Chapter 14
Tadon
I nodded to Ledger, and we followed Jake and the Diablox into the office. The air was thick with tension as we crowded into the small space. Jake took a seat behind the desk, hus fare an unreadable mask. Shadow sprawled in the chair across from him, looking far too comfortable for my liking. His two goons stood by the door, arms crossed,
Ledger and I took up position behind Jake, my arms folded across my chest as I glared at Shadow. The fucker met my gaze with a smirk, clearly enjoying himself.
“Alright.” Jake growled. “We’re listening. Now talk.”
Shadow sighed, stretching lazily back in his chair. “Always so impatient, Jakey. But very well, I’ll get down to it. It seems we have a mutual.. problem. One Craig Harmon
I felt my jaw clench at the mention of that name. Jake’s eyes narrowed. “What about him?”
Shadow’s smirk widened. “Well, it seems our friend Craig has been a naughty boy. Skimming off the top of our deals, thinking we wouldn’t notice. But we always notice. Plus, he’s become a liability. He’s drawing unwanted attention with his…” His eyes flicked to me briefly before continuing. “domestic issues.”
Jake leaned forward, elbows on the desk. “And what does this have to do with our missing shipment?”
Shadow chuckled, the sound grating on my nerves. “Craig got greedy. Thought he could make a little extra on the side by hijacking your guns. He plans to sell them to the highest bidder. Stupid fuck didn’t realize we keep tabs on all our…
associates
“So you’re saying Craig stole our shipment?” I growled, taking a step forward.
Shadow held up his hands. “Now, now. Don’t shoot the messenger. I would bet it was a calculated move, considering you have his wife holed up here. He was probably aiming for revenge
Jake’s eyes narrowed as he processed Shadow’s words. “And why exactly are you telling us this? What’s stopping you from dealing with Craig and keeping the guns for yourselves?”
Shadow leaned back, a calculating look on his face. “As much as it pains me to admit it, we could use your… assistance in dealing with this situation”
I exchanged a look with Jake, skepticism clear on both our faces. The Diablos asking for help? This had to be a trap.
“What kind of assistance?” Jake asked cautiously.
Shadow smirked. “We know where Craig is holed up with your guns. But the location is.. complicated. It would be mutually beneficial if we were to work together. You get your shipment back, and we get the pleasure of dealing with Craig.”
Jake was quiet for a minute, but I could see the gears turning behind his eyes. “What do you need from us?”
“Ahh, here’s the part you’re not gonna be very keen on,” Shadow said, his expression turning serious. “Your sister.”
“Absolutely not!” 1 growled, taking a threatening step toward Shadow. Jake held up a hand, stopping me, but I could se was boiling with rage, too.
Shadow remained calm, holding his hands up in front of him. “Hear me out. Craig doesn’t know we’re onto him. But he’s paranoid, holed up in a secure location on the outskirts of town. The only person he might let his guard down for is Laura.”
“You wanna use my sister as bait!!” Jake snarled, his fists pounding on the desk.
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Shadow shrugged. “Think of it more as a. distraction. She g
gets him to open the door, we rush in. Simple”
My blood was boiling at the thought of putting Laura in danger. “No fucking way,” I growled. “Not happening”
Jake was quiet for a moment, his jaw clenched tight. “Give us the night to discuss it. Meet back here tomorrow morning, we’ll have an answer for you,”
Laura
I paced nervously behind the bar, my eyes darting to the closed office door every few seconds. The air was suffocating, with Warriors and Diablos eyeing each other warily from opposite sides of the room. It felt like there could be bullets flying at any second. Trina kept shooting me concerned glances as she served drinks.
After what felt like hours but was probably only 30 minutes, the office door finally opened. Jake emerged first, his face a mask of barely contained rage. Talon followed close behind, his eyes immediately seeking me out. The Diablos sauntered out last. Shadow’s skeezy smirk making my skin crawl.
As the rival club members made their way out of the building, the Warriors visibly relaxed, the low hum of conversation resuming. Talon strode over to me, pulling me into his chest and I melted into his embrace, breathing in his familiar scent.
“What was th? I managed to say, before his lips crashed into mine, devouring me hungrily.
“Laura, we need to have a chat.” Talon and I pulled apart, breathless, to see Jake standing across the bar, awkwardly avoiding eye contact. “But first pour me a whiskey. Please.”
I nodded, my stomach clenching, my head still reeling from Talon’s kiss. I quickly poured Jake a generous glass of whiskey. He knocked it back in one gulp, grimacing slightly as the alcohol burned its way down his throat.
