Page 39 of Cinder
Bypassing St. Boniface and the surrounding counties is doable. But it’s a pain in the ass and adds time and logistics into the equation.
Which means more money.
Which means it’s just easier to fucking let the Knights know.
And if you don’t, and we find you, it’s going to cost you.
And if your cargo is human or guns, we’re going to hurt you.
“Any idea who advertised?” Ryder asks.
“The limited time it was up made it impossible to locate who was behind it. It was an encrypted account. Probably a fake company. But it’s someone local. They advertised local knowledge.”
A disbelieving murmur vibrates through the room.
“Could be anyone with a map,” Rogue says.
“No, they offered specialized local detail. From light changes to camera information,” Bram adds. “But that’s not the worst of it. These assholes know our routine. Our night patrols. Offered inside information about us so they can pass through our territory undetected.”
“Right under our fucking noses,” Beast growls.
My hands curl into fists on the table in front of me. “Meaning we have a fucking rat.”
An unsettled energy moves through the room.
We’re a tight family. Being a rat would be the ultimate betrayal.
I look around the table at the faces of my club brothers. I trust every one of them with my life, and the thought that one of them would do this seems impossible.
“It’s someone close,” Beast says. “Someone who has access to the information.”
“We have people coming in and out of here all the time,” Bear says.
“Could be one of the delivery drivers,” Zac adds.
“Cheezy knows us, and he knows this town,” Gambit says, eyes narrowing.
“Do we really think Cheezy is smart enough to set this up?” Zac asks.
“Seems too sophisticated for him,” Bear adds.
“He knows our routines. Knows these roads like the back of his hand,” Rogue adds.
“Wouldn’t take much to wrap it all up in a nice tidy package and put it out there,” Gambit says.
I say nothing. But my gut knots. Because Cheezy’s possible involvement stirs the suspicions I already have about Ella.She came as his date. If he’s involved in this, then she might be too.
“Cheezy might be a big talker, but he knows these roads better than anyone I know,” Zac says.
“We know it’s not one of us,” Stone says. “I agree it’s gotta be someone who has access to us. But Cheezy is one of many.”
My old man adds, “He’s right. Cheezy isn’t the only one.”
“Bram will keep an eye on the dark web for any more fucking deals. In the meantime, our priority is to find out who bought our route.” Beast’s gaze narrows in on the Russian weapons sitting in the center of the table. “Starting tonight, we’ll start two three-man patrols. I want eyes on all the mountain roads, river trail, and docks. Bram can handle a lot of it via cameras, but we need to be out there, and we need to be focused.”
There is a murmur of agreement around the table.
“In the meantime, we received word from an informant about a warehouse housing some guns. Not sure if it’s anything to do with this, but we’ll check it out. Bram has already done recon with the drones. From what we can tell, there’s limited fire power in the perimeter. But there are cameras.”
