Undaunted - Shirleen Davies Page 0,34
been met with cool skepticism. Vulture might be the national president, but his choices for president of the local chapter had been disastrous. The members would accept Grizzly while making up their minds about his worth.
“Did Vulture explain her father is Senator Blackmore, and her deceased brother was Junior Blackmore?” Hammer asked.
A feral smile crossed Grizzly’s face. “I know all of it, including how Junior died. Did you enjoy it, Slider?”
“I don’t know a damn thing about it. He was found in the desert. Died not long afterward. A real shame,” Slider sneered.
“You saying the same, Hammer?”
“Fuckin’ hell, Prez. What does it matter? His loss wasn’t a big deal.”
“The FBI is still investigating it, asshole. I don’t want to be blindsided by the Feds showing up on our door. If you’ve got something to say, I want to hear it.”
Leaning back in his chair, Hammer crossed his arms. “I’ve got nothing, Prez. What we need to talk about is taking Brittany Blackmore so soon after Junior’s death. The Feds are investigating his death and she’s being guarded.”
Grizzly snorted. “By a group of a local MC.”
“Don’t underestimate them,” Slider said.
Leaning forward, Grizzly rested thick, muscled forearms on the desk, obsidian eyes locking with Slider. “If you’re afraid of going against them, you can step aside and let someone with balls take your place. I won’t keep officers who don’t have the guts to do their job.”
Jaw hardening, hands fisted on his thighs, Slider didn’t look away. “You want me gone, say the word.”
Grizzly had heard all about Slider, knowing him to be loyal to the club and his brothers. He’d worked hard to become the sergeant-at-arms, kept the job because of skill and willingness to do whatever was needed to get the job done. He’d be hard-pressed to find a replacement without bringing someone in from national.
“What I want is to locate and grab the senator’s daughter. Can you do that?”
Hammer’s expression didn’t change as he watched the interaction. Of all the Devils, he was the brightest, seeing all angles before executing a job.
“How much are we getting?”
Grizzly’s attention moved to Hammer. “Not your business.”
Anger burned to the surface. “The hell it’s not. This isn’t a dictatorship. The officers talk about new jobs, then call church.” Hammer mentioned the term for a meeting. “All patched members get a vote. You get one, the same as the rest of us.”
Grizzly stood, his hand moving to the pistol at his waist. Just as quick, Hammer and Slider did the same, drawing their guns but not pointing them at their prez. The three glared at each other, no one flinching, tempers continuing to rise.
This was more than a disagreement. It was a test of Grizzly’s leadership, of his trust in the officers and their acceptance of him.
A knock on the door broke the tension, but didn’t erase the hostility. Frankie, an older, fierce, and cold-blooded killer, opened the door. Reading the situation, he stroked his gray beard as the three dropped their hands to their sides.
“Sorry, but one of the boys has something you’ll want to hear.”
“Who?” Grizzly snapped, his focus still on his two officers.
“It’s Crunch, one of the new guys. Patched in just before Mario disappeared. I’ll bring him in.”
Turning, Frankie waved a hand. An almost six foot, wiry man of about twenty-five, with short dark hair and intense blue eyes, stepped into the office. He eyed the three around the desk. Behind him, Frankie closed the door, resting a shoulder against the wall.
“You got something for us?” Grizzly didn’t offer him a chair as he sat back down.
“I heard we might be going after a woman the Brethren are holding.”
The prez lifted a brow. “Where’d you hear that?”
Crunch crossed his arms, spreading his feet so they were shoulder width apart. “Last night in a bar north of town. Some guys who’d just made bail were at a table, drinking and talking louder than they should’ve been. I got close, listened. They mentioned the Devils and the Brethren and a woman. That’s when I sat down at their table and told them to lower their damn voices. I thought they were going to jump me, but then they saw my cut.”
“The men who followed the bitch from Phoenix,” Hammer said.
“Yeah. They think she’s with a guy named Fuse from the Brethren and a bodyguard with some security company.”
“Do they know where Fuse is keeping her?” Slider asked.
“No. They lost sight of their truck when the sheriff pulled them over. Dumb shits got