“Don’t ask any questions,” I told Seamus. “get to the next town, and we’ll split up. You get these girls home and you out that bar on lockdown. The whole club needs their pieces on them always. Protect the women. All of them.” Seamus nodded. I knew I could count on him in this time of need. He was a great friend.
I picked up my cell and dialed a number I had saved only for such emergencies as this. I called Kristie, Elena’s handler.
“I just fucking killed Juan, Kristie. I shot his associate and took the girls. He knew who Elena was. He’s more cunning than we thought. It sounded like he hasn’t told anyone yet, but because I shot him, they’ll be after us soon. They’ll kill us.” I was in a panic. “I’ve got to come for Elena. In the meantime, get your shit together and figure out what the hell we’re going to do.”
She answered in as calm a voice as she could have, and I could hear Elena in the background with John. Thank goodness, she was with them and safe right now. “Alright, we’ll do all we can to keep her safe. We’ll see you soon.”
Chapter 17
Reed
Every time I crossed the border of the next state or stopped to fill my tank, I found myself looking over my shoulder. It was only a matter of time before the fucking cartel got wind of Juan’s death, and they were not going to let it go unpunished. Even if I had succeeded in taking out the associate and only witness on Juan’s side, they would surely figure out who he had made his latest deal with.
There was nothing that got past the leader of a cartel like that. They were all-seeing and all-knowing like a God, which was why I hated that the FBI had gone from getting Elena involved with a hard ass MC to making her give up sensitive information about a cartel. This cartel had a reach that was fucking miles long. They dealt with more than just women, and I knew that. Juan was only a small piece in a larger operation, and I was scared shitless right now.
I had just won a woman that could stand by my side as an equal, and be in my bed each night without fail. I wasn’t ready to lose her yet. And I sure as hell wasn’t going to let her lose me. She has gone through enough in her life. I was here to make sure it was better from here on out.
I was finally approaching Cincinnati, driving so fast other motorists probably thought the devil himself was on my back. That’s what it felt like as I navigated through the heavy morning traffic of the city. The highway was backed up to the point that I had little choice but to fly through the shoulder and passed all the traffic to make sure I got to her.
I had left Elena to her own devices long enough, and I wasn’t about to make her wait any longer to get to safety. I had a slight idea of what the bureau was going to have is to do. They would be giving us new identities of some kind and putting us into hiding.
It would mean that our MCs would have to be run by the VPs for the time being. I didn’t know how I felt or how my club would feel about that. I had never had to do that for more than a day before.
I knew that Dmitri would take care of things for Elena. He had been doing it most of the time anyway, even keeping the Vipers sane under Jimmy’s iron fist all these damn years. I could only hope my boy, Max, would pull through for me and keep my friends and family safe. I had to worry about Elena and me right now.
I sped up to the building where we met Kristie and John in the past. I wasn’t sure if Elena was there or if she was at her house or staying somewhere else entirely. I felt a bit out of the loop. So, I calmed myself and picked up my phone, turning it on for the first time since I had hopped on my bike an hour out of Laredo. I had kept it off because I didn’t want anyone, government, cartel, or otherwise to be able to use the thing to track where I was going. Every decision I had made from the moment I shot Juan was to give us enough time to get out of there safely.
I dialed Kristie’s number, unsure if Elena’s phone would have been changed out by now. If anyone else in the cartel had found her out, who knew what other information they had on her. It was a good thing Kristie had convinced her to come to Cincinnati to meet to discuss the cartel instead of talking over the phone about it
“Reed, is that you?” It was Elena’s voice, and I had never been so relieved to hear it. I was overcome with emotion, but right now wasn’t the time for breaking down. I could do that once we got to our destination.
“It’s me, Siren. I told Kristie I was coming for you. I’m in Cincinnati, and I need to know where to find you. Are you at your apartment?”
