Data (Bones MC 8), page 9
“So, why do we keep getting messed up with them?” Data asked?
“And when are we actually gonna catch their notice?” Leave it to Cain to cut to the chase.
“That’s what you don’t get. Or at least the main part of it. They know you. They just don’t care about you. More importantly, they know that, even though you’re cunning, determined, and resourceful, you’re no threat to them. At least, not at present. They don’t go looking for trouble because they have enough to deal with. You’re not cutting into their interests or trying to take down someone they are using for whatever thing they have going on that involves, say, Gordon Sandlin. He’s involved, but whatever he’s doing is maybe thirty moves ahead of the real end game they’re playing. If he can’t be replaced, he’ll be guarded until he’s served his purpose. Which it looked like they were doing.” He nodded at Zora. “Until your little girl here came along. They thought she was going to sabotage the greater plan. Wittingly or not. So they came after her. In the process, the data she uncovered not only proved her innocence, but the guilt of so many people the Brotherhood had no choice but to put everything on hold and clean house.”
“What does that mean?” Zora asked, looking up at Data. “What’s happening?”
“I think what he’s saying,” Data said, “is that Frank and Gordon are only two players in this. Maybe not pawns in this particular game, but replaceable after the current game. They might think there are only two or three others they recruited, but in order to get those two or three, several other people had to agree and expected a cut. It constituted a mutiny in the ranks.” He looked at Azriel. “Right?”
“Exactly. And they deal with disloyalty harshly. There will be a massacre. Most will be guilty. Some not as much, but if the Brotherhood finds out even a whisper that someone knew something and didn’t report it, they will die. Horribly.”
Zora looked horrified. And scared. “You sound like you know this firsthand. Are they coming after me, too?”
“You’re safe, Zora,” Azriel said immediately. “After reviewing what I sent them, even knowing it came from you, they believe your complete innocence in this. As to knowing firsthand… I do,” Azriel said softly. “I was part of them when I was younger. No one leaves them. Only two people, that I’m aware of, ever did and managed to live. Myself. And El Diablo.”
“So how does he fit into all this?” Torpedo crossed his arms over his chest. Data knew his friend, and right now, the president of Bones was weighing his options. Deciding how best to deal with what could be a threat in the future.
“You know he was a high-level enforcer for some shady people. What he didn’t tell you -- and rightly so -- is that he was the enforcer for the Brotherhood. And when I say the enforcer, I mean literally that. All sanctioned kills were handed down to him. Every single one. The small-time stuff he handed off to one of his men capable of handling it. Anything questionable or difficult, he handled himself. There was only one shot given. If someone failed to take out his or her target, the assassin was executed and El Diablo severely punished. Except, I never heard of any target being missed during his tenure. He was the best of the best, and he recruited and trained the best.”
“If they’re so fuckin’ big, so all encompassing, how come we’ve only recently heard about them? I mean, I can see how it all leads back to them, but why now?”
“Because of your connection to Alexei.” Azriel was referring to the leader of Shadow Demons. He and Cain had known each other for many years. In fact, Alex often hired Cain’s men through ExFil, Cain’s paramilitary organization. “You introduced Data to us, who made nice with Giovanni. If you and your sister club, Salvation’s Bane, didn’t have that connection with us, you’d never know the Brotherhood. You’d just wonder why El Diablo kept turning up on your door, and only because he announced his presence to you, preferring to take on any problems with you himself. And to answer your question, no, El Diablo isn’t still working for the Brotherhood, he’s just trying to stay out of their way. Yes, he probably sends questionable things your way more than he should, but it’s to keep his nose clean. One of his many talents is knowing how to read individuals and the groups they form. He will never send you something you can’t handle with a minimum of fuss, but he won’t hesitate to deflect anything he can to your clubs in order to keep himself and his inner circle away from the Brotherhood.”
“Fucker,” Data muttered. “Why us?”
“Because Sword has his daughter.” Alexei said simply.
