Page 56 of Unveiled Wounds

“We don’t have outside employees except for the diner and the girls at the tit show.” Sabre drummed his fingers against the redwood tabletop. “I’m not opposed to hiring from the outside. If they want the patch, then they can hang around like everyone else, but it won’t happen until Diego Lopez and crew are gone.”

The room went quiet, each one of us lost in our thoughts. It wasn’t until Pretty called out the next business to report that things progressed.

Once they were done, Sabre stepped in again. “I cancelled the surveying appointment since the women are on lockdown. For now, the neighborhood is on hold.”

Now would have been the perfect opportunity to say something about Meredith’s offering, but I didn’t feel she needed to be the one to make the effort anymore. Instead, I picked up my coffee cup and brought it to my lips.

Sabre shot me a look, but when I said nothing, he moved on to our impromptu vacation. “I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’ve had enough of this fucking shit. We have other concerns to be fucking worried about besides the cartel. I don’t have the fucking patience for Diego’s games, and I’m fucking done being ignored by Alex. We do things our way, and we fucking move on.”

There was a roar that echoed in the room as the brothers rallied behind Sabre. He had only reiterated what the rest of us already knew. We could no longer sit by and wait for the truth to unveil itself. The Iron Shield was going to have to strike.

“They knew everything about us,” How started, tracing the rim of his coffee cup. “The detective who paced in front of me kept trying to get me to confess. He’d say something like, ‘You hit theclerk,’ or ‘You grabbed the money,’ but when I said nothing, he’d follow it up with ‘What would your sister think? She’s a lawyer.’”

“The detective with me was more concerned about my previous stint,” Slate chimed in.

“I had a regular officer, but he knew enough parts of my story that we either have a leak, or they went digging, knowing who they might catch with this sting.” Wreck stared at Pretty from across the table.

“How would they know the details when your lips are tighter than a virgin’s hole?” Pretty dropped his eyes, continuing to write in his notebook as our secretary.

“Jig’s been gone too long, otherwise, I wouldn’t have put it past him.” Sabre steepled his fingers. “Has anyone taken out a club girl lately?”

There was a chorus of nos, while a few brothers shook their heads.

“I think Diego’s been watching us since last summer. After they took each of you, the leader of the street gang talked shit. He mentioned Brandon by name. They watched Meredith and knew about the pregnancy, and he’d even put it together that I was the father. Diego thought it was Brandon. They’ve had time.” I laid my head on the back of my chair.

“Were they trying to kill you?” Sabre asked, his voice breaking on the last word. Death had been something we’d grown up with, so to hear him express emotion about mine was unsettling.

I took a minute to process the question. “They miscalculated the beat down. If they had wanted to kill me, they would have had more men in the holding cell. However, if I had died from my injuries, they wouldn’t have been sad either.” I shrugged.

“I fucked up with Buster. Call this a peace offering.” Cyph opened the flap of his club cut and pulled out a folder. He opened it on the table and stood. “For a sting operation, these were easy to find. Almost a little too easy, like Diego wantedus to.” He placed three printouts of driver’s licenses on the redwood. “Meet your street gang.”

Everyone at the ends of the table stood to get a better view, but when I got my first look, I took a deep breath. The three men who’d tried to beat me down were looking up from their state IDs.

“I wasn’t sure if he’s involved, but I pulled his ID, anyway.” Cyph laid the last page on the table.

“He’s the kid that was detoxing in the holding cell,” I said. “If he shows up at the gates, call me. I offered him a safe place to kick the habit.”

“Is he a part of this?” Sabre asked me, leaning against the edge of the table.

“No. He was curled up in the corner, trying not to lose his stomach. The kid clearly had a drug habit, and I offered to help him get through detox and go to rehab.”

Sabre shook his head. “Alright.”

In a perfect world, I would have asked Sabre for approval before offering the help, but I’d made a split-second decision I wouldn’t rescind. I didn’t know the kid’s story, but it had been clear he’d given up on the world. Something about that resonated with me.

I had been lucky. If it hadn’t worked out the way it had, I wouldn’t have had the Shield as my family. Meredith would have never crossed my path. I was fooling myself if I thought I could give up one for the other, but this was no longer about me. It was about giving that kid a chance at life.

“I need to explain,” Cyph said, opening an energy drink. “They’re not a street gang.”

“What the fuck? How are they not?” Wreck jumped up.

“You didn’t let me explain.” Cyph flicked Wreck off. “Diego specifically targeted them because they failed their militarypsych exams. Killers who actually want to kill for less than the price of an actual professional.”

“They didn’t want me dead.” I didn’t know if I should have been relieved or proud. I had only walked out with a slice to my stomach that would heal.

“Nope, but I’m not sure what their deal is.” Cyph gulped his drink. “Some of this I’ve been able to piece together, but most of it is speculation.”

We all took our seats, preparing to listen to Cyph.

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