Brawn and brazen ko ink.., p.8
Brawn and Brazen (KO Ink Book 3), page 8
“Okay, whoever is in charge of this thing is not stupid,” Reese said and I leaned over the table to look at the screen. “See here,” he pointed at the screen. “This is their IP address, it’s fake, bounces all around from city to city only staying there for a minute or two. It is not spoofing; it is literally moving from set real IP addresses. This takes money, and I hate to say this, but it is money gangs do not have. They make a lot on drugs and we know that, but this level, nah, they wouldn’t ever get here on their own.”
Mace spoke up then, which was a little frightening because the dude was just scary as shit on a good day when he didn’t talk, but when he did, damn, I was really glad he was on our side. I was not a small man, but Mace, he was like the fucking Hulk.
“They have their hands in a lot of shit, I traced a few of their IPs to different things in the deep web. They have a hand in trafficking women from Europe to the US, and either to sell them or they pimp them out somewhere. I have seen a few pictures and the women, they are not cheap looking whores. They are dressed in nice clothes, wearing make-up, everything. They also are smuggling stolen jewels, art, fuck anything that someone will buy for more than a thousand. Then we have the fighting, the drugs, and oh yeah, the weapons. So whoever these fuckers are, they have connections and they run deep. This isn’t going to be something we are going to be able to take down in a day. We are going to need to work on it.”
Fin and Tony walked into the room and Mace stopped and brought them quickly up to date. “Yeah, well, I kinda figured that when we followed the SUV to North Shore Towers where they pulled into the heavily monitored parking garage meant only for members. So I am thinking they aren’t some pissant little pricks who we could take down easily.”
Mace laughed and we all looked at him, just when you thought he couldn’t get any scarier, he smiled. Yep, first time I had seen that too. “Sorry, it was funny.”
Reese shook his head. “Welcome to my pain. Anyways, so I also found this. You know our John Doe in the hospital? Well, it seems he isn’t a John Doe, he has a sister, we have been unable to locate her as of yet. The two used to be in the foster care system, the sister’s name is Angelica Potter, and her brother Damian, who is our John Doe. The sister aged out seven years ago when her brother was only ten, apparently they stayed in touch with each other, but somehow Damian got lost in the system during a move when the sister was also relocating to be closer to him and things got fucked up. She has been trying to find him for the last year, always one step behind him since he ran away nine months ago from the home they placed him in. Her last known address is vacant, phone disconnected, and oh yeah, she is also a bit of a hottie. Last known job was as a waitress, never had a bank account, paid everything in cash,” he said and turned the screen around and they all looked.
Mace is the one who broke the silence though, he growled at the picture and looked at them and frowned. “What? Look at her? All blond and cute, probably working on the streets by now.”
I shook my head and said, “Okay, we have a name, and we need to put it to a face. We should call Ranger to give him the heads up. Also, we need an update from him, yesterday things got wild and we never found out what he had discovered about Cora.”
“Don’t need to call him, he sent me the info this morning to run with, haven’t had a chance but to glance at it,” Mace said and turned back to the computer. “Cora was taking money for giving them names of kids who would be good in the ring. They had to be a certain age and build, but she was taking the money for it. Now, yeah we are in the adult fights with Reed, but the boys are still fighting. Same group running it, they are just being more careful about it. The curious thing is. All of the kids are coming out of the 42nd Precinct, no shit, every one of the kids has been in trouble in one way or another over there. He said he would appreciate any help we could give him with that, because before he can do dick, he needs to know who to take to Internal Affairs to have investigated.”
“What the fuck have we stepped into?” I asked and looked around the room. “I mean, we thought it was something small, and it is turning into this. We may need some more help.”
Tony nodded. “Let me make some calls, I will see if I can get a short list of people we can trust.”
