Page 73 of Bozo

“You good?” Preacher asks, his American accent thick and heavy. We’re at Jerry’s house. He called and asked for a meeting. I’m fucking hoping it means that he has some news.

“I’m good,” I lie. I’m far fucking from it. Grá’s bottling up how afraid she is and it pisses me the fuck off. She shouldn’t have to hide away in the clubhouse because of some motherfucking bastard who couldn’t get his fucking job done. There’s no doubt in my mind that they were meant to kill Antoine, but he somehow escaped and ended up in the emergency room, and that’s how Gráinne ended up tangled up in this fucking mess.

Every lead that we seem to get ends up being a dead end. Nothing pans out and it’s beyond fucking frustrating.

“You’re not,” he says. “But you will be. Once we have a location on these fuckers, we’re going to ensure that they die and that it’ll be painful and slow.”

I nod grimly at Preacher's words. He's right, I won't be okay until we find these bastards and make them pay for what they did to Gráinne.

We enter Jerry's house, finding him pacing in his living room. He looks up as we enter, his face grim. He does this a lot when he’s angry, when something is happening that’s out of his control.

"What've you got?" I demand, not bothering with pleasantries. There’s no use for them, not with Jer. We both want to find these cunts, for Gráinne’s safety. I trust my brothers. I know that they have my back. But Jer’s different. He views my woman as his daughter. He’s going to go all out to find out what the fuck is going on and where these bastards are hiding.

Jerry runs a hand through his hair. "One of my contacts in Romania came through. They've got intel on Dragomir Popescu."

My heart rate picks up. Finally, some real information. "And?"

"He's bad news, Bozo. Really bad news," Jerry says, his voice grave. "He's not just involved with The Revenant—he's their leader. He runs their entire operation."

"Fuck," Raptor mutters beside me.

Jerry nods. "Yeah. And that's not all. Apparently, he's in Dublin right now."

My fists clench at my sides. "What the fuck is he doing here?"

"Expanding their territory, from what my contact could gather," Jerry explains. "The Revenant is making a big push into Western Europe. Ireland is their gateway."

The pieces start falling into place. "And Gráinne overheard them talking at the hospital and they’ve concluded that she overheard their plans.”

"It could seriously fuck up their operation," Jerry finishes. "That's why they're so desperate to get to her. She's a loose end they can't afford."

A wave of rage washes over me. "They're not getting anywhere near her again," I growl.

Jerry holds up his hands. "I know, Bozo. That's why I called you here. We need to make a plan. This is a fucking tight knit operation. There’s no fucking way we’re getting close to them, unless we plan it to the fucking T."

Preacher steps forward. "What do you suggest?"

Jerry takes a deep breath. "We need to draw Dragomir out. Make him think we have information that could compromise their operation."

I raise an eyebrow. "And how do we do that?"

"We set a trap," Jerry says, his eyes glinting. "Use one of our own as bait. Someone who could believably have overheard something important."

The implication hangs heavy in the air. I shake my head vehemently. "No. Absolutely fucking not. We're not using Gráinne as bait."

Jerry sighs. "Bozo, I know you want to protect her, but?—"

"But nothing," I snarl, stepping closer to him. "She's been through enough. I won't put her in danger again."

Preacher puts a hand on my shoulder, holding me back. "Easy, brother. Let's hear him out."

I take a deep breath, trying to calm myself. "Fine. What's your plan?"

“Her place is being watched, as is the hospital. Which means going to either place alone is a fucking huge hell no. I’m not letting them get to her, Bozo. They won’t hurt her again,” he growls. “But we could have her collect some clothes, or have someone else do it for her and lead them into the trap.”

I clench my jaw, considering Jerry's words. As much as I hate the idea of using Gráinne in any way, I know we need to do something to draw these bastards out. This way, she’s not in their line of sight and we’re drawing them out.

"And then what?" I ask, my voice tight with barely contained anger. "We just wait for them to make a move?"

---