Tip of the Spear: Devil Chasers (Lima Six Motorcycle Club Book 3) (6 page)

She slapped a folded piece of paper into this chest. “Fire inspection. Seems there have been some concerned citizens worried about the safety of this establishment.”

Leo took the paper, opened it, and read the text. “What game are you playing, Lundergrund?”

“No game. Now step aside so these men can do their work.”

Leo stepped back inside and handed Jamie the document. As the firemen cleared the building, she scanned the paper. “This is Lundergrund’s doing!” she hissed.

“I know. Just keep your cool.”

“Keep my cool! I’m going to have close until the report is complete. Friday and Saturday are my two busiest days!”

As the last of the customers filed out and the firemen began their inspection, Lundergrund sauntered up. “I want to talk to your supervisor!” Jamie demanded.

Lundergrund smiled and pulled a card from her back pocket and wrote a number on the back. “Here you go. Of course, he won’t be in the office until in the morning, but feel free to call and leave a message. I’m sure he will be very concerned about what you have to say.”

“Why are you doing this?” Leo demanded.

“What? The fire inspection? I just reported to the Vallecito fire chief that he should be concerned about code violations. With all the damage done to the place lately, there could be some shoddy repairs. I could be mistaken, but I thought I smelled smoke when I was here last. He thought it better to check it out. Just to be safe.”

Jamie could feel her skin burn as she poured herself a double of
Southern Comfort,
tossing it down to try to dampen her impotent rage. “Someday Lundergrund, you’ll get yours.”

“Yeah. We’ve had this discussion before. As I recall I offered you your chance, but that luscious brother of yours stepped in. It’s too bad too. I was looking forward to soothing him after I kicked his sister’s ass.”

Leo grabbed Lundergrund by the arm and hustled her across the bar and away from Jamie. “Oooh, I like take charge men,” she purred as he spun her around to face him.

“What the fuck are you doing, Lundergrund?”

“Nothing. Just watching out for public safety.”

“Bullshit! Jamie has nothing to do with what you want!”

“Leo,” Lundergrund purred again as she stepped in close. “It doesn’t have to be this way between us. We could work together to solve our problems. Just the two of us. I could take down Lima 6 and the cartel, and you could build another club to play cops and robbers. I would go away and everybody wins.”

“You can just go fuck yourself!”

“I would much rather do that with you. Haven’t you ever wondered what it would be like? You and me getting all sweaty? Trust me, I can make you forget all about little Miss Barkeep over there.”

“I’m not going to shove my dick someplace I won’t even poke a stick.”

***

Jamie had been watching as Leo and Lundergrund talked intensely but quietly, then Lundergrund went stiff and stepped back. “I’m going to break you, Graves! I’m going to take down your precious Lima 6 and you with it!” she snarled loud enough for her to hear.

“Give it your best shot, you skanky bitch!” Leo sneered back.

For a moment, Jamie thought Lundergrund was going to slap him, but she backed off another step and smiled. “Have it your way, Leo. I’ve tried to work with you, but you just don’t seem to get it. I guess you are not a bright as I thought.”

“Smart enough to not get into bed with you.” Leo turned on his toe and strode purposely to Jamie before pulling her to him and kissing her lustily. After he broke the kiss, Jamie turned her head so she could see Lundergrund as Leo held her, and with elaborate slowness, gave her the middle finger as she smiled.

CHAPTER SIX

Jamie was sitting at her kitchen table wondering if slitting her wrists or blowing her brains out with her pistol would hurt more. It has been four days since Lundergrund pulled her little stunt with the fire inspection. While having Leo all to herself at night is nice, and he had performed admirably keeping her from being bored in the evenings, sitting around doing nothing all the time was making her crazy.

She hopped up from her chair and paced around the kitchen again. Leo had dropped her off at her house on the way to work this morning and she had spent the morning scrubbing the place top to bottom just to have something to do. If they ever get the Lima 6 problem under control, she is going to spend a week sleeping in the backyard, even if it is on the ground, just to be
outside!

She heard the low muttering rumble of the mail truck as it stopped at her box, the carrier slipping several items into the box. She opened the door, took a quick peek around and then hurried to the box for the mail. Leo would probably fuss when he found out, but he would just have to get over it.

