Page 21 of Sniper

I glared at Rebel, daring him to say another fucking word. I didn’t like fighting my brothers but right now I could beat the fuck out of something. Or someone. Hell, anyone would do. “Well?” I turned to Slate, my tone a lot calmer than it had been.

“Turkish cigarettes. Motherfuckin’ Turkish cigarettes if you can believe it.” Slate shook his head. “The good news is that only three stores in Steel City sell the disgusting things.”

That was promising. “And the bad news?”

Slate sighed and looked around the room. “Two of them store their security footage on a local storage drive so I can’t just hack into their systems.”

Diesel stood. “Anything else?”

“One more thing,” Gio said as he stood. “That asshole Sniper shot? I didn’t recognize him as one of the Dead Crows.”

“Well fuck,” I grunted and scrubbed a hand down my face. That information was helpful but not immediately so.

Think. I needed to think.

My mind raced until I had something useful. “If it’s not the Dead Crows it has to be another weaker MC, one who needed money and street cred enough to do someone else’s dirty work.” Right now it wasn’t clear if this shooting was related to Katey’s ex or if it was something else altogether and I needed an answer.

Now.

“There’s one guy who might be able to give us some answers,” Rebel said. “He supplies for some of the smaller MCs and gangs and the fucker gossips like a rich housewife.”

“Redneck Jeff?”

With half a smile, Rebel nodded. “Yep.”

***

Twenty minutes later we pulled up to the motel parking lot where Redneck Jeff conducted his business. “This is his office?” I asked, disgust dripped from every word.

“Yeah Princess,” Rebel groaned. “Try not to scare him before we get answers.”

T-bone laughed and clapped me on the back. “Give the man a break, Rebel. His wife is in danger, he’s allowed to have his panties in a bunch.”

“Fuck you,” I spat out and nodded at the scrawny dude with a long beard and long, straight blond hair. “That him?”

“Yep. Let me do the talking,” Rebel instructed, his voice low and firm.

“Gentleman, what can I do you for?” Redneck Jeff flashed a bright smile and sat with one ankle crossed over his knee. Hischair sat in the middle of the door and just behind him was his product. “I gotta warn you that I don’t got enough product for the likes of you.”

“Good because we’re not here for your product.” Rebel crossed his arms over his chest and stared down Redneck Jeff. “We need information.”

“It ain’t free,” he shot back, one brow arched as his lips kicked into a knowing grin.

“How much,” Rebel asked, his expression bored.

“Depends on what you want to know,” he shot back, knowing he had the upper hand in that moment.

“Any idea who shot my boy Falcon the other night?”

Redneck Jeff’s eyes rounded in surprise. “Naw, ain’t heard nothin’ about that.”

He was lying. I knew it immediately, but Rebel said to keep my mouth shut, so I did.

“Really?” Rebel asked in a tone that said he knew Jeff was lying too.

“Really,” he confirmed, the barest hint of a smirk on his lips. “First I’ve heard about it.”

Rebel fisted his hands at his sides. “I don’t believe you, Jeff.”

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