Page 44 of Outlaw
“Well?” Axe is the first to lean forward and pick up the note.
Without a word, I take a few long swigs of whiskey, slam down the bottle, then I lean back in my seat, waiting with steepled fingers as he reads.
“Fuck,” he mutters.
“Yeah. Shit’s about to go down. We need backup. Cole, start rounding up the other charters. See if any of them can make it here before tomorrow night.”
“Sure thing,” Cole replies without knowing what was going on. That’s my loyal, badass vice president. He follows orders first and asks questions later. That type of trust is hard to come by, especially at times like this when talking about shit takes too much fucking time.
“Thanks, bro.”
By now the letter’s making the rounds. After Tate reads it, he stares at it as if the sheet of paper will explode in his hands. It’s an invitation to meet Romano Rizzo. The Padrino. Sabrina’s father. Because he’s out of the country on business, the meeting is in two days. I’m most concerned about the part where he talks about wanting to discuss our mutual interests and threats to future dealings. The wording is subtle, but we all fucking know he’s talking about his daughter. The invite’s also only for me and my VP, but I sure as shit ain’t leaving anything open-ended. Someone this powerful won’t be showing up alone, and he isn’t the type to leave anything to chance when it comes to his business, let alone family.
I can only assume he thinks we have something to do with kidnapping his daughter. Which means we have to anticipate the worst. We’ll need to bring in with all the backup we can locate so if shit goes sideways, we’ll have enough guns watching our six.
“Cole. You’re good to make sure this is handled?”
“Yeah,” Cole answers. “I’ll have better numbers in two hours. Jenny can help Axe with the weapons for charter members coming from out of state. There might be a few smaller shipments that haven’t gone out yet. We can use those if we’re in a pinch.”
“Before you go, let’s talk about what to expect from Padrino.”
“Sure.” Cole stares at a picture on the wall behind Axe as he considers it. “Best case scenario, Padrino buys your story about saving her from the guys who tried to take her. If he does, it can be as simple as we hand her over and he walks away. He might be planning an ambush to send a message, in which case, he won’t give two fucks about whether we’re the good guys or not. And worst case, we’ll walk into the start of an all-out war. What are you thinking?”
“About the same. I’m just curious to know if he had anything to do with the clubhouse getting bombed and Sabrina getting taken in the first place. I don’t see why he’d kidnap his own daughter, unless there’s something we’re missing. If it’s not him on both counts, we can push for continuing as allies. Offer to help him figure out who’s behind everything.”
“Assuming he’ll let us talk at all,” Axe points out.
I’m thinking the same thing. “Agreed.”
Tate puts the letter on the table and leans forward. “And then there’s the bugs planted in his daughter’s place. If he knew about them, well first, he’s a sick fuck for listening in on his own kid like that, but more important than that is he knows someone went there to grab her last night with Cindy, and that you stopped them, Silas.”
And that I fucked his daughter in her shower after it was all said and done. “Let’s just hope he had nothing to do with the place being wired.”
Cole raps on the table with his knuckles. “Whatever goes down, we’ll be ready.” He gets up, gives us a mock salute, and leaves the room.
Now, all that’s missing is the facts. And proof to back it up. With these unknowns still on the table, all the preparation in the world won’t put us in a position of strength for this meeting with Rizzo. I mentally cringe because I can’t shake the feeling that Giovanni is involved somehow, especially because the Los Diablos VP confirmed the attack on the clubhouse was a hired job. If I don’t clear the air, everything can go south fast. And not just the meeting. The bulk of our business can disappear in no time.
Spinning my burner phone on the table, I prepare myself for two fucked-up, back-to-back conversations, jam-packed with posturing, reading between the line, and possible accusations non-stop.
No time like the fucking present.
Flipping it open, I hit the speed dial and turn on the speakerphone for Axe and Tate’s benefit.
“I was wondering when you’d call,” Mr. Giovanni answers. “It’s rather important that we have a conversation, Mr. Corrigan.”
“Yes. That’s why I phoned.”
“You have my fiancée. I’m keen to have her back here with me.”
My eyebrows shoot up. Axe, Tate and I share a knowing glance. Interesting. Giovanni knows, but he didn’t think to mention it when we spoke yesterday. He either found out from Padrino, or he knew all along and kept quiet about it because he’s behind the bugs at Sabrina’s place.
“All I did was help her out of a bind,” I explain with as few words as possible. “She’s safe.”
“I don’t play nice when someone steals from me,” he barks into my ear. “Do you understand?”
“We didn’t kidnap her, if that’s what you’re suggesting.”
“You know exactly what I’m talking about.”