Back inside she quickly flipped through the mail, flashing hot as she saw the official looking envelope from the City of Vallecito de Grande. She smiled as she tore the envelope open and pulled out the fire inspection report. It was clean, as she knew it would be. The fire chief was an old friend of the family and had called her the next day and apologized for the inspection. It was an official request that he couldn’t ignore, but he had expedited the report, and she was open again in just four days, not the ten days it could have taken. He had even mailed it to her home address so she would get it without having to go to the post office. Charlie was going to get a beer on the house the next time he was in.

She did a quick happy dance in the living room then sent Leo a text, telling him they were opening the bar again tonight. It took only moments before her phone announced a text and she grinned in anticipation of his good natured bitching about having to work two jobs. But the text wasn’t from Leo. She didn’t recognize the number as she tapped the message.

It was a message from a woman that called herself Exotic. Kat had given her Jamie’s number and she wanted to meet, but had to be during the day, when her man was at work. Jamie chewed on her lip. She knew it was a risk, but she finally sent a message back, giving her the address for her house and asking if she could meet now.

Exotic responded almost immediately, informing Jamie she would be there in less than thirty minutes. Twenty minutes later a BMW rolled to a stop in her driveway. Jamie held her pistol as she watched, but only a woman stepped out of the car and walked purposefully to her door where she rang the bell.

Jamie opened the door, the pistol held in plain sight. “Exotic?”

“That’s right. You Jamie?”

“Come in.”

Exotic stepped into the house and pushed her sunglasses up onto her head as she looked around before returning her gaze to Jamie’s pistol. “You planning on shooting me?”

“No. But I have never seen you before and I have to be careful.”

Exotic nods once as if she understood. “You know why I’m here?”

“I have a guess. Come in and sit down.”

“Yesterday I went to the same place that has been cutting my hair for fifteen years, since I was going with my mom. They had been a little bitchy with me lately, but this time, after they cut my hair, but told me not to come back. Said they ‘didn’t want my kind’ in there anymore. It’s Lima 6. Because I’m Matt’s old lady, suddenly I’m nothing but shit for them to scrape off their shoe?”

Jamie felt an evil pleasure for the woman’s annoyance. “Well, Exotic, what do you expect? Lima 6 isn’t exactly popular with the townsfolk right now.”

“That’s not my fucking fault! I’m just an old lady!”

“You sleep with the dogs, and all that.”

“Yeah, well, this shit isn’t going to fly. Kat told me that Leo and Copper are going to clean up the club. Matt is going to help.”

“He is?”

“You’re damn straight he is.”

Jamie snickered. “Does Matt know this yet?”

Exotic smiled. “Not yet. But he’s going to find out tonight.”

“You realize, Exotic, this isn’t a game right? That people have been killed for doing what we are talking about doing. Tuck, my brother, all the others, they were all trying to take the club back. You can’t make Matt do this and you shouldn’t try. It could get us all killed.”

“He isn’t happy, Jamie. He’s been pissing and moaning ever since Leo was kicked out that the club was heading in the wrong direction. He knows something isn’t right. He used to go on the intercepts. He felt like he was doing something good. But now, he’s on the outside. I don’t like seeing him like this. Before, he would come back from an intercept and we would fuck like wild animals. Now, it seems like all the life has gone out of him. He has no fire anymore. To be honest, if something doesn’t change, I’m out of there. If I wanted a nice steady relationship I would have hooked up with a rancher, or a farmer, or something. I
like
the passion and the fire of a biker. I liked him coming back from an intercept and throwing me around the bedroom as he fucked the shit out of me. Maybe Matt needs the danger to make him feel alive. I don’t know. But I need
him
to feel alive to make
me
feel alive.”

“I understand, but this can’t be about you.”

“I know, and it’s not. Not really. It’s about Matt and how he feels.”

“What do you know? Or a better question, what does Matt know?”

“Nothing. Only what Kat told me. But I know that Matt would have never signed on with Lima 6 if it were involved in drugs. His sister died from an overdose while he was still in the Navy.”

“He doesn’t know Lima 6 is muling?”

“No. Kat says you have proof?”

“Wait here.” Jamie went to her purse and pulled the photos out. She has been carrying them with her to prevent them from accidentally falling into the wrong hands. She hands them to Exotic. Exotic began to flip through them.

“That’s Ron, Gigolo and Carson. Who are the other two?”

“Cartel.”

“That’s the dairy bar out on 118?”

“Yeah.”

“Where’s this?” Exotic asked as she showed Jamie a picture of Carson and Gigolo in Odessa.

