Flower of Scotland

Part 31

That night I sat with Alvarez discussing the man that had been following Jax. I had shown him the picture that I had taken and in turn he had forwarded it on to get the relevant information on him.

As we waited to receive the intel, we discussed other topics. His family, business ventures and a heated debate over whiskey brands.

Suddenly he turned to me.

"Why don't you take a break?"

I laughed at his suggestion.

"Shall I go on holiday?" I asked sarcastically. "Maybe a week in the Bahamas."

"I'm serious Conejita." He replied. "Take some time out, do what you have to do with this situation then take a break. You have been working non stop for over two years.........Maybe it's time you spent some time with your uncle."

I chewed my lip, considering what he was saying.

"I don't know Marcus. I need to sort this first. I'd like to see him but honestly I'm a little afraid to. I'm not the same."

Alvarez crossed his arms on the table and leaned forward.

"You don't need to be afraid. He's your blood, that doesn't change. You won't know unless you give him a chance........But. I have a feeling your uncle isn't the only reason. You are worried about what it would mean for you and the Tacoma Killer?"

I'd been rumbled and I knew it. After all this time Happy still plagued my dreams. The thought of seeing him both excited me and filled me with dread. What if he was in love with someone else?
What if he hated me? What if he didn't?

I blew my breath out loudly and shrugged my shoulders.

"Take a break Freya, if anything important comes up I'll be in contact." He said. "And if it doesn't go well, you always have a home here. I will always be your family."

My eyes filled with the rush of emotion that I felt for this man. I loved my Uncle, we had bonded in the time that I spent with the Sons but we had a blood bond, a bond that was built on from my childhood. This man had come out of nowhere, and although unconventional, our partnership had developed into a deep respect of each other and a platonic love.

I got out of my seat and wrapped my arms around him.

"Thank you Marcus."

He patted my arm and smiled.

His phone trilled and he answered it swiftly, speaking in Spanish while I sat trying to decipher what was being said by picking out certain words that I understood.

The call ended and Alvarez got up.

"Javier is sending over the information, you were right, the man you saw is a hit hunter. His name is Ben Wilder. Usually works out of Sacramento."

"Ok" I nodded. "How do I find him?

"He was last seen in Lodi a few hours ago. He picked up a contract there." Alvarez spoke as he got up and moved towards the hallway.

That would be a long shot, I knew from experience that some jobs took days others mere hours. He could well be done and gone.

Alvarez returned with a writing pad and pen and proceeded to write details down for me. Car registration, description, preferred method of killing, any identifying marks, tattoos etc...

We discussed the objective in depth as Alvarez sent a message giving orders for a Mayan prospect to make his way to Lodi. His job was to affirm whether Ben was still in the vicinity and to follow his movements if he was.

We batted ideas back and forward covering all ground on variables. Once we were satisfied and had the confirmation that Ben was indeed still in Lodi, I packed my bag and began my journey. Alvarez keeping me informed of Ben's activities all the way.

I arrived in Lodi an hour or so later and checked my phone for the latest update.

I found the location where his car had been parked and sat in my own vehicle, lying in wait.
This was the worst part of any job, it was hard to keep focus and be patient.

I heard sirens in the distance, fast approaching and watched as they skidded to a halt further up the road. Suddenly my mark appeared and hot stepped it to his car.
The police presence didn't bode well for him, or me. If he had fucked up his hit and was now on the laws radar it would be more difficult for me to take him out.

"Fucking idiot" I said to myself.

He pulled away from the kerb and drove away, I waited a beat before pulling my own vehicle out in to the flow of traffic. Following him a few cars behind. As I rolled by the parked police cars, a few officers stood around. I looked to my left and was shocked to see the face of the man from the bar. In uniform. He looked directly at me, recognition playing on his face. He smiled and it made my stomach turn.

What was he doing in Lodi? How was that man an officer of the law, charged with protecting people!

I kept driving, keeping an eye on where my mark was heading. I had a bad feeling that twisted my guts.

Pulling out my phone I called Alvarez.
I barely gave him a chance to answer before I leaped in to an explanation of what and who I had seen.

"Don't worry Freya." He replied once I had stopped talking "Come home we will figure out our next move. He will probably lay low for a while if he has caught the attention of the police. I will call Javier get him to send over information on all officers in the precinct. We will find the name of this other man and he will be dealt with."

As I disconnected the call I contemplated calling Jax. I had no real information that I could share with him at this time but I wanted him to know that I was working on it. I hadn't left them high and dry.

I found Jax in my contact list and hit the call button. After a few rings he answered. He was outside, I could hear the racket of the garage in the background so he was at Teller-Morrow.

"Can you talk?" I asked.

"Give me a second" he responded.

After a moment he spoke again.

"What's going on?" He asked.

"Just checking in." I replied. "Wanted you to know that I found the hit hunter. Haven't been able to take him out just yet as he seems to have caught the attention of the Old Bill, but wanted you to know that I working on it, haven't had anything about who the hit came from yet."

"Who is he? What's his name?" Jax demanded.

"I can't tell you that right now Jax, I know you well enough to know that I give you that information and you take matters into your own hands. You don't want this blowing back on you right now, I'm sure you have enough to deal with, what with ATF breathing down your neck."

He huffed.

"Keep me posted."