Page 27 of Next Level (Royal Bastards MC: Oakland Chapter #1)

THE BOY JARED

“M r. Amato?” Officer Wilkerson says through the speaker.

“Wilkerson, call me Ray. Otherwise, I feel like I should be looking around for my old man.” I chuckle.

“Sorry, habit. Okay, I’m headed in there now. I want to give you a heads up before I go in that this visit is being recorded. You’ll be on speakerphone, so remember everything you say will be recorded.”

I’m in my office again, but this time the room is occupied by more people, and the door is open. Everyone knows to keep quiet.

“Thank you. I owe you for this.”

Wilkerson replies, “No, you don’t. I’d hope you’d do the same for me if I ever needed help.”

“Always.”

The phone goes silent, and you can hear the officer move around, opening and closing doors.

Some metal chains clink, and then Officer Wilkerson clears his voice. “Jared Thompson, again, you know this visit is being recorded for official viewing. I wanted to inform you that I’m adding Mr. Amato to this meeting via phone.”

I wish I could see the kid’s face.

The officer continues, “Mr. Amato, please acknowledge that you’re here and are okay with the call being recorded.”

“Yes, I, Marco Amato the third, acknowledge and accept.”

“Okay, Jared. Mr. Amato would like to ask a few questions. Would that be okay?”

I guess he nods because Officer Wilkerson says, “Please state your response as Mr. Amato can’t see you.”

The boy’s voice echoes through the speaker, sounding nervous. “Oh, sorry. Yes, he can ask me questions.”

I try to calm myself. Flashes of this kid and my girl kissing come into view.

I close my eyes, taking a few seconds to level myself.

“Ray?” Wilkerson says through the speaker.

I open my eyes. “Jared. Did you have any intention of hurting my daughter?”

Instantly, Jared replies, “No. Never.”

His voice sounds sincere, so I fire off several questions. “Tell me why? Why did you lure Samantha to you? Why did you take her? Why did you let this happen if you liked her? Why did you try to jack the load at the port? And lastly, what do they have planned for Samantha?”

By the noises I hear coming from the speaker, I’ve taken them off guard.

Then silence.

Wilkerson finally speaks. “Jared?”

“I didn’t want to do any of this. I just wanted a family who cares about me. I’ve had nothing. Garrett promised me a brother and a father. I thought my real blood had come to find me. A family I never knew I had.”

When I see Sam enter the room, I snap my fingers, wanting her to leave, but she begs me with her eyes.

I can’t say no to her. I lift my finger for her to stay silent.

Wilkerson asks Jared, “Did they force you to take Samantha?”

“No, at first I thought they were the reason I didn’t have a family.

Garrett told me that the Amato family kept me from them.

At first, I was mad, but then I got to know Sam.

I promise I didn’t want anything to happen to her.

We were supposed to take her for a night.

Let her father know how it felt to lose a kid.

I just wanted to give him a taste of what I went through. ”

Sam has tears in her eyes.

Fuck.

“Did you know Garrett called and threatened Sam again?” I say this while watching my girl, knowing she doesn’t know. And as I expected, she panics, but Dawg is there to reassure her that she is safe.

“What? No, he promised he’d leave her alone,” Jared retorts.

“Has your dad, George, called or visited you?” I add to the fire.

“No.”

“Did you know he’s been in contact with Garrett?”

“No.”

“Why did you try to jack the load at the port?”

Silence.

I don’t know who’s in the room, but I guarantee he’s freaking out because he’s being tested.

He responds in a low voice. “Garrett and one of George’s men wanted us to fuck with your business.”

Wilkerson takes this opportunity to jump in, trying to get his own intel, which I knew would happen, but this is the test for the boy. “What business is that?” he asks. Will he give us up? Either way, I’m getting the intel I need.

“I don’t know. I ran off. I didn’t want to be there anyway. I got my ass reprimanded for leaving,” Jared explained, not giving away what they were actually there for, which was drugs.

I keep firing off questions, keeping him on edge. “What do they plan to do with Garrett’s money? How do they plan to hurt us?”

Again silence.

“Jared?” Wilkerson tries to egg him on.

I know the kid is stressing out. He’s being manipulated by the law and the Bastards. Who is he more scared of?

“Jared?” Sam’s voice rings over the silence. I snap my head up to look and see my girl standing next to the desk, looking sad.

