Page 15 of Keg's Revelation

“Whatever. So, my shadow and I hit the place, and as we are right at the door where the sleaze is supposed to be, it opens and he walks out. I reach for him with one hand while I grab for my handcuffs. That’s when this bitch charges out of the room brandishing a knife. I moved but not enough, and the blade caught my jacket sleeve and sliced it. I let go of my bail jumper and knocked the knife out of her hand. Dumbass bitch decides she didn’t need the knife and charges me. I go down, she goes down, and the wrestling starts. While I’m punching, she’s pulling hair. Can’t stand that shit. It pisses me off. Pulling hair and slapping. Please, you want to act like you’re a badass, then throw a punch. Which I did, and it landed right on her chin. Snapped her head back and she was out. But my stoner used the distraction and bolted. When I looked around after the bitch was down, I see Wyan kneeling on the ground with one knee in the middle of the idiot’s back.

“I call the cops to pick up the chick after I zip tie her, and while we wait for them, I go to where Wyan has my drugged-up runner pinned. He’s begging Wyan not to let the cops go inside the room. I mean, it’s not unusual when you’re about to haul assholes back to jail that they threaten you. His crying, though, was new for me. So in between sniffles, he’s mumbling about how he is going to be in serious trouble when the Widows find out about him being picked up, but with their product getting confiscated, he was a dead man.”

“It isn’t news the Widows are dealing drugs.” Prez frowned, then asked Charlie, “Did you check out the room?”

“I went back to the open door and looked in, and other than being dirty and cluttered with takeout containers, nothing stood out. Bounty hunter status doesn’t allow us to do searches. Besides, I didn’t want to disrupt anything in the room if the runner’s babble held any truth.” Charlie shrugged. “I called in and let Travis and the others know I retrieved our guy and filled them in on everything else, then waited for the cops. Didn’t take long for them to arrive. I answered their questions, filled them in on what my runner said, then I was done. They put an officer on the woman who had come to right before they arrived, and Wyan was pulling our guy up so we could transport him. The lead officer had cleared us to leave. He said they’d do a search of the room and, depending on what they found, they’d file new charges on my guy. He would be in jail already, so they weren’t worried. As Wyan and I started walking toward the parking lot, shit went south. Shots were fired. In the next second, I’m pushed down with three hundred and fifty plus pounds laying on top of me. Cops are yelling. Wyan helps me up off the ground, and when I look at my guy, he isn’t moving. He’s lying on the ground with a hole in his neck and chest. In less than five minutes the parking lot at the motel looks like a police convention. That’s when I hear a bike and turn to see Hawk pulling in.” Charlie glared at Hawk when she stopped for a breath.

“You can be pissed all you want. Travis called me because my woman was attacked with a knife. You think I’m not going to show up after that? Then I get there and see half a dozen cruisers and a body on the ground with my ol’ lady standing next to it. I’m expected to stay calm?”

“I expect you to trust me to do my job. I expect you to give me enough credit that if I’m injured, I will call and let you know. The knife didn’t even touch my skin. And stop using that term for me, I’m not old.”

“Damn, woman, you draw trouble like a magnet. And the bail skippers should be really scared if you are the one after them,” I said and received an elbow to my ribs from Hawk. “Come on, VP, you have to see it.”

“Shut up, Reed. I do not draw trouble. It’s always a possibility in my line of work. And the bail skippers are scared, they don’t want caught,” Charlie huffed.

“Uh...no. Not what I meant. Today your guy is shot dead, and what? Just two weeks ago the one you were after lands in the hospital with multiple breaks and a concussion from getting hit by a car. Admit it, dangerous shit happens around you.” I chuckled when Charlie glared at me.

“Fuck off, it wasn’t my fault the skipper ran into traffic while trying to outrun me. And today, the idiot’s association with the Widows is what got his ass shot dead.” Charlie crossed her arms over her chest.

“What about the guy last month? The one hit with the spilling paint from the scaffold on that apartment building when we were walking him past. My grandma washed my clothes three times to get the splatters of paint off.” The office filled with male laughter at Wyan’s words. His tale more than proved my point.

