Page 21 of Sly (Dragon Riders MC 5)
Ash leaned against the wall. “Maybe. It’s very basic, but it might work.”
I shrugged. “I’m all ears. What’s up, Mountain Man?”
Ash snickered. “I plotted all of the points we know he’s been to on a map, including the places he searched in order to find Knuckles’ girl.”
Knuckles cleared his throat. “And what did you find after tracking my girl on some map?”
Ash rolled his eyes. “Not even like that, don’t even try it. But even with those deviations, I found a pattern.”
Link’s ears perked up. “A pattern?”
Bowser cocked his head. “What kind of pattern?”
Ash pulled out his phone and opened up a picture before passing it around. And when I finally got my hands on it, it didn’t take a genius to see what kind of pattern had been laid out,
“Holy fuck,” I whispered.
Bowser finally spoke. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
Ash took his phone back. “The image doesn’t lie. I replotted those points four separate times, and they come out exactly like this every single time.”
Knuckles blinked. “Am I missing something? I feel like I’m missing something.”
I nodded toward him. “He wasn’t part of the crew during that time, Link. Let’s have the story.”
Link puffed out his cheeks with air. “Knuckles, about a year before you pledged, the crew helped the police take down a string of drug houses and hideouts for a massive cartel group that had moved into the area. It’s why we’ve got such strong, dedicated ties to some people in the police offices around here. We helped them, they helped us, and we saved each other’s asses in the process.”
Knuckles nodded. “So, what the fuck does that have to do with this?”
I rolled my eyes. “Lord. Okay. All of the blue points on that map are warehouses, basements, and rundown houses where drugs were found. Whether it was the makers or the stuff itself, we busted about twenty places overall. They had a massive system they’d been working on for years before we knew anything about it.”
Bowser bowed his head. “And all of the points where we’ve found Skeleton setting up, searching around, or even popping up on camera—”
Ash interjected. “—is around one of these drug points.”
Knuckles blinked. “So, you’re saying he’s running drugs and women now?”
I shook my head. “I think they’re just saying it’s a massive fucking coincidence that needs to be looked into.”
Bowser sighed. “You think there’s any way Skeleton’s working with that cartel again?”
Link leaned against the wall. “I mean, it’s no secret that Skeleton and his crew are running drugs on the side as well and that those Red Python women are helping him do it.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose. “And according to our sources, he’s running meth. Not cocaine, which was what this massive cartel was running at the time.”
Link shook his head. “Still, it’s too big of a coincidence in too many places not to get checked out.”
I scoffed. “So, what? We go clear every single wanna-be drug place because Skeleton happened to be around there at some point in time? Come on, man. That’s gonna take hours.”
Link glared at me. “It’s all we’ve got, and you know damn good and well that until Skeleton is off the streets, none of us are safe. Not us, not our families, not our girls. No one.”
I held up my hands. “All right, all right. I mean I’m going on this damn thing with you guys. Just feels like someone needs to play Devil’s advocate here. Because if you take a step back, it doesn’t look like much.”
Ash shrugged. “But again, it’s all we’ve got.”
“I mean what if we just let the Feds have this one for once?”
The room fell dead silent at my question before Bowser finally had the strength to speak.
“I’m sorry, what?”
I closed my eyes. “What if we just let the crew rest and let the Feds have this one. I mean Skeleton’s gotten away from us how many times now? What if we miss him again and it pushes him underground for good?”
Link furrowed his brow tightly. “And have Chains on our asses until further notice? That what you really want?”
All eyes were on me, but Ash gave me a particularly interesting look. One I couldn't decipher without turning to face him. And I didn’t even want to acknowledge how hard he stared at me in that moment.
So, I shrugged. “Worth a shot, man. Don’t want to see any of us catch the dead tonight.”
Link hissed. “We won’t.”
I clapped my hands. “All right, then. Let’s get to it! That is, if we’re done with church. What time are we leaving by the way?”
Link looked at me as if I’d lost my head to the floor. “We’re leaving in ten minutes. Church dismissed.”
“Wait, wait, wait. Can we at least wait until sun—”
Link charged me, backing me up until my back fell against a wall. “You wanna tell me what your combattance is all about?”
