Page 74 of Viper

Sasha doesn’t cower at my anger, but he does swallow a bit harder. “They have to have been tipped off,” he manages to say.

“Of course they’re being fucking tipped off you fucking idiot,” I roar at him. “And you have done nothing to figure out how.”

“Sir, that’s why I was coming to let you know we did figure out who has been tipping them off,” Sasha says, a smug smile on his face, pulling a photo from his suit coat pocket and handing it to me.

I snatch it away from him and stare at the photo of the lovely court reporter sitting in a diner booth with one very large Devil’s Soldiers MC member. “When and where?” I demand.

“About two weeks ago. He showed up at the courthouse the day after his custody case with our judge, and despite her looking pissed off, he followed her to the diner. They spent about half and a hour there, but after that, she’s never been seen in the same place as him again until last week at the restaurant. When our guy started digging earlier, it looks like the two of them may have had a night together after a meeting at a bar awhile ago, but they’re chasing down the details.”

“And what proof do you have she’s not just fucking him and actually giving him information?”

“I searched her apartment and found a note from one of those fuckers that she forgot to throw out and it said it was a burner phone and three names in it. Bullet, Cryos, and this fucker, Viper. He’s the one she’s fucking, and I imagine they know we might be looking for them, so they’re hiding her so you don’t go after her like the others.”

Some of my anger dims and I force myself to sit down in my chair and calm down. I need to think rationally about this. “Alright, we know how the hell the information is getting out,” I say finally. “We can get around that by getting her fired. Kill her or find someone who wants her.”

“Actually, sir, I was wondering if we should look at another angle,” Sasha offers. I want to snarl at him for daring to suggest anything, but instead, I stare and wait for him continue. “Well, sir, you’ve always gone after the women, and I think that with this one, they’re going to try and outwit you. Even if you get her fired, they’ll just close ranks around her and the other women again, and we’ll still be fighting them. But there is another angle that might work to our advantage.” He pulls out another photo and hands it to me. It’s of another woman, this one with a hard edge to her, and one that I recognize all too well seeing it on the streets or from wealthy clients. Beside her is a skinny man who looks like the kind of bastard to sell his own mother for his next hit or a big payday. Hell, for all I know he’s on our payroll, though I don’t recognize her. But the picture must be older because behind them is a sullen boy of ten or eleven, and one that looks an awful lot like a certain biker.

“This is his son,” I summarize.

Sasha nods. “And his ex-wife, Maggie, is battling hard to get control of custody of her son and screw the biker fucker out of everything she can. Offer her enough drugs or cash, she’ll sell out the fucker and we get leverage with the kid, making him comply.”

I steeple my fingers in front of me as I think it over. “It’s intriguing,” I agree.

“You’ve always left the kids out of it, and so did Dmitri from what I’ve heard, but this isn’t some kind of mafia rule we follow. These bastards are in our way, and this is a war they started. Everyone is collateral, and that includes him.” He points at the son. “You kill the kid to send a message, or use him as a way to make sure the Devil’s Soldiers stay the hell out of our way.”

“And you don’t think that by doing this we’ll only be inciting a war with them and whoever else they can ally themselves with?”

He shrugs carelessly. “Even if they do, we have far more numbers and connections. We can flatten them without a problem. But we need to make some hard moves to let them know how serious we are. And if they don’t get it with this one, there’s another kid, a little girl. So a couple of options.”

I look at the photos once more. I rarely involve kids in these kinds of things, but this is not normal times, and they are not normal foes. So it’s about time to put down some battle lines. “Find the mother and her tweeker boyfriend. I want to meet with them. Then we’ll make a plan. I’m done playing around.”

Later That Day

“So I give you all the details I can on my ex and his MC, and I’ll get all the drugs and ten thousand in cash,” Maggie summarizes as she stares at me across the small dining room table in her small apartment. It’s decently clean, though I don’t miss the pipes and needles in the living room. It seems we missed the pick up time of Viper picking up his son by a couple of hours while Sasha was locating her. Which means we are now going to have to adjust our plans. Annoying, but something that shouldn’t surprise me with how often that happens lately with these people.

“Exactly,” I tell her with a charming smile. “You see, they’ve caused me some problems, and I need to know how to best make sure they get the point not to do it again.”

She nods and sneers, “Bunch of wannabe tough guys that ride around on bikes and look like idiots. You know, Knox was always an idiot and he owes me big. I’m owed a hell of a lot more than what he’s been giving me, and now he’s trying to swindle me by getting Archer half the time. Fucker doesn’t know who he’s messing with,” she exclaims, slamming her hand down on the table angrily.

“On that we can agree,” I say simply. “Now, I want you to write down everything you know about them and how they operate and where they go. Then, I want all the information you can give me on your ex-husband, leaving nothing out. Then, I’ll handle things.”

Maggie nods excitedly and spends the next half hour writing so much information that I’m almost certain some of it is bullshit and she’s trying to give me a bunch of bullshit in hopes of a bigger payday. It exasperates me, but dealing with junkies always does. When she finally finishes it, she pushes the papers towards me. “That’s everything I can think of, but if I think of more I can let you know.” She gives me a coy smile. “And if this helps out more than what you were hoping, I hope you’ll remember that and perhaps help me out a little more.”

I take the papers and hand them to Sasha, who pockets them. “I’m sure we can arrange that,” I tell her. “Sasha will transfer the funds to you now, and then the other part of your payment will be delivered shortly.” I stand, and head for the door, but before I get to it, I turn and look at her. “Your son, what’s his name?”

“Archie. Well, Archer, but it’s a stupid name, so I refuse to use it it,” she scoffs. “That was Knox’s idea after his father, but it’s fucking stupid.”

“Hmm. Well, perhaps I forgot to mention earlier that your son is also part of this deal. He will be coming to stay with me until I decide what to do with his father. Once I’m satisfied with the outcome, I’ll perhaps return him to you.” I have no intention of returning him to her, but it’s interesting to watch the shock come over her face. Before she can reply, I add, “And while he’s with me, I’ll ensure you’re paid fairly for him, along with your own personal supply until I’m finished.”

It always amazes me how quickly a mother’s love will die when the one thing they desire most is now in front of them. “Will you hurt him?” she asks, though there really is no concern in her voice.

“If he doesn’t cooperate, possibly. But as long as he behaves, he’ll be fine.”

She nods. “Archie’s a good kid, and he’ll behave. Threaten his father and he’ll be as good as gold.” Her face twists into one of hatred. “He loves his father more than me, but I’ll have the last laugh when this is all said and done.”

I nod. “Let Sasha know if you think of anything else. Oh, and Maggie?” She looks at me expectantly. I let her see the cold-blooded killer on my face, and her expression instantly is wary as she steps back. “If you breathe a word of this visit to anyone, even your moronic boyfriend, I’ll be back and kill you myself. Understood?”

She nods quickly. “Yes, sir. I promise.”

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