Broken Deeds MC: Second Generation #2

by Esther E. Schmidt

  “A while ago Prez asked me to look into the things your girl went through.”

  Relief washes over his face and he shoots a grateful look at Archer who waves his hand in the air. “Stop looking at me like that, hear Vachs out because you’re going to be possessed by the devil himself in a matter of seconds.”

  Baton’s eyes collide with mine again and I give it to him straight. “The kidnapping and stalker issue might have seemed two separate things, but when I did a little digging, things quickly smelled funny. I stumbled onto some shady transactions, the mayor’s campaign bank account. And you know the case we’re all working on, the accountant company with the slush fund?”

  “The one your old lady was involved with,” Baton states.

  I lift my chin. “Those fuckers had an accounting company and the slush fund shows transfers connecting to the mayor’s campaign. And we just found out a cartel might be behind it.”

  “Are you telling me a fucking cartel is the one responsible for the kidnapping and the stalker issue?” Baton asks through clenched teeth.

  “I think alarm bells are going off on all sides. And I’m thinking it will be a smart move to see where the woman is to know if she’s safe. So, with knowledge on the table, I’m lifting the order for you to stay away from her.” Archer points his finger in his face. “But you need to follow orders and not interfere with our investigation because we need proof if the mayor is in bed with a cartel. Then we need to end every single member involved in this shit.”

  “Understood,” Baton grunts.

  Archer sighs in relief. “Now, the last time we knew where Ellory was staying was what? Months ago? After we found the stalker and he ended up dead.”

  “A quick fix. I told you it was too easy,” Baton snaps, but quickly softens his voice to add, “I’m glad you didn’t let it go, Prez. Thanks for asking Vachs to look into it.”

  “Let’s find out if she’s still okay before you turn into a sappy idiot. Though the sappy idiot is preferred against the devil possessed Baton.” Archer grins.

  Baton grabs his phone. “Keep that shit in mind when I tell you about the fact that I gave her a burner to stay in contact. We exchange a text every two weeks.”

  “When was the last time you exchanged messages?” I question.

  He takes out his phone. “I would normally text her in two days. I shoot an ‘Okay?’ And she shoots me a ‘Yes’ in reply. Then we always shoot some personal messages back and forth to catch up before returning to radio silence. When I gave her the burner I told her not to risk anything and to keep it short and only to once every two weeks to make sure she was okay. She couldn’t risk shit with her father, and I…well, you gave me an order. But I needed the check in every two weeks for my own sanity.”

  “Brilliant, fucking teenagers with raging hormones going against their fucking parents. You guys makes me feel fucking old,” Archer grumbles and rubs his eyes.

  Silence fills the room.

  “Something’s wrong,” Baton says with a shaky voice.

  He places his phone in the middle of the table and spins it toward us. Archer and I lean forward and see Baton’s message.

  “She hasn’t read nor has she replied yet, it’s been what? A minute?” Archer states.

  Baton stands so fast, the chair he was sitting on crashes to the floor behind him. “She always replies the next fucking second.”

  “Maybe she’s peeing,” Archer tries again.

  Baton shakes his head. “Like I said, we made rules when I gave her that burner. Keep it short and fast when it comes to the first message. If she didn’t reply back I vowed to come check on her to see with my own eyes if she was safe. If shit was okay or she was afraid her father would find out…she’d text right away. I’m telling you something is wrong.”

  “You’re going to keep an eye on your phone and let me know if she texts back. Let Ganza know the number of the burner and maybe he can trace her location. I need to head out and have a little chat with Fraser. That accountant fucker might think we run a hotel or some shit with the nice room we’ve put him in, but we’re going to change it up today. He didn’t want to chat once we told him we knew about what he wanted in the urn. So, the last two days we’ve only supplied water and kept an eye on him through the cameras and the two-way mirror. I was told he’s been pacing nonstop the whole night. I’m thinking he’s ready to talk, otherwise I’ll have Dannon do some torturing see how the fucker likes that.”

