Spark of Hope (MacKenny Brothers #3) - Kathleen Kelly Page 0,11
do the Rochas have to do with Lola and her family?”
Angus shrugs again. “Could they be dealers?”
Wheels laughs. “Junkies, not dealers. The Rocha cartel isn’t to be fucked with. They approached us when they first came to town, and you made it crystal clear that we weren’t interested.”
“I didn’t realize they stayed. Why do I get the sense you have a relationship with them?” I say to Wheels.
“I’ve kept it friendly between us. I’ve introduced them to others who would better suit their needs.”
With the coffee cup in my hands, I sit back and fix in on Wheels with a stare. “What the fuck does that mean… exactly?”
“It means I don’t deal nor do any members of our MC. Occasionally, they have transportation issues, and I point them in the right direction.”
Slamming the cup on the table, some of it sloshing over the sides, I point at him. “We don’t run drugs. We all agreed. All of us.”
Holding up his hands, Wheels says, “No, we don’t run drugs. I have a friendly relationship with Cristiano. We’re on speaking terms. The MC has nothing to do with shipments, but, man, I know a lot of fucking people. Every now and again, I give them a name… a name not affiliated with us.”
Leaning forward, I say, “They better not fucking be. Do you remember that shit with the Dogs MC? There’s only a handful of them left. Most are in jail, or strung out, or ─”
“Dead. I know. I’m not an idiot, Kyle. I keep it friendly. Part of my job is to look after you and the club. The club always comes first. And Kyle? Keeping the Rochas happy is keeping the club safe.”
I know he’s right. Wheels has always put the club first, but a secret relationship with a drug cartel is a big fucking deal. I’ve no reason to question his loyalty, but something doesn’t sit right. The Dogs were a smaller MC that self-destructed running drugs for a Mexican cartel.
Wheels points at my plate. “Eat. And while you do, I’ll make some calls.”
He leaves the room, and I stare at Angus.
“Run Wheels down. I want a full sweep…” I pause as I ponder about what I want. “Bank accounts, phone conversations, every-fucking-thing.”
“He’s your Sergeant-at-Arms, don’t you trust him?”
“Fuck, Angus. Lola’s missing. There’s a good possibility she may have a son.” I scrub my hand through my hair. “Do I really know anyone?”
“A son?” Angus begins tapping away on his laptop, nodding his head as he does.
“Yeah, according to her brother, that I didn’t know she had, who’s actually her son.”
Angus again turns his laptop around to me. “Yeah, yeah, makes sense. There’s a gap in her history of six months about fifteen years ago. See here?” He points to the screen. “I thought maybe she took off, but yeah, a kid could be the reason. There are no medical records for a kid or a brother.”
“How do we prove it?”
“DNA. We could run his DNA.”
I scoff. “Yeah, ‘cause we happen to have Lola’s DNA on record.” Angus grins at me, and I raise a brow. “You have Lola’s DNA?”
“Tisk tisk… brother. I have everyone’s DNA.”
Frowning at him, I ask, “Why?”
“You never know when it’ll come in handy, and after Maddock went missing, I wanted to keep track of everyone.”
“You’re a scary little freak. You know that don’t you?”
Angus gives me a chin lift and a thumbs up. “Yep, and aren’t you glad I am?”
Wheels comes back into the room. “Cristiano will have a sit down with us.”
“No, with me alone.”
“Prez, your woman goes missing, and my spidey senses are telling me we’re being targeted, so I’m coming with. And so are four more brothers.”
“Last time I checked, I was in charge. I’m going alone.”
Angus clears his throat, so I quirk an eyebrow at him. “I could plant a bug or two, and I’m not a threat. I’m your little freak brother, remember?”
“Too dangerous.”
Angus shrugs. “It’s my middle name.”
“What, freak?” asks Wheels.
I pin him with a glare and straighten my shoulders. Angus is my brother, and no one but immediate family gets to tease him, not even my MC brothers.
“No, you Neanderthal, dangerous,” replies Angus, taking no offense to Wheels’ comment. “Besides, I’ve been taking some self-defense courses, and I’ve been practicing on the shooting range.” He puts a hand on my shoulder. “I’ll take care of the princess. Sorry, I meant, Prez.”
“Fuck you both. I’m going alone.”
“Come on, Kyle. If the cartel is involved, my bugs could help.”
“They