Zero tolerance, p.20
Zero Tolerance, page 20
My business and bloodshed skills are tight. Diplomacy, well, could use some work.
As if he read my mind, Rock places both hands on my shoulders and looks me dead in the eyes. “I have no doubt in my mind that you can handle this, Angus. You’re ready. I’m a selfish, greedy fuck who doesn’t want to lose one of his best brothers.”
There’s a lump in my throat and I choke it down before lifting my chin and smirking at Rock. “You’re not gonna cry, are you, Prez?”
“Fuck off.” He laughs and shoves me backwards.
Wrath joins us. “Let me guess.” He jerks his head toward the blacked-out SUV we’re standing next to. “Shadow will be heading to Mississippi in a body bag?” There’s a little too much glee in Wrath’s voice at the idea of Priest blowing a hole in Shadow’s chest.
Rock snorts and shakes his head. “It’s possible. But we have more important matters to discuss.” He jerks his chin at me. “Say congratulations to the temporary President of the downstate charter of the Lost Kings MC.”
Thirty
Z
“We’re losing our VP and getting a prospect in return? Are you fucking kidding me?” Wrath bitches.
“I’m not exactly thrilled here, brother.” Understatement of the century. Uprooting my life for the second time in about as many months is beyond fucking annoying. But it’s what we do.
Not like Priest had given any of us a choice in this mess. Nor should he. We can’t allow any other club to think our downstate charter is weakened in any way. They’ll see it as a prime opportunity to move in on territory that the Lost Kings MC have dominated for years.
“Don’t take it out on Stitch. Not his fault,” I remind him.
Stitch had helped the girls out when we took our trip to National and Birch claims he’s a solid guy. Still, he’ll be heading upstate where Wrath can keep an eye on him until we trust him more.
Priest also plans to leave a few general members from his club with us. They’ll join me downstate. More like spy on me and report back to Priest, but whatever.
Murphy also gets the privilege of accompanying me for the restructuring of downstate. Something he’s not exactly thrilled about.
“You wanted more responsibility,” Rock reminds him. “Here it is.”
“Christ, Rock, you know why this is an issue.”
“No, please enlighten me.”
“Rock,” Wrath interrupts. “I can’t afford to lose Murphy long-term right now.”
“And I can’t afford to lose Z, but here we are.” Rock pinches the bridge of his nose. “For the initial transition, I want Murphy and Teller with you, Z.”
“Whoa, what now?” Teller asks.
Ignoring him, Rock continues. “It needs to be crystal clear that we’re not to be fucked with. When you feel confident Sway’s crew understands, send Murphy back.”
“Uh?” Teller raises his hand.
Rock slowly swivels his head Teller’s way and stares him down. “I’m sorry. Did I stutter?”
Murphy’s still grumbling and Rock pokes him in the chest over the Lost Kings MC patch stitched onto his cut. “Are you forgetting what this means? I need you to step up here. I do not want to send Z to take over their fucking clubhouse by himself. You’re smart enough to understand why. I trust you to have his back.”
Finally, Murphy calms down. “I know.”
“Heidi will understand, and you know we’ll help her out with whatever she needs. It’s not for-fucking-ever.”
“All right. Sorry, Prez.”
Teller slaps Murphy’s arm, apparently warming up to the idea. “Once it’s safe, why don’t we look for a house to rent near their clubhouse? Then the girls can come down with us on the weekends. It’ll be like Florida.”
“Yeah, okay.”
“That’s better,” Rock says.
Maybe Teller’s a genius after all. Renting a place where she and Chance can come stay might make it easier to explain the situation to Lilly.
“Rock, if this goes on long-term, let’s think about sending Dex down. Maybe the change of scenery will be good for him,” I suggest. “Bricks can handle Crystal Ball if he gets more support.”
“All right. I’ll leave that up to you after this transition period.” He glances at the hospital. “Who knows. Sway’s an ornery motherfucker, he might be fine in a month or two.”
“Sure, ’cause that’s how things work out for us,” Wrath says.
Thirty-One
Z
Shadow took the news that I’d be in charge of downstate better than anyone expected, which doesn’t exactly make me feel warm and fuzzy about the situation.
He sits down with me to go over a few issues the club’s having under Priest’s watchful eye.
Janice returns with an update—her father’s still unconscious. Tawny is still MIA.
What seems like hours later, Shadow takes Priest and his crew to the clubhouse.
Wrath bumps my elbow and mutters, “Incoming.”
Rock and I turn around to find the VP of the Devil Demons MC and his father-in-law strolling into the hospital.
“Why the fuck are Chaser and DeLova here?” I ask under my breath.
“DeLova must’ve changed his mind about Sway and decided to work with him. He’s probably here to check on his investment,” Rock answers. A little harsher, he adds, “Don’t give a fuck why he’s here. Under no circumstances are we taking on whatever deal he has with Sway.”
“Got it,” I agree.
“Rock!” Chaser walks up and holds out his hand. “Good to see you, brother. Not under these conditions, of course.” He nods at Wrath and me, then focuses on Rock again. “How’s Sway?”
“No news yet.”
