Tank
Two Weeks Later
I’d spent every waking moment waiting to hear from Emmie’s father and that Ernesto fuck, and planning how I would take them out. My nights were filled with making my sexy wife scream my name. I’d patched the bedroom wall and let Emmie pick out a paint color. Slowly, my house was becoming a home. At her suggestion, I’d placed the bed at an angle in the corner of the room, and I’d bought some of those foam noodles the kids played with in pools. I’d cut them down to size, then sliced them open and fit them around the posts of the bed where it might hit the wall. Since then, we hadn’t had an issue with cracked walls.
The bedroom was now a slate blue, and she’d ordered matching bedding online. I hated that I couldn’t take her outside of the compound, but I wasn’t going to take a chance with her safety. Every Dixie Reaper -- patched members, officers, Prospects, and even the old ladies -- had been shown pictures of Luis Montoya and Ernesto Lopez. Not only were we keeping a sharp eye for them sneaking into the compound, but anytime someone left they watched their surroundings. The ladies were on lockdown, which had pissed off Ridley to no end, but she understood.
Since none of the kids could leave the safety of our fenced compound, Torch and Venom had ordered playground equipment and set up a park area away from the clubhouse. They’d spared no expense and even added benches and a covered pavilion for future family gatherings. I couldn’t drive by the new spot without smiling. Over the last nine years, things had changed drastically for my brothers. There were still some wild parties at the clubhouse, but fewer and fewer members were partaking. Quite a few of us had settled down and had families. Even though Saint was still single, since he’d become a father, I’d noticed he didn’t go to the clubhouse as often. Isabella and Ridley had both offered to watch his daughter, but he always declined.
At one point, I’d have laughed if someone said we’d all start settling down. No way the wild bunch of men I called brothers would ever give up all the free pussy they could have. I’d have been wrong. With the right woman, all that other pussy just didn’t mean a damn thing. Not once since I’d laid eyes on Emmie had I even entertained the thought of being with another woman. She was it for me.
“I thought VanHorne was supposed to be here,” I said, as I looked around the table at my brothers. Torch had called Church nearly a half hour ago, but so far no one had said a damn thing. “Wasn’t he arriving weeks ago, but we haven’t seen him?”
“He’s here,” Torch said. “Just because you can’t see him, doesn’t mean the man isn’t around. He stopped in to visit Isabella and his grandkids, but he hasn’t really made his presence known. The last thing we want is for these fuckers to go to ground.”
“So someone has seen Ernesto and Luis?” I asked.
“Do you really think I’d let those sick bastards wander around our fucking town without knowing their every move? They’ve been watched. So far, they haven’t done much of anything, but I’m sure that won’t last. From what I hear, they’re getting tense and I have no doubt they’ll make a move soon,” Torch said.
“You’re not using Emmie as bait,” I said.
“We didn’t ask to,” Venom said. “Nothing changes where the ladies and kids are concerned. They’re all on lockdown until this is handled.”
“But?” I asked. There was always a fucking “but” in there.
“We’re going to set up a meeting with them. As far as they know, we’re willing to listen to what they have to say. They’ll be allowed into the compound, patted down, then escorted straight here. Guards will be stationed not only outside the door, but around the clubhouse as well. There’s no way those fuckers are going to get anywhere near Emmie,” Venom said. “And the dumb shits probably won’t realize they’re walking into a trap.”
“You didn’t think as Sergeant at Arms I might have needed to be consulted on this? Making sure this type of thing runs smooth is kind of my job,” I pointed out.
“It is,” Torch agreed. “But I also think you’re too close this time. No one is disputing that you’re Sergeant at Arms, or the best choice for that position, but just this once we’re asking you to take a step back. At least as far as planning goes. You can be present at the meeting, as long as you keep your cool.”
