Page 23

N AVY

I directed my attention to the three big screen TVs I’d installed in the office yesterday.

The one on the left transmitted feed from the cameras Sully had installed inside the office and around the outside of the car wash, and the one on the right was connected to the cameras Donner had installed in and around the grocery store.

The middle television gave me a view of the bar.

Each screen showed multiple views, and I could see every customer that walked in and out of all three locations, none of which had looked suspicious so far today.

Since we hadn’t been able to pin down this Diablo idiot yet, we weren’t sure when he might appear.

However, we had eyes on the clubhouse where he’d been seen.

If he showed up there, we were prepared to overrun the place and cut the head off the snake and make sure that his goon squad didn’t continue his efforts.

As much as I’d enjoyed fucking with the wannabe bikers who thought they could take over this section of Oceanside, I was ready for this to be over.

My dad and Dali’s family would be able to sleep a little easier as would the other business owners who had been threatened.

I couldn’t protect everyone, so I would just make the problem go away.

The burner phone I’d programmed last night beeped before I heard Lurk’s voice say, “They’re saddling up right now.

There are almost two dozen assholes firing up their .

. .” There was suddenly a huge explosion followed by two more in the background.

Lurk started laughing before he said, “Make that a dozen.”

“What did you do?”

In an almost petulant tone, Lurk said, “You told me I could play with them.”

“I did, didn’t I?”

“If you didn’t want me to do fun things, you should have said that.”

Ajax was sprawled out on the couch beneath the TVs, and he chuckled before he reminded me, “Lurk is not a man to give an open-ended invitation to, brother.”

I ignored Ajax and asked, “What else did you do?”

“Nothing yet, but I’ve got plans. Are you gonna be an asshole and tell me to scrap ‘em?”

“Just remember that wildfires are a real risk around here, okay?”

“Implode not explode. Got it.” He laughed again before he said, “I’ll call you when they stop running around like chickens with their heads cut off and decide to try again. Over and out, good buddy!”

“What the fuck?” I hissed as I set the phone down on the desk.

“He wasn’t always like this. This pyromaniac thing is a new development. I think he might be devolving.”

“Have you been watching documentaries again?” I asked.

“Maybe,” Ajax answered without opening his eyes. “Leave me alone. We stayed up too late, and I’m hungover.”

“I don’t think this asshole is going to do anything in the light of day anyway.”

“He’ll show his face, make some threats, and then send whatever minions Lurk hasn’t managed to blow up to do his dirty work under cover of darkness,” Ajax predicted.

“If he gives it enough time, there won’t be any minions left.”

Ajax snickered before he said, “I know. Especially now that Donner’s out. The man has quite a bit of pent-up aggression. I think he needs to get laid almost as much as I need a nap.”

Since there were at least two men inside each location and even more roaming around outside, I took this opportunity to open my laptop and finish some work. Luckily, Dali was very understanding when I had a meeting or needed to get something finished, but I hated leaving her bored and alone.

I smiled when I remembered how hard she’d laughed when I told her that and how chagrined I was when she explained that too much togetherness would be bad for my health because she was a woman who appreciated her alone time and wasn’t willing to give it up.

That reminded me of our conversation this morning, so I decided to use this time alone with Ajax to get some advice.

“What does Sandi think about you skirting the law now and then?”

“Napping means I’m going to sleep. It does not mean I want to have a tea party and talk about my feelings.”

“I’m asking you an honest question.”

“Why are we talking about Sandi when you’re the one having a problem?”

“I’m not going to tell Dali what I do.”

“I don’t blame you.”

“I’m also not going to stop.”

“Your extracurricular activities are your business, Navy. If at some point you’ve had enough, we will find someone to take up the slack. Obviously, our guys don’t have a problem stepping in when they’re needed, but it’s up to them to say when it’s time to step back.”

“Do you think I should tell Dali what I’m doing when I take off for parts unknown?”

“Absolutely not!”

“I just leave her to wonder?”

“Have you broached the subject yet?” Ajax quickly said, “Obviously you have. It seems like everything you do with this woman is at warp speed.”

“You’re not wrong.”

“What happens when things slow down?”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“When the new wears off, where will it leave you?”

“Together, I hope.”

“What are her thoughts on the subject?”

“When we talked about it this morning out on the water, she said she’s okay with it and she’s not going to push me to tell her what it is. Her only request was that I not get caught.”

“Sounds reasonable.”

“What happens if I do?”

Ajax lifted his head to stare at me before he said, “Well, you’ll end up back in prison.”

“And then what happens to her?”

“Since when did you become such a worrywart?” Ajax asked as he relaxed again and closed his eyes. “Was it when you started talking about feelings and shit?”

“Sometimes, I don’t like you at all.”

“Yet here we are, hanging out and having quality time while I’d rather be napping.”

“You’re not going to give me any advice, are you?”

“What’s there to say? If you tell her what you’re .

. . what we are up to, then she’s culpable if one of us gets caught.

If that doesn’t happen but the two of you split, then that leaves you, as well as the rest of us, open to retaliation.

When we started this shit we made a pact to keep it quiet. ”

“You haven’t told Sandi what we do on the side?”

“Nope.”

