Page 12 of Elling & Jackie

Chapter 5

"We can work with you. Offer protection." Agent Campbell's sunglasses blocked Elling from seeing the man's eyes. "We know Slag Motorcycle is involved in extorting money. We need to know who they're getting the money from."

Elling stared at his reflection in the mirrored glasses. He would never be able to live with himself if he ratted out his club.

He stepped backward. Done with the conversation.

"The offer expires soon, Halvorsen." The agent wiped the perspiration off his receding hairline. "If we don't see some help from you, you'll be brought down with the rest of them. Who will help you then? You don't have any family. You're alone."

He walked away. His family was in the clubhouse and wore Slag colors. The members in Portland, Seattle, and Norway had his back. They would be there for them.

Approaching the gate, he fought the urge to walk back and tell Campbell off. His presence put everyone in Slag in a bad mood.

He hadn't been away from the clubhouse in a week. They were all laying low. Supplying their Mother Chapter with supplies and keeping everyone afloat in Seattle and Portland was too important to him. He would never take a risk with the Fed watching him.

He stopped in front of the gate. "Dag, open up."

The solid, metal barrier moved. He slipped into the opening. "Shut it up. Call Roar and Brage, have them meet me in the meeting room."

"On it." Dag closed the alley to outsiders.

Elling walked inside the clubhouse, stopping in the kitchen. He poured himself a shot of whiskey and downed the drink in one swallow. Needing more, he knocked back another before heading to the room, ignoring the other Slag members he passed.

Something had to give, or someone was going to get hurt. Or, worse.

"Elling?"

He stopped and looked up. Roar had entered the room.

"What happened, brother?" Roar approached him.

"Same shit." Elling latched his hands behind his neck. "Campbell's trying to spark a deal."

Throwing the fact that he had nobody, no family, had got to him. He blew out his breath. His chest burned from the whiskey.

"We knew that would happen. You were prepared." Roar clamped his hand down on Elling's shoulder. "You're the best man to deal with Campbell. Slag needs you."

"Ja," he mumbled, sweat breaking out on his forehead.

If he lost his place in Slag, where would he be? Even if he skipped the country and went back to Norway, there was nobody back home. No blood relative.

Roar bumped his forehead against Elling's head. "Stay strong. Out of all of us, you're the one I can trust to keep their cool and their mouth shut."

The tension escalated, tightening his shoulders and neck muscles, making his head throb. His strength came from weakness. He never planned to have the skills that would benefit the club. If he could forget. If he could change the outcome. If he could...

"Ja." Resigned to do his job, he scratched his jaw through his beard. "Where do you want to go from here?"

"You should meet with him." Roar crossed his arms, his shoulders lifted in a shrug. "Away from here. Listen to Campbell's plans and find out what he wants to do to us."

"Fuck," he muttered, gazing at Roar in resignation.

To go one on one with the agent felt a lot like someone held a gun to his head. One wrong move, wrong word, wrong assumption, could pull the trigger. Not only on him but every Slag member. Being responsible for the others struck fear in him.

He'd already lost his parents after opening his mouth. The last thing he told his father was to be safe and come home. He never came home. Murdered and left on the street, his father had been pronounced dead at the hospital before he could see him again. Then, two years later, his mom had dropped him off at school. All he was worried about was getting her to sign him up for football. He'd wanted to play football more than anything when school started up again after summer break, and the permission form had to be turned in before the end of the day. It'd been the last day of school, and he'd told her to hurry. She'd hurried, right into oncoming traffic and died instantly.

His past was the reason Slag used him as a buffer with the Federal Agent. He knew not talking was better. People died when he talked.

"Do you have Campbell's phone number?" asked Roar.

---