Page 10 of In Too Deep

Theresa clasps her hands together in front of her on the table.

“Seth has no family. His parents died in a car accident when he was young, and he has no siblings. He went to juvey when he was twelve for stealing cars for parts and selling them. Seth also went to prison for grand theft auto when he was twenty, so you have something in common with the RBMC.” She stops for a minute to have a sip of coffee, and I do the same.

“Seth runs a motorbike mechanic shop downtown. A garage that the RBMC visits a lot. It’s their go-to for servicing their bikes, and it just so happens…” she smiles, “… the current owner has chosen to retire early, and he’s sold the business to you.”

She smirks, and I frown. “What do you mean sold it to me?”

“You’re the new owner. This is a way in, Cole.”

“Wow, you guys have really invested in this.”

“Cole…” Theresa says, her voice sincere, “… I will do everything I can in my power to protect you. There’s no way I would ask you to go undercover without being prepared.” Shegoes on to explain what they hope they’ll gain from all this and finally get proof of the killings the RBMC is responsible for. If the RCMP can just get a confession of the murders they have committed or proof of them murdering a human being, then they will finally go away for a long time.

“You need to move out of your house and into the apartment tonight. So, pack your clothes and anything else you might need in your new place. We can’t take any chances.”

Swallowing hard, it begins to sink in how my life is about to be changed, and not in a good way. But then I think about why I’m doing this in the first place and look at Theresa. I owe it to her to do this.

“Cole, are you listening to me? This means you need to change your life. You can’t return to the military until we know you’re safe. And we don’t know how long that will be.”

While she has my attention, she continues, “This means you can’t have any contact with your parents or friends as no one can know about this. You don’t want any of your friends and family to be known to the RBMC.” We would send one of our own in, but we need someone who’s not known to their club, and with your experience, you are the perfect person for this job.”

She reaches over and holds my hand. “Cole, I’m going to say this again, and if your answer is no, I totally understand.”

“I understand, Theresa,” I explain, patting her hand with my other. “I’m doing this. So, stop asking me that question. I just ask one thing from the RCMP.”

Theresa looks at Ben, who looks at her, and then their eyes both turn to me. “Yes, what is it?”

She sits back in her chair.

“I need to handle things my way. I can’t have either of you telling me what to do. If I’m going to do this, I need to go with my instincts.”

“But, Cole…”

I cut her off.

“No, Theresa, I’m not budging on this. I’ve done some research and will work on a plan. I understand that for them to bring me into their club, they need to trust me. To do that, I can’t have your words in the back of my head. Agree?”

“Agree, but…” Ben adds, “… you need to carry this with you.” He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a cell phone, sliding it on the table to me.

Picking it up, I switch it on. “Okay, please tell me it’s not wired?”

Ben smiles. “How else do you expect us to hear what goes on? How else will we catch them out on any illegal activity? We need evidence to bring these fuckers down, and we need it recorded. These assholes have gotten away with murder, drugs, gun smuggling, and who knows what else. The whole reason for bringing you in is so you can get us that information. Having a wire in this phone means we can hear every conversation, which can give us the evidence we need.”

“I understand that, but don’t you think having it in my phone is risky? The first place they’ll check for any wires is my phone.” Shaking my head, I continue, “I won’t do it. I won’t risk the whole operation because you think this is the best way.”

Handing the phone back to Ben, I add, “I won’t fuckin’ do it.”

He snatches the cell off the table and turns to Theresa.

“I told you this was a bad idea. If he’s already giving us trouble, what else is he going to bring when he’s in deep with the RBMC? Nah, fuckin’ bad idea, T, bringing him in.”

T? Who the fuck does he think he is calling Theresa T?

Growling, I spit, “Are you saying I’m not a man of honor? Do you think I won’t see this through?”

He faces me. “I’m just saying, if you’re already not following orders, how do we know you won’t tell us what we need to hear.”

“That’s enough,” Theresa growls. She blows out a breath and pulls her ponytail over one shoulder.

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