Page 15 of Property of Rio

“Wouldn’t be a day in the Kings if we didn’t have volcanoes bubbling up, Brother,” he states.

“True that,” I agree. “Keep an eye out for the info once I have things sorted.”

“Will do.”

He knows as soon as we have his money in hand I’ll reach out and let him know how soon he can expect it in their account. Pokey does some complicated bullshit, but so far, we’ve never been caught, so it obviously works. Not like I understand shit about most of the technology he uses. I just trust my brother knows his shit and I am beyond confident he’s got our interests at the top of his priority list.

Thankfully, I have no more interruptions so I’m able to get the final counts, reach out to our contact with the cartel and set up a time for the exchange, then let Q-Ball know those details so he can get the run sorted out.

Satisfied, I leave the bunker and head to the room where Gage is being kept. It’s time to get some answers.

“I see you’re awake,” I state when I spot Gage sitting up in the bed, clutching his ribcage since it took most of the beating.He looks worse today than when we found him because all the bruising and swelling is evident now that the blood has been washed away.

He stares at me; his eyes mere slits and I see him take a deep breath then wince. “Rafe, I can explain.”

When BamBam and Gopher walk into the room to stand behind me, their arms crossed over their chests, I see him pale even more. Good. I want the motherfucker scared shitless.

“Right now, I almost don’t give that first fuck what your pussified excuse is for why you let not only Issy down, but the club,” BamBam utters.

His tone is low and sinister, and I know he’s barely holding on to his temper because of the danger Issy was in due to his actions.

“I kinda wanna hear what he has to say,” Gopher says, looking over at BamBam. “Could be good for a laugh which we’ve not had much reason to do thanks to this jokester.”

“Well, the Prez has the deciding vote,” Pokey interjects, having joined this particular party. When I see he’s got his laptop along with a sheaf of papers, I know he’s found something that’ll explain exactly what the fuck happened. He hands them to me, and I step away to lean against the wall while the three of them stand there in intimidating stances.

One thing I can say about Pokey is that he is thorough as hell. If there’s information to be found, he’s going to dig it out no matter how well it’s hidden. Not only that, but in this instance, he has accompanying information for the shit he found. I read through it twice then hand it back to Pokey. I know BamBam and Abyss will follow my lead, so I step forward until I’m at the side of the bed closest to Gage.

“A little sister, huh? Cherise, age sixteen? Perfect age to be trafficked,” I state. “When did you find out about her, Gage? You’ve never mentioned a sister in all the years I’ve known you. Hell, thatwe’veknown you.”

I’m not ready to let him know that Issy is back home, safe and sound. Nor the fact that we have both horses, one of our two trailers, and one of the trucks. I want him to sweat for a bit before I relay those tidbits to him.

He nods then starts talking, his stutter making it difficult to understand. Still, I know between the four of us, we’ll be able to figure it out then go from there as far as what to do about him. “I-I-I… I found out a-a-about Cherise six or so months ago, R–r-r-afe.”

“Rio,” I snap. Right now, he’s not talking to a long-time friend, he’s talking to the President of the Kings of Anarchy, West Texas chapter. My tone is flat with little inflection although it’s taking everything in me not to lose my shit.

“Rio,” he amends. “M-m-mike L-l-opez reached out to me.”

“Who thefuckis Mike Lopez?” BamBam bellows the question, looking as if he’s ready to lunge and wrap his hands around Gage’s neck. “Never heard of the fucker.”

Pokey waves the papers as he quickly reads through the pages until he finds the one that holds what he’s looking for. “Mike Lopez, also known as Four, is a member of the Mojave Devils Motorcycle Club. Rap sheet is a mile long, including stints in jail for possession of meth with intent to distribute, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, assault, domestic violence, and a few more low-level drug charges. He’s a piece of shit, but most of those assholes are,” Pokey advises, glaring straight at Gage.“Why on earth you’d get into bed with those fuckers who not only manufacture but distribute that fucking poison, but they also peddle flesh, Gage. Do you realize you traded Issy,ourIssy to a bunch of vile pedophiles? Because some of the girls they’ve taken are definitely not old enough to consent toanythingof a sexual nature.”

“How could you?” I mutter, disgust lacing my tone. “Continue your tale of woe, Gage, but just understand, there’s never ever going to be an excuse that I’ll accept for you trading Issy to anyone in order to save someone else. You get me?”

“Y-y-yeah, Rio. I d-d-didn’t know I had a sister. You know I don’t have any kind of contact with that bitch who birthed me. Mike, I mean Four, called and told me that unless I got Issy to them, they were gonna sell my sister.”

He’s now quietly crying, tears tracking through the bruises. I see him wince when the salt from his tears hit his split lips and smirk, loving that he’s getting even more pain from his stupidity. By now, he knows he could’ve come to me, and we would’ve helped him handle this shit. Years of friendship has proven that if nothing else. The fact that he went about this in a backhanded way, doesn’t make any damn sense. He obviously was using the head beneath his pants instead of the one attached to his neck.

“So, you took the word of a low-life piece of shit that this so-called sister, who you’ve never met, was gonna be trafficked if you didn’t get them Issy? Do I have that right?” I say, my voice now silky soft with an undertone of venom. “A woman that you’ve been friends with, for nearly a decade, meant so little to you that you’d send her straight into the pits of Hell? Help me understand, Gage, because I’m just not getting it right now.”

“T-t-they’ve wanted Issy for years, Rio,” he says. “R-r-remember when we were at that rodeo years ago and saw some of them slinking around? T-t-they saw Issy ride t-then saw her in the stables and Mike became obsessed with her. H-h-he wants her as his old lady.”

Fuck that noise. That wouldneverhappen in my lifetime. Hell, if push came to shove and it meant saving her from the shit they’d put her through based on the stories we’ve heard over the years, I’d kill her myself. Granted, I’d join her in the afterlife because there’s no life worth living if she’s not in it.

“Man, Prez, he just keeps digging that hole a little bit deeper,” Gopher states.

“Means we don’t have to have Mongrel or Mutt do it,” BamBam retorts. Both now have a maniacal smirk on their faces. It’s one designed to scare the daylights out of anyone who fucks with us.

“I know you’re not a member of the club, Gage, but you’ve been around long enough you know what our motto is, right?” Pokey asks.

---