“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 club. Code uncovered a single pipeline both clubs are using that seems to originate from Mexico, but it isn’t coming from there. He’s been tracing that pipeline back to the source and, surprisingly, the drugs are coming in from Canada, not Mexico like it first appears.”
“What does that mean?” Steele asked.
“Someone has deliberately made it seem as if the drugs have come in from Mexico,” Code said. “But when I continued with the trace, the trail stopped dead. I had to go back and found a single thread, picked it up there and found the origins are in Canada.”
Czar drummed his fingers on the table. “There’s a possibility that the Ghosts are involved in this. There’s one name that continues to come up. Louis Levasseur seems to be bringing in everything. Fentanyl, meth, heroin, cocaine. Code is looking into him. His name is new on our list so we don’t have much on him.”
“This is a huge job. I’ve asked my friend Cat to help out,” Code said.
“We don’t want to put an innocent in danger,” Czar cautioned, frowning. “These people are extremely dangerous. They play for keeps and they’re aware someone is looking for them.”
“She’s careful,” Code said. “I told her not to take any chances, not to use her own equipment and to make absolutely certain her location can’t be traced. She has orders to break off if they even start to trace her. She knows what she’s doing.”
“Any chance this man has anything to do with the Ghosts we’ve run into before? Didn’t they have some origins in Canada?” Keys asked.
“They seem to be spreading their poison everywhere,” Reaper said. His woman, Anya, had been targeted by the Ghosts.
“I have a bad feeling about the assassins the Ghosts are mixed up with,” Absinthe said. He was reluctant to bring it up because his “feelings” hit on the mark every time now and Czar was aware of it. He didn’t want another “gift” revealed. To him, those talents he’d developed as a child had become curses he couldn’t shake, no matter how hard he tried. Still, they were in dangerous territory and his club needed all the advantages they could get.
Czar turned those piercing, assessing, all-seeing eyes of his on him. It felt a little as if the president of his club could get right through flesh and bone and see into one’s soul. Absinthe didn’t want anyone doing that, especially not the man he admired most in the world.
“What kind of ‘feeling,’ Absinthe?”