Page 17 of Falcon

“I’ll tell you what Calamity will: you’ve done damage between us,” I warned.

“Calamity already stated that. You’re telling me nothing I don’t know. But these questions need answers, and I do the same, no matter who you are,” Cates replied.

Deep down, I knew that was true, but it rankled. I nodded and took a seat, Ghost beside me.

“Always said we couldn’t trust cops,” Ghost declared, staring at the deputy at reception. The guy dropped his gaze, damn pussy.

“We’ll wait here for our Prez,” I announced to Cates, who agreed.

“Make yourself at home,” Cates replied.

“Plan to do exactly that,” I retorted and settled in. The deputy point-blank refused to look in our direction, making me snort. Christ, what a fuckin’ mess.

Chapter Four.

Falcon

Calamity was released about an hour after I arrived and hadn’t been charged. Luca told Calamity to keep his mouth shut and not speak to the cops without representation. He also claimed Cates was fishing, but he’d got the sense she was ticking boxes and wasn’t looking at us. It didn’t matter. The trust we’d been building had been shattered, and Cates would now have to bend over backwards to make shit right.

Still fuming, I glanced up as I caught sight of De Janeiro heading towards me. “Veep, I just heard.”

“Yeah. Prez hasn’t been charged.”

“Carter was involved with out-of-towners. Some men from Watertown. There was a sudden influx of drugs before the club moved here, and Carter was rumoured to be behind it. He began spending money he couldn’t have earned from the scrapyard,” De Janeiro said.

“What happened?” I asked, knowing there was more.

“Carter had free rein because it’s Ortonville and we don’t have gangs. Cates is shit hot on narcotics and arrested the dealers. Next thing we knew, Appleton, Dawson, Benson, Montevideo all had a different supplier. Drugs had been virtually shut down in those places, but around eight/nine months ago new pushers had popped up. And in Wilmar, rivals eliminated another. Suddenly, a completely new gang appeared, armed and ready to fight. Bodies dropped, but the police couldn’t prove anything,” De Janeiro said.

“They still in Wilmar?” I asked.

“Yes, there’s a gang running narcotics. Gossip says the cops can’t find the pipeline, but there’s allegedly been supply problems. Veep, I don’t have any specifics,” De Janeiro sounded apologetic.

Turning, I looked over the Peninsula. “Water. They’re using the lake to move the drugs. Safer than the road because the Coast Guard isn’t here and neither are the state troopers. We moved in and fucked their route.”

“Yeah. Quite likely. Which means one of the people fuckin’ with us could be a dealer,” De Janeiro replied.

“Why didn’t you mention this before?”

“I didn’t think it was relevant. It’s all rumours and fairy tales. But now Carter’s dead? You need to know.”

“Thanks, brother,” I said and headed towards the clubhouse. Calamity needed to hear this and then ask why the fuck Cates had questioned us first.

Rosie

Finally, I took an afternoon off. Klutz was covering me, and I was meeting Penny, Aurora-Victoria, Grace, and Oakley. We’d planned some girl time, lunch, and a browse through town. We headed to a local restaurant but stopped when Oakley paused in front of the Bath and Body Shop.

“I just need to grab some magnolia lotion, is that okay?” Oakley asked.

“Sure,” I replied.

“I’ll be five minutes,” Oakley said, and I laughed as the others chased after her. Oakley wouldn’t be that quick; more like at least half an hour. Lunch was going to be late.

I followed them in and picked up on the vibe at once. While they browsed the shelves, the woman at the counter—Jess, the owner—sent daggers our way. Jess’s eyes narrowed, and she was biting her lip. That was strange, considering we’d shopped in here a few times.

“Problem?” I confronted her, and Jess’s lip curled in a snarl.

“You’re banned,” Jess said and waved at a sign stating she had the right to refuse service.