Hell's Viper (Hell's March MC Book 1), page 19
I waited there, seeing if she would emerge again with a coffee to-go, but she didn’t. So I tucked my hat down farther over my face and approached the shop. Thankfully, the sun wasn’t yet shining in the direction of the window and I was able to see inside without any glaring reflection.
The place was mostly empty, save for a few tables with a single person either drinking a coffee or reading the newspaper. But there, tucked in the back corner was Loralee, and sitting across from her was a clean-cut man wearing a black V-neck shirt and a pair of what looked like designer slacks. Not a common sight here in town. He looked like he attempted to dress casual but couldn’t help putting on something with a label. I knew right away he wasn’t from around here.
Hauling open the door, relieved when there was no sound to announce my presence, I headed for the front counter to grab a black coffee and a newspaper. Not once did either of them turn to look at me, neither sensing they were being watched.
I picked a table that was adjacent to theirs but put enough distance between us so that I wouldn’t be in earshot. I couldn’t risk exposure to hear what they were saying, I just needed proof and to have this guy on video so we could find out who he was.
Opening the newspaper in front of me, I used it as a shield as I took my phone out of my sweater pocket and began to record them from around the barrier. Again, neither stopped to take in their surroundings, both too engrossed in their conversation to care. I zoomed in to get the facial features of the guy on video and the attire he wore before zooming back out to capture the entire scene. What would piss me off later is the video becoming pixelated and his features distorting instead of being clear.
Five minutes later, he rose from his seat and placed his hand on her shoulder, looking as though they knew each other well. Then he left the shop as she sat there for another few minutes, her head down and scrolling through her phone. With enough time spent between their exits, Loralee stood and exited the shop, never once looking at me as she passed.
“I don’t know where she went after that,” I tell everyone as the video stops. “I decided to come back to show you before she beat me here.”
“Wait,” Delia cuts in as she replays the tape, bringing the phone closer to her face as she tries to squint through the distortion. “Does he have a tattoo bandage on his wrist?”
“Let me see it,” Malik demands as Delia complies, sliding the phone across the table.
Malik watches the video closely, then grunts as his shoulders straighten. “The bandage is from my shop.” His eyes come up as he looks around the table. “We don’t use regular masking tape, Rockz orders the medical grade. It’s expensive as hell but saves us with touch-ups because the tape wore off too early.” He shows the paused video to Jaeger after zooming in closer to the tape on the wrist. “See that bright, lime green emblem there?” He points it out as Jaeger nods. “You can’t make out the design because of the zoom, but I know that color. It’s from a specific company we order from. They’re located in New Mexico. Not local.”
“So Rockz knows him?” Delia mutters as Malik shrugs his shoulders.
“At the very least, he tatted him within the last two days.” Malik leans back in his chair as Jaeger replays the video.
Delia stiffens beside me, her breath catching on a hitch as she curses under her breath. “Rockz was at the shop last night,” she reveals as Malik nods. “I paid him a visit.”
“You didn’t see this guy there?” Jaeger questions as she shakes her head.
“No. He was alone when I went there.” Her hands form fists as her jaw tightens. “Do we have any reason to suspect him?”
“I don’t think so.” Jaeger pulls his cigarettes out of his cut pocket and lights one, squinting an eye through the smoke as he stares at Delia. “What time were you there?”
“Late evening, about eight.” She stands, no doubt ready to stomp out to Rockz for questioning, when Jaeger holds up his hand.
“Wait,” he says, the word clipped. “We can’t let anyone else outside of this room know what’s going on. Understand?”
Delia shifts from foot to foot as she mulls over his request. “My brother?”
“No. Not even Genni,” Jaeger replies as he ashes into the ashtray on the table, and Delia takes her seat again. “We need to keep this as quiet as possible until we figure out who the guy is.”
“I’ll run his face in the facial recognition program I asked Jones to set up on my laptop,” Malik supplies as he runs a hand over his face. “He’s not from around here.”
