Page 3 of Ace

I wanted no connections outside of work. I wanted people who could work and not let emotions carry them away. I needed men and women who could do the job without forming bonds with people so they couldn't be manipulated and hurt. I didn't want them to sacrifice themselves because they were emotionally attached to another person.

"You have to do what you think is best," I tell him, feeling like just one more cog in the machine I was just mentally bitching about. "The only problem I see going forward is the folks who are coming in have been told it was going to be one way, and now that's changing."

"No real changes," Kincaid counters. "They just don't have to choose between loving someone and working for the club."

"They aren't Marines," I argue. This was always a requirement for access to a Cerberus membership.

"This isn't New Mexico, either." Kincaid gives me another soft smile. "We have to be different to make a difference. When it all boils down, that's what all of us want. We need to make a difference in this world before we're no longer a part of it."

We shift gears and speak more about the cases and the new wave of guys moving into the house in a few months. Kincaid is giving me the opportunity to accept the way things will be because I don't really have a say. I'm not the one who can make the call about these changes. I'm simply the person chosen to manage this endeavor. The higher-ups at ICE aren't going to care whether the people working these cases have apersonal life or not. Honestly, they'd expect it from almost everyone. They just want to make sure the people working under ICE's umbrella of protection keep their shit together and do a good job.

Even as we talk, I still can't see how this is going to work. There is no chance the Gatlinburg chapter of Cerberus will be successful operating on cases in the United States. If they don't fail altogether, then they'll end up looking exactly like New Mexico, working cases outside of the US to stay in business.

Chapter 1

Ace

I'd rather be anywhere but here.

This house was supposed to be the start of something great. It was supposed to be a hub of the best men and women we were able to find who are willing to make great sacrifices to fight the abductions that are fueling the sex trafficking industry. We were supposed to do good, to make a change, and I used to feel excited to come here and get updates. Now, all I feel is dread.

The one thing I didn't want to happen occurred in record time, and with Kincaid naming Hemlock as president of this chapter of the Cerberus MC, it sets a precedence for everyone else.

When folks joined this group, I didn't ask that they sever connections they had. We wanted people who didn't have those connections, people who weren't prone to get close to people. The attachments are dangerous. They're a weakness, and I know more than a lot of people that a weakness like that can get you killed.

I pull in a deep breath as I climb out of my car in front of the Gatlinburg home base cabin.

The thing is massive, bought by Cerberus. The turnkey property was exactly what we needed. It has a ton of bedrooms, each with its own en suite bathroom, and enough space for people to spread out. The common areas are massive, and if this endeavor grows, there are other properties close by that can be procured to expand, although the original plan was to start other chapters around the United States.

I blow out a breath as I walk toward the front door, my breath thick, the proof of the chill in the air trailing behind me as I climb the steps.

It's been a couple of weeks since I've been here, but updates with my guys tell me what I'll find.

Although I don't live here, I don't bother knocking. I use my personal code on the front door and enter. This is a place of business, and I refuse to treat it as anything other than that.

Movement in the kitchen draws me in that direction, and I find Zara, Hemlock's woman, there.

"Good morning," she says with a quick, easy smile.

"Morning," I return. "Your man around?"

"He'll be down in just a minute. Can I make you a cup of coffee?"

"That'd be great. Thanks."

I take a seat at the long breakfast bar, and I find myself watching her as she works. I honestly feel sorry for her.

There's more of a chance that this woman will end up being targeted and possibly hurt or even killed because of her connection to Hemlock. His job is dangerous, and the men and organizations we're trying to dismantle will stop at nothing in order to keep their businesses running, even if that means killing innocent women and children.

A glint of sunlight reflecting off the snow outside pulls my attention to the enormous window at the back of the house. The view from up here is phenomenal. I imagine I can see for miles and miles, and it makes me stand, the beauty of it all pulling me in that direction.

Cerberus didn't spare a penny with this house, and I can only imagine the price tag that came along with it. This property was used for short-term rentals, designed to houselarge groups of people for retreats or vacations. Just the sheer profitability of it would've driven the cost of purchasing it up.

Gatlinburg is the perfect place for an operation like this. Every neighbor for at least a mile is temporary, giving the men and women who will work here a sort of cover. The people vacationing at the next house will assume that the people here are also vacationing, and their vacation will end before they can even bother being suspicious.

This area of East Tennessee sees millions and millions of tourists each year, making it a mecca for crime. A lot of people travel here to visit the shops and national forest, and because they want to get a little closer to nature. But there are also people who come for more nefarious reasons.

The trees and winding roads give a lot of privacy, and there are those types that feed their deviances while on vacation, as if the crimes against humanity that they commit don't count.

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