Page 46 of Viper's Vendetta

“I’d love to, but can we work around my shift as a server?”

“I don’t see why not,” Wildcard says. “That is if you want to do both.”

“I need to. You said the job at the daycare is part-time, right? I need the money I get from tips. But I really want to work at the daycare. So, I’d like to do both if that’s okay?”

Wildcard and Alisa share a glance before he responds. “Shouldn’t be a problem. We’re pretty flexible. We’re just glad you’re coming to work for us. I’ll get your kutte made. You can stop by tomorrow to pick it up and fill out the paperwork. How does that sound?”

“Perfect,” Angela says.

“Why don’t we head over to the clubhouse now?” I suggest. We wave goodbye to Alisa and Wildcard.

We step outside into the heat and pass by the rows of motorcycles to reach the SUV. Max has Angelica’s hand as she skips next to him, chatting happily about seeing her friends again.

I’m walking with Angela, considering how to approach the topic of finances with her. I have a feeling she’s struggling, and it guts me. She and Angelica shouldn’t want for anything. I’m thinking of how to ask Puma about letting Angela and Angelica move into the clubhouse when Angelica trips and falls. She lets out a cry, which has the three of us converging on her. A small amount of blood with bits of gravel covers her knee. When she glances up, her eyes go wide in alarm. Before I can turn around, someone lands a blow on the back of my head. As I lose consciousness, I hear a shot go off and see Max crumble to the ground.

CHAPTER THIRTY: RAFE

The man who accompanies the captain is familiar, but I can’t place him right away.

“Detective Reed Pence, former DEA agent. We met at 1% several weeks ago,” he explains, shaking my hand.

“Right. You helped us with that drug bust.”

“Drug bust? At 1%?” my captain asks.

“Not in the casino, but in the parking lot. We found the drugs in an SUV with a few unconscious men,” I explain. “Whatever happened to them?”

“They got out. The drugs somehow disappeared.”

“Fuck. Gates?”

He glances at the captain and then back at me. “I can’t prove it, but yeah, I know she had something to do with it. Likely because they would have found her fingerprints on the package. She gave it to me to plant in the casino.”

“Shit. Can you prove it?”

Reed shakes his head. “No, but it’s why I left the DEA and took the job here. I knew she’d come gunning for me when I screwed up her plans to frame the Demon Dawgs. She has a hard-on for them.”

“Gates you say?” The captain asks as he sinks into his chair. “There was a Gates who got himself killed in a shootout between the Demon Dawgs and the FBI several years ago. Special Agent Martin Gates. The President of the club back then, Squiggy, died along with several of his crew. That’s when Puma took over. Supposedly, Squiggy had proof of the San Diego Chapter running a human trafficking ring. When he failed to produce the evidence, Gates lost it and opened fire.” The captain chuckles. “Puma stood there cool as ice and watched them kill each other. I always thought he had something to do with the missing evidence.”

“You were there?”

“I was. We were providing backup for the Feds. The shootout didn’t last more than a few seconds. Hell, it was over before we drew our guns.”

“Do you think the club is involved in human trafficking?” I ask him.

He scoffs at me. “Fuck no. Or at least I should say not now. Knowing Squiggy and his officers were involved back then wouldn’t surprise me. But not Puma. He’d never peddle in flesh.”

“I agree. Puma’s a good guy, as are most everyone in his club, now,” Reed says. “I’ve worked with Spark on a few cases before I left the DEA. He often takes on government work. I ran a dossier on every member after the fiasco at 1% and couldn’t find much. They aren’t squeaky clean, but they’re pretty damn close. Especially for a motorcycle club with chapters all over the country.”

Hearing them talking about the Demon Dawgs this way should calm any misgivings I might still harbor. But I realize they’re only confirming what I already know. I no longer have doubts about their integrity. To prove it, I lay everything on the line and tell them about Viper and the frame job.

“I’ve been working with the Demon Dawgs to clear Viper of murdering her father. She has an alibi, but Traynor wouldn’t give up. He claimed to have a witness who saw her enter his room. However, we discovered someone hired another biker to frame her.” I tell them about the video recording and identifying Tracker. “When we realized that no one else entered the victim’s room, we looked at the guest in the adjoining room and discovered the credit card he used belongs to Michelson Trucking.”

“Were you aware of a Traynor’s link to Michelson Trucking?” Reed asks.

“I know there is a link between Traynor and Michelson and then between Michelson and Mitchell. Gary Mitchell has an obsession with Viper, and I believe he’s the man who hired the biker to frame Viper. I also think he killed her father. I have an eyewitness who overheard Mitchell talking to Wayne about buying Viper off of him when she was younger.” I tell them about Viper’s past, including Wayne’s attack on her mother and how Max came to Vegas to protect his twin sister. “Just over a year ago, Mitchell, along with four other men, tried to kidnap Viper when she was working as a showgirl.”

“Why isn’t he in jail?” Reed asks.

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