Blacktop Freedom (Kings of Vengeance MC Book 7)

by Winter Travers

  Clint shook his head. “You would think you guys would have a little bit more decorum when talking to the police.”

  “Deal is off the table in two minutes,” Quinn called. “We’re a merciful club, not a patient one, though.”

  I pursed my lips. “I didn’t know vengeance and merciful went hand in hand.”

  “They do if you know what you are doing.” Quinn shrugged.

  “Are you in or out?” Jax asked.

  Did I have any other choices? No. Not at all.

  We were at a complete dead-end with figuring out who killed Joseph and even more clueless when it came to knowing the name of the supplier who had moved into Whitmore.

  “I want to know what you are doing at all times. You’re not going to do this by yourself and then report to me when it’s done. That happens and the deal is over. I’ll float you guys up the river right alongside whoever you give me,” I threatened. I was going to work with the Kings of Vengeance, but that didn’t mean the Kings were pulling the strings.

  “We’ll keep you informed,” Quinn promised.

  “And papers will be signed,” I promised. Those papers were for me as much as they were for the club. I couldn’t fuck them over, and they wouldn’t be able to fuck me over.

  “Maybe we should think about this,” Clint whispered to me.

  My eyes connected with Jax’s. “I’ll bring the papers over in the morning. Don’t do anything until the ink is dried on them.” I pushed back my chair and stood. “Don’t fuck with me and we won’t fuck with you.”

  I walked out of the room with Clint trailing behind me.

  “Kaye,” he hissed when we were out of earshot of the club. “Kaye,” he repeated.

  “What?” I growled. I turned on my heel and glared at him.

  “Are you sure about this?”

  Not at all. “Yes.”

  “How?” he demanded. “If shit goes sideways, you and I are either going to be dead or headed to prison right along with the Kings.”

  Yup, that could totally happen. Hell, the odds were probably more in favor of that happening then they were in favor of things working. But I had to have faith that everything was going to work out. “Because I have faith.”

  “Faith in a motorcycle club?”

  I glanced over Clint’s should toward where the club was still meeting. I didn’t have faith in the club; I had faith in the man I once knew and hoped that he was still inside Jax. That man wouldn’t let me down. “I just have faith, Clint.” I sighed and relaxed my shoulders. “Now let’s get back to the station because I need to get some kind of papers drawn up and then also clue in the chief on the deal with the devil we just struck.”

  Clint chuckled and shook his head. “I’ll take care of the paperwork, and you can deal with the chief. That is one man I do not want to deal with unless I absolutely have to.”

  The feeling was mutual, but I couldn’t go through with this without tell the chief what I was up to. In the end, this was all for the greater good. Whitmore would be much more drug-free, and the evil that had moved in would be gone.

  I turned back down the hallway and into the common room.

  “Hey!” Kimber called. “That was kind of a long meeting. Get everything worked out?” she asked.

  “You might want to ask your boyfriend that question,” I laughed. I was more than sure that Quinn and the rest of the club would not appreciate me telling their girlfriends what the club was up to.

  Kimber scoffed and rested her hand on her growing stomach. “Pfft, that man is on my shit list for the moment.”

  That was rather interesting. I liked the fact that these women didn’t bend over backward to make their guys happy. If anything, they relished making their lives a little colorful and interesting.

  “I need a screwdriver and three screws,” Deedra muttered.

  “Uh, I’m pretty sure they send all the screws that you need,” Clint muttered.

  Deedra looked up from the instructions in her hand. “I thought that, too, but I swear I am going to be three screws short.”

  “Ask Point for help when he comes out here,” Kimber giggled. “He can help screw ya.”

  “And this is when it’s time for me to leave,” Clint muttered.

  I waved at Deedra and Kimber and followed him out the front door. Once we reached the car, I slid behind the wheel and took a deep breath.

  “Well, what the fuck was that?” Clint ran his finger between the collar of his shirt and his neck. “We’re really going through with this, Kaye?”

