“Where is everyone?”
There’s no one in the immediate area of the clubhouse, but I can hear voices down the corridor, which is weird as this is where the alcohol is found, and my brothers are always at the bar.
Bags sits at one of the many empty tables. “Locking things down. If it’s the Feds, we all need to watch ourselves. The MC has shit to do.”
Not all of the MC’s dealings are legal. We have a particularly good business selling reconditioned bikes and cars, but some of the parts don’t come to us through the proper channels. And occasionally, we run guns, but I don’t go on those runs unless Kyle asks me to.
“Did your business get taken care of?”
“Yeah, we got the package. No issues.”
I mouth the word ‘bugged’ to Bags and hold a finger up in the air in a circling motion.
“We’ve swept it multiple times. We appear to be good, but with long-range gear, they could be listening.”
“Phones?”
Bags smiles. “Definitely tapped.”
It’s not the first time the police have monitored us, and we all know the drill. This will make it difficult to contact Kyle and Sean, let alone Angus.
“Plan?”
Bags smiles, pulls a notebook out of his pocket, and hands it to me.
Feds are listening. Kyle is on his way back with Lola. Sean and Beth are with Angus and the girl. You need to sneak out. There’s a spare burner on your bed. Head to Annie’s diner. Mad will find you. Get going. Be safe, and it’s about time you asked.
The last line has me shaking my head at him—he always likes to stick it to me every chance he gets. Bags then motions for me to flip the page.
We’ll try to follow the Feds at a shift changeover. We’ll watch them while they watch us. Ask Angus to find out if our friendly Fed has any information.
I hand him back the notepad. “I’m going for a shower. Try to keep out of trouble.”
Bags smirks. “Try not to drown, brother. And I’m only a phone call away.”
“Pansy,” I mutter as I walk away from him.
Bags chuckles at my remark.
Opening my door, I find the burner phone on the bed as his note said. Picking it up, I tuck it into my pocket before I continue out the back of the clubhouse. From there, I keep moving toward the shack that’s next to the garage. Inside is a manhole for the sewer system below. Taking my boots off, I tie the laces together, then loop them around my neck. Thankfully, there’s a pair of gumboots already waiting that I put on. Next, I lever up the manhole cover, take a deep breath, and lower myself into the stench that awaits me. I must remember to put a gas mask in the hut for the next time one of us needs to use this as an escape route.
The smell is overwhelming. My feet squelch on the disgusting things under foot. It’s dark down here, and I forgot to pick up a flashlight, thankfully, I have my burner phone with a built- in flashlight. I made this escape route. Well, not physically, but it was my idea to build the shack over the sewer system.
Tripping, I clutch at the walls, my hands touching its slick surface. My boots feel heavy around my neck as I try to keep myself from face-planting into the fetid water.
“I’ll need a tetanus shot after this,” I mutter into the semi-darkness.
With my hands held out in front of me, I make my slow trek through the sewer system. It’s not until I see daylight streaming down, that I move a little faster. Someone has removed the manhole cover at the surface. Climbing the ladder, I emerge in an alley, not too far from the clubhouse.
“Jesus, Cutter, you smell like shit.”
Lola has such a wonderful way with words.
“You try walking down there.” Lola laughs. “Where’s Kyle? How’d you get the cover off? And I thought Maddock was going to find me.”
“Change of plans. Kyle will be along in a minute. He had something to do.” Lola hands me a packet of disinfectant wipes. “Kyle, with a bit of help from me, got it open. They’re at Colin Lamond’s old cabin. The one that’s on the fringe of his property.”
“You think it’s safe?”
Lola nods. “No one goes out there, especially after Sean destroyed the home.”
Colin Lamond is the man who tried to kill Maddock. Sean, the protector of the family, blew Lamond up in a fiery blaze. His car detonated in front of his home as soon as he turned the key. The blast took out most of the front of his house. Sean couldn’t let him live after Lamond killed their sister, Heather. Kyle was furious, but I think he understood why Sean had to do it.
