Page 339 of The Tempted

Chapter Nine

Sun Wu was no joke, there was a reason he was named after a warrior. What? You think I would agree to a job without doing my homework? I had his blood type and his family tree memorized before I walked through the door. Nope, not just a pretty face, your boy Riggs has brains too.

He and the Red Dragons were big time players in the MC world. They weren’t a threat to the Knights because we ran in different circles. Most of their operations were overseas, using the New York Harbor to move their weapons and their drugs back home to their pals in Beijing.

Wu wanted me to wire every inch of an apartment he kept over on Mott Street. He was vague about the details of the operation but he was adamant that every square inch of the property was secure. I ran wires through the walls, planted bugs on smoke alarms, and glass eyes in high hats. The place was suited up from the fire hydrant on the curb outside to the microwave in the kitchen.

Thanks to me, Wu had eyes everywhere.

And thanks to him I had a sweet envelope to deliver at Church.

I also had entertainment because there was no way in hell I wasn’t tapping those wires. Sometimes binge watching on Netflix just doesn’t hack it and I need an extra something, something. You know what I mean?

I was packing up my tools, shoving them back into my bag when I heard the roar of engines outside. Sun Wu and his boys started talking in Chinese making me wish I had paid more attention when my mother got me those fancy Mandarin lessons. Instead, I tried getting it on with my Asian Mrs. Robinson.

Wu pulled up the surveillance footage on his iPad and grinned at me.

“A day ago I’d be holding my gun out the window checking to see who was knocking on my door,” he turned the screen around so I could see the Dragons dismounting from their bikes, clear as day might I add.

“You do excellent work, Riggs. I will be sure to tell Jack I appreciate him subbing out your services to the Red Dragons. If there is a way we can serve you in the future, I hope you won’t hesitate to ask,” he said, as he fingered the patch on his cut.

“I’m not the shy type, brother. If you got something I need, bet your ass I’m taking it,” I said, zipping up my bag and throwing it over my shoulder.

I decided against asking him if he had an old lady that made fried rice. Homemade fried rice was the shit. I had an Asian nanny once, she made killer fried rice and her spare ribs were off the charts. Real authentic, none of that stuff you find at every Chinese takeout place.

If I ever take an old lady I might make sure she’s Asian.

The door opened, and the Dragons walked in, signaling it was my cue to go.

“It’s been real guys,” I said, patting my cut to where the envelope was safely tucked away. “Pleasure doing business with you,” I said to “Jackie Chan” and the Ninja Warriors. Glancing around at the empty apartment one last time, I wondered what Sun Wu had in store for this place.

I pulled into the compound, killed the engine of my bike and found Bones sitting on top of a picnic table smoking a joint. I tipped my chin toward him before I took a seat on the table next to him.

“Pass that shit,” I said, watching as he blew out a stream of smoke.

“How’d it go with Wu?” he asked, passing the joint.

I took the first pull, welcoming the burn of the herb and shrugged my shoulders.

“In and out, easy job.” I thought about it—Wu, the Red Dragons and how over the top their operation looked. “The Dragons don’t play, huh?”

Bones had been part of the Satan’s Knights for a couple of years now, making him more knowledgeable when it came to rival clubs and how they worked. He had a better understanding of the history between the Knights and the Dragons too. He didn’t need me to tell him that Sun Wu was a lethal bastard, he already knew that.

“No they don’t,” he affirmed. “It’s good for the club that we make nice with him. You doing that job for him shows good faith. We don’t want that guy or his club as an enemy,” He said, taking the joint from me.

“I hear you,” I said, staring at the bikes that lined the Dog Pound, noticing how everyone’s bikes were parked, but the guys were nowhere in sight. “What are you doing out here? Where is everyone?”

He looked at me for a moment, silently, before he offered me the joint again.

“They’re all inside,” he replied finally.

“I’m good,” I said, declining the joint and watching on as he took one last puff.

“I was waiting for you,” he said, blowing out the smoke. He coughed slightly, and I reached over and slapped him on the back.

“Aww you missed me, brother?” I joked.

Bones and I went way back, a brotherhood before either of us ever knew of the Satan’s Knights. His mother, Lorraine, was my family’s housekeeper, the sweetest lady you’d ever have the pleasure of knowing. When we were kids, Lorraine would bring Bones with her on the weekends and we’d play together. We remained close through the years, and while my parents tried to shelter me, Bones was the one who enlightened me. He introduced me to sports, women and pot. And when I broke away from my family, he and his mom welcomed me with open arms.

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