Hunted (Steel Kings MC Book 4)

by Jamie Garrett

  A low grumble went through the room as everyone processed what he’d said. Griffin’s anger welled up again as he kicked himself for not having realized the connection sooner. The moment they’d gotten back to his place, he should’ve run Selena’s name through his system, finding out everything he could about the woman. But he’d just brushed her off, and they’d all just gone to bed like it was no big deal. God, he’d been such a fucking idiot to miss something that obvious. What else would the mistress of a powerful man like Gabriel be doing in that area of town?

  “Does Gabriel have any connections to the Jokers himself?” Merc stepped up and asked. He was frowning like the rest of them. Everyone still remembered the last run-in with the Jokers. They were lying low, licking their wounds, but it seemed like they might be finally coming back out of their holes. And Griffin knew right away what Merc was thinking. If Gabriel had ties with them himself, then he might be able to pull enough strings to start another all-out war, something none of them wanted.

  Griffin let out a sigh and turned back to the computer. Already, his mind was going through all the possibilities. “All the information I have on Gabriel is on my laptop at the apartment.” He let out a sigh and shook his head. “Since going back there is out of the question, I’ll have to retrace my steps. This time, I’ll dig deeper though. When I’m done, I’ll know everything about the man.”

  The world faded away as Griffin’s fingers flew over the keyboard. More than anything, he just wanted to get some sleep, but there was no way his brain was going to let that happen. Not yet, anyway. There was still so much to do with very little time. At some point, someone placed a hand on his shoulder, making him jump. He whirled around to see Doc standing there.

  “Get some sleep,” his friend said. He glanced over Griffin’s shoulder at the numerous screens filled with a jumble of information. “You’re exhausted. You’ll be able to get more done in the morning when you’ve got a clear head.”

  Griffin opened his mouth to argue. Instead of words coming out, though, he yawned. Doc was probably right. He’d been up for too long. His vision was starting to blur. He’d just been so absorbed in going over Gabriel’s life with a fine-toothed comb he hadn’t noticed. It would all still be there in the morning.

  Someone had taken Rachel to the spare bedroom at the back of the clubhouse. It was rarely used these days, but he was glad they had it. Staying at the clubhouse with Rachel was probably the safest thing for her. No doubt they’d be watching all the others’ homes, just in case she went there. He doubted the Jokers would be too keen on rushing the clubhouse again, not after last time, and not right away, either.

  Rachel was waiting for him when he got there. He stripped off his clothes, then crawled into bed next to her, pulling her tight against him. She let out a sigh as she snuggled against him. At first, he thought she’d fallen asleep, then she whispered a soft “I’m sorry.”

  “For what?” he asked, no idea what she had to be sorry about.

  “Everything.” She took a deep breath. In the low light, he saw her reach up and rub a hand across her eyes, no doubt wiping away tears. “It’s my fault you got dragged into all of this. You could’ve been killed earlier, and it’s all my fault.”

  Griffin shook his head, then told her what he’d uncovered about their attackers, about Selena’s connection to the Jokers. “They’d have come up with an excuse to come after us sooner or later. It doesn’t take much to provoke them, and we’ve done our fair share at getting on their bad side. So don’t think any of this is your fault, okay?”

  Rachel nodded, but Griffin could still feel her crying. He held her tight, kissing her on the top of her head. He hated Gabriel even more. He hated how much power the man still had over her. To her, it probably seemed like no matter what she did, she couldn’t get away from him. He wanted to rush out and beat the shit out of Gabriel, wanted to kill the man.

  His anger surprised him. He couldn’t ever remember hating someone as much as he hated Gabriel, and he’d never even met him.

  “I can’t go back to him,” Rachel said through her tears. Despite the light sobs, he could hear the conviction in her voice. Even though she’d been beaten down, physically and emotionally, he loved that she still didn’t give up. “I’ll die before I ever go back to him. He won’t get his hands on my daughter. I won’t let him.”

