MC: LaPonte (17 page)

She makes me smile. “Good,
busy but good. How about you?”

“I have a new client going
in a house in about thirty minutes. I just finished a class for the
city PD.”

“Sounds like you’ve been
busy too. Hope my boy’s been treating you right. Want to do take
out tonight?”

“She’s been a perfect
angel all day. We could go to the diner?” She asks. I can hear her
smile.

“I like that better. Love
you baby.”

“Love you too.”

I go back in the Bakery as
Ben is walking out of the back, perfect timing. “Brother, thanks
for meeting me here.” He sits down. Peg brings two coffees taking
my old one. "We're looking for two officers. One to fill Dave's
seat and the new position. Brothers voted on adding the new
position while you took your week. We asked for names and yours is
number one. Jared is number two and Rob is three. Jared doesn't
want it. Leaves you and Rob." He waits for my reaction. I'm stunned
but I keep my face blank. Brothers gave my name? After the shit I
pulled. Fuck. "The positions are straight officers, not designated.
With the way things are growing we need the help. You've already
stepped into the position, handling shit before it even gets to me.
Taking meetings with the PD, even the asswipe from today. They
tagged you as the 'boy scout', it works in our favor. You pay
attention to what's going on and move people where they need to be.
The younger Brothers look up to you. Are you willing to make it
official?"

"I'm surprised Brothers
would give my name. I'm honored to even be asked. How much time
will I need to dedicate to being an officer?" My first concern is
Kate being pregnant.

"You are the first person
to ask that question. We have officer's church, a closed meeting,
usually thirty minutes before church. If something is going on,
you'll be expected to be at the club for planning and execution.
You work for the club so we can meet like this during the day. It
doesn't have to interfere with your daily home life. We have kids
of our own; we work it out so we get to see them grow. We wouldn't
expect anything different from anyone else."

I wonder about the ‘boy
scout,’ the club officers should know the shit I did with Axe.
Maybe with Steve and Casper they don’t need me in Security. If the
Club needs me I should stop with the fuckin Security and stand
where I’m needed. "Ok, I'm in. What do I need to do?"

He laughs. "Brother, I see
your brain working. You will be an asset to our team. See HR
sometime this week. Casper will take you through the back rooms at
security tomorrow. He'll show you the surveillance feeds so you
know where it is safe to talk club business. I'll have Tiny get
Prospects to move your room upstairs at the clubhouse. We have a
crib, I'll have them set it up, you should leave it there until the
baby is in a regular bed. We never know when it will be needed and
there is no time to be building shit when we're locked down. I can
get Geek to send you the bylaws via email if that works for you.
Tiny says the computer is easier than trying to read a book. The
other officers will meet up with you for lunch or for a beer.
They'll tell you what they do and how they do it. You'll hear some
things you may not want to know but you need to be aware of. That
information doesn't get shared with the Brothers. We will keep you
in clean. We have very little dirty going on anymore, you'll be
aware of it but not participate in it. HR will explain the parking,
insurance, keys, pay, benefits and security card to you. I don't
even know all the shit they'll talk to you about. Jess has all
kinds of shit going on over there." He stops and looks at me. "Do
you have any questions?"

I hold my face and laugh.
"Pres you just listed like twenty five different things so fast my
fuckin head is spinning. What I did get is, I see HR, officers will
meet up with me this week, Casper will take me through the back of
security tomorrow, I'm staying clean but will have knowledge of
all, Geek is going to email me bylaws. Easy is, keeping my mouth
shut and moving rooms. I think I got it all. If I have questions
I'll read the bylaws then ask."

"Thank fuck! All that shit
makes my head spin too. I got Jess to do the HR shit for me." He
stands so I do too.

"Jess has been taking care
of my money since she finished school. I'm not going to stress
about all that."

He nods, "I have to meet
with Keith in ten minutes. Once the dust settles we'll meet. I'm
glad to have you with us Danny." He slaps my back, lifts his chin
and walks out.