“Alright, settle down,” Prez said, and I looked in his direction in time to catch him wiping at his eyes. Hell, I’d laughed so hard at Charlie’s expense, my own eyes were leaking.

The laughter faded and the room went quiet as we tried to pull ourselves together. With no one talking, the knock on the door sounded extra loud in the room.

“Yeah!” Prez yelled.

When Roach acknowledged it was him, Charlie groaned. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. This club is worse than a bunch of gossiping old ladies! I’m going to taser whoever called him.” I snorted when she aimed the last sentence at Hawk.

Charlie moved to the area in search of the grandfather she’d never met. And Roach never knew he had fathered a son or that he had a granddaughter until they’d crossed paths. So, Roach interrupting a meeting meant he knew Charlie was there and more than likely about what had happened earlier to her.

Prez told him to enter, and the door opened. Roach walked in and headed straight for Charlie.

“I’m fine,” Charlie said and stood as he approached.

“I’ll determine that for myself, missy.” Roach started looking her up and down at that point, and Charlie looked as if she was going to pop a vein.

“So much for this meeting rapping up,” Moose said and earned a glare from Hawk.

“Can we not have anyone else arguing? Charlie, why don’t you go with Roach. Appreciate you taking the time to come in with Hawk.” Prez leaned forward and added in a softer voice, “I know you didn’t get to finish telling us everything, but Hawk can catch us up. Go spend a few minutes with your grandad. He looks like he needs it.”

At my dad’s words, Charlie’s face softened and she nodded. “Come on, Wyan, let’s go with Roach to the kitchen and see if we can find something to eat. We missed lunch.” Charlie put her arm around Roach’s waist, and we watched as they headed out of the office with Wyan behind them.

When the door clicked shut, Prez sat up straighter in his chair. “What everyone experienced is an example of why we don’t let women attend meetings.”

“Yes, it is. And thanks, Prez, for letting Charlie break the rule and come in and talk. I could have informed everyone, but she needed this. It gave her a chance to uncoil after the shit that happened this morning. She’s tough and can handle her job. Better than I deal with her doing it. Her job could be the thing that kills me. Especially if I ever have to pull up on another scene like today.” I slapped Hawk’s back as he rubbed his hand over his neck.

I snorted. “I’d be more worried about her killing you. You’re the one who told Roach, aren’t you?”

“Texted him while I waited for her and Wyan to get out of the car when we got here. Said I brought Charlie here after she’d been on a job where a knife was pulled on her, and her skip was shot dead.” I stared at Hawk, and he shrugged. “Figured I was already on her shit list for showing up after Travis called me. And before anyone asks, I have no remorse for throwing a brother under the bus.”

“Jesus Christ, Hawk. Maybe you better tell us the rest while you’re still breathing. Roach figures out you set him up, he may kill you himself.” Prez leaned back in his chair and shook his head.

“I’ll take my chances. So, while I waited for Charlie to finish talking with the cops, Chief Knox pulled in. I walked over to talk to him as he got out of his cruiser. The bitch Charlie fought with. She belongs to one of the Widows. Her skip was more than likely there picking up supplies to sell. The room he was at was the chick’s place. Chief said they’ve been hearing rumors that the Widows are stepping up their drug dealing, trying to bring it to a new level. PD knows they have to have a place to hide it, and they’ve been keeping an eye on them. New places they are spotted in, new people hanging around them or vice versus. They’ve come up with nothing. Widows have also recently gone away like the wind, which could be nothing more than lying low if they caught the cops sniffing around. Knox figures today was either already planned to get rid of the skip because who knows why, or the Widows have eyes on the girl and saw him get picked up and weren’t happy with the prospect of losing their product. Took the skip out hoping it would take priority, and just maybe the cops would forget about searching the room. Chief believes it is the latter.”

“Did he know if they found any drugs?” Prez asked.

“Yeah, the officer inside called it in, and the Chief was on his way before the shooting took place. They found a brick of coke hidden in the mattress. And while he was en route, they radioed again that they found packets of heroin, weed bags, and about ten grand in cash. It was hidden inside the door of the mini-fridge. The officer noticed when he opened the fridge the door looked like it had been tampered with, so he popped off the shelving part and surprise.”

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