  Archer’s phone indicates he’s receiving a message. He takes it out and jabs the screen a few times.

  “See? I knew it was a good idea to hire Austin for this.” A grin slides over Archer’s face.

  “You need to put a Broken Deeds MC cut on the fucker,” Baton states.

  Archer grunts. “If only he would accept. I’ve offered him countless times. Look at this report, he even used bullet points.”

  “What did the report say?” I ask since Austin’s task was to find out if Gene Bricks’ death was an accident.

  “Austin is positive his death wasn’t an accident.”

  “No wonder Fraser was leaving town after he retrieved the urn,” I mutter.

  “And no wonder he wasn’t complaining when we took him and locked him up,” Archer states while I nod in agreement.

  Baton snorts. “Being taken by one meant keeping safe from the cartel. The fucker is an idiot if he thinks we won’t kill him.”

  “Want to join us in heading over to squeeze some information from him? It’s clear the fucker has ties to both the mayor and the cartel and he might be convicted for killing his girlfriend, if he did or didn’t do it himself…the fucker still has the whole laundering money and working for the cartel charges that aren’t added to his rap sheet yet.”

  “The cartel might have sent someone to hunt down the person who stole information if they knew it happened. It would fit his words about not being the one who killed her and yet he’s responsible in some way.” Both Archer and Baton nod in agreement.

  Baton crosses his arms over his chest. “At the time he couldn’t mention the cartel, they would have killed him too. Even if he was in jail.”

  I grab the file in front of me and hand it to Archer, who locks it away in a cabinet.

  “I’m guessing he’ll talk now if we confront him with it. There’s nothing to lose for him, but if he spills details and names…we have something to gain. Even if we’ll eventually find out but if he rattles it makes our work easier.”

  Baton waits till Archer is finished talking before he asks, “What about Ellory?”

  Archer points at Baton’s phone. “Still nothing?”

  Baton’s face turns grim and he gives a shake of his head.

  “Ganza will work on locating the burner if you give him the info. Like I said earlier, don’t go on a wild goose chase. We stick together and get to the bottom of it. But I think it would be smart to get the daughter away from her father. So, when we locate her? Be a good man and kidnap her with my permission.” Archer grins and Baton’s face lights up.

  “You got it, Prez,” he grunts and gets to his feet. “I’ll head to Ganza right now. Shall I meet you at the warehouse to question Fraser?”

  Archer grunts and we all head out. I shoot a quick text to Hadley to ask how her day is going. She instantly replies and lets me know all is fine and that Hank is being a good boy. I’ve never had the urge to protect anyone until I met this woman.

  There might be a hint of worry simmering through my veins about the fact I put her in danger by working cases and being a part of Broken Deeds MC, but at the same time…she grew up in this MC. She’s aware how shit is and this little detail makes her even more fucking perfect for me.

  I straddle my bike and follow Archer. Wyatt rides right next to Prez while Dannon is next to me and behind us are Pax and Rack. Baton is going to meet us at the warehouse later. When we arrive it’s clear shit hit the fan.

  “Motherfucker,” Archer mutters underneath his breath as we’ve all park
ed our bikes and step closer to the smoking pile in front of us.

  Archer’s hand goes to the back of his neck and he glances at Wyatt. “Is it fucked up to say I’m glad I ordered the Kray twins to come back to the clubhouse last night?”

  “I’m going to make sure they fucking listened and not stuck around to keep Jan company. It was Jan who you asked to take over watch duty, right?” Wyatt asks with a grim voice and puts his phone to his ear.

  Archer nods and Wyatt steps away. Archer grabs his own phone and thumbs off a message while I’m still staring at the prospect in front of us. Smoke is wafting off his charcoal body.

  “Austin is a few minutes out,” Archer says.

  “The Kray twins were replaced by Jan. Fucking hell, it’s Jan…the last prospect your father brought in before he handed you the gavel.” Wyatt releases a deep sigh. “He was a few weeks away from getting patched in, dammit.”

  “The fucking smell is horrible,” Rack grumbles as he shoves his nose into the crook of his elbow.