“Do you think Preacher has told Blue?”

“Probably not.”

“But you’re not sure?”

“I’m almost positive he hasn’t, because if Blue knew what we were up to, she’d want to be put on the roster, and then she’d get pissed when we didn’t give her enough toys to play with.”

“You’re right. She’s not normal.”

“Not at all. I think that’s part of her charm. Obviously, so does Preacher.”

“What would Sandi do if she found out?”

Ajax laughed before he answered, “She’d probably use her medical knowledge to give me some tips and tricks to make things even worse for the fuckers.”

“I’m not going to tell Dali.”

“Just like I’m not going to tell Sandi.”

“Okay.”

“Okay? Does that mean we can stop talking about it? Is your crisis over?”

“Thanks for being such a supportive friend.”

“No thanks necessary. It’s in my nature to be helpful.”

I’d been working for almost an hour when the burner phone beeped again followed by Donner’s voice. “We’ve got movement in the parking lot. Four riders and a Town Car with an unknown number of passengers.”

“Shit,” I said as Ajax sat up and looked at the screen.

“Is Oz ready?” I asked.

“He’s waiting at the front next to Nathan.”

“I’ll alert the guys at the car wash to be ready,” I told Donner, who was hiding somewhere in the store in case Oz needed backup.

I reached out to everyone else who had been given a burner and said, “The dipshit is getting groceries and will probably be washing his car soon.”

A cacophony of men’s voices replied, “Copy,” as they hurried down alleyways and back yards to get into position.

“Lurk, are you ready at the clubhouse?”

“So fucking ready,” Lurk assured me with a childlike giggle.

“Devolving,” Ajax muttered under his breath. “We’ve really gotta get him a woman to calm him down some.”

“Let’s put that on our agenda for next month,” I said irritably.

“Chewie? Are you ready at the car wash?” I asked as I looked over at that screen and watched Sully herding Dali’s aunts toward an SUV. Once they were safely in the back seat, Sully took off.

“Everything’s set,” Chewie replied just as he flipped the sign on the door from “open” to “closed.” “We’ll be waiting.”

Ajax had walked over so he could see the screen easier and leaned against my desk to watch the action. I pressed play on the audio recording and got closer to look at the man who was stepping out of the car.

“That’s him.”

“He looks like a complete douche.”

“I know. That’s why I’m not sure he’s the one in charge.”

We watched the man look around before he nodded at the driver and then walked toward the front door of the office. “No, he’s in charge. Not a thug, though. At least not now. You can tell by the way he carries himself that he used to be. Run that plate.”

“On it,” I assured him as I typed it into my laptop. “I’ll have his information before Oz even has time to tell him to fuck off.”

I listened to Oz’s strong voice as he greeted Diablo and his minions as if they were just regular customers.

I leaned back in my chair and stared at the information that had come up after running the license plate and then scrambled to get to my phone so I could make a call.

Preacher answered almost immediately and asked, “What’s wrong? Everything seems to be going fine.”

“Check the plate, and see if you recognize that name.”

“What?” Preacher asked. As he typed, I heard him mumble, “I should have already done that.” A few seconds later, he hissed and asked, “What the fuck?”

“Yep. What the fuck is right. Apparently, he’s got a lot more going on than strong-arming mom-and-pop businesses.”

“Who is it?” Ajax asked.

“He’s on the schedule for Sunday,” I said quietly as I turned my laptop so Ajax could see the screen.

“I just did a deep dive on the address that plate is registered to,” Preacher said. “You’re never gonna believe this.”

“What?”

“That car is registered to a building that’s owned by your illustrious mayor.”

“What?” I yelled.

“And he’s also the mayor’s half-brother.”

“Oh, shit,” Ajax hissed as he looked back at the screens on the wall.

“How did we miss that?” I asked.

“We never had a firm address because of his location. It looks like a warehouse too far from your place that’s owned by a company that’s owned by another company . . . You get the picture. That business just happens to be in the mayor’s name.”

“Looks like we’re gonna have a party at his place. Too bad he won’t be able to toast with us,” Ajax said with a bitter laugh. “This shit is going sideways fast.”

“What did I miss?” I asked as my attention went back to the TVs on the wall.

“What do you see that I don’t?” Preacher asked.

“Look at the ceiling tile above the end of aisle four,” Ajax ordered.

“Oh, shit,” I whispered when I saw the gap between the two acoustic tiles. “How the hell did Donner get up there?”

Shorty, who was pretending to stock inventory directly beneath Donner, touched the earbud in his ear, and the phone on the desk beeped before he whispered, “Batman has left the chat, but Spider-Man is here to save the day.”

“I swear to God, that man has no sense of self-preservation,” Ajax muttered as Diablo and his four friends, one of whom had a bandage on his arm, turned around and walked out of the grocery store.

“They’re on their way out,” I warned Chewie. “Is everyone prepared? Lurk, what are you doing?”

“I’m baking a goddamn cake, Navy. What do you think I’m doing?” Lurk snapped, out of breath and obviously on the move. There was a loud explosion, and then Lurk laughed like a crazy person before he said, “Okay, I’m not doing anything now . What’s up?”

“Devolving.”