Right. Like two unarmed men wouldn’t be temptation for anyone? Especially the sick fuckers who would be seated at this very table? I wasn’t going to make that promise. If I saw my chance to take them out, then I’d do it. Anything to make sure Emmie was safe, as well as the other women that fucker Ernesto was selling off to brothels and butchers. The guy really made my stomach turn, and I could handle some fucked-up shit.
“They won’t give up their weapons,” Flicker said. “I’ve been checking out these guys, and there is no way they’ll walk in here completely unarmed. If we’re going to meet them, I say we do it somewhere public. Remember when Josie was bait for her father?”
“Yeah and a lot of innocent people could have been hurt,” Saint pointed out. “If anyone had opened fire, women and kids could have been killed. Too risky. I don’t trust those guys to give a shit about bystanders. A bloodbath wouldn’t matter much to men like those two. We might have done some fucked-up shit over the years, but only to those who deserved it. It’s part of why I love this club so much.”
“I’ll second that,” Tempest said.
“Whatever y’all decide to do, I’m behind you one hundred percent. When I needed space, you left me alone. And then I came here with Mara, and you stepped up to help when we needed it. Whatever it takes to keep Tank’s wife by his side, count me in,” Rocky said.
“I want to know what VanHorne thinks of all this,” I said. “He took out Fernando Montoya. After having dealt with the family before, maybe he has some insight. We brought him in for a reason, right?”
“I told you he’s already been checking into things,” Torch said.
The doors burst open and Wire rushed in, a sheaf of papers in his hand and his hair standing on end. His gaze scanned the room and landed on me, then he vaulted over the damn table and dropped the papers in my lap.
“Did you know about this?” Wire asked.
I shuffled through the papers, and my heart nearly stalled when I realized what I was looking at. Had Emmie known? Or would this come as just as much of a shock for her? It explained why Luis had been ready to sell her off to the highest bidder and he hadn’t attempted the same with Lupita.
“Emmie isn’t really a Montoya?” I asked.
“No. Her mother had an affair with Carlos Gomez during a trip to South America. His family is relatively poor and runs a shop in Rio. It’s where he met Emmie’s mother. When Emmie was born, she wasn’t in Spain. She was born in a hospital in Rio, and as you can see, her father is listed as Carlos Gomez,” Wire said.
“And then somehow, for whatever reason, Emmie’s mother got Montoya to adopt Emmie and give her his name?” I asked.
“That’s what the papers show. There’s more. Did you notice the account information in the Cayman Islands?” Wire asked.
“It’s in Emmie’s name. I don’t think she’s aware that she has all that money available to her. If she’d known, she wouldn’t have been working at the diner, right?” I flipped through the papers again. “So Ernesto wanted Emmie to get his hands on her money, Luis wanted to get rid of the bastard daughter his wife had birthed, and… what? Ernesto was just going to sell Em once he had her money? I’d have thought Luis would want to get his hands on the cash. Guess maybe he hated Emmie more than he wanted that damn money.”
“Pretty much,” Wire said. “Although, to be honest, I’m not sure he’s aware of the account. Ernesto has some contacts and might have run across the information on his own. He wouldn’t want to share that knowledge with Luis, if he thought the man would try to keep the funds himself.”
“Do you think Lupita knows all this? She’s older than Emmie and would remember her mom being pregnant. She may have heard something over the years,” Venom said. “I think we need to bring her in and ask some questions.”
Flicker snorted. “Good luck.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Torch asked. “I know she came here and showed up at Tank’s place. And I know you took her home.”
“Then you should also know she vanished by the next morning,” Flicker said. “I don’t know who picked her up or where she went. I haven’t heard from or seen her since. As far as I know, she’s not been in contact with anyone here. Tank? Has your wife heard anything?”
“Emmie hasn’t had contact with her either,” I said.
“Great. We have a crazy ass, deadly woman wandering around and no one knows where the fuck she is or what she’s up to,” Torch said. “Tank and I have discussed it, and we believe that Lupita came to our compound for a reason. Something other than keeping Rin safe. She wanted us to owe her favor, but it’s all a little too tidy. Why go to jail for a crime she didn’t commit? Considering the lengths we went to in order to protect Rin, she had to know we’d help Emmie if she asked.”