There’s an audible gasp from the other side. “Sammie? Oh God. Are you okay?” Hearing his voice etched with worry has me speechless. He really does care for her.

I shake my head . Fuck that he took her.

“I’m okay. Are you okay?” she says, moving closer to the phone.

“Ray?” Wilkerson’s voice comes through the phone.

Looking at my baby girl in the eyes, I sigh. “Sorry, Wilkerson. She heard his voice and came in.”

Hearing Sam must have done something because Jared spills everything.

“They plan to hit the ports. They want to hurt Ray. Garrett hates his family. I know he’s going to change his last name back to our mother’s.

He’s going to use his money to get even with everyone who has wronged him.

George wants revenge on the Amatos. They didn’t tell me anything about going after Sam again.

I was supposed to just lure her in and keep her for a night.

Then George said he’d get a place for the three of us, and we would be a family.

He said my mother loved us so much, but JR took her from us. I just want my life back.”

“Jared, it’s okay. I don’t blame you.” Sam’s voice rings strong and confident.

I don’t know what to do.

Jared talks even more defiantly. “I told you, Sammie, they used me. And now your dad said George and Garrett are working together, it just proves I was right. You would think that since I’m George’s real son, he would have come to see me.

I’ve never even met him yet. I’ve only spoken to him on the phone. ”

Christ. Hearing his story makes me feel sorry for the kid.

“I guess he doesn’t want to meet me now.” Jared’s voice is filled with emotion, like he’s crying.

Sam places her fist on the desk. “Jared. When you get transferred, I’ll come see you.”

“The hell you will,” I growl, standing up.

Jared instantly replies, “No, Sammie. Don’t come see me. I can’t handle it.”

Sam and I are in a stare-off.

“Are we done here? I want to go,” Jared says to whoever is in the room.

“Okay. We good, Ray?” Wilkerson asks.

“Yeah, we’re good. Thank you again. I owe you,” I say aloud. Knowing I’m being recorded, I let everyone know that the Bastards will owe a marker to an officer of the law.

The phone goes dead. Sam has tears rolling down her face.

“Dad. You have to help him,” Sam pleads.

Using ‘Dad’ on me isn’t going to work.

“No.”

“Dad.”

I give her the ‘don’t test me’ look. The room is full of men who would kill for her, and she wants to save a boy who took her. She closes her eyes, and before she can say anything else, I say, “No,” one more time to finalize it, and she rushes out of the room crying.

The room is silent.

I sit down feeling lost and unsure of what to do. I’m always levelheaded and one step ahead of everything, but this isn’t club business; this is personal. I’m trying to wrap my head around it.

As always, Lazy’s the first to speak. “Don’t you think it would hit George the hardest if an Amato helps his only true son? Again, taking something away from him.”

I don’t answer him. Instead, I tell Dawg, “Get Joe and his crew here. We need a meeting as soon as possible.”

Everyone cleared the room, leaving me to think in peace.

I try to think about what my dad would do. Did he know the fucking deranged kid he left behind? Did he realize he had been giving money all these years to a drug addict? Had he even seen the kid, or was he just giving money out of guilt? Guilt that Letti died.

I’ve never been as upset with my father as I am now. I’ve always idolized him. Yeah, I didn’t like that he got his dick wet from time to time, but this. I can’t forgive him. I’m lost.

My cellphone rings, and I see it’s a blocked number. “Hello?”

“Mr. Amato? This is Agent Tellez. I think we need to talk.”

Motherfucker.

“Okay. Talk,” I reply.

“No. I need to see you in person. Come to your gate entrance in like twenty minutes.”

Shit. She’s close by.

“All right. I’ll be out there in twenty.” I end the call.

I think to myself, Well, this shit just keeps getting more interesting by the minute .

Twenty minutes later, I’m standing at the Royal Bastards front gate entrance, Dawg, Chewy, and Nut are with me.

They’ve been giving me space since the call with Jared.

I know we’ve all been in uncharted territory the past few weeks, with everything going on with Sam, but I never go off alone or without a plan.

Usually, I’ve got everything worked out and a plan for various scenarios, but I’m always in complete control.

Since finding out about Garrett, I feel like I’m not in control.

This shit is personal and throwing me for a loop.