  “Wyatt, take Rack and Pax to check out if they also killed Fraser or took him with them. Whomever did this shit doesn’t look like they were joking around.” Archer’s gaze stares into the ground beneath his feet.

  A biker parks next to our bikes. His back is turned to us and the leather cut clearly shows an Areion Fury MC patch.

  “Austin is here,” I grunt, making everyone’s gaze land on Austin.

  He steps closer and looks around us, giving a low whistle. “Looks like someone was tortured. A tire around the arms and chest, filled with some accelerant and set on fire. Do you know who it is?”

  “Jan, one of our prospects.”

  Archer is about to say some more but Wyatt cuts him off as he, along with Rack and Pax, stroll out of the warehouse. “It’s safe to say Fraser won’t be talking to anyone ever again.”

  “Fuck,” Archer growls.

  “Tongue is cut out and then they slit his throat from ear to ear,” Pax says and winces.

  “Austin, walk through the crime scene and give me a full report. I’ll call in some reinforcements since I have to report this shit. Wyatt, let everyone know I want a full table tonight. We need to get ahead of this shit and make sure everyone knows we’re going on lockdown. They found this warehouse and killed one of our own.”

  “I’m betting the mayor is in on it or gave up a connection to pull some strings or shit. How the fuck else would someone know about our warehouse and how he was held here?” I question.

  “The fuck if I know,” Archer snaps. “Maybe they were keeping an eye on the clubhouse and followed everyone who came and went. I ordered Jan to switch with the Kray twins so they could have followed his ass and he led them right to Fraser.”

  It takes time to process the scene and when we’re finally arriving at the clubhouse, there’s a load of brothers walking in and out. A handful are on watch as others carry in bags of groceries. The women of the older generation are in the kitchen and I’m glancing around to find Hadley but come up empty.

  “She’s in the backyard with Hank. I don’t think she was too happy Archer ordered her to close down the tattoo shop and cancel all appointments for the rest of the week,” Arrow says as he steps closer.

  “He was right to do so,” I mindlessly reply.

  Arrow nods. “Yeah, but my sister likes to work and not have the MC interfere.”

  Ignoring Hadley’s brother, I head out back in search for my woman. She’s throwing a ball with Hank and the pup is joyfully chasing it to bring it back as the process repeats all over again. Hank finally notices me and Hadley’s gaze follows in the direction he speeds off to.

  Our gaze collides and I’m happy to say her whole face lights up. Fuck Arrow and his comment, Hadley will always do what’s right for the club and by the look on her face she sure as fuck is glad to see me. Giving Hank some attention first I finally throw the ball for him to chase and close the distance between me and Hadley.

  Now she does give me a concerned look. Without thinking I blurt, “The prospect, Jan, along with Fraser were killed. It’s all revolving around the two cases I’m working on, well…they merged into one case, but fuck…they were killed.”

  Her eyes widen and she quickly grabs her phone to thumb off a message. I grab mine from my jeans pocket and it vibrates in my hand. I glance over her words where she asks if I’m okay.

  “More knowing you’re here and safe,” I honestly tell her and she slides her arms around me, pressing her body against mine.

  I wrap her in my embrace and bury my face into her black and purple hair, taking a deep breath to fill my lungs with her scent, instantly calming my nerves along with it.

  “I fucking adore you,” I mumble against her head.

  Even if she doesn’t hear me it’s as if she accepts my words as her arms tighten a fragment around me. We take our time to relish in our closeness before we head back inside. I have a meeting to get ready for and we seriously need to get a handle on this shit before more lives are lost.

  Lives I’m not willing to lose and for sure as fuck won’t put at risk. But with the information we have now there’s too much at stake. We have no face or name and no idea who we’re actually dealing with except for the fact it’s cartel related. Along with the knowledge that these fuckers mean business and seem to be one step ahead of us.

  Time to turn the tables.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  – HADLEY –

  I glance at my phone and see it’s three in the morning. Vachs’ side of the bed is unslept in and I guess he’s still hard at work. The last text I received was close to midnight when he told me not to wait up. I did fall asleep but I keep waking up with worry in my gut.

