“I can’t even figure out my Roomba,” a brother whispered, shaking his head.
“So, what makes you think this Capri guy is the Collector?” I asked. It wasn’t that I didn’t believe the kid. I did. He was fucking smart for sure, but I needed more.
“Well, for starters, the anagram. Then there are numerous cryptic messages he’s posted, which I am running a program to decipher. Also, every time he did post, this Sabastian Capri was in the area for some function or another. Then there is the plane itself. When I skimmed Matrix’s and Phantom’s hard drives, I noticed the plane in question was registered to a Thomas Collingsworth, but if they dug deeper, they would have seen the actual bill of sale. Collingsworth’s name may be on the title, but Capri bought it.”
“Matrix? Phantom?” Reaper said.
“Syphers right, boss. I can’t believe I missed that,” Phantom said.
“Same here, boss,” added Matrix.
“So where is Capri now?” I asked.
“He’s in Washington D.C. at the Press Gallery Dinner.”
“Is there any way you can track his movements, boy?”
“Sure dad, as long as Bipartisan Aces keeps posting to his social media accounts and there is some function that Mr. Capri attends, I can verify everything.”
“Okay,” Moonshine said, lightly nudging his son so he could sit. Sypher immediately got up. “That’s one fucker we can keep tabs on. Now, what about the other. This fucking cult is not getting my baby girl. Anyone got any ideas?”
The room went eerily silent.
Eighteen
Bullseye
Earlier that night,
Silently moving through the mist of the forest, I couldn’t help but shake my head at the stupidity of the situation. This whole mess was a cluster fuck. I tried to tell him that, but he wouldn’t listen. He was the Boss and what he said was law. What that asshole didn’t know was what the fallout it would bring. I tried to explain it to him. I knew how the Black Vultures worked better than anyone, but he wouldn’t listen.
The Black Vultures weren’t like the Skulls.
They were the one percent.
They killed because they liked it. They took because they wanted, and they didn’t give two fucks about anything or anyone. They were the scum of the fucking earth, and their V.P. Jekyll was a nasty piece of work. The man didn’t have morals. Didn’t even know what that meant. He was violent, crazy, and downright sadistic. Many men tried to take down the evil fucker, but all failed.
Though I agreed they needed to be eradicated, I just didn’t think going about it this way was the best course of action. But what the fuck did I know. I was just the executioner—the man behind the gun. I took orders and made damn sure they were enacted. I was good at what I did, and that was why Reaper kept me around.
Looking at my surroundings, I picked a good spot and set everything up. It wasn’t hard and took me no time at all. I was used to this. I’d done it since I left home several years ago. Though looking around me, I never thought I’d be back, walking on the same ground I used to play on. None of that mattered anymore. I was here for a job, and that was it.
As I waited, I thought about Layla. Just thinking about her warmed my heart. She was out there somewhere, and I just knew she was still alive. She had to be because I refused to think otherwise. She was a tough cookie. Many had tried over the years to bring her down, but not Layla. She kicked ass and took names later. Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if she’d already put a few of those fuckers in the ground.
I knew that someday soon, she would be back with me. Though I didn’t know what state, as long as she was breathing, everything else didn’t matter. I tried hard not to think about what she endured, but after seeing Remi and then Ari, it was hard not to.
These fuckers, whoever they were going to be reaped, slowly, methodically, and painfully. I couldn’t wait for that day to come.
Birds took flight as the sounds of bikes off in the distance alerting me that it was showtime.
Getting to my feet, I watched as my brothers and family arrived.
I wish I could say it was good to see them.
It had been a long time, but I never thought it would be under these circumstances.
Seeing Reaper walk next to my Uncle was rather unsettling. Not that Reaper knew who Moonshine was to me. Hell, nobody knew except Kitty, and I knew she would never tell. Or the fact that I was born and raised in Tennessee. They all thought I was from California and joined the Skulls after the Marines discharged me. Well, technically, that was partly true. I was a Marine until I was dishonorably discharged for going AWOL, then I joined the Golden Skulls at Reapers insistence. The club didn’t need to know my whole backstory, just that I could take orders and was good with my rifle.
I was going to refuse the offer, but when Reaper promised me that he would help me get Layla back, I just accepted. Reaper insisted that the club, the Golden Skulls were not what everyone believed. I didn’t believe him. I knew differently, but I didn’t have a choice. I needed help finding Layla, and if joining the very people who took her would give me a chance at getting her back, then I would walk with the devil himself.