by Aiden Bates
This guy had only just met me. Yet he threw that out like it was obvious.
“What? Coop, what are you talking about?” Blade’s stunned gaze darted between me and the enforcer.
The enforcer—Coop—shrugged. “Sorry, is it not fucking obvious? Why else would he be telling us this?”
“Luke.” Logan’s voice was very small. All the color had drained from his face. “Is it true? You’re a cop?”
I couldn’t risk this job. If I didn’t admit the truth, there was a possibility that Hell’s Ankhor would start running their mouths about their suspicions, and word would filter back to the Vipers. My only option was to get them to agree to keep their mouths shut so I could bring the Vipers down from within.
“Look—I’m getting really close on this job. I just need a little more time to collect the evidence that ties the Vipers to the other clubs across the country that are trafficking. If I do, I can put them away for a long time—all of them. But you can’t go to war, not yet. If they’re killed before I get what I need, I won’t be able to bag the other traffickers.”
“Oh my god,” Logan said. He staggered backwards, and Blade caught him, steadying him on his feet. “All this time. All this time I thought I was alone. And this entire time, you were the law.”
The look of betrayal on Logan’s face felt like a punch in the chest. “Logan, I—”
“Don’t fucking talk to me,” Logan said. “Don’t try to explain it. Just don’t.”
“Nothing’s more important than the job, right, Rebel?” Coop’s voice was thick with vitriol. His tone seemed to shock the other enforcers. “There’s only one thing worse than a rotten club—and that’s a dirty pig. Disloyal, lying, and cruel to the core. Just like a corrupt cop to let his family suffer in the name of the job.”
I said nothing. I wouldn’t fight them on this. I’d let the club lay into me as much as they wanted, as long as they agreed to back off on the war.
“Blade. Just give me a little more time,” I said.
Blade rubbed his temples.
“All right,” he said, after a long, considering pause. “Just to connect the Vipers to the larger trafficking rings. Once you have your evidence, or whatever the fuck, I’m raining hell on that club.”
The rage in Blade’s eyes made it clear I might be included in that. But it was a risk I had to take. If everything went well, they’d see they’d made the right decision. And I was counting on Hell’s Ankhor’s righteous foundation to save my life when the time came. They didn’t kill innocents.
Crave found that to be a weakness—it kept Hell’s Ankhor from expanding as rapidly as other clubs. But it gave them a powerful reputation in other ways, and a sturdy foundation to build upon. Their moral base was their strength—and there was no weakness in the vengeance they’d brought to Bane.
I nodded and left Ankhor Works in a hurry, with the weight of all the club members’ eyes on me. Now that I had Blade’s word that they’d hold off on the war, I could proceed with the next step of my plan.
I had the photos of Bane’s body, courtesy of the police department. I’d tell Crave that Bane was the rat, and that I’d killed him as retribution for his disloyalty. Dad respected a man with initiative, and since Logan had betrayed the Vipers, he was desperate for me to be his heir. I knew he’d immediately promote me to VP. It was only fair.
I’d been working on gaining the role of vice president for years. Soon I’d have all the access I needed to Viper’s Nest’s contacts so that I could gain enough evidence to bring down the trafficking rings—and bring down Crave along with them.
But now that Hell’s Ankhor knew I was undercover, things were a little more complicated.
Coop followed me outside, his arms still crossed over his chest. Apparently his trust didn’t even extend this far. “You better go straight back to the Vipers. No funny business.”
I stood next to my bike and nodded. “I’m not letting this go south—I’m taking this trafficking ring down. Whatever it takes.”
The enforcer rolled his eyes. “Whatever it takes, sure. No matter who gets steamrolled in the process, right?”
He stepped closer, uncrossing his arms, and his hands flexed at his side like he wanted to grab me, or punch me, or something.
I didn’t back down. Our gazes met. The enforcer’s pupils dilated, and his gaze flicked down to my mouth, and then back up to meet my eyes.
What was this guy playing at? Was this his way of trying to gain the upper hand? I placed my hand on his chest and gently pushed him backwards. God, was he built.
To my surprise, Coop stepped back, and then snorted a condescending laugh. “Get out of here before I change my mind.”
“Straight back to the Vipers,” I said, repeating his words. “No funny business.”
I revved my engine and took off, riding north back to El Acantilado to report back to Crave. Somehow the ride back felt even worse tonight than it usually did, the memories of Coop and his anger weighing heavy on my mind. I wouldn’t inform my boss at the police station about the enforcer who’d figured it out. I’d manage it on my own. I was so fucking close.
I could only hope I wasn’t overplaying my hand. A lot of things had to go right in order for this to work out—and now it wasn’t just me in the know. I had to worry about Hell’s Ankhor keeping up their end of the deal, too.
I could only hope the rest of the job went quickly, because being vice president of the Viper’s Nest?
That was my worst nightmare.
Get ready for Book 3 of my the Hell’s Ankhor Series, Rebel.
Available Now!
Rebel
Get ready for Book 3 of my the Hell’s Ankhor Series, Rebel.
Available Now!
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Gunnar
Hell’s Ankhor: Book 2
Aiden Bates & Ali Lyda
© 2020
Disclaimer
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters, and events are all fictitious for the reader’s pleasure. Any similarities to real people, places, events, living or dead are all coincidental.
This book contains sexually explicit content that is intended for ADULTS ONLY (+18).