Not one who enjoys being ignored, DeLova clears his throat. Before the old man can open his mouth, Chaser rolls his eyes slightly. “Rock, Z, you remember my father-in-law.”
As if anyone could forget the should-be-dead-by-now mafia boss. “How are you, Mr. DeLova?”
“Troubled, Mr. North. At your suggestion, I gave some jobs to Sway and now this.”
No one can ever accuse the old man of beating around the bush. Normally, I’d say that’s a quality we all appreciate. By Rock’s posture, though, I’m guessing he’d rather gut DeLova than have this conversation.
“I’m pretty sure he wasn’t planning to get shot,” I say in an effort to diffuse the situation.
DeLova ignores my comment—for now—and gets down to the reason for his visit. “Do you know what happened yet? Is it related to your MC dealings or is it something more personal?”
“Like I said, we’re not sure yet. And just as a reminder our ‘MC dealings’ are separate entities,” Rock says.
“I respect that, Rock. I really do, but I’m in a bind here. Your club brother has placed me in a precarious position.”
Wrath actually growls and I subtly bump him with my elbow. “What do you need, DeLova?” I ask.
His arrogant gaze scans me before deciding I’m worthy of answering. “I’ve extended some credit to certain individuals who are now late in their payments. Sway was supposed to get the accounts up-to-date for me. Soon.”
“You fucking serious?” Rock asks.
“Do I look like I’m kidding?”
I’m a little taken aback that Sway’s been reduced to breaking the kneecaps of degenerate gamblers for DeLova. Lost Kings haven’t been in that line of work in a long damn time. Sway must be more desperate for money than we thought.
Maybe it’s time to get us back out of that business. Now that I’m running Sway’s charter against my will and all.
“I’m handling things while Sway’s recovering, and I’m not—”
“Congratulations. It’s only two accounts right now, Z,” DeLova says immediately warming up to me. “One even lives upstate in your territory.”
How convenient.
He hands over a yellow slip of paper and I glance at it, planning to tell him I’m not available.
But then I recognize one of the names.
Fuck me fucking sideways.
It can’t be, but it’s not exactly a common name. And the address is the very same house I had dinner at not that long ago.
A business address is also listed.
“The first prick claims he’s been ill and that’s why he’s behind.”
Yeah, that’s never an acceptable excuse for a guy like DeLova. “How much is he into you for?”
“Fifty K and rising.”
Jesus Christ.
“They’re not far,” I say as casually as possible. The last thing I need is this fucker knowing I have any connection to one of his gamblers. Not right now, anyway. “Since these are so overdue, I’ll take care of ‘em for you, but that’s it. I’m not handling any more of these. If Sway wants to when he’s better, that’s up to him,” I say.
Rock gives me the side-eye but doesn’t contradict me. I’ll have to explain it to him after DeLova goes.
On second thought, no. I don’t have to explain myself to anyone. Not even Rock. I’m the one in charge of the downstate charter for the near future.
I’ll get this done for DeLova, then end this relationship under the guise of ‘new leadership.’ Yeah, that won’t piss DeLova off at all.
Rock waits until DeLova and Chaser move on to the waiting room to talk to Wrath and the others before pushing me into an empty room.
After shutting the door, he turns and faces me, pushing into my space. “What part of ‘under no circumstances are we taking on Sway’s work with DeLova’ confused you?”
Even though anger’s vibrating off my best friend in waves, I don’t flinch. “Not your call to make, is it, Rock? I’m running downstate now, and I think it’s in my club’s best interest to handle this and keep DeLova happy.”
Man, I feel like a dick.
Rock narrows his eyes and continues staring at me. The need to confess is strong, but I stay steady, staring right back at him.
“Care to share why you’re so eager to break kneecaps all of a sudden?” he asks in a low voice.
“This was already in motion. I’ll take care of it, then I’ll end it.”
“How long have we known each other, Angus?”
“Don’t fuckin’ start with me.”
“How long?”
“Twenty-two, twenty-three years?”
“You think I don’t know when you’re lying after all that time?”
When I don’t answer, he holds out his hand. “Let me see the paper.”
“I said I’m going to handle it.”
“Let me see it.”
I hand it over, praying he won’t recognize the name.
“Jesus Christ.” He shakes his head. “This one her father?”
“How do you—”
“You really think I don’t know the last name of one of my wife’s friends?”
I snap the paper out of his hands and stuff it in my pocket. “Yeah, it’s her father.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Handle it.”
“How?”
“I’m gonna have a chat with him and if he doesn’t have the cash, I’m gonna pay it off and tell DeLova Volkov’s off-limits.”
“Fuck, that’s a dicey plan, Z.”
“The guy’s a judgmental prick, yet he’s in debt to the fuckin’ mob.” I’d laugh at the irony if I wasn’t so pissed right now.
Rock raises an eyebrow. Right, I never told him about the fucked-up family dinner at the Volkov home.
I shake my head. “She brought me to her parents’ for dinner and it was a total shit show.”
His lips quirk. “Didn’t care for your ink?”
“That was the least of it. He’s an asshole who treats his daughter like shit. Neither of them are real nice to Chance either from what I saw.”
