Tip of the Spear: Devil Chasers (Lima Six Motorcycle Club Book 3) (9 page)

“Stay in the truck,” he said as he shifted the truck into neutral as they rolled toward the next stop sign.

She gripped her purse tighter and wrapped her hand around the butt of her gun. “What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to go see what he wants,” he said as he braked the truck to a stop before tromping on the parking brake as he opened the door, stepping out with his pistol in his hand.

“Leo! No!” Jamie shouted but he was gone.

She twisted in the seat to watch, but he hadn’t even made it to the back bumper before she heard the motorcycle rev as it made a hard U-turn in the middle of the road and roared away into the night. Leo stood at the rear of the truck a moment, watching as the motorcycle disappeared, before returning to the cab.

“I guess he didn’t want anything,” he said as he slid into the seat.

“That’s not funny! You could have been killed!”

“They aren’t going to shoot me in the middle of town with a witness,” Leo said. “Besides, he made a lot better target than I did. If I aim just over the light and I hit him right in the chest, where I was standing in the dark.”

“Just call the cops the next time. Let them handle it.”

“And tell them what, Jamie? That someone on a motorcycle is behind me?”

“They came when I called when the truck was following me.”

“That’s different. You’re a woman, for one thing. The other is, they were following you, and had been. This was just someone going the same way as we were. At least legally.” He held up his hand to silence her protest and then slipped the truck into gear and started moving again. “I know, I know. But we can’t have the cops following us around all the time. We are going to have to handle this ourselves. This was just Lima 6 making sure we know they haven’t forgotten about me.”

“Those bastards. You should kill them all.”

“That would make me a murder. Is that what you want?”

“No,” she harrumphed. “But I think you have damn few friends left in the club.”

“Don’t be so sure,” he said calmly. We’ve picked up three in just a couple of weeks. I have to admit, I thought your idea had a snowball’s chance in hell of working, but now I’m prepared to admit I may be wrong.”

No one else followed them and she began to relax as they drove the last few miles to his house. As he eased the truck into the garage Jamie slipped her pistol back into the hidden compartment in her purse. She hadn’t forgotten that Lima 6 would probably make a play at them at some point, but tonight only reinforced that this was a struggle to the death between herself, Leo, and Lima 6. Lima 6 would either have to die, or be transformed. Or they would die in the attempt. There was no other outcome possible.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Over the next few days, the three women actively but subtly recruited for the new cleaning crew. Fitz, Copper and Matt played it cool, as if they don’t know what is going on, playing their part and acting as if they still supported the club.

The three women uncovered several more wives and girlfriends that were unhappy with the current situation, but they were unable to turn their men from the club. The women acknowledged their men were not happy with the direction the club is going, but the bond ran deep with the club and they wouldn’t turn against it. The three women recruiting didn’t dare mention that a coup was being plotted to help sway any of the men for fear that it would get back to Ron and his close circle of supporters.

Kat was the last to give up, but even she finally had to admit it was unlikely they could turn anyone else to their cause. Despite their failure to bolster their ranks, all thought that if the club began to pivot away from the darkness that had taken over, most of the members would leap at the chance to help depose Ron and his cronies.

Three weeks to the day after Kat had come to
He’s Not Here
looking for help, the eight of them agreed to meet in
He’s Not Here
after it closed. Copper and Fitz knew about each other, as Copper had recruited Fitz directly, but neither knew who else had joined. Matt was likewise unaware of who else was in on the plot.

“This is it?” Matt asked Leo dubiously when he and Jamie joined the other six at the table.

“This is it,” he confirmed.

“More will join once they see that Ron is in trouble,” Kat said with confidence. “They just need an excuse to bale on the club.”

“I agree,” Exotic said. “I have a couple of girls that are be willing to help, even if their men won’t.”

“What’s the plan?” Fitz asked.

“To remove Ron from power and to take back the club,” Leo said firmly.

“Good plan. You have any idea on how to do that?” Copper asked as he rolled his eyes and looked at Leo under his eyebrows.