“Wouldn’t he want to keep danger away from her?” Torpedo asked with a raised eyebrow. “Seems kinda risky to me.”
“Perhaps, but he’s testing Sword. Also, he could be convinced the man and your club are completely capable, so he knows that as long as Magenta is with Storm, the man will kill anyone who puts her in danger. Probably why he hasn’t visited like he promised he’d do.”
Data looked at Zora, who was wide eyed and more than a little scared. “Sounds pretty Goddamned fucked up to me.”
Azriel gave a snort and a wry grin. “El Diablo isn’t what one would call a normal individual with a stable way of looking at the world.”
“So what do we need to do? I want Zora protected. If we know where all the players are and which side everyone is on, we need to remove some threats.” Data was so done with this. He wanted the motherfuckers dead. Now.
“That’s why we’re here, brother,” Torpedo said. “They came for her last night but hesitated to enter her house. They’re currently surrounding it, hiding out in the woods until they get further instructions.”
Data looked at Torpedo. “So, what are we gonna do?”
Torpedo stared at Data a long time. Data wanted blood. Torpedo, as vice-president of the club, had to look out for the greater good. He figured Torpedo would warn him to back off, but the man just stared at him. Data wasn’t about to lower his gaze. He needed to send a message, but what would be the repercussions if they killed men they had little to no information on? If those men went farther up the food chain than they all thought, Bones could end up in a war they’d never win.
Finally, Torpedo seemed to come to a decision. “We have a chat with ‘em. They don’t let up on Zora, we eliminate the fuckin’ threat.”
Chapter Seven
The upcoming fight with trained assassins didn’t worry Data nearly as much as the fight getting Zora to go with Stunner and Trucker back to the clubhouse without him. He’d cajoled, rationalized, and pleaded with her. Finally, he’d taken back inside the little cabin and spanked her bare ass. Then he’d fucked her. And she’d finally, finally, agreed. But only because he’d threatened to spank her again. In front of everyone. She’d been angry, but there was no way in hell Data was letting her stay anywhere near what could turn into a bloodbath if the men the Brotherhood had sent refused to give up on finding her and either taking her with them or killing her.
As they stood outside, Data took her in his arms and kissed her gently. “Don’t worry, cutie. I’ll be back before you know it.”
She sniffed, tears glistening in her eyes. “You better.” Stunner placed a big hand on her shoulder and met Data’s eyes. The younger man nodded solemnly, aware of the trust Data was placing in him to keep Zora safe and to get her back to the clubhouse. Then he urged Zora to climb into the side-by-side the group had brought with them and fastened her seatbelt. Trucker jumped into another one, and the three of them sped off into the woods.
“All right, men. Let’s get to work.” Torpedo took immediate charge, laying out the plan he and Alex had put together. It was solid, assuming Giovanni had the correct numbers. He’d said his contact assured him they were spot on, but the men were ordered there by Frank and Gordon’s sect. Data knew there was no guarantee of a correct head count.
“We’re expecting no more than five. And really, that’s overkill for one small, unarmed woman.”
“Probably someone trained by El Diablo,” Azriel mused. “Habit of overkill to keep from failing.”
“Should we be worried?” Torpedo raised an eyebrow but otherwise looked unconcerned.
“Just don’t underestimate them. They’ll be well trained and fearless.”
The group of five Bones and two Shadow Demons set off in their own side-by-sides and four-wheelers, the only reliable means of traveling so deep into the wooded territory. It took them the better part of an hour for all their vehicles to cross the area before stashing them to walk the rest of the way. No sense giving away their presence when they didn’t have to.
“Your five o’clock, Torpedo,” came Deadeye’s voice over the earpieces they all wore. “Two set up for the long haul. I’m guessing they know she’s not home and are expecting her back.”
Torpedo was too close to the guy to acknowledge verbally, but he stuck his right arm out to the side and bent it at the elbow up twice to indicate he’d seen the contact on his right.
