Page 18

Sypher

February 21, 2024

“Goddammit, Dante!” I roared, throwing my coffee cup across the room.

For the last few days, I’d tried every way I could think of to get that stubborn bastard to answer his phone. I tried calling him at work, texting him. I sent numerous emails to his personal address and work address. I even sent a certified fucking letter, which he returned to sender.

The stubborn fool flat out refused to give me the time of day.

“Throwing a tantrum won’t get him to respond.”

Growling, I muttered, “Shut up, Ace.”

“Just saying, a little honey is a lot sweeter,” he added, clicking away fast on the Xbox controller while he played Grand Theft Auto with Gadget.

I groaned. “That doesn’t even make fucking sense.”

“What he meant to say was get off your ass and go see him at the clubhouse. He won’t be able to avoid you there,” Gadget said, right before jumping to his feet, pumping his arms in the air. “Boo-yah, fucker! And that’s how you do it!”

“I can’t,” I groaned, plopping down on the couch. “Montana banned me from the club.”

“Since when?” Ace asked.

“It doesn’t matter. He wouldn’t listen to me anyway. I need a way to get this information to him, so he’s forced to read it.”

“Sounds a bit stalkery to me.” Gadget shrugged just as my computer pinged again. It seemed to do that a lot lately. “But hey, you do you. I’ve got your back, bro.”

Walking over to my computer, I clicked on the alert. Reading the contents, I smiled while my brain started assimilating the information I was reading at a fast rate, formulating a daring plan that would take care of several problems at once. Mainly, it would force Montana and Reaper to stop fighting against each other and start working together. Because when it came to both men, they had one thing in fucking common they couldn’t deny.

They believed in family.

Blood. And with what I already knew, the pieces were starting to fall in place fast.

“Ace, call Shane and the others,” I instructed, reaching for my phone and sending off a quick text. “I have a plan. I know how I can get the information to Dante, how to get the team into the military facility, and how to bring Montana to heel. The first will be easy, and it will set off a chain of events that even Montana can’t brush under the rug. The second, I will let the teams figure out the logistics for, but the third is gonna be much harder, because that means Montana will have to swallow his pride and work with Reaper.”

Gadget chuckled. “Hell will freeze over before he does that.”

“What the hell are you talking about, Danny?” Ace questioned, putting his controller down on the coffee table.

Turning in my seat, I simply said, “The dead are starting to talk.”

Within the next hour, everyone from Alpha and Delta Teams sat around Ace’s living room while I mapped out my plan. It was rudimentary, but that’s where Shane came in. I needed his skills to fine tune some of the more detailed parts of the plan.

The plan was three-fold, with several working components and anything could go wrong. If we pulled it off, the brewing war between the Golden Skulls and the Soulless Sinners would evaporate as both clubs worked together to bring down the last remnants of the Society , and in doing so would dismantle the Trick Pony.

Part one was simple and easy to accomplish. First, I would reach out to Vladmir, knowing he was with Remi. It wouldn’t be hard to get her to the city, where I would bring her up to speed and give her all the information Reaper instructed me to give her. The faster she was on board, the easier everything else would be. Which would give Storm time to give Pippen all the information I had gathered regarding Delany Campbell, along with the file containing details of his time at the Trick Pony. From there, I knew Dante would investigate and verify everything, and when he did so, he would return to me. After I whipped his ass raw for not trusting me, I would need his help with setting everything up between the clubs. I knew Montana wouldn’t like being played, but I was betting on the fact his attention would be solidly on Reaper, therefore giving me time to reach out to Phantom and bring her up to speed, allowing all three of us to prepare and set up the second half of part one of the plan.

Part two was all Harbor Security. With the current schematics and blueprints of the military installation I was able to acquire from the Department of Defense, they would need time to prepare and do what they did best. As it was, Shane was already going over the blueprints, making notes while he conversed with Matthew and Merc. Once they agreed on their course of action, Phantom, Dante, and I would simultaneously break into the Federal Bureau of Investigations mainframe database, laying a trail that would lead back to us and thus ensuring our arrests.

Part three was the part I wasn’t so sure about, because if Reaper couldn’t get through to Montana, that angry fucker would make things worse, ensuring the clubs went to war. I knew neither side really wanted a deadly, bloody biker war. However, unless Reaper could find a way to knock some sense into Montana’s head, that was surely where we were headed. Because regardless of what both men thought about each other, they were family, connected by blood in more ways than they thought, and I needed to find the right time to tell Montana, and to do that, I would need Reaper’s help. More importantly, Reaper had to play his part perfectly, and anything could go wrong, but if he could pull it off, the reign of terror that had plagued both clubs for decades would end and maybe, just maybe, there would be peace.

It was a tall order, that was for sure, but I was willing to roll the dice, putting my faith in the core of every motorcycle club around.

Family and brotherhood above all.

“Sypher, he’s here,” Matthew said, getting my attention as I looked up when the door opened and in walked Reaper and Sandman. Both men looked like hell, but that was understandable considering what they had both been through in the last few weeks. Saying nothing, Sandman stormed off down the hall, slamming a door behind him as Reaper walked warily over to me.

“This better be damn good, Sypher. Sandman is slowly losing his fucking mind. Too many kills and Scab and Chaos are still on the loose, which is only aggravating the mute fucker more. When I get my hands on that little motherfucker, I’m going to slice off his fucking head.”

