Empire of Savages (Savage Hunt MC #1)

14. Nick

Chapter 14

Nick

“Where the fuck have you been?” Gunnar asked when I strolled through the door of the clubhouse twenty minutes later. “You’re fucking late.”

“I was busy following that lead,” I replied, walking past him where he sat at the bar and down the hallway to my room. Lucifer stayed at my heel the whole time, gaze darting to me every few seconds. I found a couple of cans of dog food on the dresser, along with a note from Molly, Rixon’s old lady.

Cracking one of the tins, I dumped the contents into the mutt’s bowl on the floor. Lucifer didn’t move.

“Eat,” I told him.

It was only then that he raced toward the bowl and began to eat.

“What happened with the lead?” Gunnar asked, standing at my open door.

“It’s not the right place. Maybe it was a few years ago, but the shop has changed ownership.”

“You were gone for hours.”

I looked at him. “Sorry, Dad , I didn’t realize I had to check in with you.”

“Don’t be a fucking asshole,” he muttered. “So, are you ready to go?”

“Let me get changed.”

Gunnar shut the door, and I quickly stripped out of my clothes. I wasn’t ready to have a shower just yet. I wanted to leave the smell of Alex’s pussy on my skin for a little while longer, so I changed my jeans and shirt, then left Lucifer in my room.

We took Gunnar’s Mustang out to the warehouse where the latest shipment of AKs were being held. After driving through the security gate, Gunnar pulled up out front and got out. The warehouse was just west of Zug Island, in a part of Carbon Works where people kept to themselves and knew not to fuck with the Savage Hunt.

I looked around before stepping into the building, where Kai and Mac were taking inventory.

“How’s it looking?” Gunnar asked, his voice booming in the confines of the metal walls.

I pulled at the top of my t-shirt, wiping my suddenly sweaty brow. It had to be at least ten degrees hotter inside than it was out.

“We’re waiting on Whittaker to give us the green light,” Mac replied.

“What’s the total number?”

Mac rolled his lip piercing with the tip of his tongue and stroked his beard. “With Friday night’s shipment, we’re at five hundred and twenty-five pieces.”

“Which means a fucking load of cash for us,” Kai added, resettling his ball cap back onto his head. “All we need now is Whittaker to hurry the fuck up and tell us when we can move.”

As if we’d summoned him, the dirty customs officer himself walked through the warehouse door. His slate-gray eyes fell to me first, sizing me up.

“Who the fuck is this?” he asked.

I already didn’t like the fuck.

Gunnar said, “Don’t worry about who the fuck this is. You should be more concerned about telling us when we can move this shit across the border.”

Whittaker shifted his attention off me, stuffing his hands into his pockets. “There’s a window tomorrow night. Shift change, although I’ll be a little late joining the new team, leaving you about ten minutes to move this stuff over the water as far north as you can go.”

“What about the return trip?”

“I’ll bring your boat back in a couple of days.”

I watched the guy carefully, not trusting him for a moment. The loyalties of men like him could flip on a dime.

“Now,” Whittaker said, clapping his hands together. “Where’s my money?”

Gunnar reached into his back pocket and pulled out a roll of cash secured with a rubber band. Tossing it to Whittaker, he said, “This is the first half. Second half gets paid on the return of the boat.”

The dirty cop’s face screwed up. “The fuck, Gunnar? That’s not how it’s happened in the past.”

Gunnar smiled at him, but there was nothing happy about it. “There’s been a change in management. So, either shut the fuck up and take your goddamned money, or we find someone else’s pockets to line.”

Whittaker chose the first option, shoving the money into the side pocket of his pants. Gunnar stared at him. “What the fuck are you waiting for? A fucking invitation for tea? Get the fuck out of here.”

Whittaker turned on his heel and left the warehouse, slamming the door behind him.

“He’s a loose end,” I said to nobody in particular. Gunnar only smiled and slapped me on the back.

“You’re fucking paranoid, Nick. Whittaker is an asshole, but he’s loyal.”

“Are you sure?”

Kai said, “He was dirty before I was kicked off the force.”

“And he’s been here since day one,” Mac added. “We vouch for him, Nick.”

I stared into the eyes of my club brothers, knowing I had to trust them. If they said Whittaker could be trusted, then I had to believe them.

The sound of my phone ringing cut through the stifling night air. Pulling the device from my pocket, I answered the call. “Prez?”

“Nick,” Rixon said. “Where are you?”

“At the warehouse checking over the merchandise. What’s up?”

“I need to speak with you in person. Can you swing by the house?”

“Sure. I’ll be there soon.” Hanging up the phone, I looked at Gunnar. “I’ve got to go. Kai, can I borrow your bike?”

Kai reached into his pocket and pulled out his keys, throwing them to me.

“Thanks,” I muttered.

“Something wrong?” Gunnar called out as I reached the door.

“No. I’ll see you later.”

Thirty minutes later, I pulled up in front of Rixon and Molly’s house. It was a quaint rancher in St. Clair Shores, with manicured lawns, tended rose bushes, and a white picket fence. Rixon’s bike was parked in the driveway, while Molly’s early model Corolla was in front of it.

Extending the kickstand, I leaned Kai’s motorcycle down and killed the engine. By the time I got off the bike, Molly was already there, wrapping me into a huge hug. With her arms over my shoulders, she plastered herself to me like she was never going to let me go. She was a petite woman with shoulder-length brown hair streaked with gray and kind hazel eyes.

I patted her gently on the back. “Nice to see you again, too, Mol.”

