Destroy For Her - R.B. Hilliard Page 0,64
with José Herrera.
Chopper rolled in while they were waiting to hear back, and Steele broke the news to him about Sage and Montana. As expected, he didn’t take it well.
While Ax watched Steele talk Chopper down, he realized what the title of president really entailed. It meant taking on everyone and everything. Steele could delegate but rarely did—probably because he wasn’t sure who he could trust. Jake and Loco had betrayed him—betrayed them all. Steele had everyone’s back, but who had his? Ax did. For months, he’d toyed with the idea of being VP. Not anymore. A fire had been lit. Steele deserved a VP that he could depend on—and that someone was him.
The room fell silent when Steele’s phone rang. He waited until the third ring to pick up. “Steele speaking.”
His finger hit the speaker as Herrera said, “This is Don Hererra. I was told you’d like to speak to me.” Underneath Herrera’s cigar-laden tone, Ax heard a hint of a Spanish accent.
“Thanks for calling,” Steele said. “I’m not sure if you know who I am, b—”
Hererra cut him off. “I am well aware of who you are, Mr. Steele. How can I help you?”
Steele cut right to the Chase. “Your nephew, Carlos, blew up one of my businesses and kidnapped two of our women this afternoon. By doing this, he’s declared war with the MC. As we have many interests in common, I wanted to not only apprise you of his actions, but to ask for your help in rectifying the matter.”
“How unfortunate,” Hererra murmured, then let out a deep sigh. “My nephew, he is, how do I say it?” He spoke to someone in flawless Spanish. “Ahh, yes, obsessive, that’s the word I was looking for. He feels that his way is the only way, which leaves very little room for compromise. I am troubled by his choices of late. You are right; a war would not benefit either of us. However, we seem to have a slight problem. You claim that Carlos kidnapped two of your women. Kidnap is such a harsh word, don’t you think, especially when one of those women is his very own wife? Carlos was most upset when he discovered that your club had taken her in. He asked for my help in retrieving her. Of course, I had to deny it.”
The room went alert. Ax’s heart pounded so hard he could feel the vibration of it through his entire body. Steele’s brow creased with worry. Ax could see it written all over his face. This was a mistake. Steele had to tread carefully, or Hererra could decide to kill Sage himself.
“It’s my understanding that you’re a fair man. You’re also a family man. Imagine my surprise when I received a phone call from a distraught woman—a woman who’s been a long-time member of my family—begging me to come and get her. Imagine my shock when I got to her and found her beaten to hell. Her story is very different from your nephew’s. It’s not one of love and happiness but of mistreatment and abuse. If you don’t believe me, I can send you pictures as well as documentation of the annulment that was granted just this morning,” Steele told him.
Ax glanced at Ink, and Ink mouthed the word, “Smooth.”
After another long pause, Hererra said, “I did not know this. If you don’t mind, I would like to see these pictures and the documentation.”
“I’ll send them now,” Steele said.
“Once I review them, I will call you back with my answer.” The line went dead.
It felt as if the entire room took a huge breath, then Steele dove into commando mode, “I’ll call Doctor Harvey. Ax, you call Doc. Tell him to send whatever pictures he got of Sage. Taz, have Lucy get me the annulment papers ASAP.”
Steele texted the pictures and document to Herrera. Twenty minutes later, his phone rang.
“After looking over the pictures and perusing over the document, I have to say I am disappointed in my nephew. He’s family, but he’s proving to be quite a liability. What would you like me to do, Mr. Steele?” Hererra asked.
“We want you to insure Sage and Montana’s safe return and your guarantee that Carlos will be dealt with.”
Ax came out of his seat. “The fuck we do!” Steele shot him a hard look and motioned for him to sit down.
“How about I tell you where to retrieve your women, and you give me something in return.”
“I’m listening,” Steele said.
Hererra chuckled, “It