I gave the battered car a side-eye. “Where’d you find this ride?”
“Police auction. Cash purchase.”
I laughed. “I like it when you talk dirty to me, Thomas.”
“Get in, and I’ll tell you something really dirty.”
Curious, I arched my brows and slid into the passenger’s seat. “I’m listening.”
“Found the Black Jacks, what’s left of them after Savannah Rhymer sliced Blade’s throat and sold Road Kill to a whore house.”
“Tell me more.”
“Baja, California.”
My brows rose at his words. “That’s a long drive.”
“It would be if we were driving. We’re flying from a private airfield to San Diego for a luncheon we’re hosting to celebrate the men and women of the Armed Services.”
I blinked. “We are?”
“Of course. Lance was like family, and this was set up by Vanessa months ago.”
Months ago? A slow smile tipped my lips into a smile. “Keep on impressing me like this, and I might get on my knees again.”
Heat flared in his eyes. “A sight I would welcome anytime.”
I smiled at his words and let my thoughts wander to all the things I had to do once today’s business was handled. I got lost in mental planning as we made our way to the airstrip and then the luncheon, where I said a few words and took a few photos to create an alibi.
Two and a half hours later, we headed to Baja.
To the Black Jacks.
To vengeance.
One last act of vengeance.
The address Thomas had was a single lot that held a squat brick building. About half a dozen bikes parked in the space between a black iron fence and the building.
“Has to be their new clubhouse. I wonder how those punks found us at the cabin.”
“That would be my question as well,” Thomas agreed and killed the engine. “I assume you have a plan?”
“Of course,” I shrugged. “The plan is to leave this building with the Black Jacks no longer a concern for me or my family. Or my business.”
“I’ll be at your side, Sadie. Whatever you need.” Sincerity shone in the depths of his hazel eyes, and I smiled in return.
“Okay, then. Let’s do this.”
Thomas pulled a bag from the trunk and slung it over his shoulder with a smile. “Yes, lets.”
I stopped outside the gate and pressed the call button.
“Who is it?”
“Sadie,” I answered calmly.
Thomas laughed. “I guess walking in the front door is always an option.”
“I’m too old to scale fences, Thomas.”
Two young guys in black leather vests that held no markings strolled out of the brick building, their confidence and lack of patches identified them as prospects. So did their baby faces, barely old enough to grow facial hair.
“Hey, we don’t need no Avon, lady.”
I smiled. “You prefer your women to smell like dirty crotch and cigars?”
One laughed, and the other smiled. “Get the fuck outta here, lady, before you piss me off.”
I said nothing, kept my mouth shut as the newbies advanced and opened the mechanical gate. “So you don’t want to buy Avon?”
“Lady,” he taller, angry one growled. “I swear to fucking Christ!” Before he could say another word, I slid a knife upwards right into his throat, a choking, gurgling sound his only reply.
“You should watch how the fuck you talk to a lady,” I whispered and pushed him backward until he fell in a heap to the ground.
The other kid tried to run, but Thomas had a tight grip on his long ponytail. “Where do you think you’re going?”
His brown eyes popped wide as they darted back and forth, hoping for help that wouldn’t come. “Who the fuck are you people?”
“I told you. My name is Sadie,” I said quietly and slid my knife from right to left. A warm spray of blood ended his life before he hit the ground.
Thomas smiled. “By my count, that leaves three inside. Dealio, Casino, and one more probationary member. They were trying to rebuild.”
“They punched above their weight, and now they have to pay the price for coming after me. For Polina.”
I slid the knife back into the bag Thomas held and grabbed another with a longer serrated blade. And a gun. Biker gangs loved guns, and I wouldn’t give them time to get even one shot off, but I also wouldn’t let them off so easily.
Thomas held the door open, and I appreciated that he let me enter first. I didn’t need any white knight bullshit today. “Hello, boys.”
Two of the three men were on their feet in a flash, wary expressions coloring their faces. The younger one rounded the bar and stood beside them, making a big show of puffing out his chest and squaring his shoulders. I recognized Dealio right away and smiled. It was the other, Casino, who stepped forward and reached behind him.
“How the fuck did you get in here, lady?”
I revealed my own gun with a sly smile.
“Not so fast, asshole. Stay right where you are.”