Page 145 of 12 Months of Mayhem

Meredith flinches, shrinking back in her chair.

“I’m only here for one reason. I want to know what kind of trouble you’re in. What was so goddamn important that you’d risk everything, including our daughter’s safety, to get my attention?”

The room falls silent. Meredith’s gaze drops to her hands, which twist nervously in her lap. Her blonde hair hangs limp and greasy around her face.

Meredith quivers as she continues, “I messed up bad, Rex. Real bad.”

I lean against the wall, arms crossed, waiting for her to elaborate. The others remain silent, their eyes fixed on Meredith.

She takes a shaky breath. “Remember Rocky? He’s the president of the Atlanta Chapter. He and I have been together for a couple of years.” At my curt nod, she continues, “Well, things went south. He...he got me involved in some heavy shit. Drugs, mostly. But not just dealing. Manufacturing.”

Maya lets out a low whistle. Tex mutters a curse under his breath. This isn’t just some other club. I don’t know much about Rocky, but what I have heard has never been good. He had been in prison for killing his wife. The fact he is he president of one of a Zulu King chapters is news to fucking me.

“I didn’t want to,” Meredith insists, her eyes pleading. “But Rocky, he...he can be persuasive when he wants to be.”

“Cut the bullshit,” I snap. “What kind of trouble are you in now?”

Meredith flinches at my tone. “We had a big shipment go missing. Like, really big. The cartel we are working with...they think we stole it.”

“Did you?” Harlow asks, speaking for the first time.

Meredith shakes her head vehemently. “No! I swear, I don’t know what happened to it. But they don’t believe us. They’re after me, Rex. They’ve already...” She chokes back a sob. “They’ve already killed Rocky. I barely got out alive.”

“Which fucking cartel?”

“The Diaz Cartel.”

Tex and Coffey instantly look at me. What are the odds that the drug dealing Diaz we took out a few months back is part of this cartel? Rem’s dad had lost a shipment of their drugs, too. If Rene was in bed with them, it’s not entirely impossible that Rocky was too. Just when I think we’re past all this shit, we get dragged back into it.

“What else do you know about them? You ever meet them?”

“No,” she shakes her head vehemently. “Rocky always did that part. I was the distraction when he would make drops. It was always the same place. A warehouse. We dropped it off, someone else picked it up, and the money would be wired to us.”

I push off the wall, pacing the small room. The others watch me silently, waiting. I can feel the weight of responsibility pressing down on me. I need to take into account everything, not just to protect the club but also to keep my family safe.

“Here’s what’s going to happen,” I say finally, turning to face Meredith. “You’re going to tell us everything. Every detail about this cartel, the missing shipment, everything. Then we’ll decide what to do.”

Meredith nods eagerly, relief washing over her face. “Thank you, Rex. I—”

“Don’t thank me yet,” I warn her. “This doesn’t mean I forgive you for what you did. And it sure as hell doesn’t mean I trust you.”

I gesture to Maya. “Keep an eye on her. Make sure she doesn’t leave this room or contact anyone.”

Maya nods. “You got it, boss.”

I turn to the others. “Tex, I need you to reach out to your contacts. See what you can find out about this cartel and their operations. Call Voodoo, if you need to loop him in.

Tex nods, already pulling out his phone. “On it, Rex.”

I turn to Coffey and Harlow. “I need you two to head back to the clubhouse. Brief the rest of the Kings on the situation. We may need all hands on deck for this one.”

As Coffey and Harlow exit, I turn back to Meredith. Her earlier bravado has completely vanished, replaced by a look of genuine fear and exhaustion.

“Alright, Meredith,” I say, pulling up a chair across from her. “Start from the beginning. And don’t leave anything out.”

Meredith takes a deep breath, her hands shaking slightly as she pushes her hair back from her face. “It all started about six months ago,” she begins. “Rocky was looking for a way to bring in more money for the club. He heard about this new synthetic drug hitting the streets...”

As Meredith talks, I listen intently. With each detail she reveals, the gravity of the situation becomes clearer. This isn’t just some small-time drug deal gone wrong. This is big – cartel big. The kind of trouble that could bring down not just Meredith, but anyone associated with her.

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