Zander
1036 Words
Zander
I couldn't believe of all the missions the VP could assign to me, he thought it was fit for me to be a stalker.
"You are keeping an eye on him and sending a message that we are watching him," he'd argued when I tried declining. Like that made it any better. Like surveillance work was something the enforcer should be wasting time on.
But the VP had made his decision and I wasn't in a position to argue further. So here I was, parked outside a gym and watching a man named Jason who we suspected of being a rat for a rival MC.
The bastard came to this gym every Tuesday and Thursday at the same time.
It was predictable and loppy. If he was a spy, he was the worst one I'd ever seen.
I'd been sitting in my car for twenty minutes, watching him through the glass doors, when my phone buzzed. A text from one of the prospects doing surveillance on the other end.
“He's inside. The locker room area.” He informed me.
I aligted and headed in.
The gym was packed when I entered.
I moved through them without drawing attention, my cut hidden under a jacket.
I was just another guy hitting the weights.
I spotted Jason first. He was talking to someone near the back, near the locker room entrance.
My jaw clenched.
It was Tyler.
Mara's ex. The one who'd cheated on her. The one who'd called her a slut on campus and gotten his face rearranged for it.
What the f**k was he doing here? What was he doing with Jason?
I moved closer, pretending to browse the equipment near the cubicles. Through the gap in one of the half-doors, I watched as Tyler pulled Jason inside and the door swung shut.
I could see them though the incompletely locked door.
Tyler had Jason pressed against the wall and their mouths were together, moving urgently.
So this is the guy he cheated on Mara with?
What a bad taste he had.
The disgust surged through me violently.
It was not because of what they were doing. I didn't give a f**k about their sexuality. It was the fact that Tyler had been Mara's boyfriend. He gad wasted a year of her life and made her think there was something wrong with her.
And now he was here, f*****g the man we were investigating.
Either Tyler knew exactly who Jason was and had been playing us, or he was too f*****g stupid to realize who he was involved with.
I waited until they were immersed to care about their sorrounding.
Then I pushed the cubicle door open.
They both jumped.
“ Don't even think about turning around.” I warned, my gun pressed at the back of Jason's head.
“ Tsk! You could not wait to get a room?” I mocked then remembered why I was here.
"Snitches get stitches and end up in ditches," I said quietly. My voice was calm, which somehow made it scarier. "I can promise you even the ditch won't house your body."
Jason's legs actually buckled. Tyler made a sound like he was about to scream but I knocked him with my gun.
“ Weak and pathetic!” I commented disdainfully.
"You know who you're f*****g with?" I continued, keeping the gun trained on Jason. "You know what happens to rats?"
Jason shook his head frantically.
"They disappear," I said simply. Then I lowered the gun, tucked it back into my waistband, and turned away.
I walked out of the gym without looking back, without breaking stride, without giving them any chance to see my face clearly.
The drive back to the clubhouse took fifteen minutes. I was halfway there when my phone rang.
When I fished my phone, it was a call from Marcus.
I almost didn't answer. But ignoring a call from Marcus looked suspicious, and I needed to keep everything normal.
"Yeah?" I said, keeping my voice neutral.
"How's she doing?" Marcus asked immediately.
I knew who he meant. Mara.
"She's fine," I said, which wasn't exactly a lie. She was physically fine. Emotionally? That was another story.
"Good. Listen, I need you to do me a favor."
"What?"
"Just keep an eye on her. Make sure she's not too lonely. I know you're busy with club s**t but she's been through a lot and I don't want her isolating herself." Marcus's voice was concerned, protective in that way he got when it came to his sister.
The irony of that request made me want to laugh or scream. I couldn't decide which.
"I'm keeping an eye on a club target," I said carefully. "But I'll make sure she's not isolated."
Oh, I'd make sure of that. I'd make damn sure.
"Thanks, man. I knew I could count on you." Marcus sounded relieved. "How's work otherwise? Anything I should know about?"
"Nothing major," I lied. "Just saw her ex around though."
"Which one?"
"Tyler. Mara's ex."
There was a pause on the other end.
"Where?" Marcus's voice had shifted. It was sharp now, protective in a different way.
"At the gym. He was with someone we're keeping an eye on," I said, giving him just enough information to be truthful without revealing everything. "Nothing to worry about. Just thought you should know."
"He approached this person knowing the connection to Mara?" Marcus asked, his protective instinct going into overdrive.
"No," I said, and I meant it. Tyler didn't know s**t. He was just a fool who'd wandered into something he didn't understand.
"Alright. Well, thanks for the heads up. Just... make sure Mara's okay. And Zander?" Marcus's voice dropped. "If that asshole tries anything, you take care of it."
"Already taken care of," I said.
When I hung up the phone, all I could think about was Mara waiting for me at the apartment. Mara, who'd tried to reduce what happened between us to nothing. Mara, who'd walked into that bar knowing exactly what she was doing.
Marcus had just given me permission to take care of her in the only way that mattered.
And I was going to take full advantage of that.
- Writer
