by Hart, Gemma
But then the luncheon started. The speakers all gave moving speeches about the effects of the charity within the harder cities. One speaker gave a particularly emotional speech about how a young girl whose mother had been living on welfare and food stamps had won a ballet scholarship to college thanks to Light Feet Charity.
Then it was my turn to speak. And the day kept whirling around me, hours slipping by faster than I could blink. And before I knew it, I was shaking goodbye with all the wonderful ladies of the lunch. Beverley Kyle, CEO of Light Feet, hugged me and asked me to come back again.
“There’s nothing like having Jessa Blair endorse a charity,” she said smiling knowingly. “Before the luncheon was even finalized, we had more donations come in than ever before just so that women could have the opportunity to spend an afternoon with you.”
I blushed a little at the compliment and promised to return any time they wanted me.
And then an agent was escorting me to Agent Todd where he was situated in a back room that looked like an extra pantry. He had a laptop out that had cameras pointing onto my house.
“So far, no new activity,” he said. “We don’t think the perp will try to come back to the house any more actually. He probably—Wait, where’s Matthews?”
I shrugged as if dismissing his concerns. “Rowan went on ahead to sweep the hotel. I felt a little itchy with everything that’s happened,” I did my best to give a slightly scared and wounded look, “so I asked him to double check everything for me.”
Agent Todd nodded understandingly. “Of course,” he said. “And that’s not a bad idea. With the high alert surrounding you, extra precaution is always a good safety measure.”
Agent Todd continued his rundown over the developments of my house and the repair work being done. He again stressed to me the constant communication I needed to be in with the team for my safety. And with a very firm gaze, he added, “Again, we have to ask you refrain from going anywhere too far from us. So please, don’t accept any interviews or engagements out of town or especially out of state.”
I nodded and lied through my teeth as I promised I wouldn’t.
An audition wasn’t exactly an interview. Nor an engagement. It was an audition.
I knew it was splitting hairs in the worst way possible but I couldn’t help it. This was something that was a once in a lifetime chance for me. Everyone saw me as the cute and ditzy girl who always fell for the boy. If I wanted a career in twenty years, especially a career I could be proud of, I needed this audition.
And once I had gotten back to the hotel, I had carefully changed into an outfit that I thought would best suit the audition—a casual heather gray t shirt and a pair of soft denim jeans. I wanted to look like a girl who was on the road traveling. But wanting to be extra prepared, I packed a small suitcase of alternative outfits just in case I changed my mind on the way over.
And then I waited. That was the hardest part. I wanted to jump right up and run to the airfield but I knew our flight wouldn’t be ready for a while yet. I needed to wait for Rowan’s call.
But it never came.
I sat and waited, sure that he would soon call, apologizing for the delay but it never came. I checked my watch constantly then checked my phone to make sure my watch wasn’t off.
It’s funny. A few weeks ago, if someone had described this exact scenario to me, I would’ve thought I’d be fuming by now. I’d be angry and upset and hurt that Rowan was taking so lightly something that was so important to me.
But I didn’t fume. I wasn’t angry. Yes, there was still a lot to learn of each other but I knew enough of Rowan to know that he wasn’t the kind of man who took things lightly. He was thoughtful. He was careful. And he was observant. Scarily observant. So he knew how much this audition meant to me.
I couldn’t believe that he would just blow me off.
But looking at my watch, I realized I couldn’t wait any longer. I called my driver and had him pick me up at the back of the hotel. It had been quite a job getting away from my security team but I convincingly explained the FBI had called me for a private meeting and I needed to get going. I wasn’t a top actress for nothing.
As for the driver, a good old fashion bribe went a long way. I paid him a few hundred bucks to take me to the airfield and to keep his mouth shut. He had taken the money immediately and nodded, swearing his silence.
But a man that could be bribed was a man that couldn’t be trusted. I knew it’d only be a matter of time before the driver talked. But even knowing I had a driver on the loose and a plane about to take off, I had parked myself in the hangar, determined to wait for Rowan.
I didn’t want to take off without him. Not only did I truly feel safer with him but I also felt good with him. I wanted to share moments with him. And this was a big moment for me. For so long, I had been doing things on my own without anyone for companionship or support. It was too risky since too many people enjoyed getting their fifteen minutes of fame by selling me out to a gossip magazine.
But with Rowan, I had finally found someone with whom I could actually share a real part of me with. And I never for a moment feared what he might say or how much money he would take from a reporter. I knew speaking to him was like speaking with my own heart.
And yet, why wasn’t he here?
The old, quiet fears slowly began to creep back into my brain. Perhaps it had all been too much. Perhaps the lifestyle and pressures of a Hollywood actress seemed like too high of a price to pay. Perhaps, he had figured, I hadn’t been worth the trouble.
