Page 11 of His Other Half
Chapter 5
Paco
Priest shoved backfrom the oblong table and stood. On his feet, Paco planted his hands on the back of the chair and slammed it against the floor.
"You heard it from Josie's mouth. She gave you all the proof you need to come down on the casino." Paco walked away from the table, wanting to bust heads, and came back, determined to convince Tarkio's president to help Josie. "We've gone into the casino before to shut them down."
"Temporarily," muttered Priest.
When the Casino's former leader became infatuated with Priest's woman, his president had killed the guy. They should handle the situation the same way for Josie.
It was no surprise to any of them that the group of men who ran the casino continued kidnapping women. Sex trafficking was a lucrative business, and the men knew damn well those in charge of the casino were protected on the reservation. Crime happened in Missoula the same way. There were dirty cops that aided Tarkio Motorcycle Club in their endeavors.
Except Tarkio would never steal a woman away from her family, sell her for profit, and sign her to a death sentence after forcing her through abuse at the hands of men willing to pay the price.
"The last time, it was one man." Priest faced him, holding up his finger. "If we go in there, we have to take them all out."
"If you cut the head off the rattlesnake, the tail still twitches," muttered Aaron.
Jerry shook his head. "The casino is a fucking empire. The majority of those living on the Rez are employed there, not to forget those in Missoula who worked there, too. Hell, the city would have something to say if their biggest tourist attraction disappeared, and that's what would happen if a full-scale investigation happened because all the big wigs are buried six feet deep."
"Do we even have the number of men we're dealing with?" Rick latched his hands behind his head. "You have those involved with the kidnapping and shipping the girls. How many others have knowledge of the crimes but choose to turn a blind eye?"
"Every fucking person on the Rez." Paco let go of the chair. "We can't let that stop us. Either Tarkio backs me, or I'm going in alone."
Curley leaned forward. "Paco—"
"Fuck you." Paco aimed his frustration onto Curley. "I know what will happen to her friend. I know what will happen to each woman who leaves Montana. I'm not going to sit back and let it happen. It'll destroy Josie."
"Again, I’m going to remind you that Josie doesn't belong to you." Priest picked up a pack of cigarettes off the table and lit one. "I'm not going to lose my men—"
The door burst open. Josie stepped into the room.
Chrischris rushed in from the hallway and stepped around her, stopping her progress. At the sight of his MC brother touching her, Paco moved toward her.
"I got her." Chrischris pushed her back.
"Let me talk to them." Josie swung out, fighting to stay. Her fist connected with Chrischris's jaw.
"Hell, woman. That was a hell of a punch." Chrischris picked Josie up and strode toward the door.
"Please. I'm sorry, but I need to talk to them."
"Put her down!" Paco reached between them and extracted Josie from his MC brother's clutch. "What's wrong?"
"I need to tell you something." Her throat muscles spasmed. "Privately."
He looked back at Priest, received permission to leave the meeting, and took her across the hallway to an empty bedroom. During the meeting, the other Tarkio members had watched over her, ensuring she remained in the building. He'd expected to be done with business sooner, but they couldn't agree on how to handle the problem.
Closing the door, he faced her. "What's going on?"
"What did they decide? Are they going to help me?" Her breasts rose and fell with her breathing. "Can I go?"
"We haven't come to a decision yet."
She inhaled swiftly through her nose and clamped her lips together. Her hand went to her forehead.
"Go ahead."