  “Neither will I,” Griffin said, holding her even tighter. His heart swelled, and he meant every word he said to her. “And I won’t let him have you, either. I’ll keep both of you safe, no matter what. The entire club will.”

  If he needed to, he would call in every favor his brothers owed him. Even if it cost him everything, he would protect the woman he loved. He knew it wouldn’t, though. The guys already considered Rachel a friend. The fact that Gabriel had gotten the Jokers involved, that they’d attacked the home of a Steel King, made it even more personal. Gabriel wouldn’t get away this time.

  It was time he learned he wasn’t untouchable. No one was.

  22

  Griffin

  Morning came way too fucking early. Sunlight filtered into the room. How the fuck was it that time already? He’d gotten a good couple hours of sleep, but it still wasn’t enough. Once he was awake, there would be no point trying to go back to sleep. Besides, Rachel had started to stir, and they both had a lot on their plate. Lying in bed wasn’t going to make their Gabriel problem disappear.

  The two of them got dressed, then followed the scent of bacon through the clubhouse to the kitchen. Doc was sitting in there reading the paper while his old lady puttered around the kitchen cooking enough food for an army. Ava didn’t often hang out at the club house. She worked long hours at the hospital, and at the end of her shift, she usually went back to their place to relax with her man.

  “Good morning,” she said, much more awake than Griffin was. She was probably used to running on very little sleep. He knew how many hours doctors worked and couldn’t imagine constantly running on naps grabbed here and there.

  “Morning,” Griffin said, making a beeline to the coffee maker. Once he had a nice full mug, he took a sip, letting the hot liquid warm him from the inside. That little bit seemed to bring him closer to being human again.

  Doc laughed from his spot at the small table. He folded up the paper, shaking his head, and Griffin fought back the urge to stick his tongue out at the man. It was just a little juvenile, but the thought shook a little more of the morning chill and he grinned. “What’re you doing here so early?” he asked instead. Most of the guys didn’t come into the clubhouse until the afternoon at the earliest. Very few of them were morning people.

  Doc let out a sigh, then glanced over at Ava. It wasn’t until she nodded that he turned back to face Griffin and Rachel. “Ava came home this morning with an update on Makenna. They really did a number on her. She had severe swelling in her brain. It’s started to go down, but she’s in a coma still. They’re hopeful she’ll wake up, but they’re not sure the extent of the brain damage she’s suffered.” He took another deep breath, then let it out slowly. “It’s looking like she’ll have at least some permanent brain damage.”

  Griffin’s grip tightened around his mug. He had to take slow, deep breaths to keep himself from shattering it as he listened to Doc’s news. He didn’t know Makenna well, but he knew Ava did. His anger from the previous night came back. Gabriel needed to be punished. He needed to learn he wasn’t above the law, that he wasn’t untouchable. Griffin just needed to stay calm and think about things logically, not let his emotions control his actions.

  “Can you transfer some of the money you’d gotten for me into an account for Makenna?” Rachel asked. When Griffin came back to reality, Rachel stood there, her lips drawn tight. There was a mixture of anger and sadness in her eyes, but she refused to cry. She had the look of a woman who was done crying.

  “Yeah,” Griffin said with a nod. It would take some work, but it was doable. He’d have to bounce the money around a bit to keep
anyone from being able to trace it back to either Rachel or Ella. “I’ll work on it after breakfast, okay?”

  Rachel nodded, then started making herself a plate of food from the mountain Ava had cooked. Griffin watched her carefully, worried she might have a breakdown after hearing the truth about Makenna’s condition. But she seemed strong, which made Griffin even more worried. He could only imagine what was going on in her mind, but hell if he was going to press the issue. If she wanted to talk about it with him, she would. Until then, he figured he’d give her a little bit of space, a chance to process everything on her own.

