Page 34 of Reaper's Rage

“Sounds like the assholes who attacked our businesses.” I say. “But why are these fuckers targeting us? Wait, wasn’t some religious group one of Renee’s customers?”

“You got it.” Smoke says. “Unfortunately, I think Ashlyn was just the last purchase in a long line of purchases. Maestro and I have been working through Renee’s accounts and her records. We found a pattern that suggests all the purchases made by this group have been women. For those transactions that involve a genuine collectible, she tracks the amount going out for the purchase and ties it to the amount coming in for the sale. However, she has several sales transactions that don’t have a corresponding purchase, only expenses.”

“Because she grabs the women off the street. Fucking bitch. Her expenses would be the drugs she uses to knock them out.” Byte surmises.

“Exactly.” Smoke agrees. “But there’s one more item. After any sale, she has an expense documented as shipping and handling. However, the entries that we think are for the women have considerably higher fees than the items we think are real collectibles. For those, she listed the fees as USPS, UPS, or Fedex. Whereas the fees for the women have TST listed and an account number. Maestro is looking into the account. See if we can find a name or something to work with.”

“You think whoever this TST is, they’re the ones who handed Ashlyn over to Deion?” I ask.

“Probably. Does TST ring any bells with you?”

I consider the initials but I can’t nail down anything. “TS could stand for The Spades, but I don’t know what T would stand for. Maybe The Spades Transport, but I’ve never heard the term before. Could be something they started after I left.”

“Or, it could have nothing to do with them.” Dante chimes in, and I nod in agreement.

“I could reach out to someone. He and I still chat once in a while.” I offer.

“Let us finish digging on our end.” Smoke says. “If we find nothing, then I’ll tag you. But one more item. I checked on the holdings for God’s Chosen Disciples and they own the flower shop that delivered the flowers to Ashlyn. So that’s why they didn’t list the buyer.”

“Keep digging on Teddy and his church of assholes.” Dante says. “We need to know how to protect Ashlyn from them and find out if he’s targeting other women. Now, let’s move on to Chicago.” Dante says, glancing at Puma, who gestures for his Road Captain, Hawk to present the plan.

“The pilot and plane are ready to go. We’ll leave here in groups of two, taking different routes to the base. The MP manning Gate Six is has the count and knows to look for our kuttes before letting us enter. Once we’re in, we’ll meet up at the plane to load up our bikes. The plan is to land in Chicago around two am where we’ll head to the clubhouse and meet up with others.” Hawk explains.

“Laser will be in the SUV. He’s bringing his sniper rifle.” Scar reminds Hawk, who nods.

“Right, he’ll need to stop at the gate and show him his kutte. Shouldn’t be an issue.” Hawk confirms.

“Why the cloak and dagger?” Chaos asks. “Do you think we’re being watched?”

Hawk shrugs. “We don’t know. We’ve kept our eyes open and haven’t spotted anyone paying us special attention, but we’re not taking any chances. If I was Standish, I would have someone watching us. Especially if I believed I’d successfully kidnapped your women.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO: ASHLYN

I follow Alisa and Desdemona outside to an SUV similar to the ones used by the San Diego chapter. A prospect is already sitting behind the wheel while a stunning Amazon waits by the open door. I know she’s at least six feet tall. She’s only a few inches shorter than Reaper, and she stands taller than the SUV. Her long blonde hair cascades around slim shoulders.

“Holy shit.” I whisper under my breath, but I guess I wasn’t as quiet as I thought, because Desdemona wraps her arm through mine and laughs.

“Showtime is a former Vegas showgirl. Part of the reason for her name. The other part is that she is ferocious. Puma found her outside the casino after a show. Five guys tried to attack her. He heard the commotion and came to help, only to see her take down the last guy. Puma asked her to prospect, and she accepted.” Desdemona explains.

“I grew up the youngest of six and the only girl. My brothers had no problem wrestling with me. Until I got boobs.” Showtime explains as she closes the door behind us. “This is Max, or Mad Max, as we like to call him.”

I greet Max, but I turn my attention back to Showtime. “Five men attacked you?” I ask her.

She nods. “It was late, and I was heading out to my car when these five idiots tried to make me their victim. They were drunk and stupid, which helped. Like most bullies, they assumed threatening me was enough to make me wilt in fear. But all it did was piss me off. One thing you need to know about showgirls is we are strong. I was between two SUVs, so they couldn’t attack me all at once. Only two at a time. I head-butted one and kicked the other in his junk. Pretty sure I heard a pop, which was satisfying. I enjoyed his scream.”

We laugh when Max winces. Showtime taps him on the shoulder. “Sorry, man.” She says, and he shakes his head.

“No need to be sorry, the dick deserved it.” Max says, grinning at her. “But this story always reminds me to never piss you off.”

“Good call.” Showtime says before resuming her story. “I throat punched the third guy. The fourth tried to come at me like a bull, so I kneed him in the nose. Blood everywhere. By then Puma arrived, which scared the fifth guy so much, he wet himself. I slammed my forearm into his throat when he tried to run past me. It was very satisfying.”

We laugh as Mad Max turns onto the strip.

“Where are we going?” I ask Alisa.

“Puma’s club is part owner of a boutique casino. It’s small, but has a unique flair. They call it 1%.” Alisa explains.

I’m not sure what she means, but I get it as soon as we walk into the main lobby. It’s a biker’s casino. Hard rock pours out of the speakers. Various designs cover the surface of the concrete floor, like tattoos. In the center is a massive Demon Dawgs logo. But I can see other biker logos decorating the floor.

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