Page 34 of Entranced With the Hellhound

Brick also told me why he didn’t respond to my messages. The cartel was tightening up, and Brick couldn’t risk getting caught sending messages, so he kept his phone off. Agent Parson was right about the cartel being in town to do business, though. Brick said that the loan shark business was a way for them to scout the criminal activity here and make moves dealing in sex trafficking.

The ATF was involved because the Vasquez family has been moving assault rifles along with women across the border. The guns were secondary to their human trafficking, which is fucked up.

Chauncey’s deal with the cartel was for Blue. He never intended for Carol Anne to be able to repay the loan because Blue was supposed to be the payment. That motherfucker was planning on trafficking Blue to the Vasquez cartel.

However, the deal with Chauncey was dead, so Brick was shocked when Chauncey showed up to meet with Dez after getting out of jail. Chauncey wanted Blue out of the way for good. He insisted the cartel could make a lot of money selling her. Dez didn’t like the way things were going down, so he sent him away.

Brick used following Chauncey as an excuse to get out of Dez’s watchful eye and contact me. He didn’t get the chance to tell me about Chauncey’s deal earlier because when he arrived at Carol Anne’s house, it was chaos. He only had time to stop Delores from going into the house when he sent me the code.

The whole situation is a clusterfuck. But that perverted motherfucker, Chauncey, has cost Blue her only living parent, tried to traffic her, and caused Blue to be on the cartel’s radar. That bastard will pay for all of his bullshit. I hope he said goodbye to his loved ones because he ain’t ever gonna see them again.

“How you wanna handle this, V.P.?” Green questions after Brick and I finish talking.

“You heard my Old Lady. Chauncey is a dead motherfucker. And anybody that ain’t us is dead, you feel me?” I answer. “We walk from here. Brick, take Delores…”

“No. I’m coming,” Brick says resolutely.

I frown because there are too many risks for him. Being here with us could blow his cover. We’re not about to hold back, and he doesn’t need to be caught helping us in any way.

“The cartel will kill you. It’s too dangerous,” I reply.

Brick shrugs, “Dangerous is my middle name.”

I roll my eyes. “No, the fuck it ain’t.”

“Listen, I’m here to help. It won’t look suspicious because I was already here. Stop worrying so much.” Brick sighs like he’s the one who’s annoyed.

“You are my little brother and my responsibility. Don’t tell me not to worry.” I give my brother a pointed look.

I’ve been taking care of the little shit since he was born. The fact that he has the audacity to tell me not to worry is insane. He knows better shit than that.

“Don’t little brother me. I’m a grown-ass man, and a capable one at that,” Brick argues.

“Well, your grown-ass better do as I say when we get in this fucking house. I swear to fucking God. Between you and Blue, I’m gonna have a head full of gray hairs.”

“That ship has sailed already,” Brick mumbles.

I narrow my eyes at him, shaking my head. I don’t care how grown either of us are; he will always be my baby brother. I’ve always been his protector, and I always will be. I thought he knew that by now.

“Wait, did you say brother? As in blood-related?” Blue questions, her eyes roaming over Brick and me.

“Yeah. I’ll tell you that story at another time.” I kiss her on the lips, and she nods.

I take a few minutes to strategize with the small group, then call Rock to let him know the plan. Black nearly lost his shit when he heard about Carol Anne. He wasn’t at the clubhouse tonight, so he wasn’t there when everything went down. Black wanted us to wait for him to get here, but we need to move before Chauncey and the other men left. I’m sure he’s still on his way, but we move toward Carol Anne’s house as soon as I hang up with Rock.

Mix reluctantly took Delores home after I had to pull rank on his ass. Seeing Delores’s prim and proper ass on the back of Mix’s bike would’ve been funny under different circumstances.

Our group moves with precision, staying in the shadows of the night. We move swiftly and quietly until we reach the one-story home. It’s so eerily quiet that it’s hard to imagine that someone was shot and killed less than an hour ago.

The neighborhood is quiet, with not even a porch light on. Of course, it is the middle of the night, but still. I guess if you’re used to minding your business, then it’s easy not to investigate when you hear a gunshot.

Lights are on in Carol Anne’s house, and an SUV is parked in the driveway. Brick, Green, and Spider head around to the back of the house. Me, Blue, and Crush go through the front door.

As soon as we get inside, I spot the bloodstain on the brown carpet, but Carol Anne’s body is missing. Blue’s eyes tear up, but she quickly wipes them away before we continue through the house. We hear talking from the back of the house, and I signal Crush and Blue to stay down and quiet.

“While those Spanish talkin’ motherfuckers and those fucking bitchass Hounds go to war, we’ll take over,” a bald man boasts, smiling broadly.

“Yeah, the idiots we paid to hit the Hounds’ clubhouse should be shootin’ up they shit as we speak. Our boy gave them everything they needed to say to set up the Vasquez family,” the man, wearing a leather cut, says.