Page 7 of Jaded Red

I clear my throat and open my laptop. Clicking on a few buttons, I push my laptop across the desk, turning it so Capone can see what’s on the screen. “It came from a strip club called Slammer Joint in Studio City.”

Capone raises an eyebrow, “And?”

This is it. This is where I tell the secrets I’ve been holding onto so tightly for all these years. “And Slammer Joint is a synonym for a place I never wanted to visit or think about again. A place I ended up after Tanya died and I spiraled down a dark path. As you can tell, they’re not very creative.”

“OK…, but what does this have to do with you?”

“Because of my past and why I was in prison. I was mixed up with a Russian mafia and did tech stuff for them. Only I didn’t know it was the Russians until I was arrested and the FBI’s foreign counterintelligence showed me proof. I was hired as a tech consultant to Slammer Joint Security firm. That’s how I knew this was meant for me.” I point to the email on the laptop.

“Why didn’t you turn on them and who is this Russian?” Capone asks leaning forward, his elbows resting on his desk.

Shaking my head, I respond. “I couldn’t turn on them. Apparently, they were watching me for a while. They knew how and when Tanya died. They knew my parents and their routines. They even knew I had a dog that came up missing. If I went against them, they would have and probably still will kill anyone I care about.”

“Who is this Russian asshole?” Capone growls.

“Valdimer.”

“Jesus fuck! Can’t we ever catch a break from these fuckwads? No sooner do we eliminate one, more pop up like cockroaches. Is this why they took Nadia? They found out aboutthe two of you, which I had no idea about and I’m still pissed about.”

“I would think so, but I’m not sure.” I swallow hard. “I’m…”

Capone cuts me off with a raise of his hand. “I get it, Red. But don’t let it fucking happen again. Text everyone. We’ll have Church in an hour and you’re going to tell them everything. Every last fucking detail and then you’ll get your fucking head right and we’ll come up with a plan to find Nadia and get her back.”

Exactly one hour later, I’m sitting at the scarred oak table with the Royal Bastards logo etched in the center. If I were a smoker, I’d light up right about now to calm my nerves. Instead, I adjust my black-rimmed glasses for the thousandth time and bite my nails, waiting for all my brothers to file in.

Over the years this table has held our secrets, suffered our rage, soaked up our tears, felt our happiness and succumbed to our fears. Many men have confessed their deepest, darkest secrets in this room, at this table and now it’s my turn.

Capone is sitting at the head of the table with Blayze, our VP, on his left. Torch, our Enforcer, on his right. I’m sitting between Aftermath, our Sergeant at Arms, who is next to Blayze and Tiny, our Road Captain. Trigger, our Treasurer, Dagger, the Chaplin and Derange, the Tail Runner, are sitting across from me. Everyone is quiet, waiting for the meeting to start.

None of these men know why we’re here but that’s about to change. Capone slams his gavel, made by Dagger, onto the table.

“Church is in session. As you all know, Kensi’s friend Nadia is missing.” Everyone nods their heads in agreement. “There is more to this story, but it’s not mine to tell.” Capone points to me. “The table is yours, Red.”

My face flames bright red from being put on the spot, but I take a deep breath and clear my throat. “I know Nadia.” Shamefor feeling something for someone after Tanya died fills my voice.

“What the fuck?” Aftermath growls. “That’s Kensi’s best friend outside this club and you didn’t mention you fucking knew her when Kensi came to you?”

My shame turns to rage, matching Aftermath’s. “It’s not your fucking business that I know her, Aftermath. It’s your business she needs help.” Capone clears his throat, warning me to be honest. “You all know she’s Nolan Ryan’s sister, but what you don’t know is, she’s the woman I’ve been seeing. We met at a bar a few months back, hit it off and well, the rest is history.” Heat builds from my chest and crawls its way up my neck. I swallow hard and try to steady my racing heart and calm the blush creeping through my body.

“Holy shit! Red got laid! It’s about damn time, brother.” Derange exclaims, pounding his fist on the table.

“I thought for sure you’d die a virgin.” Torch laughs and sits back in his chair.

The teasing and taunting continue until I’m hot and my face is fire engine red. God, how embarrassing. I rest my head in my hands and wait for the ribbing to stop. I think about Nadia and the way her body fits perfectly with mine like we are made for each other. Guilt eats away at me for caring about her. Capone slams the gavel on the table, putting an end to my misery.

Everyone quiets down. “Now that’s out of the way, there’s more. Red, go ahead.” He motions for me to continue.

"Before I came here, I did hard time. When I was eighteen, my girlfriend died in a hit and run and I spiraled. I went nuts looking for her killer. She was the love of my teenage life. My family sent me to counseling. When that didn’t help, I cut everyone off. I swore the night she died that I’d never love or care about another woman ever again and I left. I have been highly skilled with computers and hacking since I was aboutfourteen. I honed that skill until I became the best hacker on the West Coast. A man named Lance Obolensky approached me with a job I couldn’t refuse. He made me believe I could use their resources to find Tanya’s killer. So, I took the job at a security firm in San Francisco called Slammer Joint. For a few years, I’d hack people’s accounts, move money from accounts, and all that bullshit. Then shit got real. I was getting closer to finding out who killed Tanya when I received a phone call from Lance. His boss needed me to hack into a system and send him the information. So, easy, breezy, I did it. A few days later, the FBI’s counterintelligence was knocking on my door and I ended up in prison for hacking into a government website and selling information to the Russian mob.

“That’s when I really shut off all emotions and feelings. I was sentenced to five years in prison since I had no priors and had no idea I was working for the Russian Mafia. I spent five long years in maximum security, fighting off the worst of the worst in there every day, including the guards, until one day a man took me under his wing. I was so tired of fighting for my life, I was at the end of my rope when he offered me protection and told me about the Royal Bastards. His name was Crawl, whose brother is Rage from the Georgia Chapter.

“I did my time, got out and here I am.” I take a break from speaking to let all the information soak in. Thirsty as hell, I open the mini fridge behind me, crack open a beer and guzzle it.

“There’s more isn’t there?” Dagger asks. He’s gone from brother to Chaplin in a heartbeat. I can feel the sympathy radiating off him in waves.

I nod my head and take my seat again. “After I got out and came here, I’ve been looking into Lance and who he works for. What I thought was a security firm was actually a front for the Russians. The name of the security firm, which I already told you, was Slammer Joint Security Firm.” I snort at my stupidity.“Yeah, I know but I was eighteen and spiraling. They offered me the world and I took it.”

“What does that have to do with Nadia missing?” Aftermath asks, still pissed as hell, which I don’t blame him.

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