Page 22 of Mad Max

“I said might. As in it could go either way. There’s a meet happening. The jargon I found spoke about an investor. Either Duke is getting a shipment in or he’s looking to offload some.”

“How sure are you on this chatter? Any possibility it’s a setup so we tip our hand that we’re on to him?”

Bulldog is always the one to question if it’s a trap. Been down that road too many times not to at this point. I appreciate that in the VP. Especially since I think the same, and a few others do too, based on the nods going around the table.

“I’m not. Like I said, it’s chatter. Could be something, could be nothing. Could be a setup. That’s why we call it chatter. It goes either way.”

“Gut reaction?” Law asks, and we all listen. Flint knows his shit. And he knows when it’s more than just idle chitchat he’s stumbled across. If he’s bringing this to the table, then he’s got to know it’s something more.

“I say we take a drive and see where it leads. No harm in doing a bit of recon. If it’s nothing, then I’ll know and can adjust my way of tracking shit. But if it’s more, I’d rather not be fooled again.”

The club might be invested, but it’s Flint who’s got more skin in the game right now. He almost lost his old lady before he even got her. Twice.

“Agree. Pick your team.” Law smacks the gavel, and the meeting ends.

Most of the boys usher out, but a few, like me, stay back once again. We all know who Flint wants on the team. No need to waste his breath asking.

“Bulldog, Chains, with all due respect, I’m benching both of you. You got your own families, and if this goes south, I don’t want to deal with either of your old ladies bitching at me,” Flint says.

“Guess that means you’re out, too, now, huh?” Bulldog smirks and Chains chuckles as they both take their leave. Both can fight like the best, but the club doesn’t mess with families when we can help it. If either had a skill set we needed, they would still be in the room. But there really isn’t anything that Casper, Domino, Kooper, and I can’t do that they can.

“What’s the plan?” Casper takes point, which is a given. Guy’s got more military time than the lot of us and is also a club officer. We might look like a bunch of random shitheads holed up in a clubhouse to the outside eye, but we get shit organized and locked down when needed. Like now.

“I’ll track you from the sky and keep comms with you the whole way while still looking for chatter. There’s still a good bet this is nothing, or a trap. Only way I can guarantee the intel is good the entire time is if I stay here.”

Flint’s past with bad intel goes unspoken. We all know he still deals with the nightmares of getting his team killed ’cause someone dropped the ball and told him false information that he relied on. Since then, the guy’s got to have eyes on things for him to deal. No leaving it to another. Every time he does, shit goes south, like with Chains’ old lady, and it eats at him.

Boys and I got no problem with him staying behind and watching our six. Guy knows his shit. Despite him not trusting the others to watch the intel feeds, we don’t hold that shit against him and trust him enough for us all.

“Where we headed?” Domino asks.

Like with Flint’s history, no one comments that Domino is sticking around and not getting with the chick he bragged about. Who the fuck even knows if he was serious or was just trying to lighten the mood. He’s one of our more laid-back brothers and one helluva tattoo artist, like Jumper. He’s also a mean motherfucker who knows how to deal out shit if backed into a corner. We call him Domino not ’cause he falls but ’cause his actions force a reaction, and most go down when they go against him. On more than one occasion, he’s knocked out two guys in one punch. Impressive as shit.

“An old silo factory outside the city. I’ll text you the coordinates. I’ve mapped the area, and about half a mile past the turnoff is a shady place to hide the bikes while you go in on foot. So far, I’ve seen two cars in the vicinity, but no one we know is popping on facial recognition. Take a few mini cams with you. I’ll try and capture everyone on the live feed and run it to see who the players are. Might get lucky, you never know.”

It takes us about two hours to load up and have a game plan for almost every scenario. We don’t just ride in and see what happens. Not with Casper in charge. Damn sniper likes to have a plan for everything, and then a contingency for when that plan fails.

Flint’s got enough eyes on us that we make it without running into anyone. One of the shitty parts about Kansas is there aren’t many major highways. Most areas only have one-lane roads that make it really easy to see when someone’s coming up behind you.

When we get close, we turn off the lights for the bikes. They might still hear us but won’t be able to see who we are if they’re looking. Once we reach the spot Flint found, we park our bikes and go the rest of the way on foot. Though it might be overkill, since not only is the covered spot half a mile from the turnoff but it’s still another two miles to the silo. The Hounds keep in shape, but damn. Running in leather ain’t the most fun thing I’ve done since being out, but man, do I love having my colors back on.

We count four cars, but there’s no way to see who’s inside. They got the shit locked up and windows blocked.

“Get down,” Kooper grunts a second before headlights shine on the building.

I don’t recognize the car—something nondescript, and a sedan at that. Doubt they got any bodies for selling in there, so I bet we’re looking at another player. I make sure to turn my body so the mini cam on my vest can pick up the person who opens the door and steps out.

“What the fuck is she doing here?” Flint echoes my thought in my ear.

I want to know the same damn thing but keep my mouth shut and just glare at the fairy who teeters in heels that will probably kill her on normal concrete, much less gravel.

The bay doors roll up as she shuts the car door and strolls inside like she owns the place. And for all I know about her, maybe she does.

“What the fuck is Travis’s niece doing here?” Casper looks at me, and I just shrug. No one knows we had sex, but everyone knows her uncle and I are acquainted.

“You think she’s coming on behalf of Travis or just in way over her head and following that lead he gave her?”

If that’s the case, then she wasn’t randomly sitting at that coffee shop. I didn’t share that with my brothers, but I thought nothing of it. Till now, when I see her in the same damn suit she was in two days ago.

---