I sit back down and finish
my coffee thinking about all he said. Holy shit, I can't believe I
just became an officer. It feels good being accepted by the
Brothers. Why the fuck are they so concerned about me being clean
though? Maybe that’s just where they need me. Fuck! I didn't talk
to Kate about it. This isn't something I need help with. I don't
know the rules here. I pay Peg asking if Jess is still in. She
sends me back.

I look in her office,
"Jess, you got a minute?" She looks up.

"Always for my favorite
brother." She smiles. I go around and kiss her cheek.

"I have two things I need
help with. The first, I just agreed to be an officer then I thought
maybe I should have talked to Kate. I never had anyone that it
mattered what I do except Rich. Was I supposed to talk to
her?"

She laughs, "Kate knows
this is new to you. She'll forgive just about anything while you're
learning. I'm not sure you needed to talk to her about being an
officer though. If you tell her you were unsure what to do about
it, she'll be able to answer, so you’ll know the next time. What's
the other thing?"

"You're too much, I like
that it's easy with you. Kate is like that too. You're right, I'll
just ask. The other is at HR. Officers get other benefits. I don't
know what they are yet, but you always take care of that stuff for
me. Do you have time this week to deal with that?" I hate asking
her.

She smiles, "I'll take
care of it. I have a meeting there on Wednesday; I'll get it
straight and put it in folders. Come see me on Thursday, I'm making
malasadas. You can pick up your folders and get a couple for you
and Kate."

"Love you Jess, thanks.
I'm working on the shed Saturday with Little Ben. I got him and
Jessie new tool belts and knee pads. They'll fit them better than
the old ones. You think it'd be ok if I asked them to give the old
ones to Natalie's boys? They've taken good care of them; the belts
are just too small."

She laughs, "It’d be
perfect. They gave up a bike each for the boys. They want them to
fit in and be happy."

"Fuckin unbelievable.
Those two always amaze me. Did Kate tell you about the
patches?"

Nodding her head, "Yeah,
they are too cute."

"Rich was standing there
with his mouth open. Said they were little men, they were
unfuckinbelievable. You know, they never were scared of my scar or
patch. I didn't know why until they explained about scars making
people stronger." I smile remembering their little hands on my
face.

I see her tears and hug
her, "Steve will be pissed I made you cry. He never found the damn
book." She laughs. I kiss her cheek and tell her I'll see her
Thursday.

Chapter Twenty
Two

I'm just leaving Security
and have a shit ton of information floating around in my head.
Every fuckin main road is covered by surveillance. They don't
monitor them all the time but have them on one month loops in case
they need to go back for information. Every building that the MC
owns is surrounded by cameras. After what happened to Jess a couple
years back they added cameras to get the sides and backs of
buildings. A few of the MC buildings are completely covered with
audio and video. I even recognized the Police stations' detectives’
room on one feed, Digs didn't comment on it so I kept my mouth
shut. All I can think is how the fuck did they pay for all the
equipment and get it into the fuckin Police station? I drive out of
town and head over to the Dunkin in the next town with everything
still playing in my head.

Casper showed me the
Security Company’s client surveillance stations that they monitor.
I didn't realize they installed so many systems all over the fuckin
place besides supplying security details for some big time clients.
He told me Steve would go into more detail about the clients that
are on and off the books. They are actually a big fuckin company
that employ people outside the club as well as the Brothers. I was
so fuckin busy playing pussy I had no idea what Steve and Casper
had built up. At least now I know to keep my mouth shut every
fuckin where. Aside from dorm rooms, offices and meeting rooms at
the club, basically nowhere is safe. They have a blanket around
town. I realized they watch the common room at the club and the
bars with some embarrassment. No wonder the fuckin Brothers were
pissed at me. After seeing everything, I see how they’re always so
organized. It’s nothing like the security I did with
Axe.