“No,” I agree as all eyes land on me. “He was wearing designer pants and an expensive pair of shoes. I bet it’s irritating having dust coat those all day long.”
“He’s got money, at least he presents himself that way, even though it’s clear he tried to blend in with the townsfolk.” Jaeger snorts as he puts out his cigarette.
“Neither of them are smart if they managed to be followed, recorded, and stuck out like sore thumbs,” Delia growls. “I want to fucking hang her from the ceiling and play Bob Ross on her skin with her blood.”
Malik snickers as he shifts in his seat, his eyes flaring with glee. “Do a desert scene with cacti.”
“Could this be one of her informants from Los Angeles?” Cruz cuts in, providing a different perspective. “We know she gets intel from them, and maybe he’s the one relaying it. He looks Cali.”
“He does,” Malik hums as the room falls silent.
“What’s the plan?” Delia groans, her patience nearing its end as her fingers tap along the tabletop.
“You and Genni are close with her,” Jaeger supplies as a smile grows on his face. “So stay close with her. When she wants to go off on her own, fucking follow her. Don’t do anything rash and report everything back to me though, understand?”
Delia begins to look excited as she squirms in her seat, a little too excited about the prospect of exposing a new friend. She’s always waving her red flags for all to see, yet men still fall at her feet. I should know. So who’s really to blame in that situation? “Yeah.” She nods and stands as her phone goes off. She swipes it open and grins. “Speaking of the Devil. She and Genni are sitting at the bar now.”
The Viper begins to uncoil herself, her mouth opening wide on a yawn as her fangs drip with lethal venom. I want nothing more than to step back and let her take over, doing as she sees fit with the woman who is currently playing us all for fools. Everyone, including Genni, had their reservations, but me? I wanted so badly to believe her because she was a victim of the man I needed to exterminate.
Now it all looks like an elaborate setup.
My platform boots hit the concrete floor with dull thuds as I walk down the hallway, leaving the MC men back inside their little meeting room so I can hang out with the girls. A hiss vibrates through my body as the snake rears its head inside of me, planning to strike whenever she’s called upon.
Swallowing down the overwhelming urge to give in, I head into the main room and find Genni and Loralee sitting together, my best friend listening intently as Loralee tells her something.
Stopping at Loralee’s side, I turn to face them and lean on the bar. Whatever Genni sees in my face has her straightening just a little, her eyes flicking between us. Always so damn perceptive. I don’t have to worry about the same reaction from Loralee, she’s not so cunning.
“What are we up to?” I ask sweetly, making Genni’s brows come together with a snap.
“I was just telling Genni I have a call set up in the next hour with my guy in L.A. I’m hoping we get a location of where The Beast is currently.” She rubs her hands together as I begin to clap mine, her smile only growing at my apparent excitement.
“Perfect! We can set you up in Jones’ room to take the call, that way he can run the coordinates right away,” I suggest as her hands drop to the bar and her smile slips from her face.
She swallows thickly as she looks into my eyes, then forces another grin to her face. “He only accepts FaceTime from my phone, and he’ll expect me to be in a restaurant setting alone. He’s skittish.” She clears her throat and looks at Genni then back to me. “He used to be a part of the mob circuit. Low-level, of course. But now that he got away, he doesn’t want to ever be implicated if we bring them down.”
“Understandable.” I nod as Genni’s head tips to the side, her hair slipping around her shoulder to settle around her face. “I’ll leave the taking down of the family to you. I just want The Beast.”
“When is your meeting?” Genni asks as Loralee pulls out her phone and looks at the time.
“Shit!” She scrambles off the stool and grabs her jacket from the bar. “In ten minutes. Is it okay if I borrow your car again?” Genni nods as Loralee blows us kisses and rushes out the door.
“You don’t trust her anymore.” Genni points to my face as I smirk at her, my eyes narrowing as I push off the bar. “We’re tailing her, aren’t we?” This time she grins back, the thrill of a hunt reflecting in her eyes.
“Let’s take the van. My Viper is hungry and I need the room to nab her a couple of rabbits.”