“How am I getting there?”
Lola points at Sean’s bike. “Don’t scratch it, or he’ll have your balls.”
“Could you open the wipes and give me a few?”
Lola’s lips turn down, but she carefully takes them back off me and pulls out a handful, then she takes out two for herself and places the packet on top of a crate in the alley. As best I can, I wipe down my hands, trying to get as much of the grime out from under my fingernails. Lola squirts hand sanitizer onto her hands, then holds it up to me. Gratefully, I hold out my hands when she squeezes the bottle, expelling the clear liquid. It has a strong alcohol smell which lifts my spirits, then I sit on another crate to remove the gumboots and put my boots back on.
Grabbing another handful of wipes, I use them on my hands and drag a clean one down my face, keeping my eyes and mouth firmly closed.
“Feel better?”
“I will once I get this stench out of my nostrils.”
Lola pulls over another crate and sits near me. “How are things at the clubhouse?”
“No one’s around. The boys have made themselves scarce.”
Kyle walks into the alley and uses his boot to push the manhole cover back into place.
“Hey, Cutter.” Kyle hands me a plastic bag full of groceries. “I need you to take this to Angus. Let him know as soon as we have the Feds handled, I’ll be out.”
“Then what am I going to do?”
“Stay there until I call.”
Kyle gives Lola a look, and she immediately stands and walks to the end of the alley.
“Cutter, I’m trusting you to keep my brothers safe. Until we know what the fuck we’re into, I need everyone to stay alive. You feel me?”
Kyle looks deadly serious. There’s no emotion in his voice, and his lips are in a hard, thin line.
“I won’t let you down.”
Kyle nods, gives me a two-fingered salute then turns toward Lola standing next to his bike. Walking quickly, I match his stride.
“Is there a message for Sean or Angus?”
Kyle stops and faces me. “Get Angus to contact our Fed. Find out who the fuck is watching us.”
“You don’t think it’s the Feds?”
Kyle lowers his voice. “I don’t fucking know who it is. Sean seems pretty adamant it isn’t. For all I know, it could be Feds, DEA, ATF, or the fucking NSA. We have countermeasures in place for this type of shit. We’ll deal… we always do.” Kyle continues to walk, and when he gets to Lola and his bike, he turns again. “Don’t get yourself killed, Cutter.”
Angus
There are only four beds in this cabin—one double and three singles. Sean and Beth claimed the double, and Landru is on a single that we have in the middle of the living room, so we can take turns monitoring her. Right now, Beth is wiping Landru’s face with a wet wash and removing all the black makeup with it.
“She’s pretty.”
I look up from reading Landru’s medical chart. Sean says she’s out due to the loss of blood, but she should come around soon.
Without all the goth makeup, she is incredibly pretty.
“What color eyes does she have?”
Thinking back, I look up at the ceiling. “Dark blue.”
“Damn, she’s a stunner, then.”
Sean walks into the room. “No, Beth, you’re the stunner.”
Beth’s face flushes red. “I think you’re biased.”
Sean nods and pulls
her to her feet. “That may be so, but it doesn’t make it untrue.”
“Get a room.”
Sean laughs. “Sorry, bro.”
“I’ll make us something to eat.” Beth kisses him and walks into the kitchen.
The cabin has three bedrooms, one bathroom, a combined living and dining room, an office, and a kitchen. It’s certainly not rustic as it’s decorated like a palace. The bedrooms are all on one side of the structure, with the bathroom next to the largest room. The living and dining space is cavernous—a great room. In the middle, against the far wall as you enter, is a fireplace with the dining table in front of it. On the other side of this great room is an office and kitchen, which is well-stocked with canned goods, but nothing fresh. There’s also a cabinet filled with alcohol. Whoever inherited this place hasn’t visited here, but the power is still on—a small mercy because it’s nice to have hot water. Standing over Landru, Beth is right, she is beautiful without her mask of white and black makeup.
“Have you looked at the flash drive yet?” Sean asks.
