Page 54 of Babe's Bounty
“Hmm,” I muse as I consider what Babe’s told me.
“What?”
“I was just thinking about the prospects. A prospect would make an excellent spy. You guys basically ignore them unless you need something. There was a prospect working at the garage when I rescued Angie and Kristi. Weren’t two prospects spying on the community center? You only have their word for it that Jordan and his men cleared out of the center after the prospects left. Maybe it isn’t a brother who attacked Mode, but a prospect sent by Jordan or Fenhua?”
“That’s a possibility. I’ll suggest it to Dante when we get home.”
I get an hour of sleep before the plane’s descent wakes me up. Glancing at Babe, I see he’s opening his eyes, too.
“Did you get any sleep?” I ask him.
He nods. “Maybe thirty minutes. When we get back to the clubhouse, we can crash.”
“How are we getting to the clubhouse?”
Babe smirks. “Axel is picking us up. Called him when you were in the restroom.”
Since we stored our duffle bags in the overhead compartment, we could disembark and go straight to the passenger pickup. As Babe promised, Axel is waiting for us. He takes our bags and tosses them in the back while Babe opens the back door for me before he climbs into the passenger seat.
“Anything I need to know?” Babe asks him as Axel pulls away from the curb.
“Chaos and Evie moved into their house and we’ve broken ground on Scar and Caitlin’s place. Scar’s pushing Carver to get it done as fast as possible. Caitlin had a pregnancy scare, so Scar wants them settled in case she comes up pregnant. Ranch has had some problems out at his ranch, so Byte and Smoke are adding additional security to his place. Simon, Cole, Izzy, and I are taking turns staying at his place when he’s at the clubhouse. Tally’s spending less time at the hospital and more time at the clubhouse or with her dad. They’re working on the plans for the new hospital. Caitlin and Kingsley are busy getting ready for the grand opening of Crossroads. Brooke and Tanya have moved out of Brooke’s apartment and are living in the clubhouse. Although, they’re not happy about it. Flame and Ghost were talking about buying a townhouse or a duplex for the four of them to live in.”
As Axel provides the latest gossip, Babe glances back at me. The look telling me he’s thinking what I’m thinking.
“You know quite a bit about what goes on in the clubhouse,” Babe says. “Are all the prospects aware of everything that happens?”
Axel shrugs. “Isn’t that part of the job? Being aware and on top of what everyone needs?”
“It is. But if someone wanted information about the club, using a prospect would be a good idea.”
The lack of traffic helps when Axel slams on the brakes and fishtails.
“What the fuck, prospect! Be careful!” Babe shouts.
“Sorry,” Axel grumbles as he keeps driving. “You think I’m a spy?”
I hear the tremor in his voice and barely stop myself from smacking Babe on the back of the head. “You need to learn to communicate better. Explain to him what’s going on. We need him thinking, not freaking out,” I tell Babe before turning my attention to Axel. “We want to determine if prospects would make useful spies. You seem to know much about what goes on in the clubhouse. Do the other prospects know as much?”
“You think one of them is a spy?” Axel asks. “Because I can guarantee they’re not. There’s no way they’d betray the club. We’re all too fucking busy, for one thing. For another, you watch us too closely. It would be too big a risk.”
“We don’t suspect the prospects here,” Babe says. “Chicago has a rat problem. We’re thinking it might be a prospect. If it was a prospect, could they do it if they were careful?”
Axel shrugs. “I guess. Although we have little freedom. We don’t get to pick and choose what we’re working on. The brothers assign us to the work. Although, most of us end up working regularly in various businesses. I tend to work with Carver and Flame on construction jobs. Izzy does deliveries and covers the storage facility. Simon is helping Ghost with the gym. Cole helps out at the bars. You guys assigned us tasks that fit with our skills. However, we’re rarely alone when we work. Not sure how we’d gather or share information, unless it was specific to a business.”
“No, we’re looking for someone with inside access and knowledge in the clubhouse,” Babe says.
“Laser could do it,” Axel muses. “Not that he would. The guy’s fucking loyal. But someone like him. He’s the only prospect who works in the clubhouse full time. Well, except for when he’s meeting with Reaper about the gun range Reaper’s opening. However, now that they’ve selected the site, they’re meeting at the clubhouse to go over the plans and other details.”
“You’re right,” Babe says. “Laser is always at the clubhouse. He probably knows most about what’s going on.”
I share a look with Babe as we exit the SUV and head inside the clubhouse. Axel follows behind, carrying our bags. He runs up the stairs, likely to deliver our bags to Babe’s room.
“Sammy,” I say and Babe nods. “Convenient that he can’t leave the clubhouse, or was that part of the plan? His claim to be hiding from the former congregation may be a lie. He could be working for Jordan. He drew up a detailed plan of the church, but didn’t include the basement.”
“He’s worth a look. I’ll suggest it to Dante tomorrow. We should get some sleep.”
“I’m not sure I can sleep,” I admit.