I pull into the Dunkin,
Steve is meeting up with me away from town. I see him across the
lot at a picnic table. He has two coffees sitting in front of him.
He throws chin as I approach. I throw it back and sit nodding
thanks when he pushes a coffee in front of me. I'm not at all
surprised he knows how I take it.

"Security and salvage are
the only two places that still run dirty. Salvage takes cars, pulls
the Vin's and crushes without a trace. If they have time they strip
what they can." He nods like that's the end for that department so
I nod back. In the back of my mind I'm thinking it's not the end of
that story or that simple but I keep it to myself not really
feeling like I need details.

"Security is runnin for
bosses between Providence and Boston. Runnin protection for trucks
or high profile people that belong to higher families from New York
and Chicago." I nod. I never thought they stopped illegal runs and
it was confirmed with the shootout at the shipyard. "No drugs pass
through us. We have a couple Brothers dealin out on the Bay but
nothin around or in our yard."

"How does that sit with
you?" I hope he says it doesn't.

He looks at me for a
minute. "Not well. Can't tell Brothers how to live or how to make
money. Not my call. Our yard is clean. Every fuckin week we're
drivin some asswipe out with them thinkin it's a virgin yard they
can deal in. That jobs never done. It's not a job that is done by
legal means. Some are put down as a message. Some we hand off to
PD." I nod.

"Protection runs can't be
sure what we're protectin, we're workin for fuckin criminals. We
don't inspect every container, at a guess, bosses lied at least
twice over four years. They knew we found out, we have ways of
trackin and video of the movements. Ben thinks it stopped, not
fuckin sure myself." I nod again, bosses don't play around and
aren't intimidated by an MC.

"Do other jobs alone.
Those jobs we don't talk about, high dollar cash transactions.
Nothin to trace and no trace left behind." It hits me, Harris said
an assassin.

"Harris knows about
them?"

"Speculates. Have bikes,
boats, vehicles and gear not traceable. Can't get a lock on my
movements. Would have video to back me up anyways. He's tryin
though." He smiles not at all worried. All kinds of shit falls into
place. People dead behind security, the Ducati, gang members
missing. That's the kind of security Axe taught me.

"Military Security goes
through BUDS like training. Have a few that are good. Jobs we take
are handed from Baxter. They keep pretty high profile. We don't
have to. Guys are trained to do special ops like missions not
condoned by the government. They sometimes contract us through
channels. These jobs are not talked about. So we're clear, no job
that I work on is talked about." His eyes bore into me. I nod. Dave
told me to forget I saw the Ducati. Fuck, I want to forget this
whole fuckin conversation. I would never fit in with the Security
Brothers.

"How did you get into all
this?"

"MC took me and Ben when
we were seventeen as Prospects. Groomed us to be soldiers, me
physically Ben mentally. Sent us off to get trained by the best.
Got back and we worked the family business until the old Pres died.
Ben started fighting to get clean. No honor in what the fuckin
drugs were doin to our Brothers and their families. The drug wars
tore the club apart. Less Brothers meant a bigger cut. Had some
Brothers get greedy and turn, that's when Ben started cleaning it
up. That's where all the money came from to build clean here.
Brothers couldn't spend the money that they got off their own
fuckin Brothers deaths until we moved here." My head is
spinning.

"Rich Prospected early, is
he coming back to be a soldier?" I already know the answer and I'm
fuckin pissed.

"Yes." He doesn't take his
eyes off me. I take a deep breath. "Was his decision." He says with
hardness in his voice.

"He left at eighteen; he
wasn't old enough to make that decision as a Prospect." I throw at
him.

"What do you think he's
doin over there? He's bein trained to do everythin, they have him
in classes on his down time to learn every-fuckin-thing so he can
be an assassin for the US government. You're so fuckin proud of him
for fightin for his country but not for him fightin for his family,
community or the Brotherhood?"