  I started the car and looked back at the clubhouse.

  Was working with the Kings of Vengeance my first choice? Hell no.

  Did I want the drugs out of Whitmore? More than anything.

  The Kings were going to help make that happen. “We’re doing it, Clint.”

  *

  Chapter Four

  Plans change…

  Brick

  “That was a fucking one-eighty if I’ve ever seen one,” Quinn mused.

  I tapped my fingers on the table and shrugged.

  Had I planned on turning the tables when I sat down? No. Did I think I had made a mistake by striking that deal with Kaye? No.

  I was confident in the decision I had just made.

  As much as I hated what had happened between Kaye and me five years ago, at the end of the day, I knew that she was just doing her job. She didn’t do anything wrong or sneaky to land me in prison. She just did her job, and her job was getting bad people off the street.

  The Devil’s Rebels were going to be the next people she got off the street. The club and I were going to be the ones to lead her right to them.

  “It’s the only way we can take care of the Devil’s Rebels without landing behind bars.” I had run through the scenario of making moves behind Kaye’s and the Whitmore police department’s backs. It wouldn’t end well.

  While the police currently had no clue about what was going on with the Devil’s Rebels, they would eventually figure it out. Especially since we knew they were watching us.

  “You do know we’re going to have to keep the Royal Bastards out of this now, right?” Dyno pointed out. “The Whitmore police have agreed to work with the Kings of Vengeance, not Monk and his crew.”

  Quinn sighed. “As of right now, I haven’t even heard back from Monk. As per the norm, things were going fucking crazy by them, and he told me he’d get back to me. That was a week ago.”

  “You’d think if they wanted the Devil’s Rebels stomped out, they would be all over helping us do that,” Zephyr grunted.

  “Well, if they do reach out to me, I’ll just tell them we’ve decided to focus on the strip club for the time being.” Quinn tapped his fingers on the table. “Lying to one of the largest motorcycle club in the country seems like a good idea, right?” he laughed.

  “They were gunning for the Devil’s Rebels because of the beef between Barracuda and Menace. We could always take down the club and hand deliver Menace to Barracuda,” Rhino suggested. “I think that would totally erase the huge debt we have with them.”

  “You guys are dreaming if you really think anything is going to stop the Bastards from wanting every single penny back.” Quinn shook his head. “Get that out of your heads.”

  “So, what the hell do we do now?” Point asked.

  “We’re gonna get the ball moving with Steph and Wrigley.” Quinn nodded to Zephyr. “As much as I hate to bring that woman into this, we’re going to have to.”

  “You’re just mad because she likes Brick more than she liked you,” Dyno laughed.

  Quinn flipped him off. “I have enough to deal with when it comes to Kimber. I don’t need a random hitting on me.”

  “Lynn is going to freak when she finds out that you’re bringing Steph into this.” Sledge shook his head.

  “No shit,” Zephyr grumbled.

  “Tell her to make contact with Wrigley and get him over to her house,” Quinn ordered. “Zephyr and Brick will be the
re when she goes to buy from the guy.”

  “Why me?” I asked.

  “Remember, you’re Steph’s favorite,” Dyno laughed.

  I curled my lip. “Am I supposed to be flattered by that?”

  “Point!”

  “What the fuck?” Quinn called.

  “Jesus, Deedra,” Point mumbled. He pushed back his chair and moved to the door. “Babe,” he said as he opened the door. “We’re in the middle of something.”

  Deedra leaned against the doorframe and smiled up at Point. “I know, you’re busy doing biker things. I just need a screwdriver, three screws, and probably a hammer.” Deedra tapped her finger to her chin. “Maybe an axe.”

  “What the hell are you doing?” Point demanded. “You’re just putting together some furniture, not foraging through the woods.”

  “There are so many pieces, Point,” Deedra whined. “You should have let me buy the ones we saw at the furniture store the other day. They would have come all assembled and I would have just had to sit on them.”

