ASHES & PAIN
Chapter 18
HISS
Amber blinked.
“Come on in, what happened?”
“I went back to Corpus. I found the Bosnians.”
Amber’s expression changed immediately.
“Oh my god, really?”
“Yeah. I got a lock on them, so now I just gotta get closer. I need to talk to Arianna.”
“Kait, holy shit. Are you sure you wanna do that?”
“Fuck yeah. They’re still operating. They’re still making money… They’re still breathing while Dulce is rotting in a fucking box somewhere.”
Amber looked away.
“You really ain’t gonna let this go, are you?”
Kait didn’t hesitate.
“No.”
Amber looked at her for another moment.
Then nodded.
“…Alright. I’ll call Arianna.”
Kait nodded.
“I’m gonna need to borrow some clothes too.”
later
Don leaned back in his chair as Kait stepped into the office.
“I’ve got eyes on Vargas.”
He nodded once.
“I figured it wouldn’t take you long.”
“I can get it done tomorrow.”
Kait took a deep breath.
“I also spotted the Bosnians.”
“Good.”
“I should be able to handle that quickly as well.”
“Anything you need for that?”
Kait didn’t hesitate.
“I want Klik, Kloud…”
He nodded once.
“…and Sludge.”
That made him raise an eyebrow.
“The prospect?” Don leaned back. “You planning on turning this into a field exercise?”
“Gotta see what they’re made of.”
Don looked toward the window before speaking again.
“Take them.”
Kait stood.
“Great, thanks.”
“No fucking way, Kait. You’re not doing this shit.”
Kait stuffed another pair of socks into her backpack without looking up.
“I didn’t tell you to get your permission, Kolton.”
She tossed in a toothbrush.
“I told you because you asked. Besides, it’s all in motion already.”
“So that’s it? You’re gonna walk into a strip club run by traffickers and hope they traffic you?”
“That’s the idea.”
“Jesus Christ.”
“It’ll be fine. I got Kloud, Klik, and Sludge watching my back.”
“Two hatchlings and a prospect.”
She finally looked at him.
“Don already signed off on it.”
“I’m coming too then.”
Kait turned to grab her hairbrush and shut her eyes.
“No.”
“Baby, they’re traffickers.”
“Yes, I know this.”
“And you’re gonna let them think you’re for sale?”
“I’m gonna do what I gotta do. And you’re not coming.”
“The fuck I ain’t.”
“I gotta do the Vargas thing first and you have a run to Las Cruces anyway.”
“Not anymore. Don switched me to Huntsville.”
Kait paused, just for a beat.
“Huntsville. Why?”
“Mondragón sent a shipment. Don wants to split it with Lane.”
She zipped the backpack shut.
“Then you’ve got your orders.”
“Anybody can deliver guns.”
“Apparently not.”
“Kait—”
“No.”
She slung the backpack over her shoulder.
“I’ve got this all planned and you’re not part of it.”
“Planned?”
He let out a dry laugh.
“You know how to infiltrate a sex trafficking ring?”
Her jaw tightened.
“I’ll handle it.”
“As your Vice President, I can order you to stand down.”
She blinked.
“You wouldn’t.”
“Try me.”
“Kolton, what the fuck?”
“It’s too dangerous. I don’t want you to end up like Dulce.”
“I’m doing this so no one else does.”
Kolton held her gaze.
His voice softened.
“I don’t like it.”
She sighed.
“Stop underestimating me. We already talked about this.”
He stepped closer and hugged her from behind.
“I’m not underestimating you. I just love you, baby. You really blame me for trying to keep you safe?”
Her expression softened.
“I am safe, Kolt. It’ll be okay.”
She leaned up and kissed him.
“Go to Huntsville.”
When they pulled apart, she smiled.
“I’ve got this.”
She headed for the door.
“Please be careful. Don’t get shipped off to fucking Russia or something.”
She laughed.
“Not a chance. I hate Russia.”
He frowned.
“…You’ve been to Russia?”
She opened the door.
“I’ll see you in a couple days.”
Kait pulled the Kriger into the Nest’s garage a little after two in the morning.
The clubhouse was mostly dark.
Only the garage lights were on.
Klik sat on an overturned bucket, nursing a Styrofoam cup of coffee. Kloud leaned against the wall, arms crossed. Sludge stood beside the club van with a duffel bag hanging from one shoulder.
Kait killed the engine and swung off the bike.
“You boys ready?”
Three nods.
She looked at the three of them.
“Listen up.”
The joking disappeared immediately.
“This is a contract.”
Nobody spoke.
“In and out.”
She looked from one face to the next.
“We’re leaving exactly the same way we arrive.”
She pointed at Kloud.
“You’re with me.”
Then at Klik.
“You watch our six.”
Finally Sludge.
“You stay with the van.”
The prospect blinked.
“…The whole time?”
“The whole time.”
“What if something happens?”
“If something happens…”
She tossed him the keys.
“…It’s up to you to get us the fuck out in one piece.”
Sludge nodded.
She looked at them again.
“Any other questions?”
“No, ma’am.”
“Good.”
She walked toward the van.