  Swinging my legs off the bed, I stroll into the bathroom and quickly handle my business. I grab a thick sweater from my bag and pull on some leggings and fluffy socks. I give Hank a signal to stay put and the little man puts his head back down on the bed.

  The clubhouse seems deep in sleep with all of the rooms closed. When I step into the main room, I see Archer sitting on the couch with papers scattered all over the table in front of him. Ganza is in the chair across from him, a laptop on his lap but his head is thrown back, mouth a bit agape.

  My eyes find Archer’s and he gives me a small smile before he signs, “Ganza is snoring way too loud and is keeping me up. Your old man is still working in church.”

  I bring my fingertips to my chin to tell him thanks. I get another smile but his eyes are already sliding to the papers in front of him. Crossing the open space to get to church, I notice Vachs is sitting at the table, both hands placed on his bald head as his elbows support him on the table. He too has papers and photographs spread out in front of him.

  He looks visibly tired but his determination shows in the way he’s still sitting here trying to solve the case he’s working on. Vachs surprised me earlier by sharing some of the details with me. In the past all they mentioned to me was “it’s club business.”

  And that’s basically “shut up and do what we tell you.” Or so I thought growing up and when I moved out I indulged my parents whenever there was a lockdown. I’m not an idiot, I know what they do and how dangerous their job is.

  Hell, Archer has asked me a few times to lipread for him and it sure as hell wasn’t sunshine and roses criminals were discussing. But it’s in this moment I realize the consequences even more.

  What me and Vachs have is only the beginning and yet it feels so natural with our strong connection. His eyes collide with mine and even if his focus is on the case in the middle of the night, and I’m standing here, butting in…he still gives me a welcoming smile and reaches his arm out for me.

  My heart squeezes and I fall a little bit more for this man who touched my very soul in many ways already. My hand slides in his and he pulls me onto his lap as he wraps his arms around me. His head goes into the crook of my neck and he breathes me in.

  I love how he always does that. I feel it on my skin as he nuzzles me. Hi
s hot breath stroking me as his chest rumbles. I’m unable to hear his voice but on the other hand the very vibrations and other things he does to my body assault my senses in a special way.

  My eyes slide over all the papers. Some hold text, others numbers and what seems to be bank accounts. Pictures are thrown in the mix. Some crime scene photos. Yikes, I definitely didn’t need to see that. I divert my eyes but I notice a blown up shot taken from what looks like a surveillance camera.

  I recognize the tattoo. I’ve seen it before, but where? Leaning forward I grab the photograph and take a closer look. Something clicks and I know for sure where I saw this because it’s a medusa head with three bent legs around it. I’ve talked to the person who has this inked on his wrist.

  Jumping off Vachs’ lap I search for my phone but I must have left it in my room. Rushing out of church I head for Archer and start to sign to make it clear I’ve seen this man in our tattoo shop.

  “Are you sure?” Archer asks, his eyes slide over my shoulder and I read the words, “Give me a sec and I’ll tell you. Are you sure, Hadley?”

  I give a stern nod and my brow furrows. I’m absolutely positive he was in the shop. I talked to him because I remembered I just opened the shop and was waiting on a client that turned into a no show. I hate when that happens and luckily it doesn’t happen too often. This man was waiting on a woman. He was her bodyguard and she had a piercing appointment. We talked for a bit and the man had an Italian accent and the weird tattoo.

  Archer stalks to the chair Ganza is sleeping in and kicks the side, causing Ganza to jerk up, grabbing hold of his laptop as if his life depends on it while wearing a bewildered look. I see Archer pointing at the laptop and I think he’s giving orders to look up the camera feed of the tattoo shop.

  He turns to me and asks with his hands, “Do you remember what day?”

  I sign back it was the weekend he and Bee took a short vacation and how it was the first client of the guy he hired as a replacement for two days. Archer turns his head and Ganza jumps into action.