“So we need to deal with Ernesto and Luis, and worry that Lupita has an agenda too?” Flicker. “Wait. You let me take a woman into my home that you think had ulterior motives for being here? Assholes!”
“We didn’t realize that everything didn’t quite add up until after Lupita had been here and left,” I said. “I wouldn’t have let you put yourself in danger. Besides, Lupita seemed to get along just fine with you. She did seem a bit pissed that I was with her sister.”
“Um, yeah about that…” Flicker glanced away before meeting my gaze again. “She liked you chasing her. The reason she asked Emmie to find you and not anyone else is that she thought Emmie wouldn’t be even close to your type. Even though she didn’t want to settle down, I think she’s ticked off you picked her sister over her. And now that we know Emmie is only her half-sister…”
“This is getting too fucked up,” Torch said. “Whatever happened to the days we only had to worry about a gun deal going bad? No, we all have to fall for women who come with a shit ton of trouble.”
“Seems to be working out just fine,” Tex said. “Kalani was worth it. I’m sure you feel the same about Isabella, and I know Venom is glad to have Ridley.”
“And for the record, Kayla wasn’t in trouble when I claimed her,” Preacher said.
“No, she was just knocked up,” Saint said.
A few of the guys snickered. Saint hadn’t been patched in when Preacher had knocked up his sister, Kayla. He’d still been a Prospect at the time, but he hadn’t been the least bit happy. It had all worked out. Anyone who saw Preacher and Kayla couldn’t deny the man adored her. She’d been exactly what he needed. And as screwed up as this current situation was, I had to admit that Emmie was worth every bit of trouble. She might not be the type of woman everyone had assumed I’d be with, but she was perfect for me. Torch was right. We all ended up with women who came with a bunch of problems, but I knew none of the married men around the table would have it any other way.
“We should let Casper know this latest bit of info,” I said.
“He already knows,” Torch said.
A shadow emerged from the corner of the room and every one of us around the table jolted. There were quite a few ex-military men I called brother, and it was unnerving the assassin had gotten the drop on us. It proved that he was right for this mission. If he could sneak up on an entire room full of Dixie Reapers, then surely he could handle Luis and Ernesto. And if he couldn’t, then I didn’t know what else to try, but I’d have to think of something. No way would I let Emmie become a victim of either man.
Casper had aged a bit since I’d last seen him, but he apparently hadn’t lost his skills. The man was considered the best assassin in the world. Or maybe the deadliest would be an accurate description. It was often said that if Casper VanHorne was coming for you, then you’d better have your affairs in order. A gold band glinted on his finger, but he was dressed head to toe in black aside from that bit of jewelry. I’d found it slightly odd that he’d gotten married a while back, but none of us had ever met his wife. As far as I knew, Isabella and Torch hadn’t met her either.
“You let me handle Lupita Montoya,” he said. “And I’ll be taking care of the little problem of Ernesto and Luis too. With pleasure. There are plenty of people who want those two dead, and many who would pay for the proof they aren’t breathing anymore.”
“When you say handle…” Not that I trusted Lupita right now, but she was my sister-in-law. I felt like I should be watching out for her, as long as she didn’t intend my wife any harm. If she came for Emmie, nothing would save her from my wrath.
“I’m not going to kill her, if that’s what you mean, but she won’t bother you again. Not until I know for certain she doesn’t have something devious in mind,” Casper said. “I may not have met your Emmie, but my daughter lives here and my grandchildren. I want to make sure they’re safe.”
“How are you going to handle Ernesto and Luis?” Flicker asked.
“Everything is already in place for those two. By tonight, they won’t be a problem for anyone. Nothing I do will trace back to the Dixie Reapers, so you’ll all be in the clear. Keep Emmie close tonight, Tank.”
I nodded, having every intention of doing that very thing.
