Page 61 of Fury
Keyword: Redemption
Fury
“What in the fuck do you mean he rolled out?” Fury gritted his teeth and reminded himself for the hundredth time he was on video and couldn’t react the way he wanted, by rolling his eyes and staring at the ceiling while waiting on a response that made sense. “Rolled out where, exactly? You—and I know we had this conversation, Opie—were supposed to be keeping him locked down with escorts. What the fuck happened?”
“What happened is Spider’s a grown-ass man who decided he didn’t want a babysitter. And yeah, he figured that out about a day into it, so I should count myself lucky that he let us stroll along this long without bolting.” Opie pressed his palms flat to the table in front of the laptop camera, and Fury figured that was his version of suppressing an emotional reaction. “Not a one of us would have stood it this long, and you know it. Weeks and weeks since we got Juanita and Mela home, and nothing to point to that said he had fuck all to do with what Diamond did.”
“Nothing except the Florida boys who said they’d seen him and Diamond with Lalo, and you know how deep Lalo was with Deacon and Morgan. Deacon was Diamond’s old man, brother. Lalo an enemy.” Fury gestured to the side, knowing Chismoso was within range of the camera. “Chismoso recognized a picture of the man, which tells us all that he’d been around more than once. We needed to keep Spider locked down, and now he’s in the wind.” He shook his head. “So that means you need to find him, like yesterday. Jesus.” He turned from the camera, giving the people on the other end a view of his patch as he faced the group filling the back of the room.Mason is a fuck of a lot better at handling this shit. “Bear, get on the app and call Myron, tell him to join the call.” He ran through other members and officers in his head. “Gunny, call Bones and Tater.” He whirled and stared at the image on the screen. “Get Hurley in there. We cannot be assured of anyone’s safety at this point, but the most at risk are the ones already under this man’s eye. Who’s with Juanita?”
“Devil.” Opie had a quick response, and that told Fury he’d been thinking the same thoughts. “They’re in town shopping. I’ve already recalled them.”
A window popped up on the screen and the video resolved into a close-up of Myron. Fury stared because the backdrop wasn’t familiar. “You on your phone, brother?”
“Yeah, I’m out. Bear texted this was critical, so here I am.” Voices off camera filtered through and Myron grimaced. The phone jiggled a moment, then the sounds went away, and his face turned to the side, mouth moving soundlessly. A shadow crossed the wall behind him, then a man with short blond hair entered the image and exited through an open door, closing it behind him. The phone jiggled again and Myron said, “I’m good here now. Sorry about that.”
Before Fury could respond, another window popped up with the iconic club patch on a flag hanging in the background. That was the meeting room behind the bar at the Mother clubhouse in Chicago. Off screen someone made a sound that was a cross between a growl and a laugh. “I got no idea, brother. Myron usually does this shit. I think I got connected, anything on the screen?” A second voice, this one distinctively Bones, said, “I see only blackness, my friend. Clearly you have not worked the device correctly.”
Myron grinned and rolled his eyes. Fury watched him, thinking,Why does he get away with that shit, and I never would be able to?Myron said loudly, “Turn on the TV, Tater. You can use the little remote with the word TV on the back, or just punch the red button along the bottom right-hand edge.”
A red blob came into the window, the color gradually resolving into a view of Tater’s beard seen from the side. “I don’t see a red button.”
“One moment. I have it in hand.” Bones stepped around the table and into the foreground with his hand outstretched towards the camera. “Ah. There we are. Tater, you are in the way of the camera. Move back,por favor?”
Fury shook his head. “It’s like a comedy show in here. Opie, you get Hurley in there yet?”
“Yo, boss.” A blond head popped into view over Opie’s shoulder. “Present.” It seemed Opie’s habits were rubbing off on the freshly-patched man.
“Now that we’ve got a full house, let’s get back to it.” Fury stared at the camera, hoping he looked as serious as he felt. Being on video like this was weird. “Diamond and Lalo had friends, one of those friends looks to be Spider. Myron found some information we’ve been sitting on, because it was unclear what it meant. Years ago, Spider was down in Mexico and got involved in a drug trade that went bad. He somehow skated free, but in the years since, he’s made regular trips down country. Always alone, and always short, like he didn’t want to be gone long enough to be remarked on. Opie’s told us how his wife died, and the things he said when he went out of his mind. The fact she died on the border bridge when she had no reason to be there is enough for me, honestly. I think Spider’s under someone’s thumb and has been working both sides of the river. Is it hurting the club? I got no fuckin’ idea. But I do know him not fronting it out when Danger got snuffed down in Mexico is troubling. Him not coming forward and talking about it when Mela was found and fostered at Watcher’s is troubling. And finally, him not coming clean about any connections when fucking Lalo had Bella and the Soldiers’ entire club was tearing up Mexico looking for her, that’s beyond troubling. I got a list of things that are oddities, one me, Opie, and Bones have put together, and I’m happy to go through them, but wanted to have all the players here before I did so.”
