AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The Meeting
THUNDER
“Shake it off, man! Best thing you can do for her is concentrate on keeping her safe,” Saint tells me as he hands me a gun from the rack we have concealed in the back panel walls, hidden behind the bookshelves.
I know he’s right and pull myself together. I grip the weapon and take my place next to Guard and Orion. Normally, I’d be posted out of sight, but they’ve come for Rose, and that puts me at the front of the line.
A black Lincoln Continental comes rolling up to the iron gate of the compound. The electric fence runs along the entire perimeter of our property. We’ve even added a few traps along the way that Wildcard has activated. He’s sitting at the security camera watching every move and ready to initiate action if necessary.
The driver opens his door and comes around to the passenger side. An older man emerges from the car, white hair with receding hairline and a potbelly, dressed in a dark blue, exceptionally well-tailored suit. He takes a step forward, flanked by two of his men.
It hasn’t gone unnoticed that several other cars have followed and are parked close by. He stops two feet before reaching the gate and raises his hands, indicating he’s not armed. Men like this have a gun hidden on them at all times, and his men are packing for sure.
Guard doesn’t drop his rifle, but rests it on his shoulder and steps forward. I’m one step behind him. With Ghost on the roof, he’ll pick off anyone who tries to go for their gun. Risk and Saint are focused on the entourage.
“Well, gentlemen, it seems we have a situation,” the older man says. Guard cocks his head to one side, his gaze piercing the man, but he remains silent. “My name is Aldo Capaldi. And you have something that belong to me.”
“Never seen you before. Never done business with you, so I can’t see how I have anything that belongs to you,” Guard states.
“You have Rose Mariner under your roof.” He nonchalantly flicks a hand at the building, his tone demeaning. Insinuating our home is not up to his standards. The pompous ass thinks we give a shit about his opinion.
“Rose is Thunder’s woman. We don’t sell women. We don’t sell drugs, and we don’t kill without reason. But give us cause and we’ll burn you to the ground,” Guard says menacingly, obviously taking exception to Aldo’s derogatory comment.
“You can keep the girl. I have no use for her. I just want what’s rightfully mine,” Aldo replies.
“This is where we have a problem, because we have no idea what you’re talking about,” Guard says.
“Harvey stole from me. He died because of it. Unfortunately, he gave a very valuable gift to one of his whores. He didn’t realize its value, or the rodent would never have given it away.”
“And you think Rose has it?” I ask. “She’s up to her ears in bank loans from starting her flower shop. If she had anything of value, she would have sold it.”
“Her sister, Clarissa. I’m sure you remember her,” he says snidely, “was seen with it. She’s dead, but someone has my property. Clarissa had a fondness for her sister. I think she might have sent it to Rose. I only want what’s rightfully mine.” The way he talks, he knows about Clarissa’s past. He knows she and I were a thing at one time.
“Rose and her sister weren’t close. She didn’t see Clarissa after she left their family and only found out about her death through the cops. No way does she have what you’re looking for,” I say.
“She has it. Various possessions were sent to her family. One of Harvey’s girls saw him give it to her. It took her a while to tell me the truth, but she finally did.” He pauses, then lowers his voice and in a sinister tone adds, “Right before she died.”
He’s talking about Cora. He beat the fuck out of the girl for information, then killed her when she had nothing more to tell. All this just to find out about this mysterious and valuable present that Rose may or may not have in her possession.
“You’re talking in riddles. Either tell us what you’re looking for and we’ll see if Rose has it and have it returned to you, or this meeting is over,” Guard pushes, taking a step forward.
The goon next to him reaches for his gun and aims the revolver at Guard. Suddenly, the whiz of a bullet hits the guy in the shoulder, forcing him to drop the gun.
“You shot my man!” Aldo exclaims angrily. “This was supposed to be a peaceful meeting.” He glares at Guard, trying to intimidate him. That’s useless on his part.
“Peaceful? Your idiot pointed a gun in my face, and you think my boys are going to let you play that way?” Guard growls. I can see his jaw clench. “Hear me and hear me good. Any other of your men get the idea to pull out a gun, it won’t be a warning shot they get. It’ll be a bullet through the heart.” He gives Aldo a second to let that sink in. “And if you want something back that you think is yours, you gotta come clean with what you’re looking for. No doubt in my mind that Rose has no clue. You’re talking in circles and saying absolutely nothing that’s getting either of us any closer to finishing this.”
“A key. It’s a fucking key,” Aldo grinds out in frustration. It’s killing him to have to divulge more than he’s ready for.
“A key isn’t a gift you give a girl. Why the hell would Clarissa even think it meant anything?” I ask.
“It’s gold and fits a special safe. The only way in is with that key. I was told she had it on a chain, hanging around her neck,” Aldo finally tells us. He’s pissed he’s had to tell us anything at all and is still leery, choosing his words carefully. Special safe? What the hell is that? Where is it? What the hell does this key look like? I have a feeling any questions I ask are going to be answered as vaguely as possible.
“We’ll look for it. If we find it, it’s yours,” Guard declares. At this point, I couldn’t give a shit what the key opens, as long as they leave Rose and her family alone.
“When you find it,” Aldo insists, “either you hand over the key and I get what I’m looking for, or I come for your girl.” He looks directly at me. I clench my fists, dying to reach between the iron bars of the fence and wrap my hands around his neck to squeeze the life out of him.
“Don’t threaten Satan’s Pride,” Guard warns, his steely gaze locking Aldo in place. “No one touches Rose or any of the Pride. Do not make the mistake of underestimating our abilities. I’m going to allow this one verbal slipup to slide, but the next time, I’ll cut your tongue out of your head and hand it to the idiot next to you.”