  That didn’t mean he was resting on his laurels. Gabriel needed to go down, and soon. Rachel was a fighter, but he wasn’t sure how much more the woman could handle. Gabriel seemed keen on breaking her, and it was only a matter of time before she hit that point.

  After breakfast, Griffin left Rachel at the clubhouse with Ava. He wanted to do some recon on his apartment, see what state it was in, and get his bike, assuming the fuckers hadn’t torched the thing. Doc went with him, the two of them stretching the weight limit on Doc’s Harley to its max. They made a wide loop around the apartment, looking for any signs of people watching the place. Each time they circled, they closed in a bit more until they were just going around the block.

  Neither of them spotted anything out of the ordinary, and they pulled into the apartment parking lot. Still, there didn’t seem to be anyone watching the place, and when they got upstairs, they realized why. The Jokers had completely trashed the place, tearing almost everything apart. His furniture had all been overturned. Drawers had been emptied onto the floor, everything knocked off of his bookshelves. Even the contents of his pantry were scattered across the kitchen floor. What they were looking for, Griffin couldn’t imagine. He didn’t keep much cash in the place, and the only gun he kept on site he’d taken with him. They’d probably been trying to be dicks and fuck over the place to get revenge for him slipping between their fingers.

  Thankfully, his laptop was still in its hiding place, wedged between the fridge and the counter. Losing it wouldn’t have been the end of the world. There wasn’t anything on there he couldn’t recover, though it would’ve been annoying. And the thing was heavily encrypted, so it wasn’t like they could’ve pulled anything off it even if they’d found it. It would make it much easier to finish unraveling Gabriel’s life though, since he wouldn’t have to start completely from scratch. He’d made a bit of progress last night, but with all the previous data, he’d be able to move through everything much quicker.

  “Anything else you need?” Doc asked as he looked around the apartment.

  Griffin let out a sigh, then trudged through the mess to the bedroom. He found an old duffle bag and stuffed some clothes into it. He liked his apartment, but until everything was dealt with, staying there was out of the question. They’d have to hole up in the clubhouse for at least a couple days, possibly longer. It all depended on how long it took to put down Gabriel and the Jokers.

  For Rachel’s sake, he hoped that would be sooner rather than later.

  Once he had a few sets of clothes for him and Rachel, the two headed out. They’d only gone a couple miles before an SUV pulled up alongside them. Griffin’s blood ran cold as he looked over. The SUV had slowed down. Griffin made eye contact with the guy in the passenger seat. He didn’t know his name, but he recognized him. One of the Jokers.

  He reached for the gun at the small of his back, pulling it out but keeping it to the side, out of sight. Doc did the same as the two exchanged worried glances. They’d have the advantage in a chase on their bikes, but the SUV would be more defensible, and one wrong move could lead to them getting sent flying.

  But the Jokers didn’t do anything, not at first. Then, the dude in the passenger seat made a finger gun motion, winked at Griffin, and the SUV sped off ahead of them. It wasn’t until the car was out of sight that Griffin was able to breathe again, but even then, his heart rate didn’t slow down. That made it official. The Jokers were definitely coming for them. It was just a matter of time.

  The coast was clear when they pulled up at the clubhouse. Doc and Griffin exchanged looks again, then Griffin let out a sigh. Vlad was there when they went inside, and they filled him in on the details.

  He frowned as he stared ahead blankly, thinking everything over. “They’re still weak,” he said at last. “But it won’t be long until they make their move. Everyone needs to lie low and keep their eyes open. It looks like there’s another war on the horizon.”

  23

  Griffin

  The girls kept Rachel company while Griffin holed up in his office. Creating the account for Makenna wasn’t difficult, so he tackled that first. Doc would handle getting all the information to her once she woke up. With the state she was in, her medical bills were going to be insane, even with insurance, not to mention lost wages and recovery time. The money would hopefully take care of that for her.

  Then, it was time to tackle Gabriel.

