Page 61 of His Road Dog

Chapter 24

Priest

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RODDY WALKED TOWARDPriest through the lobby of Blackfoot Casino Resort, wearing a sport's jacket, buttoned shirt, and with his hair tied back. He even had his beard combed to hide the fact he was a Tarkio member.

Priest leaned against the slot machine, pretending to take an interest in Paco pulling the arm and playing another game. He put his hand down at his side, half turning his body.

Roddy stopped beside him and slipped him a key. "Frank spotted Coveck in Room B5 with three girls. He's hanging out, keeping an eye on them until you get there. The security guard is on the floor above, dealing with a bathroom problem. You've got about ten minutes to get into the room. Once you're inside, I'll hustle the girls out."

"Curley?" he asked.

"With Frank, waiting for you."

"Good." He handed Paco a ten-dollar bill as Roddy walked away as a sign to stay put.

Looking at his wallet, he headed toward the cashier's booth. A group walked up at the same time, and he spotted his moment to slip away without any of the guards seeing him. He pivoted and ducked into the hallway to the restrooms. Passing the bathrooms, he jogged to the emergency exit.

He knocked on the door. It opened without the alarm going off, and Aaron appeared in front of him. Slipping out, he jogged to the other end of the casino.

"Is the door unlocked?" His boots pounded against the asphalt.

"Yeah." Aaron lagged a couple of strides behind him. "Jerry's parked at the back corner, ready when you are."

"Roddy will grab the girls, and then everyone can leave once it's clear." He slowed at the door. "I'm leaving Coveck as a message. Someone here is allowing him to run the girls, and they're not going to want the information out to the public."

Aaron clasped his hand. "Watch your fingers and your back."

He nodded and went inside. Frank stood at the stairs waiting for him. He took the steps three at a time.

"You'll need to hurry." Frank opened the door on the second floor. "I'm going to the third floor and find a way to distract the security guard. Curley's at the other end of the hallway, ready to signal everything into motion."

Priest checked his vest pocket, knowing the pistol was tucked away and ready to go. Once Frank gave him the okay, he stepped into the hallway and went directly to Room B5. Right now, Coveck was inside, setting the girls up for a night of work, probably not with their permission.

While he'd prefer to take Coveck away from the Casino and any possible witnesses, he had to take the opportunity when it presented itself. He would need the girls to agree to keep his involvement quiet in exchange for their freedom.

Looking up and down the hallway, he pulled out his pistol and opened the door. He sighted in Coveck right away.

Standing in front of the curtained window, Coveck looked in his direction at the sound of the door opening, showing no sign of surprise.

The three girls screamed and rushed to the side of the room as a group, huddling together. He ignored their outburst of fear and blocked Coveck's escape.

Behind him, the door opened again. Knowing Roddy entered, he only expended enough energy to understand the females left his peripheral vision, and he assumed they were on their way to safety.

"You're a fool." Coveck talked around the unlit cigar in his mouth. "Any second, one of my men will come in and end your little game."

"When's the last time your men have checked in with you?" He rounded the end of the bed and stopped six feet away from Coveck.

A flash of uncertainty swept across the other man's face before he caught himself. Priest kept his finger on the trigger. Lately, the suppressor screwed onto the barrel had become a close friend of his.

"As of right now, all the current women you've stolen, tricked, and abused are safely under the protection of Tarkio Motorcycle Club," he said.

"You didn't include Nicole in your new roundup of women." Coveck sneered. "She eluded you, too."

He wanted to kill the son of a bitch.

"The difference between you and me, Priest, is that I know where to find Nicole. Take the others as my gift to you. Nicole is the only one I'm interested in."

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