“It’s going to be hard with just the four of us—”

“No shit,” Matt muttered.

“—so we have to start out small,” Leo finished. “I’m thinking we get the cartel to do some of the heavy lifting for us.”

“And how do you plan to do that?” Copper asked.

“I think we should start running intercepts again. But this time, we take the drugs from Lima 6. I don’t think the Prieto Cartel is going to take kindly to their mules losing their drugs, do you? Especially when the drugs just… disappear. No cops, no arrests, just
poof,
and they’re gone,” Leo said making a popping motion with his fingers.

Fitz chuckled. “I like this plan. There is some kind of sweet justice in having the cartel put the squeeze on the club. But then what? Wait for the cartel to take out Ron?”

“That works for me, if it works out that way. But I had something a little sneakier in mind. Would you agree that if we could produce proof that Ron orchestrated the hit on the members that would turn the club against him?”

Leo watched as everyone at the table nodded except Jamie. She knew his plan because she had helped him hammer out the details over the last couple of days.

“Then what I propose is we keep intercepting the drug until the cartel sends someone to find out what the hell is going on. Then we bag that guy and we squeeze him. If he doesn’t know what we want, then we will use him to get the next guy.”

“That sounds risky as shit!” Matt objected.

“I never said this would be easy. Look, if you want to back out now, no hard feelings. But I’m depending on you to keep our secret.”

“I didn’t say that!” Matt said firmly. “But going toe to toe with the cartel is a good way to get our nuts cut off.”

“I agree. We are going to have to be
very
careful to hide what we are doing and make sure the cartel thinks that it’s Lima 6 that’s screwing them over. But I don’t know any other way to get the proof. We need it straight from the horse’s mouth that Ron called in the hit. I’m not sure anything less will do it.”

“Fuck…” Fitz mumbled. “I don’t know if I can do this, Leo. I have my family to think about.”

“You worry about fixing this mess, I’ll worry about our family,” Karen said firmly. “I don’t want Randall and Stu Two growing up in some drug infested hell-hole. I’ll take them up to Abilene and stay with mom and dad if I have to. I remember what it was like when we moved here and I’m not raising our kids like that. Just don’t do something stupid and get yourself killed.”

“We’ll watch his back, Karen. We’ll have to watch all of our backs,” Copper softly.

Fitz looked at his wife then touched her face softly. “I won’t. But I don’t know how long this might take. It took years to clean up the town before.”

“You have until the kids start back to school,” Karen said then smiled. “I’m not planning on leaving at all. We’re only going to go if it gets really dangerous.”

“You heard the lady, boys. That gives us, what, about three weeks?” Matt teased.

“No problem,” Copper said with grin of his own. “What are we going to do in our spare time?”

“You really think you can draw the cartel up here?” Fitz asked, trying to pull the conversation back on track.

“If we can make Lima 6 look dirty, then yes, I think we can. Ron will deny that the club is screwing the cartel, of course, and I can’t see them not sending someone to find out what is going on. If we’re really lucky, maybe we can make the Prieto Cartel think the club has switched to the Cuervo Cartel. That would really stir the shit. Maybe Prieto will take care of Ron for us.”

“What about the rest of the brothers? Aren’t you worried about them getting caught up in the blood shed if that happens?” Copper asked.

“Yes. I don’t want to see anyone killed. But I am determined to take the club or destroy it. If we can’t turn the other members, then…” He let the sentence dangle.

Copper stared at Leo a moment then heaved a sigh. “I guess we better figure out how to turn them before it gets to that point, huh?”

“Point of order, here. How the hell are we going to do all of this with just the four of us? And how are we going to know where to make the intercepts?” Fitz asked.

“You can’t,” Jamie said. “That’s where Exotic, Karen and Kat come in. And me too. We’re going to have to find out when and where the exchanges happen. Do you think you can do that?” she asked as she looked at the other three women.

Exotic and Kat looked at each other and smiled. “Bet I can find out before you can,” Exotic challenged.