  “And they cost almost a thousand dollars more. You should have also listened to me when I told you buying patio furniture could wait until next year. No one is even going to be able to sit out there until April.” Point reasoned. “I’ll help you with the furniture when we’re done.”

  “Uh, why do you need screws?” Dyno called.

  I was more concerned on why she thought she needed an axe.

  “I don’t have enough screws,” Deedra explained.

  Dyno furrowed his brow. “You should.”

  “Well, I don’t.” Deedra folded her arms over her chest. “It must be a factory screw up.”

  Dyno shook his head and stood. “I’m helping you only because I don’t want to fall on my ass when I go to sit down.” Dyno looked at Quinn. “We good here?”

  Quinn nodded. “For the time being.”

  Point grabbed Deedra’s hand and pulled her back down the hallway. Dyno followed behind shaking his head and mumbling under his breath.

  “You do realize if Dyno ever decides to leave the club that we are absolutely screwed, right?” Rhino pointed out.

  “That’s why you dumbasses need to be less of dumbasses. Though Dyno is a dumbass, too.” Quinn shot a look at Zephyr. “Get the ball rolling with Steph. As much as I hate having the women involved, it will be for the best if you tell Lynn why we’re doing what we’re doing. Save you a lot of arguing.”

  Zephyr nodded. “Appreciate it.”

  “That’s it for now. We’re working with Whitmore police and soon enough the Devil’s Rebels will be shut down and out of our lives.”

  Let’s fucking hope so.

  *

  Chapter Five

  Let’s talk…

  Kaye

  Slowly sinking into the steaming water, I let out a sigh.

  I deserved this.

  After Clint and I got back to the station, everything was a whirlwind.

  The chief was not happy with what I had agreed to, but I had eventually been able to convince him that working with the Kings of Vengeance was our best bet. And in the end, this would start to build a good rapport between the club and the police if everything went smoothly. As much as I knew my job was to catch bad guys, I would like it if there weren’t so many bad guys in the world.

  Clint had the papers drawn up agreeing that Kings would not be held responsible for any wrongdoing during the investigation. There were, of course, some limitations, but as long as the Kings walked the line, they would come out of this relatively unscathed.

  Things were good, and I was beyond exhausted.

  I reached for my glass of wine and took a long sip.

  I just wished Jax didn’t have to be part of the solution to my problem.

  Sure, it wasn’t like I was going to have to see him every day, all day, but I knew I was going to see him a lot.

  Hopefully, he wouldn’t be right in my face, and I would get to deal with Quinn more. Though, it had seemed like Jax had been the one calling the shots today.

  Why was that?

  It wasn’t like Jax was part of the club before going to prison. He had known Quinn, but the Kings of Vengeance didn’t even exist two years ago, let alone five.

  Maybe I was the reason why Jax was able to call the shots. Jax knew me, and perhaps they thought Jax would be the right one to oversee this.

  Whatever this was.

  Setting my glass on the edge of the tub, I sighed heavily, closed my eyes, and rested my head on the gentle incline of the tub while trying not scream.

  I was in charge of my life.

  I was the one to make the decisions.

  I called the shots.

  Now I was working with the Kings of Vengeance, and it certainly felt like I wasn’t in control at all.

  Not even a little bit.

  A sharp, loud bark echoed from outside the bathroom door. My eyes snapped open, and I jackknifed up from the water. “Arrow?” I called.

  Arrow only barked when there was something wrong or he wanted the food I was eating. He was a spoiled rotten German Shepard who was my protector and best friend.

  He let out another woof, and then I heard his nails click on the floor down the hallway.

  Jesus. I needed to get my ass out of this water unless I wanted to wind up floating naked and dead in the tub.

  The doorbell dinged, and I hauled my ass up and out of the water. There went my relaxing time in the tub for more than likely someone who had the wrong house.

  I tossed on my robe I had hanging on the back of the bathroom door and walked to the front door. Arrow sat in front of it with his tail wagging and his eyes trained on it.

