“How come ya didn’t get back to me? I’ve been phonin’ and leavin’ messages all day!”
“Why didn’t you call before it happened?”
“I swear to fuckin’ God I didn’t know about it! The first I heard was when Wiz called a meetin’ around noon. That’s when he let everyone in the chapter know that Nails an’ Axle got blown up. He said that they were takin’ care of business when somethin’ happened. It was after the meetin’ that Wiz and Rolly let me know that it was supposed to be for you guys.”
“What did they say?”
“Wiz apologized for not lettin’ me in on it but said that there wasn’t time. I asked him what happened.” Lance looked at Danny and said, “Rolly was there. He thought he saw Nails put the bomb on your car and then drove about a block away and waited. He mentioned that some broad had driven in when Nails was doin’ it. At the time, he thought it had been planted but realizes now that it wasn’t.”
“Who else was there besides Rolly? Wasn’t Wizard around?” asked Jack.
“It was just the three of them. Wiz was at the airport meeting Damien. He was just getting’ back from the Grand Caymans.”
“Did Damien sanction this?”
“Don’t know. But they do know that someone in the club is rattin’. The heat is really on.”
“They had to figure that out once you let them know that we knew who Rolly and Wizard murdered. This doesn’t really change anything as far as you go.”
“Yeah, I guess not, but it’s getting’ pretty damn uncomfortable.”
“We’ll look after you.”
“So now what?” asked Danny. “What are they going to do next?”
“I asked. Wizard said we’re not to do anything right now. He promised to let me know if that was going to change.”
“You’re sure about that?” asked Jack.
“That’s what he said. We got orders to sit tight. Wiz did say that things will change after the election. He’s confident that he’ll beat out Damien.” Lance looked at Jack and asked, “There was somethin’ you were going to get me to do?”
“I was going to get you to put more pressure on Wizard and Rolly this week, but things are too hot right now. We better wait a week or so and see what happens.”
“You’re fuckin’ right things are hot! Waitin’ is fine by me.”
Lance agreed to stay in touch and was walking away when Jack said, “One more thing!”
“Yeah? What’s that?”
“Just out of curiosity, are you packin’?”
Lance lifted his jacket slightly to expose the handle of the 9 mm. “You’re fuckin’ right I’m packin’! If I’d seen another shovel I would’ve used it to bury you both!”
Jack smiled, then said, “Take care of yourself, Lance.”
Jack and Danny stood in the cemetery and watched Lance drive away. Moments later they heard the metallic sound of a bolt sliding in a rifle.
Jack turned and said, “Louie, you look like a bloody ninja. Except for the white socks!”
Louie looked quickly at his feet. “You asshole! They’re black!”
“You weren’t sure, though, were you? I don’t know, Louie. I think you’re getting old.”
“Not so old that I couldn’t kick your ass!”
Danny interjected. “Listen guys, if it’s okay with you, I want to get going. I told Susan I’d call her and Calgary’s an hour ahead of us.”
Jack gave Danny an extra key to his apartment and told him to go ahead. He said he wanted to make sure that Louie didn’t get lost in the graveyard and then stop at the office to put in a quick report for Isaac to read in the morning.
Danny let himself in through the main entrance of the apartment building and walked across the lighted lobby to the elevators.
From across the street, Damien and The Suit sat in a car looking out through the tinted windows. The Suit lowered his binoculars and said, “That’s O’Reilly!” Damien took a quick glimpse through the binoculars, then picked up a portable radio.
“Pork chop number two just entered through the main entrance.”
Whiskey Jake, who was the president of the east-side chapter, sat in a van parked in the underground parking lot of the building. With him were Sparks, Thumper, and Two-Forty Gordy.
Whiskey Jake thumbed the radio and said, “Copy that.”
A couple of minutes later, Damien gave another message: “Lights just went on. He’s in the apartment. It’s up to you guys now.”
“No problem,” replied Whiskey Jake.
Damien glanced at Bishop and said, “I’m taking you to your car.”
“No, I want to see it,” said The Suit. “I want to see them beg for their lives!”
Damien grabbed The Suit by the front of his jacket, jerking him halfway across the seat. “You put my family and everyone in the club at risk today! I’m not selling ringside seats here! This isn’t a fucking game you’re watching!”
Twenty minutes later, Damien stopped a block from where The Suit’s car was parked. Neither man had spoken a word. The Suit got out and slammed the door as he left.
Two hours later, Jack drove into the underground parking lot and parked in his stall. A minute later, he opened the metal door leading to the alcove where the elevators were. He stepped inside and saw that he wasn’t alone. The man facing him was wearing a ski mask.
Jack’s adrenal glands instantly electrified his body, but it was too late to prevent the solid kick he received to his groin. His knees wobbled as two more men grabbed each of his arms from behind. The pain made him want to vomit.
He was slammed face down on the concrete floor. He could see the square-toed boots of the man who had kicked him. A small piece of leather was curled back off the end of one of the boots. He wondered, briefly, if it was the result of someone being kicked in the teeth, then thought it ironic that he would think of that when he was about to die. A hand jerked his pistol out of his holster, and he braced himself for the shot.
Seconds later, his eyes and mouth were plastered with duct tape. He hands were bound behind his back and his ankles were also wrapped. They found the knife he carried for undercover duties and slid it out of its scabbard. He was then lifted off the ground by his arms and dragged out the door. He heard the sound of a sliding door and was tossed inside a van. Perhaps he had been optimistic, thinking that his life would end so quickly. They want to know who the informant is first, he realized.
He felt someone remove his keys from his pocket. Nobody had spoken a word. He heard the sliding door again as some of the men left the van. He had a sickening feeling that he knew why they had taken his keys.
His body rolled against a metal bar under a seat as the van sped away.
Danny was sitting on the sofa watching television when he heard the sound of the key in the apartment door. “Good, you’re back!” he hollered. “I feel like a drink.” He heard the footsteps behind him and said, “I talked with Susan. She’s scared but she’s okay.”
Danny felt the cold barrel of a pistol in his ear. He snapped his head around, and the barrel of the pistol obscured the vision of one eye. The man holding the pistol was wearing a ski mask. He looked past him and saw two other men. They were also wearing ski masks — and they were also pointing pistols at him.