Page 77 of Loving the Enemy
Chapter 31
Michael
It’s been a long day. This morning, Manuel contacted me to inform me the plane landed in Mexico. Sainte and his men have been taken to their target, and that was the last I heard from anyone. I have spent the rest of the day and well into tonight waiting for word. Sainte knows he needs to make contact as soon as he can. I’m not worried he won’t but more worried he can’t. He’s never failed on a mission, but there is a first time for everything.
I walk to the bar in my office and turn toward Alex and Ricco. “This waiting is fucking nerve-racking.” I pour myself another drink. “You boys want another one?”
They both nod. It’s well after midnight, and Zaira has long since gone to bed.Why can’t I just fucking go to bed with my wife just one night?Though, I quickly remind myself,When this shit is all over, and Romeo is six feet under. That’s when.
My phone rings, and when I look at the caller ID, I see it’s Sainte. I answer. “Thank fuck you’re safe,” I say into the phone. He laughs.
“Did you doubt me?”
I’m not in the mood for his teasing right now. “No, but I’ve been worried sick.”
“Okay, first, we’re all fine. We got the ladies and the money.” He exhales audibly. “But before I give you all the details, I need to tell you Zach and Jake didn’t take point on this mission like you wanted.”
“What the fuck, Sainte? You went in alone?”
“No, I didn’t fucking go in alone. Damn, Mikey, have a little faith. Ice and his boys went with me.”
“That’s not what we agreed on, Sainte.”
“I know, and I told them you would have my ass if you found out, but all went well. Romeo is still alive, and we got what we wanted. No harm, no foul.”
“Nobody got hurt?”
“Nobody—well, except for the ladies,” he says.
“What happened?”
“Apparently Romeo uses them both as punching bags when he wants to blow off steam. They didn’t resist at all and went with us gladly. I guess even the unknown is better than what they have been living in. You should see them. They are badly beaten, Mikey. I swear, if Romeo had been around, I would have killed him myself.”
“Oh, fuck. Where are you taking them?”
“We just landed in Erie. We’re gonna take them to the clubhouse and have the club doc look them over. If he thinks they need more care, we’ll get them fixed up. Once they are on the mend, I send them wherever you want. Until then, they will remain under the protection of the MC if that works for you.”
“Can the MC protect them?”
“Honestly, I think the MC is the best place for them. If Romeo starts looking for them, the first place he will go is to you. He has no idea of your association with the Knights, and I doubt he would be able to even find the connection.”
“Yeah, you got a point. Ask Ice if they can stay with him for a while.”
He’s quiet for a minute, but I can hear him talking in the background. When he gets back on the line, he says, “Yeah, no problem. We got them.”
“How much money did you get?”
“We haven’t counted it, but Ice is guessing close to two mil.”
“Holy shit. You and the MC split one million and give the rest to the ladies so they can get on their feet. I’ll cover the cost of passports and new IDs. Just make the arrangements. We’re giving them a whole new life.”
“You got it.”
“Another job well done, Sainte,” I say into the phone. “I’m sure as hell gonna miss you around here.”
“I know, Mikey, but you know you can always count on me and the MC if you need us for anything. We’re just a short ride away.”
I have to ask him. “Are you sure this is what you want?”