“No,” she answered, sounding distressed. I doubt she had been able to sleep since Kristie gave her the news in whatever way she saw fit. For all I knew, Elena hadn’t even known for sure if I was alright. “They let me go back there last night to grab a few things and then that was it. I am staying at Kristie’s now, and there have been armed agents around us pretty much the whole time. You need to tell me what’s going on. They’ve told me almost nothing.” She was more in panic mode than I was, but the answers would have to wait.
“You’re going to have to wait for that, babe. We need to get the hell out of here. Text me the address, and I’ll come for you. Get the plan from Kristie because we need to fly.” I hung up because time was of the essence here. I wasn’t’ going to hang around and wait for them to find us in her hometown. I took off down the road, glad that the address came through quickly. It wasn’t too far, and I found myself at a large downtown high rise in five minutes flat.
I took the elevator up to the tenth floor and found 1021, the unit that Elena had said Kriste lived in. I could see several well-planted people with guns if I looked hard enough, but they weren’t pointed in my direction. The FBI probably knew every time I took a piss at this point, so I had nothing left to worry about there.
I knocked on the door, and Kristie was the one that answered, pulling me in quickly and bolting the door behind her. “Fuck, Reed, it took you long enough,” she huffed, and I could chortle at that. Off duty, I kinda liked her.
She led me into the depths of the luxury apartment where I found a distraught Elena waiting for me. I took the time to meet her embrace and kiss her reassuringly before we got down to business.
“Now, what the fuck’s the plan?” I asked, looking at Kristie and the two black-suited agents that had made themselves at home there for the time being.
“There is an armored vehicle, completely unmarked, waiting outside in the lot for you. You get three bags of luggage altogether, and they are already packed inside the vehicle. One of them will contain your new phones, identities, and anything else you need to change your appearance once you reach your destination.
“Both of you are to lay low and to go into hiding. We will keep your motorcycle safe, Reed, and there will be a car waiting for you where we’re taking you. I highly suggest you don’t leave once you’re there. The two agents that are taking you will also stay with you for protection until the bureau gives the all clear. The only contact you will have is us. I want you to understand; this is no vacation.” I nodded, I totally understood that. I looked over at my Ol’ Lady’s pursed lips and knew she didn't like the talking to.
“So, where are we going?” she asked, standing up and putting her arm in mine. She looked as ready to go as ever.
“You know we aren’t going to tell you that. We can’t risk you calling someone on the way and putting them and yourself in more danger. The FBI is extending this protection to you because of the contact we have with you and your long-standing successes,” Kristie explained, flinching at her own formality. “They won’t be so forgiving if you decide to ruin this for yourself.”
I got the gist of what she meant. If we stepped out of line, we lost our protection and possibly our lives. Elena would certainly lose her job. I wasn’t planning on breaking any rules right now, no matter how bad ass I thought I was.
“Yeah, I get it,” Elena grumbled. I could see tears welling up in Kristie’s eyes. Elena had told me that Kristie was much more than her handler. They were best friends. I was finally getting a tiny glimpse of that.
&
nbsp; Kristie came up and threw her arms around Elena in a tight hug. “Be safe,” she whispered to her, and Elena hugged back and nodded. I didn’t feel a whole lot of confidence coming from Siren at that moment, and I hoped our long trip in the car would be able to give me a chance to change her mind. If she lost confidence now, then all was lost. There was nothing left there to save.
“It’s gonna be okay, Siren,” I told her, kissing the side of her head as the two agents led us out of the apartment and down the elevator. It felt a little bit like the walk to death row, but I wasn’t going to voice that out loud. I knew that being whisked away by the FBI was no guarantee of anything, but I had to hold out hope that we would find a new and safe life for now and that they would be able to bust the cartel quickly.
“If you say so,” she said, as we were led to the parking lot and towards a large, black Infiniti that was waiting for us. The agents showed us that there were two bags packed in the trunk and one sitting in the middle of the back seat. That must have been the one that had our new phones in it.
