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“You’ve got to stop being mean to everyone,” I remind her, having said this more than once in the time I’ve known her.
She simply shrugs, picks up the remote, and points it at the television.
Chapter 27
Oracle
“As many of you know,” Kincaid begins once everyone is in the conference room. “Several of us made a trip to Tennessee to meet up with Ace and discuss this new chapter I told you about.”
I feel like a complete tool when I realize this is going to be the topic of conversation. I know a new branch of Cerberus is a big deal, especially since the club is over thirty years old without having had one before.
This is history in the making, but since I have no plans whatsoever of being a part of a different chapter, I feel like my time could be better spent doing other things, like waiting outside the women’s shelter and counting down the minutes until I got to spend a little more time with my wife.
I do my best to pay attention because Kincaid deserves that level of respect from me.
“I promised to tell you more when I knew more, so that’s what this meeting has been called for.”
I fight the urge to roll my hand in front of me, instructing him to move a little faster because there’s this unfamiliar burn in my gut, telling me I need to get back to her right now.
“We haven’t settled on an exact location but East Tennessee or just over the border from there in North Carolina seems optimal. It gets us close enough to everything without putting us right in the middle of it,” he continues. “We’ve got our eyes on some properties that would work for us and also allow for expansion should we need it in the future. Shadow?”
Our club vice president steps forward. “I know I don’t have to remind you of the NDAs you’ve signed, but I’m going to anyway. This new branch, if it comes to fruition, will be operating more as a black-ops group. It will specialize in undercover reconnaissance more than anything else. As many of you know, this level of work is more dangerous than going into an area and taking care of business.”
Kincaid pulls in a deep breath. “I mentioned before that I don’t want to lose anyone from New Mexico, but we won’t stop anyone from leaving. As you also know, we’re a full disclosure team. That being said, most of you are here because you wanted to wear triple dog heads on your back. With the nature of this new branch, there will be no cuts. There will be no toy runs, no community recognition. It wouldn’t make you any less of a member, but I know that leather means a lot to many of you.”
“Anyone who wants to transition will do so with the full support of the club, including moving and living expenses, but it’s still going to take a couple months before we have anything concrete. As of right now, it’s a very big maybe as far as going forward with these plans,” Shadow explains.
“I know we’re standing up here saying we want to keep all of you, but it’s okay if you go. I would urge anyone thinking of taking that different path who has a family, especially children, to think twice. There is no border patrol or customs keeping people from gaining access to you, and although that’s not always enough to keep people from coming to us, it’s a huge deterrent for a lot of criminals.” Kincaid looks directly at Hound after speaking, and it makes me wonder if there has been some bad blood between the two men that I’ve been too distracted to notice.
“I’ll reiterate that it’s more infiltration, more pretending to be men different from who you actually are,” Shadow adds. “It’s lies and double, sometimes triple, lives. It’s not for the faint of heart.”
“We’ll have Ace and his right-hand, Special Agent Ross, come and give a presentation and go over some details of cases they’ve worked in the past and the expectations they’ll have.”
“Is it working for Cerberus or the government?” Hound asks.
Kincaid’s jaw flexes, tightening for a long moment before he answers.
“It’s technically Cerberus but with the blessing from the government,” Kincaid answers.
“How exactly does that work? We do work for them and you pay us?”
Even I can hear the challenge in the man’s voice with the question as a low murmur of chatter flows like a hurricane wind throughout the room.
“ICE will be consulting with Cerberus. That’s a task we,” Kincaid says, rolling his arm to indicate all the original members, “will handle. We go through the cases and determine which ones we can work, and then we give the person from that chapter the information so they can get to it. Some cases they’ve done can be handled in a day, some have taken Ace months before he’s managed a resolution.”