“Yes.”
“Brother, I don’t want to harass you, but you need to be looking into what’s on it. Lord knows I’d be no fucking good at it.”
If Sean applied himself, he’d be good at just about anything he put his mind to. He’s excellent with guns, knives, explosives, and more recently, horses. I swear the man has a knack for them. They respond to him, and even the wildest seem to quiet down in his presence. Beth confessed once that she thinks they see a kindred spirit. Maybe she’s right, Sean has always had a wild streak.
“You’ll watch her?”
Sean nods. “She’s out, will be for a while.” He checks her drip. “You do you, and I’ll do me.”
“Okay.” I pick up my laptop and sit at the dining table.
It’s not until Sean places a hand on my shoulder and puts a plate in front of me that I realize I’ve been at this for over two hours.
“Hungry?”
My stomach growls in agreement. “Yeah.”
“And Cutter is here.”
“When did he arrive?”
“About an hour ago, but you were so enthralled by whatever you found that you ignored him. Hell, you ignored all of us.”
“Shit, sorry, man.”
Sean points at the steaming hot plate. “Eat.”
Cutter sits opposite me at the table. “Damn, Beth can cook!”
Beth giggles. “Only because you delivered fresh vegetables and bread. Otherwise, the canned goods weren’t going to cut it.”
Cutter shakes his head. “You’ve never made me a bad meal. I’m sure it would have been fine.”
Sean growls at him as he sits next to Beth, putting himself between her and Cutter. It amuses me as Beth only has eyes for Sean. It’s funny to see him so possessive. He’s never behaved like this with any other female.
“Did you find out anything?” asks Beth.
I’m shoveling a spoonful of her stew into my mouth and can do nothing but nod at her. Beth giggles at me, trying to chew and swallow at the same time.
“There’s a lot of information on a Brian Farrell. It seems he was in the army but just a grunt in transport logistics.”
“What does that have to do with almost getting her killed?” asks Sean.
“H-he was my brother.”
Cutter drops his fork, and I turn around. Landru is sitting up, looking around the room. Sean and I are the first to move. Landru’s voice is husky, and she’s holding onto her throat.
“Do you remember me?” She nods. “How do you feel?”
“She feels like she got shot.” Sean pushes me out of the way. “Lay back down. I’m Sean, you’ve met my younger brother, Angus. I’m a trained field medic. How’s your pain level out of ten?”
“E-eight.”
Sean moves away from her and goes to his black bag of medical supplies. He fills up a syringe and is about to inject it into the drip when Landru holds up a hand.
“Wait. Will that knock me out?”
“Yes.”
“No.” Landru shakes her head, her big blue eyes pleading.
Crouching down next to her, I take one of her hands. “She’s right. Whoever shot her is watching the club. Only she can tell us what we need to know.” Looking down at her, she seems so frail, so I put an arm around her protectively.
“Archon, I mean, Angus, you need to know what you’re looking at and why.”
“Does it hurt to talk?”
Landru’s lips turn down, and she nods, then she looks up at Sean. “Do you have anything else?”
Sean raises an eyebrow at me. “She needs to rest, but we do need information.”
Feeling slightly strange with my arm around this woman, I stand and look down at her.
“I need a shower,” whispers Landru in her husky voice.
“Okay, gentlemen, back off.” Beth stands over Landru, her face full of compassion. “What do you need?”
“Water.”
Beth stares at me, and I immediately go into the kitchen to get her a glass of water. When I come back into the room, Sean has taken the bandage off and is examining her.
“You got lucky.”
Landru says nothing but reaches for the glass of water. Tentatively, she takes a small sip, then downs the rest of the glass.
“Is she okay?” I ask Sean.
With his eyes glued to her neck, he nods. “Yeah. She’s going to be fine. I’ve given her a pain killer. It should take the edge off but not put her to sleep.”
Beth clears her throat. “Do you think you can stand, Landru?”
She shrugs and puts both her feet on the floor. When she tries to stand, it’s slow and awkward.