She pulled back, unshed tears sitting in her eyes. “It’s so good to see you, honey.”

Everyone was honey to Molly, except if she didn’t like you. Then she’d call you by your first name without a single ounce of warmth in her voice.

“Is Rixon here?”

Wrapping her arm around my waist, she steered me toward the front door. “He’s in his office. Waiting for you.”

Something about the tone of her voice set my internal alarm bells ringing. “Is he okay?”

“Fine, honey. Just fine. Go on inside and I’ll bring in some coffee in a moment.”

I walked into the house, and a sense of peace fell over me. The tension that always seemed to leak from the walls of the clubhouse was absent here, and my shoulders relaxed an inch. Down the hall, I knocked on Rixon’s office door and waited.

“Come in, Nick,” Rixon called.

I pushed inside, leaving the door ajar for Molly when she returned.

“Rixon, what’s up?”

He gestured to the seat in front of him, waiting for me to sit before saying, “I think Kaash is becoming a problem.”

I wanted to tell him I was surprised by this statement, but the fact of the matter was, I wasn’t. The tension between the two men was palpable—even I could see that in the few days I’d been back. Leaning forward in my seat, I rested my elbows on my knees and lightly clasped my hands together. “That’s why we’re meeting here instead of at the clubhouse?”

Rixon dipped his chin. “Who was with you when I called?”

“Gunnar, Mac, and Kai.”

“Did they know it was me?”

I thought back to the call and nodded. “Yeah, they knew. Look, Rixon, I’ll do whatever I can to help you. What do you need from me?”

“I need to know I have your support if things come to a head.”

“You’ll always have my loyalty.”

“Good. I knew what your answer was going to be, but I still needed to hear it. I fear?—”

Molly pushed through the door carrying a tray with two mugs and a plate of cookies. Rising from my chair, I took them for her and set them on Rixon’s desk.

“Thank you, honey,” she said, patting my shoulder. “I’ll be in the kitchen if you need anything else.”

Once the door was shut behind her, Rixon reached for a cup and offered me the other.

“What are you afraid of?” I asked, retaking my seat and taking a sip of my drink. Molly always had made the best fucking cup of coffee.

“That Kaash is planning a coup. I suspect he’s been turning others against me for a while now.”

Letting out a breath, I sat back. “Do you think he would? That’s brazen, even for him.”

“A lot changed when you went inside,” Rixon told me, running a hand through his hair. “Kaash started making more demands of me. I did my best to appease him by letting him take over management of Muse, but he wants more. He wants the strip club to be more… lucrative.”

“The only way it could become more lucrative is if it turned into a brothel.”

Rixon gave me a loaded look. Holy fuck.

“That’s what you two have been arguing about?”

Rixon nodded. “Not just prostitution. He wants to get into sex trafficking. Says he has contacts down in Mexico who want white women and can pay us big money.”

“And you’ve told him no?”

“Not just no. But not fucking ever. Our Kelsey was taken into the sex trade, and we lost her. I won’t subject another parent to that, even if it did bring in an obscene amount of money for the club.”

Leaning forward, I rested my cup back onto the tray. “How many people do you think he’s turned against you?”

“It’s hard to tell.”

“Give me your best hunch then.”

Rixon settled his heavy stare on my face. “Hale is a definite. Nate might be too.”

“That kid who was serving on Friday night?”

“Yeah.” Rixon groaned and rubbed at his eyes.

“So, he’s going after prospects before any loyalty can be formed to you. He won’t get fucking far with a couple of prospects, Rixon.”

“No, he won’t, but what if he’s got some of the others? What then?”

“Like who?”

“Vox. Ryker. Silas.”

I shook my head. “Vox is more loyal than I am. Plus, he’s the legal guardian of his kid sister. There’s no way he’d be getting into the sex trade. Ryker’s old lady is pregnant with their first kid, so he won’t be jeopardizing a damn thing.”

“What about Silas?”

Silas could’ve gone either way, but I didn’t say that out loud. “Silas is still loyal to you.”

“He’s loyal to the club, and the club’s best interests. He’s a numbers guy. He’ll support whoever brings in the money for the club to survive. He’s got no family. No connections. This club is his life.”

Fuck. “You think Silas could flip? Join Kaash?”

“He probably already has.”

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck . “What are you going to do?”

“Not sit around and hold my dick,” he growled. “I need you to help me figure this out.”

“Even if they had turned against you, you think they’d tell me? They know how close we are.”

“Maybe you overhear something then? Someone lets something slip while you’re out with Gunnar, taking care of business.”

“Maybe,” I conceded. “But it’s a big fucking maybe, Rixon.”

“I know.” He took one final sip from his coffee cup and placed it on the tray. “Something is going to go down. I can feel it. I want you to be ready for it, okay?”

“Okay.”

Rixon rose from his seat. “I won’t keep you, Nick. You have your own shit to think about.”

I rose and turned for the door. “I’ll see you later.”

In the kitchen, I found Molly sitting at the little four-seater table leafing through a magazine. She looked up when my boots hit the linoleum.

“Going so soon?”

“Rixon’s got a job for me.”

She started to scoot out of her chair, but I waved her back down. “Stay, Mol. I just wanted to thank you for the dog food and bowl you left when I got back. And for the top up.”

“Of course, honey.” She smiled. “I think that dog will do you some good.”

It was funny how everyone kept saying that. “I’ll leave you to it. It was nice seeing you again.”

“Nice to see you, too, honey.”