Chapter Nine
Petal
Geez, the phone had rung off the hook most of the day. Michael seriously needed to hire a receptionist for the place. I didn’t know how the guys did it without one. The last place I’d worked wasn’t half as busy and they had one. I finished marking off a block of four hours for Cal on a full back tattoo. It was the second session of three it would take to finish the tat. Sean, Falon, and Michael were with clients. Cal and Bry were off. When I sat the pencil down it rolled off the counter and hit the floor. Bending, I picked it up and was getting ready to sit up when I noticed the drawing pad shoved to the back of the bottom shelf.
I retrieved it and sat up and opened it. The sketches were good, really good. Most stencils could be made fairly easily once you got the hang of it but these were detailed beyond my skill. I knew the guys could make their own stencils because the unique ones they had done, hung on the walls of the shop, but whichever one drew in this notebook had some mad skills. I flipped through the pages admiring the work until I reached a page that I could only stop and stare at.
“Bry does great work, doesn’t he?” Sean’s voice had me lifting my head to look at him. I had been so focused on the sketch, I hadn’t heard him walk up from the back. I looked around for his client. “Pete is in the restroom. What do you think?” Sean pointed at the tablet.
“Uh...Sean, people who draw this good are at showings in art galleries, not working in a tattoo shop.” I looked back down at the picture. “This was my first tattoo job here. I remember concentrating so hard, not wanting to make even the smallest of mistakes because I didn’t want you guys to regret having me work here. To get this imagine of me, he would have had to have stood at my door and watched me,” I whispered the last part.
“He probably did. When we were out west, Bry took a couple art classes to hone his skills. Don’t get me wrong, he didn’t need the classes to work, he just wanted to do it better. And he did. He enjoyed them so much that he signed up for several more. The man overseeing the classes had tried to get Bry to submit some of his work to a local gallery that held showings for up and coming artists to hopefully help them get noticed. He turned them down.” Sean’s client walked out of the back and stood in front of the counter just a Sean finished talking. Since I’d come into town, that was the most I had heard the man say.
While Sean took Pete’s credit card and ran it and went over the instructions of taking care of the new work, I stared at the picture and wonder if that was how Bry viewed me. I knew I wasn’t ugly but I never considered myself a raving beauty either, more just average. But Bry had brought out my eyes so much I could see the concentration in them. He captured the draw of my brows, even the sucker sticking out of my mouth. That was one of my things, I kept a jar of suckers by my station and it was the first thing I grabbed and stuck into my mouth before I started either the tattoo I was doing, or the piercing. It helped too if a client was particularly nervous, they would focus on enjoying their sucker and forget what I was doing, well, maybe not forget but it seemed to relax them.
I stuck the notebook back under the counter where I found it. If Bry wanted to show it to me, he would. Mel walked in door as Pete walked out.
“Just the woman I wanted to see.”
“What can I do for you, Mel?”
“Well, I want in on the piercing frenzy the women are talking about. I’m thinking nipples,” Mel said and then looked at Sean who still stood behind the counter and pointed at him. “Nothing to say?”
I wanted to laugh when Sean frowned back at her, “You do realize that even though we’re brothers, we are different, right? I think you got me confused with Falon.” He was so serious as he looked at Mel who rolled her eyes.
“Really, Sean? It was a joke. You know, ‘cause you hardly ever talk?” Mel’s eyebrows lifted in question at the man.
“Nipples pierced, huh?” Falon said as he led his female client up to the counter. I looked at Mel who was trying to covertly assess the woman out of the corner of her eye before she looked at Falon.
“Yes, I thought I would have mine done. Do you have a problem with that?” Mel asked Falon. I watched in amusement as the two glared at each other and Sean was even observing the two.
“No problem at all. A matter of fact, a woman who is already sensitive in that area to begin with, then you add the nipple piercings, well, she can be brought to orgasm with slightest amount of pressure from her partner’s mouth,” Falon said as his client handed over her money.
“My nipples are done and I’d love to test that out.” The woman slid a piece of paper across the counter to Falon. I didn’t even need to see it to know it was her phone number. And Mel’s sneer at the woman told me she knew it too.
