told him I didn’t know, that I had no idea why he died or how.” She looked at Absinthe. “It’s true. I don’t know how you actually melt someone’s brain any more than I know how I can burn the world down if I get pissed enough.” Her tone suggested she was getting that pissed right then.
Absinthe shrugged. He rubbed his thumb along the top of her hand to soothe her. “We were all born with gifts. Probably everyone, everywhere, is. We needed ours and we worked until we could use them. Now we’re stuck with them.” He shrugged again, trying to make it all seem casual, trying to tell Alena he believed in her, that they all did.
Alena gave him a faint smile of appreciation and then turned her attention back to their president. “Don’t worry, Czar. I follow protocol at all times. When I leave the safety of the clubhouse, I wear prints, and I never deviate from our scripts.”
Czar nodded his approval. “Just know this is hanging over your head like a sword. Tawny is an enemy and she’s capable of creating a force in that club against us and you in particular. She wants what you have. She wants to best you, Alena.” He looked around the table. “She wants to best all of us. Once she gets Plank’s ear, he’ll likely grow even more uneasy than he already is.”
“Pierce knows what I am,” Ice confessed without one iota of remorse in his voice. His glacier-blue eyes met Czar’s eyes across the table. “In Vegas. He came to see Alena. I didn’t want him to think he could pull anything on her and get away with it. I let him see me. He knew I’d come after him and I’d kill him.”
“He saw us that first time he met us when they came to talk about Plank’s wife being taken,” Reaper said. “It was in his eyes then. He knew what he was up against trying to protect his president. He might not realize Alena is every bit as lethal as we are, but if that’s the case, he’s more of an idiot than I’ve given him credit for.”
“I think we should take the fucking job if Code says it’s legit. Venomous club is becoming a pain in the ass,” Transporter said.
Mechanic nodded his head. “I agree. I say we pull it off without letting the Diamondbacks see how we did it and they’ll be all the more confused about us. Give them something to think about other than the gossip Tawny is spreading around about Alena.”
“Vote on it then,” Czar said.
Absinthe knew before he tapped his own yes on the table that they would go after the six managers of the clubs. One didn’t invade another club’s territory. It was against the code of every club, not just theirs.
Czar turned to Code. “The first part of the request is a go provided the information given to us is correct. The second is a go only if the Venomous club owns the buildings.”
Code nodded. “I’ll have that information to you along with everything I can get on the movements of our targets as soon as possible.”
“Be thorough. If it takes extra time, I’d rather know we’re not hitting at civilians,” Czar reiterated. “If we decide it’s a go, team one will take this one, both jobs. Alena, you’ll need to make certain you’re not seen at all anywhere near Sacramento. That goes for all of you. No bikes. No colors. We slip in and slip out. Mechanic, you’ll disrupt all electrical systems anywhere near the clubs. Code, I’ll need the blueprints and layouts, the latest you can get me. You know the drill. All information as quickly as possible. No possible trace as usual. We’ll meet again as soon as Code gives us the information we need. At that time, we’ll determine whether or not we’ll do this job.”
Czar led team one. Absinthe was on the first team with Reaper, Savage, Ice, Storm, Mechanic, Transporter and Alena. They had always worked together from the time they were very small children. Steele headed up team two with the rest of Torpedo Ink. Sometimes both teams worked a job, and others, they had to cross over, but for the most part, one team was on standby in case the other needed help.
“Second part of this business is the drugs,” Czar continued. “We’ve got a line on the drugs moving into Sacramento through the Diamondbacks and now the Venomous