”

He scrunches his brows together in thought. “Hmmm, well let’s see,” he replies slowly. “Uh, that old son of a bitch on the corner down the way is always taking my place. Fucker. He knows that’s my spot. I’m going to kick his ass. You just wait and see. Oh, and that whore that works the next street over got offed by a John. Dumb bitch. Told her. I told her you don’t do shit without the money up front, but she didn’t lis’en. Told me to fuck off. Well, he showed her.” He cackles and I bite back a sigh.

“Louie, I don’t give a shit about street drama. I want to know if you’ve seen anyone hanging around and doing things they shouldn’t,” I tell him patiently. There’s no point in getting pissed at him, because he’ll only clam up and refuse to talk. Even with a bribe.

“Ooooh,” he drawls. He looks both ways down the alley, like he expects someone to overhear. “Yeah, I saw somethin’. Some big bastard strutting around like he’s cock of the walk. Fucker. Gave some guy something in a bag down by the garage. Pretty bag too. Like one of ‘dem girlie ones. Thought it was for some kid or somethin’ but then he opened the bag and I saw a bunch of white shit inside.”

I glance back at Viper at this information, but he gives nothing away. “Did they see you, Louie?” I ask.

He shakes his head hard, almost tipping himself over. “Nuh-uh, I’m sneaky.” He giggles. “I was by the wall and just slunk down the alley when they turned around. Never saw me. I’m real good at hidin’ when I don’t wanna be found.”

“That’s good, Louie,” I assure him. “Do you know what they looked like?”

“Them there coveralls or whatever the hell those contraptions are called,” Louie answers after a moment’s thought. “Other bastard was in a fucking suit. Can you believe that? A suit in these parts! Stuck out like shit on a white dog.”

I don’t bother reacting to his analogy. Instead, I ask, “Is this the first time they’ve been around here?”

“Nah. Come every week. Sometimes they come at night, but they come in a car. Some fancy black one that you can see your face in. All sneaky-like cause they always pull into the place they fix them cars.”

“Have you seen them in any other businesses?” I ask him.

He narrows his eyes in concentration. “No,” he finally says. “Saw one of you bastards though, down the way a few blocks.”

My shoulders stiffen at his information. “One of us?” I repeat carefully.

“You know, I’m awfully thirsty,” he remarks slyly.

I bite back the retort brewing on my tongue; instead I pull out my wallet and count out three bills. I hand him one, and he scowls at me. “You get the other two when you tell me what I want to know. Then you’re free to drink yourself silly.”

“I do get silly,” he agrees with a giggle. He tucks the bill away quickly, like he’s afraid I’m going to snatch it back.

“Who did you see, Louie?” I ask him impatiently.

He shrugs. “I only saw the cut. Alley was dark. Couldn’t tell who he was talkin’ to, but he wasn’t in there long. Left with a bag too.”

“Which alley?” I ask.

He nods his head towards the left. “Big building with the picture,” he explains. “Can’t miss it.”

Viper and I share a look. We know exactly where he means. It’s the same spot where Sage first took a picture of Dmitri. “Did you see the name on his cut? Or what he looked like?” I ask, though I know it’s a long shot.

Louie shakes his head. “Nah. Kept on going, didn’t want no trouble.”

“Do they meet a lot?” I ask him.

He shrugs. “Only saw the once. Was feeling pretty good too,” he grins.

I know we won’t get much out of him now. “You keep an eye out for more, okay, Louie?” I say as I give him the other two bills.

He snatches them greedily and nods fervently. “Of course. You bet. Gotcha. No problem.”

“And if you see another guy like us with a cut like ours, you try to see the name and remember it, okay?” I say firmly, giving him a hard look.

He nods again. “Yes, sir!” he replies smartly, snapping a quick salute at me.

I step back and he’s out of the alley like a shot, already heading for the liquor store.

“Let’s keep going,” Viper says grimly. “If he saw them, chances are someone else did too, and maybe we’ll get lucky.”

I doubt it’ll be that easy, but now we know for sure that one of our guys is meeting with Dmitri and his men. The fun part is going to be finding out who. “I’ll let Bullet know and then we’ll keep going,” I say briskly as we make our way out of the alley.

Time to put the pressure on and start shaking some more trees to see what else falls out.