Falon smiled at the woman and pocketed the number, “I’ll keep that in mind, Candy.” Candy winked, then left the shop. Falon evidently wasn’t done with the nipple piercing subject because he turned back to Mel and lowered his voice.
“Or better yet, the man plays with them as he tittie fucks her and he can bring them both to orgasm. But, Mel?” Falon asked and waited until he had Mel’s undivided attention, “Nothing beats the sexual charge from the pierced tongue of the man as it runs through the woman’s pussy lips to come in contact with her pierced clit.” Falon turned and walked away. I looked at Mel whose eyes watched Falon until he was out of sight. The heat level in the shop rose from the friction between to the two. Damn, these men knew how to lay it out there.
“Holy shit! I might just have to have something pierced too,” Brit said a she bounced in with the other women behind her. Sean’s head jerked in her direction and glared. “Oh don’t look at me that way. Do you have anything pierced, Sean?” she asked sweetly but before Sean could answer Jet walked in. Shit, the place was turning into Grand Central Station.
Jet looked around at all the women and then looked at Sean, “Man, what is going on here?” Sean shook his head, looked at Brit, then back to Jet.
“Seems the women want Petal to do a little piercing on them.” Sean cocked his brow.
“And you better not go telling on anyone either, big brother.” Mia pushed forward and glared at her brother.
“You getting something done?” Sean asked. No one answered and he looked at me. I held my hands up.
“I am just the one with the bling to put where they want it,” I said and winked at the women and they laughed.
“Great, another one. Sean, I got the paperwork on what is needed to start a team in the fall league.” Jet held up the paper in his hand, “Thought if you had a second we could go over it. I’m sure between the three businesses we will have enough interested to build a team.”
“We can go back to my work area and look it over.” Jet nodded and moved to follow Sean to the back.
“Wait! Aren’t you going to answer my question? Do you have any piercings?” Brit grinned wide and then the grin fell away just as quickly when both men stopped, Sean leaned over the counter and Jet stood beside her.
“Ah, darlin’, I got several,” Jet said, stuck out his tongue to reveal the silver ball and chuckled at her wide eye expression.
“Brit?” Sean said and waited for her to look at him. Every one of the women, to include me, said nothing as we watched and listened. Brit turned her head toward Sean.
“Huh?” Brit seemed to be caught off guard by Jet’s honesty and was unable to speak. Sean stared at her, and leaned in closer.
“Enough to do what Falon described,” Sean said and he and Jet continued to the back of the shop while Brit just stood there with her mouth open. Zoey’s voice snapped her out of her stupor.
“OMG, I’ve never seen her speechless, not ever!” Zoey squealed.
“Between Mel’s and Brit’s episodes in here, I’m going to have to turn down the air conditioner,” I said and all the women looked at me. “What?”
“Oh, I don’t know, it could be that anytime you are around Bry and Reed the heat index explodes,” Mia said and the others nodded their heads in agreement.
“It does not!” I argued because I sure wasn’t going to agree with her.
“Please, I don’t know what you are waiting on, not like you haven’t slept with them.”
“Mia! You are as bad as the guys,” Brook scolded.
“You only know that because I blurted it out at last Sunday’s dinner?”
“Girl, Falon saw you, Bry, and Reed leaving Paddy’s that night. And when Maxi was here, evidently Falon was the only one he’d shown a picture of you to. So...” Brook shrugged.
“Probably by the time the three of you were done doing the mattress mamba, everyone knew. I keep telling everyone who enters this family that nothing is sacred, and have one of you listened. Nope, not one of ya!” Mia shook her head.
“She’s right, unfortunately. It is like they have a crystal ball that tells them what we are up to when they rub it,” Maria spoke for the first time. “Now, if we don’t get down to the piercing, I am going to chicken out.”
“You want that done today?” I asked.