I need to get it together, not just for my club but for my girls.

When I see an unmarked car roll down the road, I tell them to stay at the gate.

I walk down to meet the car and realize she’s alone.

Interesting. She’s got balls. Agent Tellez is one tough cookie to come alone .

I wait for her to open her car door, then greet her with a hello.

“Can I still call you Ray?” she asks .

I nod in approval.

“So, I’m sure Officer Wilkerson didn’t mention this to you, but I was listening in on that call too.” She moves around, closing the door. “I actually got to speak to Jared before you were called and brought in to the visit.”

Well, isn’t that convenient ? I stay silent. She obviously has something to say or wants. I walk over to her car and lean against it, crossing my arms over my chest, not saying anything.

She moves to stand in front of me, placing her back to the gate with my men facing me. “I’ve been looking into George Casso since your daughter mentioned him, and I’ve been following him.”

Now this has my attention.

“I thought that would get your attention. Look, I believe the kid. I think he was manipulated into drawing your girl out so they could take her. I also believe George is using Garrett.”

Feeling the same way, I ask, “Why?” and wonder what her thoughts are.

“Just like Jared said. Revenge against your dad.” She pauses, moving next to me to lean against the car, mimicking me by folding her arms across her chest. “I also know about Garrett being your half-brother. I was also listening in on the Jones’ visit as well.

I’ve been involved with all contact with these boys. ”

I don’t say anything.

She glances over and asks, “Was that news to you as it was for the Joneses?”

“You could say that.”

She shakes her head. “I’m sorry.”

I scoff. “Don’t be. He’s deranged.”

Tellez looks over, lifting her glasses to make eye contact with me. “Look, Ray. I’m here to help. I believe George has it out for you. I think he’s going to go after Sam again, or even Jane Jones, Garrett’s adopted sister. I heard you are dating now. Is that correct?”

“Yes.”

“Well, I’d like us to work together and catch George before something bad happens. We can control Garrett, but George is the one on the outside.”

“What do you propose?” I ask genuinely, interested.

“Well, he said George is going to hit you at the ports? What does that mean? I know you help Joe Gianno with transportation. How would that hurt you?”

I reply honestly, “That’s one of the Bastards’ main income sources besides the jobs we all have individually. We take turns helping Joe out with long hauls that his guys don’t want to do. If he hits the port, we lose money.”

She pushes off the car. “Okay, well, how can I help?”

I shake my head. “I don’t need help. I need you to watch my girls. Follow George. A man is still missing from this equation.”

Tellez tilts her head. “What do you mean?”

I decide to trust her and give her some information I’m sure no police or government official knows. “The port was hit a few weeks before Sam was taken. Three guys. Jared, Garrett, and another man, whose identity we can’t figure out.”

“So that’s what you were talking about today on the phone.”

“Yes.”

“Then why didn’t you ask who he was when you talked to Jared?”

I raise a brow. “Because you all were listening. I want to find him first so I can ask him questions.”

She laughs. A genuine laugh that looks good on the agent. She’s cute in her own way.

“Okay. I see how this works. You want me to figure it out and watch George.”

I grin.

She smirks. “Well, what are you going to do?”

“Nothing. I’ll watch our ports and do my business. We go about our daily lives like nothing’s wrong. You do your job and I’ll do mine.”

She scoffs. “Okay. But when I do find out, and I will, don’t you want to know? Like you said, you want to question him too.”

“All I want is for them to be caught and dealt with, but I’ll say this. I will find them too, and I will get my answers from George and whoever hit the ports.”

“Okay, Ray. As long as we are on the same page. I hope we can work together and get George back behind bars.”

I extend my hand to her. “We’re on the same page.”

When she accepts my hand, I pull her close to me. “As long as I’m dealing with you. I don’t trust many people, but I’m trusting you. I’ll work with you.”

She looks me in the eye and says, “I promise I only want what’s best for the girls.”

I release her hand, stepping back, then add, “Oh, another thing. What can we do for the boy?”

She smiles big. “I knew you were a good man.”

I shrug. “I try.”

She laughs, turns to get into her car, and says, “You’ve inspired many people to cross two states to help find your girl. We need more people like you. I’ll see what I can do about Jared.”

Before she can close her door, I grab it. “Thank you.”

After shutting her door, I think to myself, she’s all right .