“Let’s go.”
port of corpus christi
Kait climbed out of the van and adjusted the borrowed work jacket over her kutte.
She looked at Klik.
“Alright, Klik, stay with Sludge.”
Klik nodded once.
Then she looked at Kloud.
“Come on, Kloud.”
He fell in beside her without a word.
The two of them crossed the access road and slipped between rows of stacked shipping containers.
Forklifts whined somewhere in the distance.
Diesel engines rumbled across the port.
Otherwise…
Quiet.
Kait stopped at the corner of a blue container and looked around it.
“There.”
Kloud followed her gaze.
Emilio Vargas stood alone, clipboard tucked beneath one arm as he inspected a line of containers.
Nobody else within fifty yards.
Exactly like yesterday.
Exactly like the day before.
Kait reached beneath her jacket and drew a pistol.
She screwed on a suppressor and held it out.
Kloud frowned.
“…What?”
“You wanted this job.”
His eyes dropped to the pistol.
Then back to Vargas.
“I…”
He didn’t move.
Kait kept her hand out.
“You volunteered.”
After a long moment, he took it.
It suddenly felt heavier than he expected.
“Get your Fang flasher.”
Kloud swallowed.
“I…”
He couldn’t finish the sentence.
“Easier said than done, isn’t it?”
She checked Vargas location again.
Her boots crunched softly against the gravel.
Vargas heard them.
He turned.
His brow furrowed.
“Emilio Vargas?”
“…Sí y usted… ¿Quién es?”
She held his eyes.
¨Don Nestor Mondragón sent me.”
Emilio Vargas puts his hands up immediately. “No!”
Then she let out a slow, quiet hiss.
Pop-Pop. Pop.
Two in his chest, one in the head.
He stumbled backward against the container.
Vargas collapsed at her feet.
She crouched and signaled for Kloud to come over.
“Get his wallet.”
Kloud moved quickly and grabbed his wallet from his back pocket.
Kait took his watch, ring and gold necklace.
“So it looks like a mugging?”
“Yeah. But also for proof. We´ll send theses to Mondragón.”
Kloud stood up and could only stare at the blood pooling under Emilio Vargas.
She placed two fingers against his neck.
Nothing.
Kait looked up at him.
“That’s why Don didn’t let you do it. You’re not ready yet. Let’s go.”
Kloud nodded and followed silently.
They didn’t speak until they reached the van.
Klik looked between them.
“Done?”
Kait opened the passenger door.
“Done.”
Nobody asked anything else.
The van pulled away from the port back to the Nest.
huntsville
The black Chevy pickup rolled through the gates of the Huntsville charter just after noon, the enclosed trailer rattling behind it.
Kolton glanced around as he parked beside the warehouse.
He had taken two new prospects, Ram’s prospects.
One was a little skinny Mexican kid, the other, a chubby farm boy.
Their real names didn’t matter right now.
Neither prospect said much.
Their job was simple.
Observe.
Across the yard, Huntsville moved with purpose.
Two prospects hauled lumber toward the back of the property where an expansion was taking shape.
Another swept the garage without anyone telling him to.
Near the service bays, Hunter and Jackknife wrestled a motorcycle onto a lift while Koa watched from across the shop, arms folded, correcting them only when they actually screwed something up.
Trace emerged from the armory carrying a crate of ammunition toward the range behind the warehouse.
Nobody stood around.
Nobody looked bored.
Everybody had something to do.
Kolton shut the truck off.
“Damn.”
The warehouse door slid open.
Lane stepped out, wiping his hands on a rag.
The President patch on his cut still looked strange to Kolton.
Not because it didn’t fit.
Because somehow…
It seemed like it had been there for years.
“Made good time.”
Kolton met him halfway and they clasped forearms.
“Gotta get your boys the good hardware.”
Lane glanced toward the trailer.
“What you got?”
“Twelve Glocks.”
Kolton slapped the side of the trailer.
“And six ARs.”
Diablo appeared behind Lane.
“Nice.”
Kolton smirked.
He opened the tailgate door.
Lane climbed up while Diablo pried the first crate apart.
Fresh packing grease filled the air.
Diablo picked up one of the pistols.
“Glock nineteen?”
He racked the slide.
“Gen threes.”
Lane curved his lips. “No shit? These just came out.”
Kolton shrugged. “Fuck if I know.”
Lane opened another crate and lifted out one of the rifles.
He checked the chamber before shouldering it.
“Sixteen-inch barrel.”
“Fucking jarheads,” Kolton said.
Diablo scoffed.
“You wouldn’t understand, VP.”
Kolton dismissed it with a shrug.
Lane looked through the iron sights for a second before lowering it.
“We’ll need optics. Red dots.”
Kolton nodded.
“I’m sure Mondragon can get whatever we want.”
Lane handed the rifle to Diablo.
“If we’re going to issue these, I want Aimpoints on every one of them.”
Diablo nodded as he inspected the bolt.
“I’ll make a list.”
Lane turned.
“Hunter.”
The young former Marine looked over immediately.
“Jackknife.”
The trucker set his wrench down.
“Start moving everything into the armory.”