“Alright, let’s talk in private,” Jake said gruffly, gesturing toward his office. Talon grabbed the whiskey bottle from the bar and weaved his arm around my waist as we followed behind
Once inside, Jake closed the door and collapsed against it, running a hand through his hair. I perched on the edge of his desk, and Talon poured himself into a chair, taking a chug from the bottle of whiskey.
“I don’t even know where to start–Jake began, his voice tight, but he was interrupted by a soft knock at the door. He opened it to reveal an older man with wire–rimmed glasses.
“Sorry to interrupt,” the man said quietly, “thought you could use my input on this.”
Jake nodded, stepping aside to let him enter. “Laura, this is Ledger. Ledger, my sister, Laura.”
“Nice to meet you, Laura,” Ledger said with a small smile, taking my hand into his and holding it warmly for a moment.
I returned his smile weakly. “Same to you, but can we please get back to what’s going on?” I said, turning back to Jake. “I’m shitting my pants here.”
“Alright, here’s the situation,” Jake began again, now pacing the small space behind his desk. “Craig has stolen a shipment of guns from us. Probably as some hair–brained attempt at retaliation, since he knows we won’t let him get close to you.”
I felt my breath catch in my throat at the mention of Craig’s name. I moved to sit in the chair next to Talon, and he graved my hand, squeezing it gently.
“Craig has also been working for the Diablos for quite some time,” Jake continued, “laundering money for them through his real estate business. But apparently he’s been skimming off the top. They want him dead” He paused, giving me time to let his words sink in. Somehow, I wasn’t as surprised at this news as I probably should have been.
“Okay… and what made you guys choose to tell me all of this? You’ve been keeping me in the dark about everything up until
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now,” I buffed, crossing my arms over my chest,
Jake and Talon exchanged a loaded glance. “I’m sorry we haven’t been including you, angel. We were trying to keep you safe
didn’t want you to worry. But things have changed.. Talon said, trailing off as if trying to find the words
After a moment of silence, Ledger chimed in. “The Diablos said that Craig is holed up somewhere under heavy guard, and they think that the only way he’ll come out of hiding is if we can lure him out… if you lure him out.”
I felt the blood drain from my face. “They want to use me as bait?”
“Essentially_yes” Jake mumbled, grabbing the whiskey from Talon and taking a swig.
Talon turned to me, taking my hand in his once again. “I am one thousand percent against this idea, angel, but you’ve been adamant about making your own choices, so that’s why we’re having this conversation.”
My mind was reeling. I sat quietly, staring at a speck of dirt on the floor.
“For the record, I’m highly against this as well,” Jake said, “however… you know how mom used to always say, ‘every cloud has a silver lining?
A small laugh escaped my lips, reminiscing. “Yeah, she did. It was kind of annoying”
Jake chuckled softly, continuing. “Well, to play the devil’s advocate… if the Diablos were to take care of Craig, then you would never have to hear from him, see him, or worry about him ever again. I know I speak for everyone in this room when I say I would love to rip that guy’s throat out and feed it to him… but that would bring the law down on us, for sure. This way, you’d get the satisfaction without the consequences.”
I sat in silence for a long moment, trying to process everything I’d just heard – Craig stealing guns and laundering money, potentially using me as bait… Part of me was terrified at the thought, but Jake had a point. If the Diablos took care of him. I’d be free of him forever. No more looking over my shoulder, no more fear of him coming after me. Part of me felt a thrill at the idea of confronting Craig, of being the one in control for once.
“What exactly would I have to do?” I asked hesitantly.
Talon’s grip on my hand tightened. “Angel, you don’t have to do any of this. We can find another way.”
I turned to him, meeting his concerned gaze. “I know. But I want to hear the plan before I make a decision.”
Jake sighed, running a hand through his hair. “The idea is for you to call Craig, tell him you want to meet – you’ve made a mistake and you want to come home. We’d set up a meeting place, somewhere we can control. You’d be wired, with backup nearby. As soon as Craig shows up, we move in
“Can I have some time to think about it?” I asked quietly.
Jake nodded. “Of course. You have all night. We don’t have to give the Diablos an answer til morning”
Talon stood, pulling me up with him. “Come on, angel. Let me take you home”
I nodded numbly, allowing him to guide me out of the office and through the bar, stopping to collect my coat and say goodbye to Trina on the way. The cool night air hit me as we stepped outside, clearing my head slightly.
As we climbed onto Talon’s bike, I wrapped my arms tightly around his waist, burying my face in his back. The familia rumble of the engine and the wind whipping past brought me some sense of comfort as we took off toward home.
19:19 Wed, 9 Apr
