Page 14 of Rogue

CHAPTER 6

Rogue

In the war room, Havoc, Creed, Tyrant, and myself are gathered at the table. The tablet in front of us is almost taunting me.

I shouldn’t care.

I shouldn’t be twisted up about the beautiful woman inside my house. Yet, I find myself wanting to be with her. Lying to myself, I say it is to protect her, but I know there is no reason for anyone to find her at my house. She doesn’t need my protection. She didn’t even ask for my help. But every instinct inside of me feels drawn to step up for her.

She is beautiful. She works hard. Even when she caught the flu, she drug her ass into that shop. After I picked up flowers for Dominiks that Monday, I had chicken noodle soup, some drinks, and a lounge blanket delivered to her shop through one of those delivery app services. Of course, I didn’t have a card or ever let her know it was me. Not everything done for someone needs an announcement. That is how I viewed the act of kindness when she was sick. It didn’t need some card or recognition.

Tyrant presses play on the screen of the tablet in front of us. We watch the delivery truck driver leave the flower shop that hedelivers to before her shop every Friday. He climbs in his truck casually from that shop, pulls away, and everything is as usual.

I have to admit, Ghoul did some work on this in a jiffy. It’s only been a couple of hours, he has managed to pull footage from traffic cams, security cams, dash cams and people’s damn doorbells to give us a loop of footage watching the box as it traveled to her shop.

The delivery man hits the open highway and we lose some things. Suddenly, though, he’s on screen pulled off the road, surrounded by motorcycles.

Creed pauses the video momentarily, explaining, “Outside of Huntsville, they got him. Not sure how, but the club got him pulled over. Ghoul said this is from a warehouse off the road. Motion sensors activated the camera. Grainy and at a distance, but her shop was the target. This is where they change things up just before her stop.”

He presses play.

On the small screen, the delivery driver is yanked from his vehicle. Once cleared of the door, he is apparently ordered to remove his uniform shirt. He does as told, standing in front of the men in a plain t-shirt and jeans. He throws his hands up and I wonder what he’s saying to them. Is he pleading for his life? Is he in on the heist? His body language shows his shock so I sincerely doubt it. That is confirmed when seconds later, the biker in front of him, steps forward, puts the barrel of his gun right between the man’s eyes. He fires. Shot point blank in the head, there is no mistake to be made in this kill.. His body doesn’t even have time to hit the ground as two men from the club catch him at his arms, and drag him away to their waiting van.

Three other men from the club open the back of the delivery truck. From there, they can’t be seen once they climb inside. A black duffel bag is brought to the back of the truck and handedinto one of them. A few moments pass, the men emerge. One of them removes his cut, changes his t-shirt inside out before donning the dead man’s uniform shirt. From there, he climbs in the driver’s seat as the rest of the men go back to their van or their bikes.

I pause the video and look to my brothers, “do we know the club?”

Havoc gives a half nod leaning back in his chair, “new players out of Tennessee. Legion’s Demons MC. Heavy into cartel shit. Bunch of ex-cons, no loyalty, easily bought, and all intel says they got no ties to Bows and Blossoms or Michele. Hired out.”

My face goes stone-cold. “Why her? Doesn’t make sense. I’ve been to that shop every week for three years, that lady is a clean as they come in our world.”

Creed leans back lighting a joint, taking a hit and passing it to me. I take my inhale and pass on to Tyrant. The marijuana isn’t doing shit for the tension inside me right now.

“She’s innocent. Fucking nicest female in the whole damn town.” I tell them what they already know too.

“She’s got one tie coulda put her on a radar.” Tyrant shares. “We ain’t got much to go on. Her shop, though, it’s part of Bianchi Holdings.”

“Guilia Bianchi, the mob boss out of Jersey?” I ask knowing she’s got her hands in many businesses in order to filter the funds from the cocaine empire her family built. Inheriting her father’s empire, she’s as cold as they come.

“The one and only,” Tyrant states taking another drag and passing the j.

“Any other Bianchi businesses have a weird delivery Friday? We’re an entire weekend behind this shit.” I say taking another hit, passing it to Creed.

“Nothing that Ghoul has found so far,” Havoc shares.

“What’s the connection? We’re missing something.”

“Tryin’ to sort that, brother. Time is against us. She’s got something tied up in this, and we need to know. These Demons rolling up in our territory without so much as a call means war. Need to know why, how many, and get ready for battle,” Havoc informs. “On paper, she’s clean, has been since coming to town. Something about this don’t add up, though.”

Creed nods, “Ghoul needs time, but figure you got rapport with the female. Might be time to have her answer some questions.”

“Anything else on this video I need to see?” I ask knowing I have a mission now and need to get to her and complete the task at hand.

“Not really,” Creed tells me, “they pull off right before entering Creekdale Friday afternoon. Remove their cuts, and send their boy in on that truck. He offloads at her shop, collects her payment the video from the shop beside hers shows. She waves with a smile sending him on his way. The fucker laughs as he pulls off.”

“She was none the wiser to any of it, even when the fucker was an hour later than usual. Apparently, she had a wedding so she put the flowers in a cooler and kept working. She didn’t open the box until this morning when you were out front.”

“Damn,” I mutter to no one in particular. “I’ll be in touch later. Keep Ghoul on it.”

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