Both men nodded.
No questions.
No hesitation.
They simply got to work.
Kolton watched them for a moment.
“Armory?”
Lane shrugged.
“Fuck yeah. We got a range in the back too. A gym…”
The prospects exchanged a glance but stayed quiet.
Lane looked at the two prospects.
“They yours?”
Kolton shook his head. “Nah. They’re Ram’s. This is Ren…”
The skinny Mexican raised a hand.
“… and Stimpy.”
The big prospect nodded once.
Lane smirked.
“Clever…Alright, come on.”
He tossed the rag onto a workbench.
“Let’s try them out.”
The rest of the afternoon disappeared beneath the crack of gunfire from the range behind the warehouse. By the time the last magazine hit the dirt, Melanie was standing on the back porch letting them all know dinner was ready.
Inside, the long dining table was already set.
Alejandra carried out another platter while Melanie disappeared back into the kitchen.
Dinner was smothered pork chops with rice and green beans.
Nothing fancy.
Just enough to feed everyone.
Members filled the benches, talking over one another as plates started making their way around the table.
Melanie emerged carrying another plate.
Without asking, she stopped beside Lane.
“I made yours separate.”
She set it in front of him before resting a hand on his shoulder.
“You need anything else?”
Lane looked up briefly.
“I’m good.”
“More tea?”
“No.”
“Okay.”
She smiled anyway.
“Okay, enjoy. I’ll be in the kitchen.”
Kolton watched Melanie disappear back into the kitchen.
The conversation stayed on the clubhouse. Expansion plans. Supply orders. Building materials. Budgets. Before long, Lane and Konway were throwing around measurements and numbers Kolton couldn’t keep up with.
When the last plates were empty, Lane wiped his mouth with a napkin and stood.
“Koa.”
“Yeah?”
“Make sure everything gets locked up.”
“You got it.”
Lane looked at Kolton.
“Come on.”
Kolton pushed his chair back.
“Where we going?”
“Chapel.”
His tone turned more serious.
“Let’s talk club shit.”
Diablo stood as well.
“I’ll join you.”
Lane nodded once.
The three men stepped out onto the porch while the rest of the charter remained behind, the sounds of laughter and dishes fading as they crossed the yard toward the illuminated shed.
The chapel had also been upgraded. New black table, new matching chairs.
Lane poured some whiskey into three glasses before sliding one toward Kolton and another toward Diablo.
Nobody spoke for a minute.
The old wooden beams creaked overhead.
Lane leaned back in his chair.
“How’s probation going?”
Kolton snorted.
“I got another year. My PO says he could discharge me sooner.”
“Still checking in every month?”
“Yeah, but at least I’m done with the stupid classes.”
Lane nodded.
“They still drug testing?”
“Yeah, they just pop in sometimes, so fucking annoying.”
“How you managing that?”
“I’ve stayed clean believe it or not.”
Lane looked at him over the rim of his glass.
“Good.”
Kolton smiled faintly.
“Yeah, I’m fuckin’ doing the thing, man.”
“’Bout damn time. How’s Kyle?”
“He’s great.”
“Y’all at the house?”
Kolton smiled.
“Yeah. Kait actually moved in. Finally. Having her around helps a lot. He’s been sleeping through the night since she started reading to him.”
Diablo glanced at Lane. Lane just nodded.
“It’s been great, man.”
“That’s cool, man.”
“How’s Toast doing?” Diablo chimed in noticing Lane’s face.
Kolton chuckled.
“She’s just doing her thing. King has her on assignment right now, actually. Mondragon order a hit on some guy in Corpus.”
“Damn, we haven’t gotten those in a long time.”
“Yeah… Oh, and remember that whole thing with Dulce?”
Lane nodded once.
“Yeah, I was there when King shut her down on that.”
“Well, she’s on it again.”
Lane frowned.
“I thought he told her to leave it alone.”
“He gave her the green light since the Mondragon hit was at the Corpus port.”
Kolton took another drink.
Lane’s expression hardened.
“She’s going after the traffickers?”
“Yeah. And she’s going undercover.”
That got Diablo’s attention.
“The hell she is.”
Kolton nodded.
“She found the strip club they’re recruiting out of.”
“And King approved it?”
“Well, he approved of going after them. How she does it, is up to her.”
Lane frowned.
“She’s infiltrating a trafficking ring alone?”
“He gave her Klik, Kloud and Sludge.”
Lane scoffed.
“Two Hatchlings and a prospect?”
“Thank you, that’s what I said too… But you know how stubborn she can be.”
Diablo smirked. “Yep.”
“She’s already in Corpus by now, anyway.”
Lane stared into his whiskey.
“…Hope she knows what she’s doing.”
Kolton smiled faintly.
“She’s probably already got three different ways out planned.”
Diablo nodded.
“That’s Toast for ya.”
CORPUS CHRISTI
The black Mustang eased into the Paradise Club parking lot just after ten.
The neon sign bathed the pavement in shades of crimson and blue.
Sunshine killed the engine.
“You ready?”
Kait looked at herself one last time in the visor mirror.
“Been ready for months.”
