Page 73

Rex

I march into the safe house where Maya has brought Meredith, supposedly to assist her but really to monitor her. My anger still simmering. Seeing Meredith there, with her smug and unapologetic expression, makes my fists tighten instinctively. Coffey, Tex, Maya, and Harlow stand by my side, their presence a constant reminder that I can’t lose my shit completely.

“Looks like you brought the whole cavalry, “ she drawls, her voice grating my nerves.

I ignore her taunt, fixing her with a steely glare. “You took my kids, Meredith. My fucking kids.” I can feel Coffey tense beside me, ready to intervene if necessary.

Meredith shifts uncomfortably, her bravado faltering. “You wouldn’t listen to me. You didn’t leave me any other option.”

“So, you kidnap two innocent children?” Maya interjects with disgust. “Real classy.”

I clench my jaw, fighting the urge to lash out. The room feels suffocating, the tension thick. Meredith’s eyes dart nervously between us, her earlier bravado crumbling under our collective anger.

“Is Remy okay?” Meredith asks suddenly.

“Don’t,” I declare, cutting her off. The mere mention of Rem’s name on her lips makes my blood boil. “She isn’t any of your concern.”

Meredith flinches, shrinking back in her chair.

“I’m only here for one reason. I want to know what kind of trouble you’re in. What was so goddamn important that you’d risk everything, including our daughter’s safety, to get my attention?”

The room falls silent. Meredith’s gaze drops to her hands, which twist nervously in her lap. Her blonde hair hangs limp and greasy around her face.

Meredith quivers as she continues, “I messed up bad, Rex. Real bad.”

I lean against the wall, arms crossed, waiting for her to elaborate. The others remain silent, their eyes fixed on Meredith.

She takes a shaky breath. “Remember Rocky? He’s the president of the Atlanta Chapter. He and I have been together for a couple of years.” At my curt nod, she continues, “Well, things went south. He...he got me involved in some heavy shit. Drugs, mostly. But not just dealing. Manufacturing.”

Maya lets out a low whistle. Tex mutters a curse under his breath. This isn’t just some other club. I don’t know much about Rocky, but what I have heard has never been good. He had been in prison for killing his wife. The fact he is he president of one of a Zulu King chapters is news to fucking me.

“I didn’t want to,” Meredith insists, her eyes pleading. “But Rocky, he...he can be persuasive when he wants to be.”

“Cut the bullshit,” I snap. “What kind of trouble are you in now?”

Meredith flinches at my tone. “We had a big shipment go missing. Like, really big. The cartel we are working with...they think we stole it.”

“Did you?” Harlow asks, speaking for the first time.

Meredith shakes her head vehemently. “No! I swear, I don’t know what happened to it. But they don’t believe us. They’re after me, Rex. They’ve already...” She chokes back a sob. “They’ve already killed Rocky. I barely got out alive.”

“Which fucking cartel?”

“The Diaz Cartel.”

Tex and Coffey instantly look at me. What are the odds that the drug dealing Diaz we took out a few months back is part of this cartel? Rem’s dad had lost a shipment of their drugs, too. If Rene was in bed with them, it’s not entirely impossible that Rocky was too. Just when I think we’re past all this shit, we get dragged back into it.

“What else do you know about them? You ever meet them?”

“No,” she shakes her head vehemently. “Rocky always did that part. I was the distraction when he would make drops. It was always the same place. A warehouse. We dropped it off, someone else picked it up, and the money would be wired to us.”

I push off the wall, pacing the small room. The others watch me silently, waiting. I can feel the weight of responsibility pressing down on me. I need to take into account everything, not just to protect the club but also to keep my family safe.

“Here’s what’s going to happen,” I say finally, turning to face Meredith. “You’re going to tell us everything. Every detail about this cartel, the missing shipment, everything. Then we’ll decide what to do.”

Meredith nods eagerly, relief washing over her face. “Thank you, Rex. I—”

“Don’t thank me yet,” I warn her. “This doesn’t mean I forgive you for what you did. And it sure as hell doesn’t mean I trust you.”

I gesture to Maya. “Keep an eye on her. Make sure she doesn’t leave this room or contact anyone.”

Maya nods. “You got it, boss.”

I turn to the others. “Tex, I need you to reach out to your contacts. See what you can find out about this cartel and their operations. Call Voodoo, if you need to loop him in.

Tex nods, already pulling out his phone. “On it, Rex.”

I turn to Coffey and Harlow. “I need you two to head back to the clubhouse. Brief the rest of the Kings on the situation. We may need all hands on deck for this one.”

As Coffey and Harlow exit, I turn back to Meredith. Her earlier bravado has completely vanished, replaced by a look of genuine fear and exhaustion.

“Alright, Meredith,” I say, pulling up a chair across from her. “Start from the beginning. And don’t leave anything out.”

Meredith takes a deep breath, her hands shaking slightly as she pushes her hair back from her face. “It all started about six months ago,” she begins. “Rocky was looking for a way to bring in more money for the club. He heard about this new synthetic drug hitting the streets...”

As Meredith talks, I listen intently. With each detail she reveals, the gravity of the situation becomes clearer. This isn’t just some small-time drug deal gone wrong. This is big – cartel big. The kind of trouble that could bring down not just Meredith, but anyone associated with her.

“...and that’s when I realized I had to get out,” Meredith finishes. “But by then, it was too late. They were already after me.”

“Why don’t we just give them what they want? Seems like the simplest solution,” Tex comments. “They get what they want, and we get rid of her.”

I shake my head at Tex’s suggestion, though a small part of me is tempted. “We can’t just hand her over. That’s not how we operate, no matter how much of a pain in the ass she is.”

Meredith shoots me a grateful look, which I pointedly ignore.

“Besides,” I continue, “even if we wanted to, we don’t have what they’re after. The shipment’s still missing, remember?”

Maya leans forward. “What’s our play here, Rex? We can’t exactly take on a whole cartel.”

“No, we can’t. But we might be able to negotiate. Buy some time, at least.”

“Negotiate with a cartel?” Tex scoffs. “That’s suicide, man.”

“Maybe,” I concede. “But right now, it’s the best option we’ve got. We need to find out more about this missing shipment. If we can track it down, maybe we can use it as leverage.”

Meredith perks up at this. “I might be able to help with that. I overheard Rocky talking to one of his guys before...before everything went down. Something about a warehouse in Savannah.”

I narrow my eyes at her. “And you’re just mentioning this now?”

She has the decency to look sheepish. “I didn’t think it was important at the time. I was too focused on staying alive.”

“And bringing your trouble to our doorstep,” Maya mutters under her breath.

I let out a frustrated sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose. “Alright, Savannah. It’s not much, but it’s a start.” I turn to Tex. “I need you to reach out to our contacts in Savannah. See if anyone’s heard anything about a new drug shipment or any unusual activity at the warehouses in the area.”

Tex nods, already pulling out his phone. “On it, boss.”

“Maya,” I continue, “I want you to dig deeper into Rocky’s recent activities. Phone records, bank statements, anything you can get your hands on. There might be something that could lead us to the shipment.”

Maya gives a curt nod. “Consider it done.”

I turn back to Meredith, who’s watching me intently. “As for you, you’re staying put. You don’t leave this safe house, you don’t contact anyone, you don’t even look out the window without permission. Got it?”

She nods quickly. “Yes, of course. Thank you, Rex. I—”

I hold up a hand, cutting her off. “Don’t thank me. I’m not doing this for you. I’m doing it to keep my family and my club safe from the shitstorm you’ve brought down on us.”