I shook my head, trying to throw out the negative thoughts and yet unable to really quiet them.
I saw from the corner of my eye a hangar attendant nervously try and approach me. I knew he was coming to tell me that it was now or never. They had to either fly now or lose their flight plan.
Rowan wasn’t coming.
But I refused to lose my dreams along with my heart.
Rowan wasn’t here but the audition was still waiting and I was getting on that plane.
I quickly stood up and turned around, catching the attendant off guard. I gave a small smile. “I’ll board,” I said.
The attendant nodded, relieved he wouldn’t have to tell Jessa Blair to hurry the hell up. He led me towards the plane.
Chapter Twenty
Rowan
This was all wrong.
All wrong.
I looked around at the small army that was riding with us. What the hell was Raze thinking?
Riding out to Low Pointe, I had thought that everyone would be at the club, ready to meet me. We would then make the call to Manuelo to organize the drop. For most drops, it would be Raze, me, and then three other riders for pick up. We needed two to ride ahead to sweep the space and then one spare member to either watch our backs or to help with recon.
But as soon as I had pulled into Low Pointe, I had been met with Raze and nearly a dozen other riders, all on their bikes.
I had only recognized two or three faces. The rest of the riders were complete strangers. And that was shocking since all the riders of Black Wings came from Low Pointe. And I had grown up in Low Pointe all my life. I knew every boy and man who could or would ever be in the Black Wings. And yet, I hardly knew any of these riders that stood behind Raze.
“What is this?” I demanded as I took off my helmet.
Raze took his time in looking me over. “Glad the bright lights of Hollywood hasn’t made you forget how to ride,” he said in a voice that dripped with disdain. Clearly he saw me as some kind of pussy that had turned soft. I could care less what he thought. Pussy or not, it was apparent I was still his best option for drops.
“What is this?” I asked again, looking around the strange members. The two or three faces I did recognize, the men turned their heads, as if ashamed to meet my eyes.
Raze turned over his shoulders. “Oh them? It’s been awhile hasn’t it, Steel? Haven’t met the new members,” he said. He turned back towards me and grinned.
I narrowed my eyes. “Where did they come from?”
These riders not only looked unfamiliar but they looked extremely out of place. They had a gauntness about them that spoke of possible drug use. Their eyes moved shiftily and they had a edgy look in their faces that told me that they had each killed a man or two before.
“Riders from all over are all clamoring to get into Black Wings these days,” Raze bragged breezily. “I even have riders from Carlitos’ in here.”
My eyes widened before I felt a dark rage plume within me. “You let riders from Carlitos’ gang into the Black Wings?” I asked lowly, my voice tight with my anger.
Carlitos was a known gang and club several miles north of Low Pointe. They were a ruthless club that all abused drugs and woman. They were constantly in turf wars and had several members in prison for murder, including their last president.
Letting in riders like that into Black Wings and therefore Low Pointe was like letting in a horde of locusts into your farm. They would only bring more trouble and danger. As if the town wasn’t already in harm’s way with Raze running the streets with his wild will.
Raze only smiled coldly, refusing to answer my question. “At least your taste in bikes hasn’t gotten awful,” he said, looking at my bike. It was the only one I had kept—an old Triumph I had customized slowly over several years. “Let’s go then. Manuelo’s waiting.”
“What?” I said. “I thought you needed me to organize the drop.”
“I need you to ease that twitchy bastard,” Raze said, his gravelly voice growing impatient. “I was able to get him to agree to a drop but I’m sure he agreed only because he knew you’d be there. I can’t lose this one on account of his goddamn paranoia. So you’re coming with us.”
No. This was all wrong. There were warning flags all over this mess. Didn’t Raze see that? But looking at the club president’s dark eyes, I could tell he had gone so far off the rails, he could see nothing beyond profit. After having his true nature revealed, he had lost all need for pretense and had let his greed and cruelty grow with abandon. And with every passing month, he had lost all semblance of control and judgment that he had had before—qualities every club president needed.
Raze started his bike and the other members followed suit. As Raze skidded out, the other bikes followed. I threw on my helmet and started my bike as well. There was no saving this deal. Something was wrong. But there were at least couple old members of Black Wings that I wanted to make sure did not get butchered in what was sure to be an ambush.
***
The hairs on the back of my neck stood on edge as we rode into the desert. I couldn’t yet pinpoint what it was but there was something definitely off. Even though I was surrounded by riders, I felt conspicuous and vulnerable. I felt like everyone could see us coming from a mile away.
And they could. With this many riders, how could you not see the dozen headlights burning across the black desert ground?
I could see that Raze had organized the drop in our usual spot. It was funny. Raze had called Manuelo paranoid and twitchy and yet who was the one coming with a dozen men, undoubtedly armed to the teeth, for a simple drop?