“Two more directly in front of you, Data.” There was no missing the two. Data had already caught sight of them and was just about to signal he’d spotted them. He did so now, pointing his rifle at the duo while using his non-firing hand to point with his index finger at them, thumb down and the rest of his fingers closed.
“Last guy to left of Shadow. Eight o’clock.” Shadow acknowledged his target by holding out his left hand and waving it up and down twice like Torpedo had.
“Giving the area one last scout,” Deadeye said. He was their sniper, at seventy-five meters out in a tree watching over them. It was closer than he normally liked because of the lay of the house and surrounding area, but the man had made absolutely no noise when gaining his position. Hell, Data had no clue where he was exactly. “Azriel. Alex. There’s a sleeper in the back. West corner of the house. Only one that I see, but assume there’s a second.”
Alex acknowledged their visual, and the team went to work.
Data had two men in his sights. Orders were to wait for backup. In this case it would be Shadow, once the big man had taken care of his target. There wasn’t so much as a twig snapping to indicate anyone had moved. Shadow took Data by surprise when he tapped his shoulder to let Data know he was with him. Data nodded, the only other communication. Seconds later, they both had their targets in choke holds before delivering a fast-acting tranquilizer to the thigh with an auto injector. Then all they had to do was hold on until it took effect. Which didn’t take long.
“Shit, that was fast,” Shadow said, amazed at how quickly the medicine put the men down. “My other target took even less time. What the fuck’d you put in those things, Azriel?”
“Just a little cocktail of a modified tranquilizer introduced with an auto injector. Even if the subject is too big for a standard dose, it will be enough for officers to subdue him. If it’s too much for a smaller guy, there is another auto injector filled with a counteracting drug to neutralize the first drug’s effects. We’re hoping to get it approved for military use as a fast track for usage in the federal penal system.”
“Well the shit works faster than anything I’ve ever seen.”
“Of course it does. Argent Tech doesn’t create products that don’t work.” Azriel’s superior tone grated on Data’s nerves, and he could see it did Shadow’s as well.
“Sanctimonious asshole,” Shadow muttered.
“If you want a supply for Bones, you’ll watch your tone,” Alex warned. There was no real heat in his voice. More like he was enjoying the battlefield comradery.
“Get them inside. Once they’re awake we’ll question them,” Torpedo instructed. “How long will that shit last, anyway?”
“Not long,” Azriel said. “Maybe another fifteen minutes. Less on the biggest guy. It’s quick to act, but quick to metabolize as well.”
By the time they got all six into Zora’s garage, the biggest was coming around. He groaned once before opening his eyes. They were glazed, but aware.
“Where’m I?” His words were slurred, but he was making an effort to get his wits about him.
“Right where you were ten minutes ago,” Torpedo said, squatting down to get face to face with the guy. “You’re in the garage with your buddies.” He let the guy fully absorb his situation.
“You gonna kill us?”
“That depends on why you’re here.”
“You know I’m not tellin’ you anything about our objective. Same as you guys wouldn’t if the situation were reversed.”
“Fair enough.” Torpedo nodded, a grudging respect for the guy showing on his face. The kid was respectful, but Data could see from the look in his eyes he wouldn’t budge on this. Torpedo did too. “How about I give you some information, and you can decide what to tell me afterward.” The guy opened his mouth, but Torpedo plowed on, not letting him speak. “Your boss is from one of two factions. The young woman who lives here is the only truly innocent one in either of those two groups. So, you’ve been sent her to kill her by one of the two groups. One side tried to set her up to take the fall. The other side recently got some information supplied by our girl. Now, she only had part of it. The rest was up to the group to dig into. Which they did. She’s innocent. That innocence is her only crime.”
The kid looked wary now. “We got a garbled transmission on the sat radio about thirty minutes before we arrived here. Radio got wet and couldn’t give us a good signal.” He shrugged. “Boss didn’t contact us via sat phone, so we were going with our last confirmed order, but the chick ain’t here.”