Genni gets off the phone with Jaeger after explaining what we’re up to. “He says to watch and not do anything else. We’re to report back to him with everything. He’s pissed you disobeyed his orders.” I snort as I park in the same parking lot as Loralee but on the other side of the lot. “We’re not going to listen to him though, are we?” she groans, and I shake my head.
“He’s not my President and Loralee isn’t a member of the March. None of this is his jurisdiction. If you decide you want to head back, I won’t hold it against you. I’d hate to put you in the dog house.” I load up my vials, guns, and knives as Genni rolls her eyes and scoffs.
“He’ll have to deal with it,” she snaps as she watches Loralee inside the car. “He still has a lot of making-up to do for the shit he’s done.” He certainly does. Jaeger wasn’t always the fair President he is today, and even though he had his reasons, his actions were extreme. “She’s on the move.”
I strap in the last of my vials and pull the hood of my trench over my head as Genni pulls her hoodie over hers. She ditched the cut on the way over here, folding it meticulously and tucking it into the door’s side compartment. The obsession they have with their cuts has always seemed comical to me. It’s a piece of cow skin with fancy patches, looking like a child’s decorated backpack.
We get out of the van and quickly creep behind the sketchy woman, her stern bun bobbing like a beacon about thirty feet in front of us. The sun is quickly setting and the breeze is picking up, the chill warning of a cooler night. Genni slips her hands into her sweater pocket where I know her gun is hidden, and I wrap my trench tighter around my body.
Loralee stops in front of a restaurant that has a small front patio, the music a light melody as it floats out toward the street. We duck into an alley as her head starts to turn, quickly hiding from view.
I count to ten then poke my head out, finding the front of the restaurant clear. We hurry to the front in time to see Loralee inside and being led to a table in the back. “Strange place for a FaceTime,” Genni murmurs.
“That’s because she’s meeting someone, not FaceTiming,” I reveal, deciding to break all the rules. “Davis caught her earlier on video meeting up with a dude in a coffee shop, but he was a dumbass and zoomed in too much. Couldn’t see what the fucker looked like.”
“Why didn’t you tell me that,” she hisses at me as we continue to stare through the window while Loralee disappears out of sight.
“I was told not to by Jaeger.” I throw her stepbrother slash boyfriend under the bus.
“Why the hell not?” She raises her voice as she slams her hands to her hips, anger alighting the features of her face.
“Probably because we’d do something like this?” I provide as she drops her hands and exhales.
“Fair enough,” she concedes as she follows me up to the door. “Wait.” She grabs my arm, pulling me back out to the street. “If we go in there, they may see us and we can’t cause a scene. The dude will get away and Loralee could seal up like a clam. Let’s wait out here and see who emerges first. Then we split up and follow each of them.”
“I got the dude,” I stake my claim as she nods.
“Fine.”
“We rendezvous at the parking lot,” I instruct as she grunts.
We take seats at the patio, keeping our hoods up and waving off the servers who approach. All of them are too fearful to tell us to leave if we’re not buying anything, and that’s where we stay until twenty minutes later when the door opens and out walks Loralee.
She looks around as we duck our heads, and when she walks right by us in the direction we came from, Genni gets up and follows her. This is the tricky part, knowing who she was with when he steps out of the restaurant. I can only go by attire as Davis described it earlier. If he indeed dresses like a Cali man trapped in the fucking desert, I shouldn’t have a problem.
Thankfully, Davis was accurate in his description because five minutes later, a guy in an Armani suit steps out of the restaurant. He and Loralee seem to have the same taste in designers. He looks around him, then starts off in the same direction Loralee went, making this easier than I was expecting.
I get up and follow behind him, wondering if all the informants from Los Angeles dress this sharp. It would’ve been nice to be completely sure that this was the same man she met up with earlier, but his wrist is covered by his suit jacket. It’s no big deal though, the hair looks similar enough.