Was Raze planning on taking out Manuelo this drop? If he was, that would explode the entire drug ring. Wars would happen on an almost daily basis. So many innocent people would be killed until a new order was established. Everyone would suffer.
Except Raze.
I could tell the sociopath would enjoy such chaos. He would take advantage of it and make sure to use the turmoil to push himself up even higher.
We slowed down and came to a stop as we neared a truck. It was Manuelo’s truck. The truck headlights blinked twice.
We killed our lights. I got off my bike and so did Raze. Together we walked forward till we were only a dozen feet away from the truck. Raze clamped a large hand on my shoulder. “Go on, Steel,” he said. “Talk to him.”
I could feel the danger in my bones.
With no moon in the sky, the truck was covered in darkness. All I saw were the inky figures inside, unmoving.
Behind me, I could hear Raze ordering his men to bring the payment. Two black duffle bags filled with money were brought forth. Raze dropped them at his feet so they were in clear sight.
Suddenly, through the darkness of the truck, I saw a glint of something shiny. It looked like it was on someone’s wrist. I caught it for only half a second. If I had blinked, I would’ve missed it. But suddenly, I knew why everything had felt off. I nearly chuckled in relief. I was suddenly glad I had never had that talk about proper camo with Agent Todd.
I raised my hands and shouted, “Manuelo! It’s me, Rowan! I am unarmed!”
Raze grabbed at the back of my jacket. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” he hissed at me.
I turned around and gave him a steely look. “He’s clearly paranoid. Don’t you feel it?” I lied, playing on Raze’s own paranoia. “He needs some reassurance before we have a firefight. I need to talk to him.”
I could see Raze’s dark eyes shifting around. He was definitely paranoid and he definitely felt something in the air. But he was too power hungry to sense the real danger that was present.
“Fine,” he said, letting go of my jacket. “But make it quick.”
Making as direct an eye contact as I could with the dark truck, I walked forward, my arms held high, hoping that no one would get trigger happy.
Reaching the passenger door, the seat that Manuelo usually sat in, I wasn’t surprised to see the inside of the truck to be nearly as dark as it was outside. I could barely see the figures inside. Everyone was wearing dark clothes with black masks covering more than half their faces.
“I know you’re the FBI,” I murmured quietly, keeping my back turned to Raze.
There was a shift of surprise in the truck. I could see the driver’s eyes widen a little at being caught.
“How did you know?” the passenger asked, his dark hair pulled low over his eyes, making his face nearly obscure.
I shook my head slightly and huffed a laugh. “You guys need to stop being so proud of your damn watches,” I said. The agents in the truck all look at each other and then at their own gleaming wrists. I could see their slight embarrassed shame over their blindingly stupid mistake.
“It doesn’t matter,” I said quietly. “What are you doing here?”
“We’ve been following Franklin Jonas and his activity for years now. We have everything we need for a bust but after hearing about the new members he’d recently initiated, we thought to wait till we could get all of them at once,” the agent in the passenger seat said.
Franklin Jonas. The name Raze had before joining the Black Wings.
“Who are you?” the driver asked.
“Rowan Matthews,” I answered. “I’m working with Agent Harrison and Todd in LA on a different case.”
I could hear the quiet tappings of a laptop from the backseat. Someone was clearly verifying my words.
“What do you need me to do?” I asked, knowing there wasn’t much time left. If I talked for any longer, Raze would get suspicious.
The agent in the passenger seat looked at me, clearly unsure if I could be trusted. Someone from the backseat suddenly piped up, “He’s clear.”
Satisfied, the agent in the passenger seat noticeably relaxed. “We want all of them but we want Jonas the most. So we don’t want him spooked.”
I nodded. “Got back up?” I asked. The agent nodded then jerked his head back. In the inkiness of the night, it was hard to see it but there men surrounding the truck in a wide perimeter. We were completely covered. “Get ready then,” I said, knowing what to do.
I moved away from the window and slapped the hood of the car twice, something I had always done before with Manuelo. It meant everything was clear. I saw Raze’s shoulders lower a little in satisfaction at the sound.
As I walked back to Raze, I wondered where Manuelo was. Probably in prison. He must’ve been caught
for the FBI to set up this sting.
“Drop’s in the back. They’re ready for you to check it,” I said calmly to Raze. Turning to the two men nearest, I said, “Bring the payment to the driver. Don’t talk to them.” I used a firm voice to make sure they knew to follow orders.
Turning to Raze, I said, “Bring the men who’ll be carrying the drop back. It’s a lot.”
Raze grinned at my emphasis. “Goddamn right it is,” he said, his eyes glinting with greed. He turned around and barked some orders. Quickly the men were divided up and sent towards the truck. I followed behind the last man. It looked like I was maintaining order of the men, just like I used to, but really, I was just making sure no one ran.
