to be in charge. I’ve already contacted the CPA. She’s been meeting with the current owner. I’ll know more after I return from Coronado.”
“Can you give us a name?” Moses asked.
“No one knows it’s for sale, so keep it quiet. It’s Maas Nursery.”
Gunner almost choked on his soda. “Janie isn’t that old, and it’s been in her family for decades.”
“Cara said the same. She’s Janie’s attorney, which makes this a little challenging. Our CPA and attorney will work with Cara. My understanding is Janie has no family. At least none interested in moving back to Liberty Lake to take over. Right now, she doesn’t know the Brethren are the ones interested in buying it. Cara will let her know if the discussions become serious. That’s it, gentlemen. Enjoy the rest of your day off.”
Gunner walked out, thinking about the nursery and what the change could mean for Katrina. She loved her job, loved working with Janie. The Brethren didn’t usually buy existing businesses, preferring to build them from the ground up.
Wrath had said Janie might have someone to become the assistant manager. Gunner guessed it to be Katrina. If the deal went through, they’d identify one of the Brethren to be the key contact.
Pulling onto the highway, he thought of his background compared to the others. He’d grown up on a farm, knew all about soil, planting cycles, fertilizers, and organic growing. And he’d seen the way Wrath shot him a look while discussing the possible purchase.
Throttling the bike, he took off through the country roads. He needed to clear his head, prepare for what might be coming his way.
Yeah. If the sale went through, Gunner would be the one tapped to be the manager. It would require him working with the assistant manager.
A slow smile curved his lips. An assistant manager he expected to be Katrina.
Chapter Five
Dark Disciples National Clubhouse
Zeus stared down at the man staked out on the hard desert ground, the intense sun already turning his skin a blistering red. His body riddled with cuts and bruises, eyes swollen and discolored, it wouldn’t be long until he blew out his last breath.
“You were like a son to me, Patch. I trusted you. We all did.” Zeus placed a boot in the center of the dying man’s chest, pushing hard.
Patch opened his mouth, wincing at the pain from cracked, bloodied lips. “Not…me.”
Zeus dropped to one knee, leaning over him. “We’ve got proof you’re a Fed.”
“No…” He tried and failed to open the least swollen eye. “Planted…” Patch knew no matter what he said, Zeus had made up his mind.
“Patch said he’d been set up. They all plead their innocence right up until I slit their throat.” Jolly, his sergeant-at-arms, turned his head to spit at Patch’s feet. “He’s no different.”
Something in Jolly’s voice had Zeus standing to pin him with an unyielding glare. “Tell me exactly what Patch said.”
Shrugging, Jolly didn’t see the danger in his prez’s eyes. “The usual shit. Fucker said what I found was planted. Said he’s loyal to you and the club. A bunch of shit. My gut says he’s a plant, and my gut’s never wrong.”
Zeus shot a look at Einstein, his VP, who gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head. This was the second man in less than a year Jolly had accused of being a Fed. He’d killed the first before getting Zeus’s approval. If it weren’t for their history, he would’ve banished Jolly.
The same was happening here. This time, a warning went off in Zeus’s head. He looked at three of his men standing several feet away.
“Get him up and inside. Have Doc clean the wounds, give him antibiotics, and start an IV.”
Jolly whirled on him. “What the fuck, Zeus?”
“I’m the president of this club.” He thumped his chest. “Not you. I let you get away with killing one of our men without first showing me your evidence, and you’re attempting to do it again. I won’t make the same mistake a second time.”
“He’s a traitor. Patch is an AFT agent.” Jolly pointed to two other men. “Tell Zeus what you saw.”
Neither man would meet his gaze, one giving a sharp shake of his head. “Sorry, man. You showed me what you wrote down after talking to him. I told you it wasn’t enough to kill Patch.”
Zeus had long suspected Jolly of being a man who enjoyed killing. Then again, he wasn’t the only Disciple who preferred violence over talking. They needed those kind of men, but not if