Total pages in book: 145
Estimated words: 133975 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 670(@200wpm)___ 536(@250wpm)___ 447(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 133975 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 670(@200wpm)___ 536(@250wpm)___ 447(@300wpm)
Warren shifted back in his chair, anger sliding over his face. “They put the two of them in a coffin while they were still alive and took them up the mountain to one of the caves. I recognized the entrance. Just inside a few feet, it opens up to a large chamber. Behind the chamber are tunnels. The video shows they brought out eight women, all looking the worse for wear, to watch them rape and torture Joe and his daughter, Myra. The Russian bastards never changed expression when they were showing their work to us.”
Keys alerted, as did the other members of Torpedo Ink, when the Headed for Hell club members talked about the Russians with Varga. That was all too familiar to them, especially when it came to kidnapping and torture. And the coffin…He’d been in that coffin. He didn’t remind Sid and Warren of that particular detail, but Czar did.
“We know about the coffin and videos of gang rape firsthand,” the president of Torpedo Ink said, no accusation in his voice, but Keys knew Sid felt it.
“How the hell did you manage to get out of that death trap?” Warren asked. “I studied the video they left us, and Joe and Myra didn’t have a chance. They were cuffed and they’d both been hit on the head.”
“Same MO,” Keys said. “Difference is, I’m good with locks.”
“Do you have a description of the Russians?” Czar asked. “This isn’t the first time we’ve run across them.”
“Better,” Knox said. “Screenshots of them off the security cameras.” He passed an envelope to Czar, who removed the series of black-and-white photographs. The pictures were grainy, but their features were still able to be seen.
The members of Torpedo Ink passed them around. The two Russians were wearing suits. Varga wore combat pants and a tight shirt. He appeared to be in his sixties. Maybe older. The two in suits were between their late twenties and early thirties.
“Did you happen to notice if they wore unusual cuff links?” Czar asked.
Sid frowned at him. “I think I was too busy watching the video of one of my brothers being tortured and murdered and his daughter being raped and then beat to death.”
“I noticed them,” Knox said. “When they first came to the clubhouse. The two Russians were wearing gold cuff links. When they came up the stairs, the sun hit them just right. Gold for sure, and the shape looked like a ghost. I thought they were cool, and I’ve never worn a cuff link in my life. How did you know?”
“There’s a group of men, very high rollers, who are targeting clubs, especially those who have routes that are beneficial to their trafficking ring. They hire enforcers trained in Russia. Those men refer to themselves as Ghosts. They have investments in high-end clubs. Those clubs draw in extremely wealthy and bored clients who gamble in the underground casinos. They run up debts. These people are very good at blackmail. They prey on the weakest members of a club, usually getting them hooked on gambling, running up a debt, and then making their demands for inside information,” Czar explained.
“This happened to your club?”
“We don’t have anything they want so far,” he said, and gave his famous casual shrug. “We assist other clubs. We don’t have routes for drugs or guns. But we’ve been contacted by several other clubs because if these men don’t get their way, they kidnap a woman, usually the wife of the president, and send her back in pieces.”
Sid held up his hands, spreading his fingers wide. “I kicked my woman out and made it clear I didn’t have anyone I gave a damn about. They threatened to send all our women back in bags. After seeing the videos of Joe and his daughter, I gave them what they wanted: access to the caves and routes we used. They wanted to know who we worked with and insisted on introductions to them. I believe they’re pushing to expand their trafficking into those clubs.”
“We know we have a traitor in the club, maybe more than one,” Warren added. “That was why we came here on our own to lay this out to you.”
“Was Joe particularly close to you?” Czar asked.
Sid nodded. “We grew up together. He was a little older than me. He got me into riding, and we joined Headed for Hell together. Known each other over forty years.”
“Someone in your club gave that information to the Ghosts so they could target the one person you would grieve over. They use shock tactics, and it works for them most of the time,” Czar explained.
Absinthe took over the explanation. “They found someone’s weakness in your club. Women, drugs, gambling. Whatever. They took advantage and asked for information. He provided it, and the result was Joe and his daughter were targeted. Now this individual knows he’s responsible for those deaths and he’s well and truly caught. There will be no forgiveness if it’s found out by his brothers that he signed that death warrant.”