“Why not try to contact your boss instead of waiting around for him to get around to calling you?” Data asked. “Especially if the radio was FUBAR.”
“Orders. Sat phone is for them to call us. Not the other way around.”
“Fair enough,” Torpedo said. “Now that you know there could be an order hangin’ out there you need to look into, you can call.”
The kid shook his head. “Not my call. It’s more than I should say, but all of us were for breakin’ protocol and checkin’ in.”
“They why didn’t you do it?” Data bit out the question, wanting to pull his hair out in frustration. These men were about to terminate a young woman. Didn’t they want clarification on a garbled transmission on a satellite radio? It wasn’t like they could get bleed-over from just anyone, or that anyone could hack their signal. This was a highly secured signal from fucking space. They had to know it came from their bosses.
“Like I said. Wasn’t my call, and this ain’t a democracy.” He looked to Torpedo, obviously knowing he was in charge. Kid might be young, but he’d been around the military long enough to recognize the boss. “I will say that killing anyone without one last check-in doesn’t sit well with me. We were supposed to have one last radio check before executing our orders.”
Torpedo looked at Data with a raised eyebrow. “Not satisfied,” Data grumbled. “But that will do for now.”
Shadow squatted down and held a water bottle to the kid’s mouth. “What’s your name, boy,” he asked gruffly.
“Chase,” he said.
“Last name?” Shadow raised an eyebrow.
Chase grinned. “Sorry, man. Chase’s all you get.”
Shadow chuckled, clapping Chase on the shoulder. “I like this one. Honorable. Loyal. Yeah. I like him.”
It wasn’t long after that the others started to wake. Three of the biggest first, then the last two, leaner and slighter built men.
“Wha’ da fuck?” One of the smaller men groaned as he tried to move his bound hands. Didn’t work out so well.
“Your target isn’t here,” Torpedo said. “And I think you have a garbled transmission you need to clarify.”
The older man’s gaze snapped to Chase, as if he knew exactly who had leaked that little bit of information. “When we get out of this, I’m gonna kill you, kid.”
Chase just shrugged, not concerned in the least.
“You got more to worry about than anything Chase said to us,” Torpedo said. The man rolled his eyes and looked back at Torpedo. He looked for all the world like Torpedo was an irritating fly buzzing around his head instead of a two-hundred-and-fifty-pound, pissed-off soldier.
Data added his weight to the menace. “This goes one of two ways. You back off and leave the girl alone, or you continue and you all die right here.”
The man snorted. “So the boss was right. Bitch left to get some strange.” He looked Data up and down. “Gotta say, had I known the girl was into roughnecks, I’d’a fucked her myself.” That got the man a solid backhand from Data. Blood and spit went flying. The man gave one harsh grunt. He shook himself, opening his eyes wide as if trying to clear his vision.
He tilted his head and looked up at Data. “You don’t scare me none, boy.”
“Then you’re a complete dumbass,” Shadow said. The man was in full intimidation mode. His arms were crossed over his chest, and he stood tall with his shoulders back.
“I was told to kill the bitch. That’s what I’m doin’.”
“We have a protocol we follow,” one of the other guys offered. He still sounded groggy but was obviously aware of what was going on. “We have to get a final go ahead before we execute an order like this. Don’t know why you’re resistin’, but it’s wrong.”
Chase spoke up. “Never liked the order to kill a woman. But I was willin’ to follow ‘em because I have respect for the group and the chain of command.” He shook his head. “This ain’t somethin’ they’d like.”
“You complete the job or you die,” Azriel said. “Isn’t that the rule?”
A guy who’d been silent until now looked at him with suspicion, but nodded his head. “It is. But Chase is right. Besides, the penalty is worse if you kill the wrong person, or don’t follow protocol and kill an innocent.” He shook his head. “El Diablo might not be in charge anymore, but he still carries out punishment. At least, that’s what we’ve all been told.”