  “Good boy,” I cooed. I patted him on the head and looked in the peep hole. “No,” I gasped.

  Arrow let out another bark and nudged my leg with his nose. I closed my eyes and rested my forehead against the cold wood of the door.

  I did not need this right now.

  Jax was the last person I had expected to see standing on my porch.

  My house was my sanctuary and the place I felt I could be myself and unwind.

  My house was also the same one I had shared with Jax before he went to prison.

  “I know you’re there, Kaye.”

  “I am,” I called back.

  “So, are you going to open the door? I can hear Arrow whining for me.”

  I looked down at Arrow who sat at attention with his ears perked and his tail wagging a mile a minute. “Traitor,” I hissed at him. If Arrow hadn’t barked, I could have possibly acted like I wasn’t home. “I was about to go to bed.”

  Another look through the peep hole found Jax leaning against the door.

  He looked directly at the peep hole. “Bullshit. I bet your ass was in the tub trying to forget your day.”

  Maybe Jax knew me a little bit better than I thought he did. “I wasn’t.”

  “Prove it,” he rumbled. “Open this door.”

  “I don’t have to prove anything to you, Jax. Not anymore,” I countered.

  “You’re right; you don’t have to. But I know you, Kaye. You’re gonna open this door.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Why?” As if Jax really knew me and what I was going to do.

  “Because Arrow is sitting at your feet waiting for you to open the door so he can see his dad.” He chuckled when Arrow whined loudly. “You’re really going to keep me away from my dog, Kaye?”

  Bull. Shit.

  I twisted the lock and flung open the door. “He is my dog,” I shouted. “I’ve been the one taking care of him for the past five years.”

  Jax grinned wide. “Gotcha.” He stepped into the house and crouched down in front of Arrow. “There’s my boy,” he cooed. Arrow went crazy and spun two circles before he launched himself into Jax’s arms.

  The dog really was a traitor. For five years, I was the only one taking care of him, and now, he was acting like I’m not even here.

  “You saw Arrow; you can leave now.” I folded m
y arms over my chest and tapped my foot.

  Jax rocked back on his heels while Arrow freaked out with excitement. “I see she’s been feeding you well,” Jax snickered to Arrow.

  “I feed him the recommended amount from the vet,” I gritted out between clenched teeth.

  Arrow flopped over on his back and presented his belly for Jax to rub. “Still a sucker for a belly rub, I see,” Jax chuckled.

  For a moment, I was transported back five years, before things exploded between us, and I saw the man I fell in love with.

  Happy, carefree, and he loved strong and deep. I was the one who had wanted to get Arrow, but in the end, he had become Jax’s dog. When Jax had been arrested, Arrow mourned him being gone as much as I had. Except Arrow didn’t know the real reason why Jax was gone. He just knew he left, and now he was back so he was happy.

  Easy peasy for a dog.

  If only it could be that simple for me.

  “If only you were excited as Arrow is to see me.” Jax looked up at me and winked.

  “What are you doing here?”

  Jax shrugged and gave Arrow one last rub. He stood and brushed his hands on his pants. “I thought maybe we should talk.”

  “About?” There were a million things we could talk about. Most, I didn’t want to.

  “Visitation with Arrow to start with.”

  I reared back and scoffed. “Excuse me?”

  “He is part my dog, too, Kaye.”

  A dog he abandoned when he went to prison. “You should be thanking me for taking care of him while you were gone. If he wouldn’t have had me, he would have wound up in a shelter or worse.”

  “But nothing bad happened to him, and I still should be able to see him.”

  “You’re insane if you think that I am going to give you any kind of custody of Arrow. I was the one who wanted him in the first place.”

  “Yeah,” Jax agreed, “but you were working all of the time and he became my dog because I was the one who was taking care of him.”

  “One of us had to work,” I shot back. Jax was always doing some odd job or another, but it wasn’t like it was steady work.

  “Pretty sure I brought money into this house just like you did.”