  Time passed nearly without Griffin knowing. He’d long ago lost track of how much coffee he’d had, but someone kept refilling his cup every time it was empty. He barely even noticed the person enter the room, and definitely didn’t see who his mysterious benefactor was. In that state, all he cared about was keeping a constant source of energy as he dug through dead end after dead end.

  Whoever was in charge of Gabriel’s money was damned good at their job. He had plenty of easily sourced income, but he had a good bit going out, too, that didn’t seem to trace anywhere at all. No doubt his money man had everything cleaned up neatly on paper, but Griffin knew better than that. You didn’t go through that much trouble to hide honest, clean transactions. Wherever those payments were paying for, it weren’t legitimate.

  Finally, he decided to go about it a different way. He started going through the Jokers’ accounts at the same time, following Gabriel’s payments to see where they ended up. It wasn’t easy, but eventually he hit the motherload. He found a number of payments to the Joker’s prez that matched up with payments Gabriel’s dummy corporations had sent.

  Feeling a sense of accomplishment, he saved multiple copies of everything he’d found, both locally and online, just in case. He wasn’t quite sure what to do with the information just yet, but at least they knew beyond a shadow of a doubt Gabriel was connected to the Jokers. And not just through his little mistress, either. Mister Perfect was ass-deep in some illicit dealings.

  When he stood, his entire body was stiff. He glanced at the clock. Shit, it was even later than he’d thought. Now that he wasn’t lost in his own little world, the voices of people talking elsewhere in the clubhouse filtered under the door. Dinner had been served at some point, and Griffin wandered into the kitchen and made himself a plate of food. Ava had been sitting next to Rachel, and when she saw him, she moved to go sit next to her man, giving Griffin the spot.

  “What’d you find out?” Vlad asked as Griffin stuffed his face. The coffee had done wonders to keep his energy going during his binge, but now he was starving. It wasn’t the first time he’d skipped a meal or two when he’d gotten focused, and it probably wouldn’t be the last.

  He waited until he’d swallowed his bite before giving Vlad and everyone else the rundown on everything he’d been able to uncover.

  “We might be able to use that. Perhaps if we threaten to expose his illicit dealings, he’ll be willing to sign the divorce papers and terminate his parental rights. Then Rachel would be able to just walk away.” Vlad looked at Rachel as he spoke, gauging her reaction to the idea.

  It didn’t seem like a bad idea, but Rachel shook her head, frowning. “I doubt he’ll go for that. Most likely it’ll just piss him off even more. He’s a vindictive asshole. At best, he’ll smile and agree, then turn around and stab us all in the back.”

  Griffin reached over and took Rachel’s hand in his, squeezing it. The night before he’d promised he wouldn’t let Gabriel hurt her, and he’d meant it. “The
n I’ll just turn it all over to the Treasury Department and let them handle it. He won’t be a threat if he’s behind bars. Then, you and the baby will be safe.” It wouldn’t be his preferred method of handling the situation, but any option that kept Rachel from harm was a viable one.

  Everyone mulled over his suggestion before agreeing. Vlad gave him the okay, and Griffin let out the breath he’d been holding. With any luck, they were one step closer to being done with Gabriel for good.

  24

  Rachel

  It had been nice, spending the day with the other girls of the club. But having Griffin back by her side was much better. She’d known he was busy working on keeping her safe, but she’d still hated being away from him for most of the day. It’d taken a lot of her self-control not to go bother him. She needed to let him do whatever it was he was doing.

  After dinner, she didn’t let Griffin lock himself back in the office again. He’d been in there all day. It was time for him to take a break. It was time for her to get some time with him. They crawled into bed together, and Rachel snuggled up against him, laying her head on his chest. It was so easy to be with him, to be comfortable around him. It didn’t matter that they’d only known each other a little over a week. It seemed like she’d known Griffin her entire life.

  “Thank you,” she said, closing her eyes. He’d done so much for her in such a short time. She wasn’t sure how she would ever be able to repay him. “I really appreciate everything you’ve done for me and the baby.”