Page 58 of German

“That’s good.It’s about the only news that is,” Reaper prefaced, accepting a beer himself.

Christ!What did that mean?Pipe must have found something in his informational search that didn’t bode well for either Maddy or her father.

Turning toward Pipe, I said, “What did you find?”

Pipe’s brow hiked.“It’s more like, what didn’t I find?”

“Let’s hear it,” I said, thinking I should have asked for something stronger than beer.

“For starters, Framingham’s business partner, Ken Mitchem, has had his hands in all sorts of pies over the years.Many, of which, were of the illegal variety,” Pipe explained.

I wasn’t surprised.If the man had led a clean life, I doubted he would have ended up in pieces in the trunk of his car.“Just give me the highlights.”

“Fraud, computer hacking, software theft,” Pipe listed.“And, the thing that most likely got him killed, money laundering.”

“Who for?”I asked.

“The Russian mob,” he provided.

That would do it.“Was he skimming from them too?”

Pipe nodded.“Yup.Bastard thought he could double dip by getting paid to hide their illegal transactions, then taking an unapproved five-finger discount on top of that.”

“Guess that blew up in his face,” Reaper added, shaking his head in disgust.“Greedy bastard!”

“So why is he dragging Framingham’s daughter into this shit?”The thought that Maddy could be on the radar of the Russian Mob made me sick to my stomach.

“We think it’s probably just revenge against her father for firing Ken last year,” Pipe concluded.“His goal was probably to kidnap the girl, use her as leverage against the father for the software he helped to create but won’t benefit from, all the while destroying the company he helped build and was forced out of.It all tracks.”

It did.I just hoped that was all there was.If not, our lack of foresight might put Maddy in further danger.“You think that’s why the cops are so involved?Because the Russians are in on the deal?”

“Probably,” Hawk said, having dealt with his fair share of law enforcement after his Old Lady was stalked by one this time last year.“Those dicks never miss an opportunity to stick their noses in something that doesn’t involve them and make it a thousand times worse.”

That was true.“So how much of this is Framingham aware of?”

Pipe cocked his head to the side.“He knows the broad strokes, but I’ve been keeping the finer details in-house.”

That was probably for the best.“Does he know Maddy’s at the Clubhouse now?”

Pipe laughed.“Do I look like an idiot to you?Tell the man his little princess is being shuttled around from MC to MC?Framingham might be my friend, but he’s still a father.He’d never go for it.I didn’t even tell him the whole story about her near abduction at the coffee shop.All he knows is we have her at one of our safe houses after a minor incident and that he needs to go no-contact for the time being so we can keep her whereabouts a secret.Ignorance is bliss.Know what I mean?”

Per usual, my Brother was right.“Has he had any issues at his conference?”

“Nothing more than the usual bullshit that goes down at those events.Otherwise, it’s been quiet,” Pipe returned.

Framingham was also being watched by bodyguards twenty-four-seven just to ensure his safety.They were a handful of trustworthy guys the Devils knew from the Marines who’d opened their own protection agency and were now operating in the Bay Area.

“While you were gone, I took the liberty of looking into that Ghost issue for you,” Ox said, taking a marathon sip of his beer.“Shit ain’t good, Brother.”

Nothing that had to deal with the Watchmen ever was.I took a moment and filled everyone in on what Maddy’s friend Kayla had told me about Ghost.

“He’s got a rap sheet about a mile long,” Pipe said.“He’s got the usual robbery, assault and battery, theft, type of shit.But, more troubling for that Kayla chick, he’s got a history of stalking.Young women in particular.”

“What’s the criteria for getting into the Watchmen Clubhouse?”Hammer asked then.“Being an asshole rapist?”

“No shit, right?Like their fuckwad President and Ace weren’t enough?They really needed to add to the list of offenders?”Hawk added with disgust.

“Anyone know what ever happened to that piece of shit, Ace?After Hawk stomped his ass into next Tuesday, the guy kind of fell off the grid.”Hammer shook his head with regret.“Boy, am I ever sorry I missed that fight!I would have loved to see that cunt eat pavement.”

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