We reluctantly handed our own phones over and got in the vehicle with lightly tinted windows. A male and female agent were dressed in casual clothes in the front seat, ready to take us to our destination. I couldn’t help but wonder where our home was going to be for the next several weeks or months until the cartel was no more.
I reached out and held Elena’s had as we took off, squeezing it with love. There were no words right now that would make any of this go away, so I was going to have to wait for the right ones to come to me later.
In my mind, I said my goodbyes to Seamus, Daisy, and all the others back at the club. My family was going to have to get on without me, and I just hoped that my leaving with Elena would mean they could do so in peace.
Chapter 18
Elena
I looked around nervously even though I knew that there were two fully armed agents standing only yards away and that Reed and I both had our weapons on us. We stopped at a pay phone not too far from the hotel. We were outside a gas station with only two pumps. We needed to call the MCs and let them know what they needed to do right now. I still wasn’t at liberty to reveal that I was with the FBI to anyone, and I knew how close I was to being retired and losing my protection if I broke or even bent one rule. This was not the time to be bad ass, rogue, Elena. I needed to follow the rules, and so far, I had, right down to cutting my hair. I felt strange and kept reaching out to grab only air, but we needed to look different, and that we did.
I had been given what I could only describe as suburban mom clothes; midrise jeans and jean jackets with shirts in bright colors that only showed mild cleavage. That plus the more conservative cut of my fiery hair made me appear to be even older than my actual 27. Although on an average day I was used to still looking like I was in my early 20s despite my scars.
Looking at Reed was hard to stomach right now for me. When he took his clothes off, I was sure he would still turn me on like always. They couldn’t take away his ripped chest or the taste of his skin and lips. But they had made him dye his black hair to blonde and completely get rid of any sign of facial hair. He looked quite uncomfortable in his clothes that made him resemble the kind of guy that would take meetings at work by going to a golf course. If we weren’t in such a dire situation, I was certain I would laugh.
I waited my turn for the phone patiently, as Reed tried to communicate with the MC without giving too much away. I felt bad for bringing him into this. This wasn’t his responsibility, and he was having to act like he was an agent himself and entrust his whole MC to a man who had ever really had control over it before. I knew that my girls would help hold things down at the club and help the women Seamus had brought back to the bar start on a new life. I could just see Daisy taking charge in my mind’s eye.
Reed finally hung up, and I could see the strain on his face as he backed up so I could take over with the phone. I looked back at the agents that were our 24/7 babysitters, and they were getting impatient. Their names, as far as we were told, were Sally and Ronald, and they were both in their 40s. They seemed nice enough, but I knew protecting another agent who had probably fucked up was not the most glorious job in the universe for them. They probably thought they were getting this job because they were getting old or out of shape. To think I was around a decade or so from that fate was scary.
I got up to the phone and dialed Dmitri’s number, not sure what to expect on the other end. I hadn’t got much of a chance to have a conversation with Dmitri and get to the bottom of whether the Vipers were aware of my job with the FBI. Jimmy obviously knew, but how many people had he revealed that information to?
Dmitri answered the phone, sounding suspicious of the random number. “Dmitri,” I barked. “It’s me, the Prez.” I wasn’t about to say my name over the phone right now to anyone anymore. I had no idea how Juan had ended up figuring that I was an undercover agent with the FBI, but there were no more chances I could afford to take. “Something bad has happened with the cartel, and things have gone south. I have to go off the grid for a while, and I need to know you’re going to take care of things there. If you need any help, the Skulls Renegades will happily be of service. But don’t expect to purchase any more girls from Juan, and definitely, don’t contact him.”
“Should I be worried, boss?” Dmitri asked with concern. The man had taken a real liking to me once I took over the MC and I wondered if it was because I had made sure all the other families were safe and cared for by not letting the club go to shit. But maybe it was more than that.