Nodding, I didn’t comment on that. Reaper was, if anything, efficient with his blades. Instead, I simply said, “We need to talk.”

“Then talk,” he growled.

Tilting my head toward Ace’s bedroom, Reaper followed me. Once he walked past me, I closed the door and got right to the point. When I finished telling him what he needed to know, Reaper just sat on the edge of Ace’s bed, looking at me as if I’d lost my fucking mind.

“It’s true, Reaper. I can prove it too.”

“Who else knows?”

“Me, you, and George Stone. He gave the order, Reaper.”

Groaning, Reaper rubbed his face. “I’m so fucking tired of this shit. I can’t catch a fucking break.” Sighing, he got up and walked over to the window, looking out over the city.

I didn’t know what the man was thinking.

I never knew, but with Reaper it could be anything.

“I have a plan, Reaper. A big part depends on you and your ability to look past Montana’s gruff demeanor. That means, no matter what he says, no matter what he does, you can’t retaliate. You will need to give him time to swallow the truth.”

Reaper huffed, shaking his head.

“Where’s my wife?”

“In Vegas with Vladmir and the Nyght Nymphs. I have a plan to get them both to the city, but before I do anything, I need to know you can control your temper and not kill Montana.”

Reaper turned his cold dead eyes to mine and sneered, “That’s a tall motherfucking order considering everything that fucker has done.”

“He’s like you, Reaper,” I cautiously continued. “Like you, he’s innocent. To make matters worse, I don’t think he knows any of it. His father kept it from him. When he learns the truth, he’s gonna fucking blow and you are going to need to find a way to contain him before he ruins everything.”

“He’s the fucking president of the biggest motherfucking motorcycle club in the world. The bastard sits at the goddamned table. Nothing I do will contain him when he learns the truth.”

“Which is why I have a plan for you to assume his seat while he comes to grips with his past. But you have to find a way to contain him, because if he goes off the rails, then everything we’ve been through will be for nothing and it will result in a long bloody war.”

Sighing, Reaper turned back around to look out the window. “Not agreeing to shit unless my wife is on board. What you are asking is a tall order, Sypher, even for me. That motherfucker went back on his blood oath and cost me my wife.”

“What if I can prove Montana kept his word? Would you be on board then?”

“Yes, but you better find me solid evidence, or I will let that fucker hang himself and take everything.”

“And my plan?”

“You have my permission, only if Remi agrees and returns home. If she doesn’t, then we are at war.”

Taking a deep breath, I steeled myself because now I had to convince a woman who was at the heart of everything to return home to the one man who broke her heart.

With the parameters set, I put my plan into action.

The elevator doors pinged, then opened into the penthouse Storm and Delany were hiding out in with their daughter Harlow, who was recovering from surgery. Walking in, along with my brother Ace and Matthew Law behind me, I spotted Storm in the main room talking with Delany.

“What are you doing here?” Storm asked, and I got right to the fucking point.

“You have a problem.” I glared angrily. “A big fucking problem.”

Taking a seat in the living room, I didn’t mince my words. “First, let me be very clear. My fucking fee tripled because I had to break several federal laws to get this fucked-up information. If it ever gets out that it was me, the FEDs will be up my ass and I’ll be looking at federal prison time.”

“Said I would pay. So get on with it,” Storm snarked.

“Whoever buried this shit, buried it fucking deep.” I sighed, opening my laptop. “And you are not going to like who fucking buried it.”

“Let me guess,” Malice muttered. “George Stone.”

“Give the man an apple.” I nodded. “George motherfucking Stone. The former president of the Soulless Sinners. The very club you two belong to. But it gets better.”

“Always does when George is involved,” Storm muttered, leaning forward. “Hit me.”

“Well, for starters, Delany’s father, Donald Campbell…”

It took me close to an hour to explain everything I uncovered, and when I finished, Storm asked, “How long do I have before Reaper finds out?”

“Honestly, I don’t know. Right now, he’s off the radar. Bullseye’s still in charge.”

“Any chance I can get you to sit on this for the time being?” Storm asked, then added, “I’m not asking you to squash it. I just need some time to figure out how to protect Delany and my daughter. At least give me that?”

“I’ll sit on it until Reaper’s back in the chair, but, Storm, you better fucking secure them fast, because Reaper won’t think twice before declaring war. And if you think your club has the upper hand because of all of your club chapters, trust me, you don’t. The Soulless Sinners won’t win. Because even the Devil cowers in fear when Reaper unleashes his demon.”

Storm nodded, saying nothing while I gathered my laptop. Getting to my feet, I reached for the thumb drive with all the information I had compiled and handed it to him.

“When you can, give this to Pippen. He will need the information on here to help you.”

Storm nodded, whispering his thanks as he looked at the thumb drive in his hands.

Saying nothing more, I walked out of the penthouse with Ace and Matthew Law.

The second the elevator door closed, Ace grinned.

“Good job, little brother.”

Saying nothing, I dialed Vladmir. The second the call connected, I said, “I need Remi in New York.”

“Why?”

“Because there is a woman here who needs her help.”

“Not good enough, Sypher. There is a war brewing and Montana won’t think twice about using my daughter to bring Reaper to heel.”

“No one will touch Remi. I will ensure it, but I need her here.”

“Who is this woman?”

“Delany Campbell, and she’s Golden.”

“Fine,” Vladmir growled. “But I’m not leaving her side. Anyone so much as looks at her funny, I will get my daughter out of there fast. Understood?”

“Agreed.”