down, Javier, and it is this one. I want confirmation the price stays the same by the end of today, and if I don’t get it, be prepared to feel the ramifications of fucking with Storm.”
I slide my sunglasses back on and motion to my men that we’re leaving. One more minute in Torres’s company and I may just give in to my desire to inflict pain on him. Not a productive use of my time today.
When we’re in the truck on the way to our storage facility, Ransom says, “Axe texted. He’ll be at the clubhouse in an hour to go over last night.”
“You saw Memphis this morning?”
“Yeah. He’s doing better today. Doc thinks he’s out of the woods now.”
It’s been three days since he was shot. And although we don’t have confirmation yet, I know deep in my gut that whoever shot him and Thorn, killed Johnson, another club member, last night.
We drive the rest of the way in silence, each lost in our thoughts. Once we arrive at the warehouse, we quickly unload the coke and leave Striker on watch duty before returning to the clubhouse.
I’ve just reached my office when Birdie calls.
“You good?” I ask as I drop down into my chair.
“Yes.” She hesitates for a moment. “I heard from the embryologist.”
I frown at what I hear in her voice. “What’s wrong?” She sounds off. Uncertain about something.
“Nothing’s wrong. Nine of the eggs fertilised overnight.”
“Fuck, that’s good.”
“Yes.” I can still hear her hesitating with me.
“Birdie, what’s wrong?” I left home early this morning, which didn’t give me much time with her. I made sure she was feeling okay, but I don’t know where her head is at today.
“Nothing. I’m good with this news.”
“Is something else bothering you?”
“No. Umm…. No. I’m good. I’ll let you go.” Axe appears at my door, drawing my attention long enough for Birdie to say, “Just text me when you’re leaving tonight so I can get dinner finished.” She hangs up on me before I can stop her.
“Fuck,” I mutter when I realise she’s gone. I scrub a hand over my face, wondering what’s going on in her mind today.
“Everything okay here?” Axe asks, pulling up the chair across from me.
I eye him, taking in the lines on his face. “Yeah. You look like shit, though.”
He exhales a long breath. “I feel it, too.”
“That baby still keeping you awake at night?” Axe’s son Asher is six months old and Axe has told me previously that he’s a bad sleeper.
“Yeah, plus travelling here, there, and fucking everywhere. After this trip, I’m heading back to Sydney and refusing to leave for a good year.”
“How long are you in town for this time?”
“A week, hopefully less if I can swing it. Zane’s got me meeting some bigger clients who’ve just come on board.” He pauses. “How are things here with everything that’s going on?”
“Not good. I’m hoping you’ll be able to shed some light on shit.”
“I took the information Hunt gathered from that list of Albert’s and there’s only bad news. The messaging system this gang’s using to get in touch with their customers is untraceable. Nothing else they told you is of any value either. Also, we pulled surveillance footage to get a look at the plates on the car from last night, and they were blackened out. The only thing we could figure out was the make and model, and that information is useless unless you wanna sort through thousands of Mazdas in Victoria.”
Johnson was shot leaving the clubhouse last night. Whoever shot him was sending us a clear message by coming here to do it. They want us to back off. The last thing I’ll be doing. Someone wants to point a fucking gun at me and make a threat, they’re gonna have to pull the trigger to get me to stop.
“So we have nothing new to go on, then?”
“No.”
I stand. “Thanks, brother.”
Axe frowns as he stands. “That sounds like a dismissal.”
I shake my head. “No, but I’ve gotta keep moving. I appreciate you looking into this for me.”
I walk him out and say my goodbyes when I spot Ransom in the clubhouse bar.
“Anything?” Ransom asks when I join him.
“No, but it’s helped me figure out what we need to do.”
“And that is?”
“It’s time to do whatever we need to do to get their delivery guys to talk.” It could take us days or longer to make this happen. We’ll need to watch the customers Zenith took from us and wait for