When he ducks into an alley beside the parking lot, my heart jams up into my throat as I suspect I’ve been busted. Grabbing my gun with its silencer on from the holster at my side, I curse the sun as it takes the last of its light, dousing me in dark reds and oranges. I creep up to the mouth of the alley with my gun in my hands and stand there to listen. When receding footsteps meet my ears, I slip inside and see him farther in, heading toward an all-black sedan.
He reaches the car, pressing the key fob to unlock the doors, the taillights illuminating the alley. This is my only chance and if I run up on him now, I may be rewarded with him fleeing or turning on me with a gun. So I do the next best thing.
“Sir!” I call out, and he turns slowly, his hand drifting to his side. He’s fucking armed. I hide my gun behind me as I approach. “Your card was declined.”
He relaxes as his head quirks, confusion lighting his features. “That’s impossible.” His voice is smooth, the tenor deep as he shakes his head.
Quickly, I aim my gun and shoot his leg, the same place I shot Robby, and he falls to the ground with a yell. He attempts to get up by using the trunk of his car for leverage, but I’m on him before he gets the chance, kicking the injury to knock him back down.
“Who are you?” he pants through his teeth as he clutches his leg, blood seeping between his fingers.
I pull my phone out of my trench pocket, keeping my other hand tight around the gun aimed at his head as I call Genni. Hopefully she already has Loralee, otherwise I’ve just blown her cover.
“I got her tied up and in the back of the van,” she answers on the first ring, sounding breathless. “Where are you?”
“Perfect. In the alley beside the parking lot. Bring the van.” I hang up the phone and continue to glare at the man at my feet, a gleam of sweat gathering on his forehead.
“Why did you shoot me? Who are you working for?” I remain silent as he groans and lays on the pavement, his chest heaving with each labored breath. “They fucking found me,” he mutters, and he keeps repeating it a couple minutes later when Genni pulls into the alley.
My gun doesn’t waver as she gets out of the van and rushes to me, cursing when she sees the amount of blood on the ground under his leg. “You shot him?”
“Yeah. I should’ve aimed for the shoulder, I suck at the leg shots.” I point at him and tell her, “Grab his gun.” She runs forward and searches under his jacket, finding one gun and sliding it along the pavement toward me. Then she undoes his tie and begins to tie it around his thigh to stop the bleeding.
“Jaeger is going to kill us,” she moans as the guy lifts his head and looks at her.
“Jaeger Varga? The President of Hell’s March?”
“No names, Genni!” I snap at her as she looks at me wide-eyed.
“You’re Genevieve Varga!” he exclaims as she and I gasp.
“You just fucking said mine!” she yells back at me as I wince.
“Who cares? They’ll both be dead in a few hours. Let’s get him in the van.”
Twenty minutes later, we drag them both into an empty Hell’s March warehouse, each of them bound and gagged, and surprisingly compliant. I throw the dude into a chair, the makeshift tourniquet around his thigh already saturated red but the bleeding has slowed down quite a bit.
Genni tosses Loralee to the floor beside her apparent informant and they both stare at us expectantly, their gags still firmly in their mouths. “What do you have to say for yourself?” I growl at Loralee as she stares back at me wide-eyed.
“Aren’t you going to take out her gag?” Genni asks as I huff.
“You do that! I need to point the gun!” I snap as she goes to Loralee, grumbling to herself as she removes the gag.
“It’s not what it looks like,” is the first thing out of the lying reporter’s mouth. “I’m not the bad guy!”
“I feel like that’s what all bad guys would say,” Genni mutters as she comes to stand beside me.
“Facts.” I nod as I continue to aim my gun at Loralee’s head. “Who is this guy?”
“Listen, Delia, please.” She squirms on the floor as Genni snorts.
“She said your name, now this guy knows us all.” I don’t know why she looks so smug about that.
“The only reason I haven’t shot your head off yet is because I need to know just how far this ruse went. Are you working with The Beast? Is he even really this Gionni DeRucci?” The guy’s head snaps around to stare at Loralee with shock as he mumbles around his gag.
