Chapter 5

The next day.

At the Lakeshore Police Department.

Cain stood with a police officer in the reception area, asking about the new chief of police, Ryan. He was being told she was currently not in office but he could swear she was in there. He actually tailed and followed her to the station but couldn’t catch a time with her because of the other officers accompanying her.

He was still speaking to the police officer when he saw the thirty-one year old woman walking back out through the back with the same set of people she walked in with. He left the officer and hurried towards her but his speed was suspicious so everyone around the chief pulled their guns at him.

Cain stopped with his hands up, his breathing rough as he waited for her to turn to him. He had assumed she’d turned around quick to see who it was her officers were protecting her from but she took her time, having another sip of the coffee in her hand before looking at him.

Cain chuckled about how she didn’t seem to give a fuck that someone just charged at her. He cleared his throat as she analyzed him and took his arms down when one of the officers stepped towards to search him, but the man barked at him.

“Keep ‘em up!”

Cain sighed and lifted his arms back up till the officer was done searching. It was only after then that the officers took down their guns and everyone returned to what they were doing.

Ryan took a few slow steps towards him with a smile. She thought he was daring, approaching her the way he did. She also thought he was handsome.

“How may I help you, sir?” She asked with a little bit of humor in her voice.

“I’m Cain,” He started with introducing himself, but she just shrugged.

“Okay. I’m sure you already know my name if you’re looking for me.” She turned around and headed out like she planned initially. Cain jogged after her.

She was right. He did know her name, and age, and where she’s been transferred to previously, and more importantly, he knew she was running a money laundering scheme with two different shell companies under her parent’s names.

“I… We need your help. Maybe we can talk somewhere more private?” He initiated, but heard her chuckle again. They were outside now.

“When you say we…?” She stopped and turned to him.

“My brothers and I.” He answered.

Ryan turned to the people with her. “Excuse us for a second, dearies.”

The two men nodded and went to the car without her so she turned her attention back to Cain. “Another club already came to me.” She let him know.

“I know about your laundering.” He shoved his hands in his pockets and drew in breath loudly.

Ryan’s smile faded. “Did you just threaten me?”

“No. Just letting you know I have the fake papers and documents of your shell companies and their accounts and transactions.”

Ryan chuckled again. “I could kill you, right here and right now, and cover it all up. You know that, right?”

“I do.”

“Good that you do. But I don’t want to get my hands dirty just yet, I just arrived. You can do whatever you want with the files you’ve got. I couldn’t care less. My superiors are aware of them. Why the hell do you think they sent me here, to this shit hole? I’m being punished by the assholes I launder for.”

Cain swallowed when she turned away from him and headed towards the car being held open for her.

“How much did they offer?” He decided to improvise since he couldn’t blackmail her. He was going to offer doubling the amount the other club offered to her. They really needed her protection.

Ryan stopped halfway, a smile on her red-tinted lips as she turned her neck to look at him.

“Now, you’re ready for a conversation.” She chuckled and walked back to him, taking out her pen from her jacket. She got to him and lifted the arm of his hoodie a little to scribble down her number on his wrist. “Text hi to the number and I’ll let you know where and when we can meet and talk. Don’t ever come to the station looking for me for such business.”

She put her pen back in her jacket and went and got into her car while he watched. Walking back to his bike, he copied the phone number into his phone and texted ‘hi’.

***

“Rick, what the hell? You didn’t tell us her superiors knew about her laundering!” Vic walked into Rick’s apartment with Cain after he was informed. Rick was the one who dug up the information on Ryan.

“You didn’t ask?” He shrugged and continued with the fries he was having before they barged in.

“Why the hell do you think we need dirt on her? To become friends with her? We’re trying to fucking blackmail her, asshole.” Vic spoke through his teeth.

“Wait, I’ll check it out.” Rick sat up and drew himself closer to his laptop sitting on the mirror desk opposite him. Cain just leaned against the doorframe and watched them both.

“Yeah, she didn’t lie. Her superiors do know she launders for some politicians, and get this…” Rick chuckled. “…they are not punishing her for the laundering, they are punishing her for being reckless with it because now, they’ve gotta settle her superiors to keep shut and not just her.”

Rick laughed out loud after speaking, he found it funny but it seemed neither of the two brothers of Steel Saints did because neither laughed.

“Can you not find something else on her? Something we can actually blackmail her with this time?” Cain finally spoke.

“There’s nothing else. Others things have been covered up.” Rick shrugged.

“You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me? So what? We’re back to square one?” Vic looked at Cain and then back at Rick who just shrugged again.

Cain’s phone dinged with a notification so he took it out of his pockets and checked. Ryan had replied. He sighed and called to Vic.

“Hey Vic, she’s texted back.”

“Did she give an address like she said?” Vic asked.

“Yeah. And she wants to meet me alone in the next forty minutes.”

“Alright, let’s go figure out our shit then.” Vic said next, reminding Rick that they hadn’t paid him for the job.

“Hey Vic, you know you owe me 1k…”

“You didn’t get the job done, dipshit.” Vic cut him off and walked out.

Cain sighed and checked his pockets for some cash. “Here’s 600.” He tossed the money at him before leaving with Vic.