“That’s what you made the deal with Jimmy for, two hundred and fifty thousand dollars’ worth of heroin but we didn’t have time to get the drugs from the Corrupt Bastards like you planned, and on top of that we didn’t have you,” he argued. “We had to get the drugs from somewhere and it had to be the amount we agreed on. I wasn’t risking your life or Reina’s.”
“I get it Bulldog, but we’re going to have to pay that debt back to the Corrupt Bastards if we want peace. They aren’t just going to take the fucking loss. So, now we have to come up with a half a mill or we will be at war with two fucking clubs,” I seethed.
“You want to let me finish?” He growled.
“After we got Riggs patched up we paid Wu a visit, he demanded we give him the money or we would have three dead bodies on our hands,” he continued.
“Why three?”
“Because when we took the drugs we killed three of his men and a dozen whores that were cutting and packaging the heroin,” Jack ground out.
The story got better and better, the hole deeper, and the body count higher.
“You know Riggs did the security cameras at Sun Wu’s property on Mott Street. Well turns out that’s how he knew that Wu was keeping a stash house there. He dipped into the feed and caught them cutting and packing the drugs. It was pretty cut and dry when we went in, didn’t have time to work a plan. We shot our way through the front door, and put holes in anyone who got in our way. Somewhere along the way Wolf lost his cool and started shooting the whores and Riggs took his ski mask off,” Jack explained, shaking his head before he sat down and dropped his head to his knees.
I clenched my fist, bringing it down on the rolling cart and sent all the contents to the floor.
“I gotta get out of here,” I ground out.
Jack raised his head, fixing me with a glare.
“Riggs bought us some time. You need to get yourself fucking straight because I can’t have you strung out on shit, wallowing in your misery because you know just as well as I do, giving that motherfucker his money was just the beginning,” he fumed.
“Wait. Where did you get the money to give him?”
“Our boy Riggs is a rich boy living life as an outlaw,” Jack said, shrugging shoulders. “Guess money doesn’t make the world go round,” he added. “The Bastards haven’t contacted us for the drugs. If I had to guess that could go one of two ways…they can be pining for you to make this shit right or they could give a fuck less and looking for a way to end us.”
“Well it shit as sure isn’t the first one,” I grunted, spreading my arms wide. “I’m stuck here, easy to find me, easy to get me, but only people strolling through that door are Knights,” I said.
“I’m sending Pipe and Wolf into the field to sway some of the nomads into joining our charter. The only reason the club is standing is because we’ve had Bianci and the Valente kid watching our backs, pitching in with this whole Jimmy mess but they’re not fucking Knight’s. We can’t put them on the back of a bike, put an AK-47 in their hands and a cut on their backs.
I crossed my arms against my chest and damned everything to hell.
“What about Lace?” I asked, instantly regretting the question as it left my lips. I watched as he cocked an eyebrow.
“What about her?”
“You put Wolf and Pipe on her ass and now you’re sending them off on a goddam excursion,” I pointed out.
He stepped closer, his eyes darkened making them almost as black as the shirt he was wearing. “What’s going on Black?”
I forgot he was my friend.
I forgot he was the Bulldog, and that I answered to him.
He was just a man.
Just Jack.
And I was a man who had run out of fucks to give.
“Don’t like her roaming around without protection when there are two fucking wars about to slam into our territory. I’m sure you don’t either,” I stated.
“Yeah, and I know why I don’t…. not too sure why you don’t,” he questioned warily.
“It’s real simple. She may be your daughter but you made her a part of all our lives,” I ground out. “Can’t order me to protect her one minute and not the next, can’t give me her life, tell me it’s precious then expect me not to put her high on my list of priorities. I’m not made that way and you of all people should know that, understand it, because it’s the sole reason you asked me to look out for all those years ago…you knew I wouldn’t be able to turn that shit on and off so, don’t ask me too now,” I chided. “So, if Wolf and Pipe are going out on the road, someone needs to keep an eye on her,” I added.