“Where’s Mason?” Myron’s face was blank as he asked the question, but it still rankled Fury.
“He’s having a goddamned sitdown right now with the boys from Florida who brought news that Spider’d been seen with Lalo and Diamond in Adkens back before all the shit went down. That’s where the fuck Mason is right now.” It was the second trip the local dominant had made to Fort Wayne, and Mason was feeling them out about an acquisition. They were looking for something, no doubt, but what it was seemed hard to pick from the threads of their stories. Mason had sent Chismoso out with the information and instructions for Fury to start this conversation. “You got a different question sittin’ in your mouth, Myron?”Always have to prove myself.
Myron shook his head. “No, I’m just failing to see the urgency here. Spider and Diamond were a common sight. You sure they were seen with Lalo?”
A chair scraped behind him, and Fury stepped to the side, letting the camera focus in on Chismoso. “I am certain it’s urgent because Mason made it so.” Not a ringing endorsement, because he and Chismoso had shared a patch at one point, leaving separately, but for the same basic reasons. “And what you haven’t heard is that Spider has left Las Cruces, headed south. He was last seen crossing the bridge. Alone, when he hadn’t been granted permission to leave the country. Opie, this is your territory. I think it’s time for you to pick up the story.”
Opie’s head tipped down, and it looked as if he were staring at his hands. Without looking up, he spoke. “Some of this is shit Myron dug up, some if it’s from conversations me or one of the brothers had with Watcher over the years. Some of it is shit I’ve seen. I have something that looks like a laundry list.” He reached out and clicked something on the laptop and his screen split, showing a text document to the side. “Easier if I don’t have to read it, but I can if it’s hard to see.”
Fury scanned the text, seeing everything he’d expected, and one extra thing. “Cameras?”
Nodding, Opie said, “We never found out who planted the cameras in Watcher’s place. Myron helped out by tracking the feed to a truck.” He looked up. “Y’all have heard that story, right? Speak up if you haven’t.” He paused a moment, then continued, “I added that one while we were waiting on everyone to connect. The timeline matches up. Spider was in Florida, and fuck, I didn’t even remember him going. Diamond had headed down for some family thing and broke down. Spider took the truck and trailer, hauled his bike back for him. A week before I found the cameras and those were fresh installs. He had full access, man. Watcher never wanted any of his men to feel anything other than welcome, so it didn’t matter who was here or what time we’d show up, the door was always open.”
“The roadside drive-by.” Bones spoke up. “Spider was not with anyone when Watcher was fired upon?” Opie shook his head. “That is troubling, because as Watcher recounted it for me, the club entire came to his assistance, riding the wrong way on the highway like they were set to rescue the prince from harm.”
“Our king, and yeah, we did.” Opie made a face. “Except for Spider.”
“When Machos started breathing down your neck, wasn’t he the man sent down to Mexico to talk to Carlos Estavez?” Chismoso hadn’t retaken his seat, was still standing, leaning one hip against the table. “When looking for Mela after Watcher’s death, who did you send to Mexico to my village?”
“Spider, among others.” Opie sighed, and the cursor on the screen moved, a slow tapping translated to a line of text added to the document.
“I think we’re missing something.” Myron’s voice was low and intense. “We cannot tar and feather the man based on a list of supposed coincidences. He’s rolled out, gone south. There’s nothing innately dangerous in that.” The picture on his video shifted, and it looked like he’d been about to gesture, aborting the movement. “Let’s see where he goes, and who he talks to. Let’s see what’s real and not ghost stories told around a table in a dark room.”
“How do you propose we do that?” Fury glared at the screen. “The man isn’t in the country as of two hours ago, so exactly how do we accomplish that?”
Myron grinned. “Chismoso, you remember how I always knew where you were? And I showed you the tracker?” A grunt from beside Fury was Myron’s only answer. “It’s in the top drawer of the desk behind you. Get it out, turn it on.” Chismoso disappeared, and Myron squinted for a moment, nearly closing his eyes as his lips moved. “He’s number fourteen. Acquire the signal for number fourteen.”
Holding a small device shaped like a brick, Chismoso reappeared beside Fury. He fiddled with a knob on the side, then tapped a button. “Okay. Got it. What now?”