With a grunt, I scoop her up. “Where are we going?” I ask, looking at Beth.
“The bathroom, silly. The woman needs to clean up.”
“Tula.” It comes out as a strangled noise.
I look down into her blue eyes and frown. “Tula?” She nods, and I laugh. “No shit, your name is Tula?”
“Tula Farrell.”
Laughing harder, I carry her slight frame into the bathroom with Sean holding onto her drip. Once we’re all inside the small room, I look at Beth.
“Can you place her on the bench in the shower?”
The bathroom is all white with black fittings. Inwardly smiling, I place Tula on the bench—I’d call it a fuck seat—and step back. The shower stall is big enough for three people.
“Sean, give Angus the bag, and go finish your meal.”
Surprisingly, Sean does as he’s told and closes the door as he leaves.
“Angus, turn your back, like the gentleman I know you to be,” orders Beth with a stern look.
I smile down at Tula, but she has her eyes firmly fixed on the floor. Switching the bag to my other hand, I turn around to face the door.
“Honey, let’s get you out of these hospital blues. Okay?”
Tula says nothing, but I can hear the rustling of clothing. My eyes are fixed on the back of the door. There’s a hook on it and further down a towel rail, all in black to match the bathroom.
“Do you need help?”
“No, Angus, I’ve got this. You face the door.”
I can hear Beth take the wand out of its cradle then the sound of running water fills the room. Within moments, Beth stands beside me, both of us facing the door.
“If you need any help, Tula, just let me know,” says Beth.
After a few minutes, Tula’s raspy voice says, “I’m done.”
Beth opens the cupboard next to the shower and pulls out a clean white towel. She walks past me to Tula.
“Think you can stand?” Beth appears in front of me. “Close your eyes.”
“What?”
“The girl is weak, and she needs help to get dry. I’m not strong enough to lift her.”
“It’s okay. He can keep his eyes open.”
“Angus, just give us a minute. Tula, I’m going to wipe your front as well as I can, t
hen we’ll get the big lug to turn around.”
“So that’s what you really think of me? A big lug? Not a sexy mind or a computer whiz but a lug.”
“Turn around, Angus,” replies Beth in an annoyed tone.
Tula has the towel tucked under both arms. She looks incredibly young and helpless.
“How old are you?”
“Twenty-two.”
“You look younger.”
She smiles, and like the first time I met her, it lights up her face. “Everyone says that. I’m forever flashing my ID.”
“Grab another towel,” I order Beth. “And you mean your fake ID.” Tula nods in agreement.
“Okay, this is how this is going to work. I’m going to give Beth the drip bag, then I’m going to lift you, and Beth is going to put the towel underneath you, doubled up.”
“Okay.”
I hand off the bag, slip my hands under her armpits, holding the towel in place, and lift her. Beth does as I ask, and I put Tula back down, her modesty intact. Beth hands me the drip bag, and she gets another towel to dry off Tula’s exposed parts.
“Feel better?”
“Yes,” whispers Tula.
Beth appears in front of me, reaching up for the bag. “You need to go through the closet and find something easy for Tula to wear.”
“Like what?”
“A men’s shirt, something long so she’s not flashing her ass for us to see.”
Glancing over my shoulder, I find Tula fully covered and looking up at me. “You okay?” She nods. “I’ll be right back.”
I open the door to the bathroom and head into the double bedroom. The closet is full of clothing. There’s a men’s long-sleeved black shirt that should be too big for her, then I open one of the drawers and find tracksuit bottoms. They’ll probably not be necessary, but I take them back into the bathroom with me.
The women are talking, and Tula is smiling at Beth. They stop when I enter the room. I put the tracksuit pants on the vanity, then open the first drawer and keep opening drawers until I find a pair of scissors. Hanging the shirt on the hook on the back of the door, I cut from the cuff to just under the armpit on the side her drip is on.
Spark of Deception: MacKenny Brothers Series Book 4: An MC/Band of Brothers Romance Page 4
