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They arrest him and toss his ass in the back of a cop car. Another officer helped Stephens into a cruiser, leaving me there. They didn’t even pay attention to me or call an ambulance for the guy on the ground before they pulled out of there like their asses were on fire. The cop that hopped in the cruiser we were parked behind made sure to back up hard and knock our bikes to the ground. He was almost daring me to do something stupid. As much as I wanted to, I couldn’t risk it. I can’t leave this guy here to die because these piglets are trying to assert their authority over me.
Once the cops have cleared out, I reach the guy groaning on the ground. I almost couldn’t recognize him, but I knew he was the dealer I was coming to find. I guess he did have information, and they were trying to shut him up. I pull my phone out and call the big man himself.
“This better be good,” Artem barks into the phone.
“Well, hello to you too, grumpy pants. Are you missing something?” I ask, trying to check the pockets of the downed dealer.
“I am lacking patience for this phone call. So unless you have something that will help me, I don’t have time for these antics.” Artem bellows through the phone.
“Most call me endearing, but I happened across one of you dealers who met the wrong end of an officer’s nightstick. He looks rough, and there are no drugs on him now.” The guy groans on cue as I finish talking.
“Blyad,” Artem mutters. There is rustling on the other end of the line before I hear his voice again.“Drop me the location, and I will be there.” The line went dead. I shake my head and drop a pin for him to find me.
Artem must have been at his restaurant because moments later, his town car pulls up, and his number one guy gets out. He picks up the dealer with minimal effort and tosses him in the open trunk.
“Get in. Artem has a guy coming to get the bikes.” His deep voice tells me, opening the door to the back. I get in, and there is Artem furiously typing on his phone.
“Well, hello to you, sunshine. That guy got the shit kicked out of him, and you tossed him in the trunk? How are your men loyal to you?” I ask.
“I don’t question how you carry out your business. I expect you to respect me the same. The man was playing both sides. He’s unlucky that instead of being killed by them, he now has to deal with me.” The car lurches forward, and there is banging happening in the trunk.
“Well, one of my guys got arrested protecting him, so I would like to know what he knows before you take him out,” I state in my VP voice.
“He knows where the Cocaine Plus is hidden, and he was telling the cops that I took it. I cleared the streets of it, and they are pissed. Rafe here tailed a few of the unlucky few who thought they could play both sides. I was extinguishing them all when this one slipped through my fingers—trying to gain favor with the wrong side. That’s the information he had. He didn’t have any drugs because he hadn’t picked up a shipment from me in weeks. He knew I was cleaning house.” Artem explains, not looking up from his phone at all.“I am now back in control of the drugs here.”
“If he was on their side, why was Stephens kicking the shit out of him?” I ask, poking holes in his logic.
“Probably because he didn’t blow him properly. I don’t know, and I don’t care. He took my drugs, took their drugs, and sold the wrong kind. He isn’t loyal. I have no time for his kind.” Artem waves me off.
“There has to be some information that he can share. Maybe he knows where they are getting the drugs.” I am trying to save this guy, why I don’t know.
“Connard is the high point for the drugs. I doubt he will know anything more than that. You don’t know where I am getting the drugs and guns you move for me. You don’t need to know more than your highest point. He doesn’t need to know anyone higher than Connard. Hell, he might not even know that Connard is the highest point. He is nothing more than a liability.” Artem slams his phone down and levels me with a look of pure anger and frustration.“I am now the only one with cocaine in this town. I am now at the highest point.”
The car stops in front of Cowboy’s house, Rafe opens the door, and Artem gets out. I follow quickly behind him to church as Rafe takes the car and its victim away to god knows where. Once we get inside church, almost everyone is already there. The only one missing at this point is Gears, and I am sure it’s because he is attempting to bail Cougar out. Cowboy is in his spot, looking frustrated and like he would rather be anywhere else than here listening to Artem.
Artem stands behind Cowboy, hovering over him like he is in a place of authority, like he should have the respect of all of them just because he is who he is. I respect him as a businessman and a business partner, and some days I like to call him my friend, but right now, he is lording over my Prez, and I want to knock him down a few pegs.
Cowboy bangs the gavel, and the brothers settle and look at Artem like he isn’t in the place he should be. He knows he isn’t, Artem has been in church with us enough to know that this isn’t how it’s done, but I feel he doesn’t care today.
“I am going to say this once. The streets of Wyman are clear of Cocaine Plus. I have cut the supply in Denver thanks to some connections. I have the last of it from their stash. My guys have tested it, and there are two levels. One more pure than the other, and one was cut with arsenic. My guess is when they were ready to take what they wanted, they had the paper signed for the kids and gave them the stuff cut with arsenic. Now, that’s the information I have. Can we please run my shit now and forget about the other drugs? I have an empire to run. I don’t pay you all to solve mysteries like the Scooby-Doo gang.” Artem then turns and leaves the room, leaving us stunned.
I sit and listen as Cowboy calls everyone’s attention back to him. Artem, the fucking ass, dropped information to everyone that we weren’t ready to share. Cowboy is now in damage control, trying to make it seem like he didn’t know about the connection. He started ordering the guys to do their tasks. Willie needed to get another run ready and planned for Artem. Knuckles needed to scan his fishing spots for more information on the kids. He also needed to find out if they were looking for a way to bring in more drugs. There was a sigh of relief that the drugs were gone, which meant no more ODs. It also means no more missing kids for now.
Church carries on for another hour. We spitball ideas when Gears walks in without Cougar and shakes his head. Great. Now we have to worry about getting out guy back.
“Prez, Connard is losing his shit. It’s not just the drugs. I think there is something more going on.”
Fuck.
***
Unknown
“They know how the drugs and kids are connected.” I bark into the burner phone I have.
“What, how?” Connard screams back at me.“You said at the last meeting they thought the drugs and kids are separate. How can they now know they are connected? There hasn’t been an OD in months, and that bitch sure as shit didn’t die from any drugs.”
“I don’t know. The fucking Russian spilled that there was a connection, and now they are back to digging into it all.” I hear a noise and look around, making sure I’m alone.