“You’re on,” Kat replied.

“We can also bird dog the drugs. With three or four of us, it will be easier to tail the drugs without getting caught.”

“I don’t know if I like this idea,” Matt said. “This is something I have to do, but I don’t know that I want Exotic involved in this.”

“Matt, honey, I’m
already
involved. You saw what happened to Wade. They killed his whole family. Like it or not, I’m in this as deep as you are.”

“It should be fairly safe. We’ll just be following them in our cars. If we do it right, they won’t even know we are there,” Jamie explained.

“I don’t know,” Karen said. “The kids…”

“We know,” Jamie said. “The three of us can handle it. Maybe I will ask Maggie and Ellen if they want in on this. They have score to settle as well.”

Karen relaxed visibly. “Thanks. I will help where I can, but I can’t leave the kids on a moment’s notice.”

Kat patted Karen on the hand. “You have to take care of your family first. We get it. Don’t sweat it. Exotic, Jamie and I can handle it.”

“So what’s the next step?” Copper asked.

“We find out when an exchange is made and we bag the drugs,” Leo said. “That’s on Kat and Exotic. Which reminds me, Elaine, when the hell did you change your name? And why?”

Exotic grinned. “You like it? Matt started calling me that and I decided I liked it. Makes me sound all mysterious, don’t you think? Exotic Archer sounds so much better than Elaine Dixon. Or even Elaine Archer.”

Leo grinned. “Exotic Archer. Makes me think you should be wearing knee high leather boots, skin tight leotards, and a cape.”

“I only wear those at home, for Matt,” she said with a wink at Matt.

“Why don’t you wear something like that?” Copper asked Kat with a grin.

“Because I don’t need them,” Kat purred, causing everyone to snicker.

“Anything else?” Leo asked to pull the conversation back on the subject at hand.

“Kat, Karen and I will continue to see who we can turn. As the club begins to go down the shitter, maybe we can pick off a few more. Maybe.”

“Just don’t give away our secret,” Leo cautioned.

“No. Don’t worry. We’ll be careful. The last thing I want is to have Matt having to watch his back with the club while he is doing this.”

“Copper and Fitz, too,” Kat added for good measure.

“Karen? You okay?” Jamie asked.

“A little scared. I thought we were past all of this. And with the boys and all…”

“I know. Do what you have to to keep your family safe,” Leo said.

“Don’t worry, Pie. We’ll be okay,” Fitz said.

“Pie?” Copper asked with a raised eyebrow.

Both Karen and Fitz blushed. “Short for Sweetiepie,” Fitz mumbled.

“I think it’s sweet,” Jamie said, trying to rescue them from their embarrassment.

“So do I... Snookums,” Matt said as he elbowed Fitz.

As the group began to break up, Leo couldn’t stop smiling. This is the Lima 6 he remembered.

***

“I sure hope the hell I didn’t make a mistake letting you talk me into letting the women help,” Leo said later as they prepared for bed. “Karen made me realize there is more to think about than just taking the club back.”

“What? Don’t you think we women can take care of ourselves?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“No, but you were thinking it.”

“What? You can read my mind now?”

“That’s nothing new. I know what you are thinking before you do sometimes.”

“Oh yeah? What am I thinking now?”

“You’re thinking how you’re going to take me to bed and make love to me until we’re both exhausted.”

That wasn’t what he was thinking about. Well, not until now. Maybe she
did
know what he was thinking before he did. “Is not.”

“Is too,” she said with a grin.

“Well, it wasn’t until you mentioned it.”

“See? I told you I knew what you were thinking before you do.”

He blinked at her a couple of times as he wondered how she had so effortlessly backed him into a corner. She twittered out a laugh as she pulled on his hand, steering him toward their bedroom.

“Come on, ‘Snookums,’ I need you to do something for me.”

As they snuggled into the bed, Leo slowly undressed her, his lips dancing along freshly exposed skin. He paused in his slow stripping of her to return to her lips.