“What the fuck?” Mack said.
“Look inside,” the prospect nodded to the box.
Mack flipped it open. There was a note taped to the inside of the box top. In bold marker was written:
You want Angel…
I want Shannon
Cole eyes took in the note, and then met Crash’s across the table. “Get her!” he growled.
“Cole-” Crash started to protest.
“Now!”
“Go,” Mack ordered Crash.
Crash got up and left the room.
Cole pushed violently out of his chair, crossing the room to the delivery kid. He grabbed him with two fists in the front of his shirt and slammed him against the paneled wall. “Who sent you here with that goddamn note?”
“I don’t know who he was.”
Cole pulled him forward and slammed him again. “Who put that note in the fucking box?”
“I-I was c-carrying the order to my car. S-some guy gave me twenty bucks. Said he wanted to slip a love note in for his girlfriend. I didn’t think anything about it. I didn’t even read it, mister.”
“What did he look like?”
“Just some guy in a ball cap and sweat jacket.”
“He don’t know shit, Cole. Leave him be,” Mack ordered.
Crash pulled Shannon by the hand through the club to that room in the clubhouse that had always been off limits. She knew it was the room where they held their meetings. The room no one but patched members were allowed in. The door opened, and Crash pulled her inside. It was wall to wall bearded, leather-covered men. And every one of them was staring right at her. And they didn’t look happy.
She looked to her left, near the head of the table. Cole had some young boy in a pizza delivery uniform against the wall.
“I said let him go, Cole!” Mack growled.
Shannon huddled close to Crash’s shoulder, terrified of the anger in Cole’s eyes. She watched as he violently flung the boy into the wall, releasing his fisted hold on his shirt. “Get the fuck out!” he growled.
The terrified boy didn’t waste any time
scrambling out the door.
Cole’s eyes fell on Shannon, and she shrunk back. “Come here,” he barked.
Crash stepped in front of her. “Brother, you got something to ask her, ask it.”
Cole’s eyes moved to Crash. “Don’t stand in my way, brother.”
Mack stood up, realizing the situation was deteriorating fast. He shouldered between the two, his eyes on Cole. “VP, sit down. She’s here, and we’ll get to the bottom of this. No sense scaring her speechless.”
Cole’s eyes moved to Crash and then Shannon. “I’m not gonna hurt you.”
Shannon took a deep breath and stepped around Crash. “I know you won’t.”
Mack turned, taking in Shannon’s face. Her head held up, eyes on Cole. Crash tried to take a step forward, but Mack’s hand went to his chest. “Let him talk to her.”