“Odessa. They ran the drugs all the way there.”

“Son of a bitch. Matt is going to fucking hit the roof.”

“There’s more.”

“More than this?”

“Yeah. Remember the cartel hit a couple of months ago? The one where all the members were killed?”

“Yes.”

“Ron set that up.”

“You’re shitting me!” Exotic squawked. “Do you have proof of that too?”

“Only circumstantial.”

Exotic sat quietly a moment, staring at Jamie. “When can Leo meet with Matt?”

“How about tonight, after the bar closes?”

“You’re open again? What happened?”

“The DEA is leaning on me, trying to get Leo to give up the club.”

“So Leo didn’t go to the DEA either? Has Ron told the truth about anything?”

“Not lately, no.”

“We’ll be there. Can I take these with me?” Exotic asked as she flapped the pictures back and forth.

“No. Too much risk. But they will be at the meeting if you can get Matt there.”

“Oh, trust me, he’ll be there, if I have to drag him there by his balls.”

Jamie snickered again. “You’re just the kind of person we need on our team to make this work.”

“I have lived in this town my entire life. The best thing that ever happened to me was getting married to Matt. I’m not giving him up, and I’m not going to be treated like some dime store hooker by people I grew up with either. Matt, Copper and Leo are taking the club back and I’m getting my life back, or I’m going to cut Ron’s nuts off with a butter knife.”

“I’m sorry, Exotic. You are going to have to stand in line behind me for that.”

***

Just before the bar closed, Matt and Exotic walked in, and neither looked happy to be there. Jamie had told Leo about the visit as he washed the sweat and dirt off before they left for the bar, so he was expecting them. As they sat down at a table he meandered over to them.

“Matt, Elaine. Or should I call you Exotic now? How are you?”

“Just fucking great,” Matt sneered.

“Matt! You promised me,” Exotic hissed.

“Well, maybe I’ve changed my mind.”

“Perhaps another time,” Leo said as he began to move away.

“No!” Exotic said, holding out one hand toward Leo. “Leo, wait. Don’t go.”

“Elaine, if he doesn’t want to hear, I’m not going to try to make him listen.”

“Fine,” Matt said as he stood up.

“If you walk out,” Exotic hissed, “you had better just keep walking.”

“Don’t you threaten me!”

“It’s not a threat. It’s a fucking promise!”

Matt’s jaw worked, but he sat back down. “Just say what you have to say.”

“Are you sure you want to know?”

“I promised her I would listen.”

Leo pulled out a chair and sat down. He laid it all out for Matt, showing him the pictures. He explained that he had tried to take back the club once before and the terrible cost of that failed attempt. Through it all Matt sat, stone faced and unmoved.

“Are you done?” Matt asked as Leo fell silent.

“Yes,” Leo said. He knew he had failed, and once again Ron would know that he was plotting against him. At least he had kept Copper and Fitz out of it, and if Exotic hadn’t told him, at least they would be safe.

“Let’s go,” Matt said as he rose.

“What are you going to do?” Exotic asked as she stood.

“I’m going home. I’ve listened as you asked. Now let’s get the hell out of here.”

Exotic stared at Matt a moment then rose. “Sorry,” she mouthed to Leo as she followed Matt out.

***

“We’re fucked,” Leo said as he held Jamie tight. After Matt and Exotic left the bar, he had tried to convince himself that Matt would keep his secret, but he knew he was deluding himself. Now, in the quiet of their bedroom, he had finally given voice to his fears.

“Maybe not,” Jamie whispered, though as she had watched Matt’s body language, she knew he was probably right.

He snorted. “I wouldn’t be surprised if Ron knows already.”

“I’m sorry,” she whispered again and she felt Leo’s embrace tighten around her slightly before relaxing again.

“Nothing to be sorry for. I knew what we are doing is risky. Any one of the members could sell us out at any time. Maybe it is better it happened now, before too many brothers are involved.”

“What are we going to do?”

“Nothing. There is nothing we can do. But this may bring it all to a head. They may move on us in the next few days, or as soon as they can get it set up.”

She lay quietly in his arms, enjoying his warmth against her back. It was all happening again, and this time Leo may not be so lucky. He had dodged two assassination attempts by the narrowest of margins. She tried to fight off the tears, but she couldn’t stop them, the thought of losing him, as she lost her brother, overwhelming her. She gasped softly, but once started she couldn’t stop her tears of pain, loss, and potential loss.