“Ah, shit. I’m sorry, brother. Maybe you should let DeLova take care of him.”
“Don’t think I didn’t consider it.” I run my hands through my hair. Yeah, I don’t like or respect Lilly’s father. But he is my son’s grandfather. DeLova doesn’t play. No question, he’ll hurt anyone who can’t pay their debt. Burning down his business or something equally unpleasant are also options in DeLova’s toolbox of terror. If I’m in a position to prevent it, I should. For Lilly’s sake, right? “Just this once. After that, he’s on his own.”
“Fair enough. You’re probably not gonna want company for that visit. But I don’t want you going alone on the other collection. Take Murphy with you.”
“I will.”
“Gonna tell Lilly about her father?”
“Not unless I have to.”
His mouth turns down. “Secret like that is bound to blow up in your face, brother.” He holds his hands up. “I’m just saying.”
“One thing at a time. I still gotta explain to her why I’ll be moving two hours south for a few months.”
“What shit timing.”
“Yeah, when Sway recovers, I might just shoot him myself.”
Finally, the tension in the room evaporates.
Rock laughs. “Get in line.”
Thirty-Two
Z
Word about Sway continues to spread. All we can do is wait in the hospital to see if his condition improves.
More brothers from his club trickle in, taking shifts to make sure we maintain a strong presence.
Steer, who moved into the SAA position recently, comes over and shakes my hand. “Good to see you, brother. It’s been a minute.”
Now Steer, I actually respect. He spent a couple months working at Crystal Ball, helping us out when we were short-handed.
“Any leads?” Rock asks.
“No, and the cops are all over the clubhouse so you can imagine how that’s playing out.”
If Sway’s smart—which sometimes I doubt—he doesn’t allow anything incriminating to be stored at the clubhouse. Especially since the location of their clubhouse is easily accessible and well-known.
I have no idea if Shadow filled anyone in or if Priest sat down to explain the situation yet to the rest of the club, so I keep my mouth shut.
While I respect Steer, he’s been by Sway’s side in one role or another for a long time. He might not appreciate me stepping into the lead role in his club.
Eventually, Steer moves on to talk to other brothers.
“Priest better plan to stick around and have a word with Sway’s crew,” Rock grumbles. “I don’t want you to have to go in and explain it without backup from National.”
“You all right with this, Prez?”
“No, I’m not all right with it. Stop asking.”
Feeling antsy, I glance around.
“You wanna go handle your father-in-law?” Rock asks low enough no one should overhear.
“Probably not a good time for me to disappear. What if Priest wants to have that sit-down?”
Rock glances around the room. “He ain’t doing it now. My guess is he’ll wait for more information about Sway’s condition before dropping that bomb.”
“Well, I should be here—”
“Why? They’re not gonna let us in to see him any time soon.” He glances around the room. “Go. I’ll cover you if anything comes up. Better to get it out of the way now. I have a feeling once Priest makes his announcement, things will move quick for you and you might not get another chance.”
This right here is why I’ll always have Rock’s back.
“Thank you, brother.”
He nods to Teller and Murphy, sitting on the other side of the room. “You want to take someone with you?”
“Nah, I think I should handle this one alone. I’ll definitely take Murphy for the second one.”
“All right. Don’t underestimate him. Desperate men do stupid things.”
“I’ll be careful.”
“Try not to kill him. Old fuck just got out of the hospital.”
“Eh, I already threatened to put him back in once and he survived.”
The long ride gives me time to think about how I want to handle this conversation with Lilly’s father.
I don’t want to have it at the house in front of his wife or, worse, any other of Lilly’s family who might be visiting.
Lilly mentioned her father was already back to work at the carpet store he owns outside of Lake George, so I head there first.
When I arrive at the shop, it’s not quite what I expected. I pictured some sort of carpet warehouse full of cheap rolls of scratchy industrial floor coverings, but that’s not what Mr. Volkov has at all.
It’s more of a boutique that carries the fancy, hand-knotted rugs you’d toss over a Fifth Avenue apartment for your tiny pocket dog to walk over.
Maybe Manhattan still has a large customer base for rare Persian silk rugs, but up here in this part of New York? Seems unlikely.
Guess that’s why he’s in debt to the mob.
The store is empty-shocker. I creep through it, waiting for some sales person to jump out at me, but there’s no one here.
Shit, maybe DeLova didn’t want to wait for me to get my ass up here and sent someone else.
Finally, as I move closer to the back, a loud, pompous voice reaches me. Confident it’s Mr. Volkov, I slap open the door leading into the back room.
He’s on the phone, frantically shouting at someone, but turns when he hears me. His eyes widen and he quickly hangs up the phone.
“What the hell are you doing here?” He seems equal parts shocked, embarrassed, and angry.
“Have a seat, Mr. Volkov.” He obviously makes bad decisions and he seems like the sort of man who probably keeps a gun in the drawer, so I nod to the chair in front of a large, wood desk.
I’m armed myself, but I’d rather not have this escalate.
“This’ll take a minute.”
“If you’re here to ask to marry my daughter, I don’t care one way or another.”
