Page 60 of Existential
“And did he?” Murphy asks. My sergeant’s stayed silent until now. The feeling I’ve disappointed him is strong.
“He knew less than we did.”
“So we’re still at square one,” Crackers murmurs more to himself than anyone else.
“Yeah, we are.”
“I’ve had Mighty do some digging through his connections,” King interjects, “but this new player is smooth. The Wingmen don’t even know who’s headin’ it up. They deal with a number, and a bunch of messengers. Never seen the top dog.”
“Silent partner?” I ask.
“Don’t think so.” King turns the gavel under his palm. “All indications point to one power hungry asshole.”
“Great,” Crackers moans. “Another fuckin’ Carlos wannabe.”
“You got your guy in Kansas on it?” I ask King.
“Bronx? Yeah, he’s keepin’ ears to the ground. So is his woman and her old man, Tuck.”
“Tuck, as in Devil’s Breed, Tuck?” Digits asks, concerned.
“Yeah,” King answers. “Why?”
“No reason. Just didn’t know we were extending our issues wide enough to get other clubs involved.”
“Desperate times call for desperate measures. We need to shut this shit down, fast.”
“You think we will?” Digits presses.
“Without a doubt.” King’s focus moves back up my end of the table. “Now that’s cleared up, how about you fill us in on what exactly you were up to with an outsider and your sister?”
Any pretense I had of comfort fly out the non-existent window as I stare down a table full of curious gazes. One more so than the others.
“I figured when Jessup realized I wasn’t going to deliver that he’d round me up.” I run my eye over each man, making sure they understand where I’m coming from—that I speak from the heart. “We don’t have many allies left in State, right?” A murmur circles the table. “I figured if I went in I wouldn’t have any chance of comin’ out, even if I was given a lesser charge, and I didn’t want Mel’s whereabouts stayin’ secret.”
“I still don’t get where a fuckin’ gypsy fits this equation,” Murphy barks.
I lift my hand to calm him, my stomach twisting tighter, tighter, tighter … “I wanted someone neutral to the club to run the message so that the chance of them being followed was slim.”
“But she was followed, right?” Digits snaps. “I mean, she ended up needing you to ride in and save her, so what gave?”
My head. My heart. “I guess Jessup was watchin’ me the whole time, saw her leave the gas station. I don’t know.”
“Jessup swore he didn’t know a thing about her, man.” Crackers fixes me with a frown, but it’s the daggers Digits shoots into the table that have my focus.
“Sure he wasn’t bluffing?” I query.
“Dude,” Jo Jo scoffs. “He was down a finger and two molars by then. He had no reason to lie about that.”
“So if not him, who then? Who bribed the cops to pull her over?”
The table falls silent, each man eyeing the next. Great. More fucking mysteries.
“I guess we’ll have to find out,” King states. “Where was the message headed though?”
I swallow, feeling barely a quarter of my six-foot three stature. “My mom.”
“Jesus fucking Christ,” Murphy swears, his head tipping back. “You thought she was a better choice over your brothers?”