Page 38 of Mac (Demented Souls #7)

"Krissi would have my balls if she ever got wind of me keeping her out of this.

I'd prefer whatever she's doing for you keeps her here or in one of the other businesses, but if I make it a requirement, she'll find a reason to end up on site somewhere and undercover.

" Ruger shook his head as he thought of his girlfriend and the way she would react to being told what she could and couldn't do.

Slow smiles spread across the room as they all knew he was right, even Mac had a soft spot for the girl.

Then again, she'd picked up the part of running the shop that he hated the most, the bookkeeping.

On top of that, she was smart, sassy and didn't put up with much from a group of pushy mechanics or bikers.

"Will do. I'll make sure she knows."

Ruger narrowed his eyes at Gizmo a moment then let the comment slide.

"I'll get started on that tonight." Gizmo nodded to tuck, then his gaze went to Ruger. "She here tonight?"

"She is, but I'd appreciate it if you didn't keep her busy all night. I'd like a little sleep tonight."

A chuckle spread through the room, leaving their spirits a little higher than they'd been a moment before.

"Everyone keep your eyes and ears open for any clue or rumor.

" Tuck drew their attentions back to the issue.

"We check into every lead. I don't want these assholes to stay on the street because one of us didn't think it was too small to look into.

" He looked back to Gizmo. "We just updated security, but I want all the businesses swept for bugs at least twice a month.

We can place some of our own in public areas if you think it might help, but I want ours to be the only ones there. "

Mac watched the exchange and made a mental note to catch Gizmo when the whole club wasn’t listening and talk to him about getting a security system put in at Elyse’s.

"Got it."

"You can set your apprentice to that if you want, as long as you make sure it gets done."

"Not mine," Ruger put in. "Send Sackett or any of the other prospects."

Gizmo nodded but didn't say anything more.

Tuck looked at Ghost. "I know it's not taking them out now, but we'll get there.

We need to make sure we have the right people and all of them, not just the easy or obvious ones.

The last thing we need is to only take down half of them but tip off the rest, so they continue their operation, but hide it better.

" Mac watched as the younger man finally conceded, dropping back in his seat.

The meeting wound down after that. Tuck gave a few more assignments and cut them all loose.

"Mac, can I talk to you?" Tuck called as the last of them filed out of the room.

Mac hung back, not bothering to close the distance to the president until everyone had left. If Tuck had wanted an audience, he wouldn't have waited to speak with Mac alone.

"What have you got going on tonight?" The president leaned back in his chair and watched Mac.

"Nothing. I did what I wanted before the meeting. I didn't know what might be decided tonight and I wanted to be prepared for anything."

Tuck gave his head a slight shake. "I should stop worrying about you not being prepared." He paused and took a deep breath before continuing, "I have something I need done. Something I would rather not be public knowledge."

Mac wanted to ask why, and so many other questions, but instead only said, "Whatever I can do, I will."

Tuck let out an uneasy breath, as if he had been uncertain what Mac would say.

That made Mac wonder if some of the other brothers had been giving the prez a hard time.

He would have to pay more attention to how the others treated their elected leader.

If Mac found any of the brothers, with a few exceptions, weren't giving the president the proper amount of respect, then he'd have to have a come-to-Jesus with them.

The exceptions were those close enough, both in office and in friendship, that they'd earned the right to question the other man.

"I've got a personal issue I could use your help with." Tuck's voice pulled Mac back to the present, and he waited for the other man to tell him what to do. "Do you have something in the shop you can borrow for the night? Something not easily traced to any of us?"

Mac took a moment to recall what vehicles had been left overnight and who owned them.

"Does it matter what kind of vehicle?"

Tuck shook his head. "Not really. Something that won't stand out would be best."

"I think I can do that." There were a couple of cars in the shop he could 'borrow' for something, depending on what it was.

They didn't do it often, and never for anything illegal.

The last thing he needed was his business to get a reputation for stealing people's vehicles and using them for joy rides, or anything else, while they'd been trusted into his care.

"Good. I've got a friend who's being harassed by her ex. I'd appreciate it if you could go keep an eye on her. I'll text you the address." Tuck pulled a phone from the inside pocket of his kutte.

"Define keep an eye on her?"

"Sit outside her house and watch. If her ex shows up and starts something, call the cops, then get between the two of them so he doesn't hurt her."

"What if she leaves?"

Tuck looked down, then back up. "She shouldn't be leaving until morning, but if she does, follow her. She knows I've got someone keeping an eye on her because I don't trust that fucker to stay away now that they've let him go."

"You just want me to sit outside and watch for anyone to come start trouble? No getting involved unless he starts it first?"

"Exactly. It's really a rookie job, but I don't trust any of them with her life. I know if it comes down to it, you'll do what needs to be done to protect her."