“Yes, that was our plan when we came in until it was sidetracked by the dance around the sexual tension show we received,” Maria said and chuckled. “Which only reminds me that I am not having sex and it is depressing.”
“Cry us a river. If we are going to make it to the gym to watch some of the training this evening, we need to get on with it,” Mia said.
“Okay, who wants to go first?” I asked.
“Me, I’m the only one getting done,” Maria answered.
“No, I am too. Going to have my nipples done,” Mel spoke.
“Are you going to let us watch?” Brit asked.
“Umm... NO!” Maria yelled. “You bitches are not staring at my vajayjay.”
“We all have one.” Mia and Maria had a stare off. Other than the fact they all knew I’d slept with Bry and Reed, I enjoyed being around these women. I also wanted to ask them about the training, the fight talk, and the ink. Everyone around me spoke to me as though I should know what was going on.
“I’ve been meaning to ask if you guys would explain everything that is going on with the training, the underground fighting, also, what the deal is about the ink?” I asked.
“How about we talk about it while you are piercing me and Mel? We will bring you up to speed,” Maria said.
“Okay and if you and Mel agree to them coming in the room with us, I have a fold out screen, they will be able to talk with us, just not see us.
“Works for me,” Mel said and Maria agreed with her.
“Well let’s get start, shall we.” I stood and headed for the back with the group of women following. It’d only taken an evening together of food and talk to receive total and absolute allegiance.
Chapter Ten
Reed
Jet ducked just in time as Aidan’s right missed its mark. It was so close I thought I saw the hair on the top of his head sway. Damn, if Aidan had landed that, Jet would have needed the smelling salts.
Bry and I stood by his dad watching the match. I was up next with Xavier but he and Jamison were currently helping Fin with the self defense class he was now holding for young kids. O’Malley’s gym was set up for everyone to use: weight room, sauna, room with mats on the floor for jiu-jitsu classes, and of course the ring. There were a couple small rooms that were still empty off to the side and Fin was considering that if the MMA certification came in, he would do a little construction and take the rooms out and add another ring, two if he could fit them. Fin didn’t want to have to turn anyone away who wanted to participate, even if they never became a contender.
“Dammit, Jet, you should have swept Aidan’s legs while he was off balance with his weight on one side for the punch,” Reilly yelled.
“Come on, I was busy trying not to get my head knocked off. I didn’t think the move I made was that bad. I got at least ten years on this kid,” Jet grumbled and Brant walked by and leaned over the rope and fisted bumped with Aidan. The two had went to the same high school with Brant a year behind Aidan. Aidan was new to the gym. He was from a single parent home with a mother who was involved in her son’s life, she was the driving force behind Aidan, telling him to reach for his dreams and not let anyone tell him different just because his life wasn’t picture perfect.
“Damn, were we that cocky at their age, man?” I said to Bry and instead his dad answered.
“I would go with yes, because I know my boys were. And cocky is not a bad thing if you can back it up. Now, one more go-around, Jet. Remember, use your strengths, like that quickness you have. What you are doing is not planning ahead of your current move. You have to be able to initiate your current move while in your mind you have worked out the next three moves, your opponent is going to get in some good blows until you catch up.
“Now use Aidan’s size against him. You boys don’t know who you might face in the fight, they might be young or they could be older. Preparation for all aspects is important.” Reilly kept at them while we watched. Aidan had at least forty pounds and two inches in height on Jet, he depended on his size and brute strength to carry him forward. Fin had been working with Aidan to build quickness, if the kid mastered that, he would be unstoppable when he entered into the fighting world.
Jet was no lightweight when it came to fighting either. I’d seen him take down men twice his size with ease.
“How’s he doing?” Ranger walked up between Bry and I and leaned on the ropes.
“Holding his own,” Bry answered.
“Slinging Ink slow today?” Ranger asked and I looked over at Bry.
“Took the day off. Shit I needed to do.” Yeah, I didn’t think he would go into the whole wanting Petal to be able to work today and not feel uncomfortable with him around.