“Casper, not that I doubt your prowess when it comes to this sort of thing, but how exactly are you taking care of them?” Rocky asked.
“They’ve been spending their evenings at a strip club in the seedier section of town. I’ve paid off the owner to give me access to the men. When they aren’t looking, I’m slipping them a bit of arsenic. I know it seems like a classic murder mystery novel or film, but it works. I’ll be gone before they even know I’m there,” Casper said. “And the dose will be high enough they’ll die quickly.”
“You aren’t worried about it being detected in an autopsy?” Preacher asked.
“No. Those two have enough enemies, the police will never narrow down who killed them. And I’m not even on their radar as a possibility. Everything will be fine. Just keep Emmie safe until then,” Casper said.
“Who’s with Emmie now?” Torch asked.
“Fenton. He wanted to make amends for sending her away the first night she came here,” I said. “Calder said he’d hang around the outside of the house just in case something went down.”
“Go check on Emmie,” Venom said. “We can wrap things up here, and someone will be touch to let you know if anything new is discussed in your absence. She’s your number one priority right now.”
“Thanks, VP.”
I hauled myself out of my chair and left the clubhouse. The bike ride to my house was short, and I found Fenton and Emmie in the living room. The Prospect was staring out the windows and Emmie was reading a book Mara had sent over. Once the Reaper ladies had heard Emmie liked to read, they’d started leaving books on our porch at random times. Even though Mara tended to keep to herself, she’d left several books in the last few days, each with a note for Emmie to keep hope that everything would work out.
“Thank fuck you’re here,” Fenton muttered.
“Trouble?” I asked, my body going tense.
“No. Not for me anyway,” he said, glancing at Emmie.
She hadn’t lifted her nose from the book yet, even though she knew damn well I was here. It wasn’t like her not to greet me, and I knew something was off. The tension in my body didn’t ease as I studied my wife, wondering what had happened while I was gone.
“The two of you need to talk, so I’m going to head out,” Fenton said. “And um… Calder and I won’t say a word about…”
He glanced at Emmie again and I stared at my wife once more, hard enough she finally glanced up at me. I heard the front door slam, then Fenton’s bike start up a moment later. Emmie set her book aside but didn’t move. There was a nervousness to her that I hadn’t seen since that first day I’d brought her here. I knew her father and Ernesto hadn’t gotten into the compound, so what could have her fidgeting and not wanting to hold my gaze? Whatever it was, Fenton and Calder knew about it. They’d have told me immediately if she were in danger.
“Something I need to know?” I asked.
“Maybe?” Her hands twisted in her lap.
I moved closer and sank onto the couch next to her. Reaching for her hands, I stilled her fidgeting. Her hands were cold, and I could feel the tension coiled inside her.
“Emmie, whatever it is, we’ll face it together. What happened today?” I asked.
“I noticed that… I’m late.” She stared up at me, almost expectant.
“Late? For what?”
She blinked. “Are you serious right now? I’m late. You know, late? As in I missed my period? It was due a week ago.”
All right, so maybe I hadn’t been that quick on the uptake with that one. I still didn’t understand why she seemed so nervous. It wasn’t like I’d made it a secret that I was in this for the long haul.
“Calder went and picked up some pregnancy tests for me. I know those over the counter ones aren’t always that accurate, but I took three different brands of those early detection ones. All three came back positive.” She squirmed in her seat. “Did you hear me, Zach? You’re going to be a daddy.”
Yeah, I’d heard her, and I still didn’t understand why she was so nervous. Maybe finding out she was pregnant while her dad and Ernesto was still running loose wasn’t exactly ideal, but I wasn’t going to let those fuckers anywhere near her. They’d have to get through me, and all my brothers.
“Why were you worried about telling me you’re pregnant?” I asked.
“Like you’ve pointed out before, we’re strangers. We might be married, but… what if things don’t work out between us?”
I smiled a little. “Sweetheart, I’m here, right beside you, until the end. I’m not going anywhere, and I’ll never want to either.”