Mac heard what his friend wasn't saying. Tuck was afraid this woman's ex was going to try to kill her and Mac was there to stop him before he succeeded. Normally, he might have bitched about being asked to sit and watch someone's house all night, but given what he knew, this would be an exception.

"Let me go see what I've got that I can borrow. What kind of neighborhood?" He glanced at Tuck as he stood.

"Sam Hughes district."

Surprise washed through Mac at the mention of the upscale historic district near the university.

There were a few exceptions, usually homes that hadn't been remodeled on the inside, but it wasn't uncommon for houses in that area to sell for half or three quarters of a million dollars.

It meant he'd need to switch up which of the cars in the shop he'd planned to borrow.

He'd been thinking of an older model, unremarkable pick up that had come in for a front end job, now he decided he'd take the Mercedes that was only a few years old, it had a starter with a tendency to hang and he was waiting for the replacement to come in.

It might be a pain in the ass if he needed to leave, but since it was already after ten, that was unlikely and getting even more unlikely the later it became.

"Send me that address and I'll head on over. You know how to reach me if there's anything else."

Tuck didn't say anything more as Mac left the back room where they held club meetings, he waved to a couple of the guys as they called greetings but kept going on his way to the door.

Leaving his bike in line in front of the clubhouse he walked to the shop and let himself in where he snagged the keys to the Mercedes off the rack and locked up again.

By the time he'd let himself into the car, he had the address to the woman's house but still not her name.

As he pulled out of the lot, he found himself wondering what kind of friend she was and why Tuck wanted to keep this whole thing on the down low.

It was likely he would never know, not unless he pushed the president for an answer.

Unless there was a reason to, he wouldn't.

Twenty minutes later, Mac parked in front of the house next door to the address Tuck had sent him.

This house was empty, as evidenced by the overgrown yard and for sale sign strapped to the mail box post. No one would question his car sitting here, most people would assume he was visiting one of the other neighbors and never give it a second thought.

That made it a a perfect spot. Now all he had to do was wait.

With nothing else to do, he pulled out his phone and sent Elyse a message.

Still up?

I got hung up doing something for the club, I won't make it home tonight.Hope you're having a good time with your brother.

He hadn't yet finished sending the second message when one came back.

Not technically. I just got in bed, wishing you were here.

Wish I was there too.

Mac glanced up every few seconds to make sure everything was still all right. There hadn't been any cars, but he also checked that someone hadn't walked up while he'd been distracted, then he'd look back to his phone.

Then I won't wait up hoping you come back. Take care.

Sleep well; and will do.

Headlights approached and Mac watched them, wondering if they were the guy he was waiting on, but the car made a turn a few blocks down, leaving him sitting in the the darkness again.

He pulled up a game on his phone to help pass the time, but not one that he'd get so absorbed in he'd forget to keep an eye on the house.

A knock on the side window of the car startled Mac.

He jumped and reached for the pistol he'd tucked under the arm rest beside him as he spun to see who had managed to sneak up on him.

He released his grip on the weapon when he spotted the grin on Tuck's face.

A glance at his watch told Mac it was approaching six a.m.

Mac shook his head, took a deep breath and opened the door. "You did that on purpose."

Tuck's grin grew. "I did, but it wasn't the easiest thing I've ever done. You're pretty alert for having been up all night."

Mac shrugged. If Tuck didn't already know Mac had gotten Jake, one of the prospects, to bring him a thermos of coffee the night before, then Mac wasn't going to tell him.

As Mac saw it, it had simply a good use of his resources.

Jake didn't know what Mac was doing there, much less why or for whom.

It had just been another of many random errands Mac requested of him.

"Anything?" Tuck asked.

Mac shook his head. "Nope. I got here about eleven, no one even came down the street, at least not this far.

About four o clock lights started coming on, about five they started coming out and leaving.

" He glanced up and down the street then back to his friend.

"There will be a lot more out soon. You want me to keep hanging around? "

"Nah. I'm here to cut you loose. You can take the car back before anyone notices it missing."

That would be good. While the customer the car belonged to wouldn't be coming in, the replacement starter wasn't due in for a couple more days yet, his staff would be coming in, and he wanted to get it back before anyone noticed it missing.

The fewer people who knew he'd 'borrowed' the vehicle, the better.

"Thanks." Mac crossed his fingers and turned the key, hoping this time it would start without an issue because his having to pop the hood would be a lot more memorable than just the car's presence. Thankfully, the starter caught, and the engine roared to life. "Need anything else from me?"

Tuck gave his head a brief shake. "I'll call later if anything else comes up."

Mac nodded and pulled the car door shut. In his rearview mirror he saw Tuck approach the house Mac had been watching as he drove away.