“I need you to worry about the MC right now. Make sure there’s muscle around and just keep things running. I’m going to worry about me. Don’t you do that for me.” I hung up before I got emotional about it. I had heard about agents being put into hiding before, but I had never thought, even with all my recklessness, that I was going to be one of those agents someday.
I took Reed’s hand and went back over to the car and got in, anxious to get back into the house and be alone with Reed; as alone as we were going to be sharing the place with the two agents. But that was our life now. We had new names, new jobs, and a new place to live. The only thing to tell me about where I now were the welcome signs to the city; Everett, Washington.
The bureau had rented a house in a nice and quiet neighborhood just minutes from the coast, but despite the beauty of the blue waters, it seemed too cold to bother going to the beach. Everyone we saw headed there wore wetsuits.
As soon as we got into the house, I headed straight for the bedroom I was sharing with Reed. I shut the door the minute he was in there with me and turned on the television for nothing more than distracting noise. Laying down on the bed, I crossed my arms over my chest.
“Babe, you need to quit beating yourself up over this. This was bound to happen either way. Those cartel assholes, they aren’t dummies. We are just lucky that we’re both here together and alright. I didn’t think anyone is going to find us here.” Reed was trying to make me feel better like he had for the last several hours. He was relentless, and it was sweet, but it just wasn’t helping.
“I don’t think you get it, Reed, what I’m feeling right now,” I admitted, sitting up and pulling my knees to my chest. Reed rubbed my back comfortingly.
“Then, why don’t you tell me? You don’t have to be so damn tough all the time, Siren. I know you aren’t weak. You run an MC. You shot the man that killed your mother. You are an FBI agent. I am never going to think you’re weak.”
He voiced what my fear was deep down. I was a tough girl; I had to be. I grew up to be an even tougher woman. If I had learned anything from my relationship with Dick, it was a lesson about not being too vulnerable and too soft. But maybe with Reed, I could find that happy medium.
“Reed, I’ve always been this amazing FBI agent. I always went rogue and made up the rules. I pissed off my superiors more times than I can count. But what all those times had in common was that I never failed. I got the job done,
and I got it done better than any other agent I knew of. They loved me, and I felt so strong and powerful. When I got serious with my ex, Richard, you know the one that you met in Cincinnati?” Reed nodded. We had gotten deep into each other’s pasts since being together, but I hadn’t really gotten into details about Richard other than that we were engaged, and he cheated. It didn’t really seem necessary to talk about until now. “Well, he was concerned about me being in the field. You know it’s a dangerous job. You’ve seen it firsthand. So, he asked me if there was something else I could do while still being involved in the FBI. I asked to be trained as a handler. I would get to be at home and be protected, giving the orders to somebody else who would be in danger. I did it because I thought Richard was being sweet and looking for the woman he loved.”
“It’s not right to ask those things of someone you love; asking them to change something about them. I can tell you love what you do. Even if it worries me, I could never ask you to quit just for me.” I smiled and leaned over into his arms.
“I appreciate that,” I told him. “But it wasn’t even just the job. I just didn’t know it until I saw him with his secretary balancing on his balls. He had slowly changed everything about me; the clothes I wore, the places I went for fun…He softened me to the core, prepping me to be his perfect little trophy wife, and then he still didn’t want me. As soon as we were over, I went running to Kristie and begging her for a job in the field. I wanted to prove to myself that I was still the woman I had been before I met Richard, but that’s not how this is turning out. I’m afraid this is just proof I can’t do this anymore.”
“Babe, you can do anything you set your mind to, I know that. You have now saved eight women from the life of sex trafficking. You have brought two MCs together to do legitimate work. There’s nothing to scoff at there.” I hadn’t thought about it that way, and I realized that I might have found a new calling for myself without trying to. I loved the exhilarating danger in the field, but being the Prez of an MC and Reed’s Ol’ Lady felt like an amazing place to be. It felt like home.