Chapter 50
*Jake*
I don’t ever remember feeling this helpless and angry at the same time. Well, perhaps at my mother’s funeral but I was a kid then. I was dependent on my mother to keep me safe from Roland. I’m an adult now, I shouldn’t be this wrapped up in someone else. It hurt enough when mom died, it can’t imagine how I would face the world without Payton. She has become my everything in such a short time. I should have known better. Should have known she didn’t belong in my world. Fuck Trixie, what are you up to? Why?
I am tearing through the streets back to the clubhouse. Mike and Luke are meeting me there to look at copies of the videos I had Roland’s guy save on a USB drive for me. The stick is burning a hole in my pocket and I can only hope I don't pass any police on my way because I am definitely breaking every driving law in the state.
I screeched into the parking lot and bound up the stairs to Luke’s office. I threw open the door without knocking or announcing myself. This will probably be the only time I will get away with this. I scan the room seeing familiar faces but my eyes seeking out Mike. I throw him the USB drive then look at Luke, who gives me an encouraging nod. While others may not notice, I know by the look in his eyes, he is worried as well.
As Mike studies the screens and taps wildly on his laptop, I fill Luke and the others in on what I know. “This is extreme, even for Trixie. I know she was a little crazy last week but this is extreme, even for her. Why would she take Payton?” I ask in a frenzy.
Luke motions for me to sit down, I know he is really telling me to calm down but I don’t think I can right now. I do sit but my legs won’t stay still. “Have you checked on Melissa?” I ask, suddenly thinking about Luke’s stake in all this shit.
Luke nods his head, “Just arrived home from work. She is with Rocky and fine. They will be over shortly,” he assures me.
Mike stops his tapping and looks up, “Good news is I was able to get the plate number off the car, bad news- it’s stolen. Doesn’t belong to that vehicle at all. I was able to pick it up on several traffic cams. It was headed North of the city the last time it was spotted,”
“The Devil’s compound is North of the city,” one of the guys says. I’m too occupied right now to think of his name.
I stand immediately but hear a deep command, “Jake, sit back down!” It’s Luke’s ‘don’t fuck with me’ tone and my body responds without thought.
He points a finger at me, “you know better than that. You can’t go out there without a plan. These are the fucking Devils we are talking about and they fight dirtier than any terrorist cell you ever encountered.” He runs a hand along the back of his neck and his face softens somewhat. “You go rushing out there and not only do we get Payton killed, we get killed as well. Besides, we don’t know for sure they are even behind all this.” He turns to look at one of the other guys and gives him a chin up.
“I really can’t see them doing this. Payton is not on their radar, just Roland. Even the mention of harming Roland’s wife was nixed as too risky.” He shakes his head and continues, “besides, they are not careless enough to get someone like Trixie involved. If they were going to kidnap someone, they are going to do it themselves. Make sure it's done right and with no witnesses.”
“Fuck, that’s true,” I say. “But Trixie might be a hotheaded crazy bitch but I can’t see her doing this on her own. It took planning and patience. Two things she is not good at.” I am getting frustrated to a level I didn’t think possible.
“I agree,” Luke says. “But it is something a cop would be very good at,” he points out. “But how would Dean meet up with Trixie?” he questions no one in particular. As he is speaking Mike is clacking away on his keys again. Someone goes to speak and he holds up his hand. The room is uncomfortably silent for what seems like eternity, when he sits back in his chair.
After running a hand over his bald head, he begins to read off his screen, “Trixie, Marie, Rodriguez was arrested ten nights ago on possession. Held for only five hours, then released. All charges dropped.” He pauses to look around the room. “Any guesses as to the arresting officer?”
“That stupid son of a bitch never even got rid of the paper trail,” Luke shakes his head. There is no need to clarify, we all know who the stupid son of a bitch is; Dean. “Check on property in his name or anyone connected to him. This may have nothing to do with the Devils at all, he may have her all to himself somewhere.” Cold shivers run down my back as Luke says this.
Two of the guys rise from their chairs: Dylan and Conner, that’s it. It finally gets through the fog that is in my head who these two are. They are our spies in the Devil’s organization. “We’ll head back over and see what we can find out. I can’t see the Devils allowing him to take her to the clubhouse but they own a lot of other property.”
The other one, Conner I think, speaks then, “We did get him on camera at the clubhouse, so…” He shrugs as he says this. “Either way, you better be damn sure before you approach them.”
After they leave Joe speaks for the first time, “What’s the plan, boss?” he asks Luke.
Luke appears to be genuinely conflicted and I know I am not going to like what he has to say. “We need more intel.” He is looking at me instead of Joe. “We can’t go in there with guns blazing. We focus solely on MacDonald until we have reason to suspect that the Devils are directly involved.” He shakes his head, “I just can’t see it. They don’t see us as a threat-we are not in the same league as they are. They know you are Roland’s son and he has managed to keep your estrangement private. If they wanted to get to him, they would go for you, not a step-daughter he just acquired. It has to be the cop,” he says almost to himself. Then so low I can barely hear him, “please God, let it be the cop.”