by Bella Jewel
But I can’t stop thinking about it.
God how I wish I could.
“I will so long as you never scare me like that again.”
He coughs, and pain flashes through his eyes. God he’s strong. “Deal.”
His eye lids start drooping, and I know it’s time to go.
He needs to rest, now more than ever.
I squeeze his hand. “I’ll come back later, check on you.”
He releases my hand, and I slip out of the room, exhaling a sigh of much-needed relief as I walk down the hall back to where they’re waiting for me.
“How is he?” Alarick asks.
“He’s good. Tired, but okay. I think he just needs some rest.”
He nods. “I’ll see him later. Let’s get you home. Unfortunately, I’ve got shit to deal with and I need to get that shit dealt with now.”
“This is about to get really really dangerous, isn’t it?”
Alarick nods. “Unfortunately, yeah. Let’s go.”
With that, we leave.
And I keep my prayers rolling out that the next few weeks are just as lucky as today has been.
Oh, please god, let them be.
17
FLICK
“Mykel was shot,” I say pacing across my father’s floor, my head spinning with the million things I’m trying to work out. “Dax and his men, sendin’ a message.”
“He okay?” King asks, lighting a cigarette.
“Just, but yeah. We got the guy, turns out he fuckin’ won’t give out any information. Got someone lookin’ for his identity so we can find somethin’ to use against him, but it all feels fuckin’ pointless. He keeps sayin’ over and over that Dax isn’t who we should be scared of.”
King looks up, and then inhales deeply, breathing the smoke in before letting it slip out of his nose. “Had a suspicion Dax wasn’t the top dog.”
“You didn’t care to share this suspicion with me?” I bark, crossing my arms.
“First of all, it was just a fuckin’ suspicion, son. Second of all, no operation that big runs on one man, of course there’s more fuckin’ men out there. They’ve got cops goin’ corrupt, it ain’t somethin’ that’s just small.”
I figured that, but fuck, taking Dax down was going to be how this all ended. If he ain’t the only one we need to take down then we’re running in circles chasing our fucking tails. This isn’t good, and I’m not sure we have the manpower to bring this kind of operation to its knees.
“What do you suggest we do?” I ask, staring over at him.
“I think you fuckin’ stop focusin’ on whoever Dax got to shoot Mykel and start focusin’ on the one person that can get you an in on all of this ...”
“The cop.”
“Yeah, the fuckin’ cop. He’s got the answers you need, you just gotta get your hands on him and make him talk.”
“You’re yet to tell me how to do that,” I point out.
King stands and walks over to a safe, unlocking it. Then and only then does he pull out a file and hand it to me. “Everything you need is in here. Bring that fucker down, you take him down, you’re takin’ a huge link out of Dax’s chain. If he doesn’t have cop coverage, things are goin’ to get a lot harder for him. The only reason he’s able to get away with this is because Bennett is coverin’ it all up. No Bennett means no fuckin’ protection.”
He makes a valid point. Without protection, then Zariah can take her forces in and do the dirty work from there, we just have to get the information we need and remove the cop from the picture. The rest is up to her.
“You say this will work,” I ask, opening the file and looking at the stack of papers.
“It’ll fuckin’ work alright, Bennett might be dirty but his career is everything. He’s done a great job at hidin’ that right there, if it comes out he will be destroyed in more ways than one. He isn’t goin’ to want that. Make him talk, Alarick. You’ve got what you need.”
“You think he’s got the goods on Cova?”
“Don’t know, but I do know that Dax has those goods. You weaken his system, you’re more likely to get that information. Keep your girl in there, get her in with Dax before you take Bennett down. You’re goin’ to need her, one way or another.”
He’s right about that.
I turn and walk toward the door.
“Son?” he calls out.
I glance back at him. “Yeah?”
“Stay safe. This is dangerous.”
Oh. I know.
I fucking know.
“I MET DAX,” WAVERLY tells me, sitting in a chair across from my desk and looking over at me. “My god is he charming.”
“Warned you of that,” I point out.
“Yeah, no, I know. Anyway, Bennett took me to his place. You were right, it is where we suspected, but we knew that anyway. I played the part well, and he told me he could help me out. I pretended to need a hit of drugs, and even let him catch me trying to steal cash. I’m his perfect little victim. I’m going back over there tonight, apparently to meet some of his ‘friends.’”
Good.
This is fucking perfect.
Now Dax has his eye on Waverly, we won’t need Bennett anymore. He was simply our way in. He’s no longer of use to us in this situation, and it’s more than time to remove him from the picture.
The only problem with that, is that we can’t tell Zariah. She knows we’re going to go after Bennett and she’s going to stop us. If she does, everything is going to come to a smashing halt.
I can’t afford any more hiccups.
“When you’re there, you need to try and find out if he keeps information at his house. Need locations of girls, somethin’, anythin’ that might indicate where we can find this information. More than that, you need to listen out to see if there is another person involved or persons. Look for clues, listen for them talkin’ in code, or sayin’ strange things. This goes deeper than we thought, and we need everything we can get.”
Waverly nods. “I’m on it. I’ll get a basic layout of the house and report back with rooms, locations, and if there are any locked safes, or private spaces I’m not allowed. I’ll get back anything I can so that we’re able to get a clear picture of it.”
She’s a smart fucking girl this one.
“Mykel is your ears this time around. He’s got fuck all to do in the hospital, so he’s goin’ to be onto your GPS tracker and watchin’ out for you.”
She exhales. “He’ll probably gladly watch it disappear and not say a word.”
I snort. “Probably, but he’s not goin’ to try anything. You just have to trust him.”
“He can’t stand me.”
“He can’t stand anyone right now.”
She frowns, and then nods. “Okay, well I’m going to get some sleep because it could be a long night. Let me know if you need anything else.”
She turns and walks out, and as soon as she’s gone, I call the guys into my office. We’ve got a lot to discuss and fucking very little time to do so. Cohen, Samson, Kendric, and Bohdi walk into my room, taking a seat. The minute they’re comfortable, I talk.
“We’ve got a lot to go over, so get comfortable. First things first, it’s time to take Bennett down. I’ve done some diggin’ of my own, and found some information we’re goin’ to need to get him to talk. But he will talk. Bennett is the link in Dax’s chain that he needs to keep his operation safe. Without him, it’s goin’ to cause a major uproar. I’ve got things I need to know, and Bennett has that information.”
“We’re bringin’ him in?” Cohen asks.
“We’re bringin’ him in,” I confirm. “But we gotta do it carefully. Want no trace of it comin’ back to us. The club doesn’t need any more law enforcement eyes on it. Bein’ a cop, they’re goin’ to look.”
“Got a few locations we can take him that are safe and away from us,” Kendric points out. “We can do our dirty work there.”
I nod. “Organize that. I want two of you onto the task of
getting hold of him. Won’t be easy, man carries around a lot of weapons and is probably checkin’ in quite a bit. You’re goin’ to have to catch him off guard, and not get seen. You manage that?”
Cohen looks to Bohdi, and murmurs, “First mission to prove yourself. You up for it?”
Bohdi nods.
“I’m up for it.”
Bohdi is a hell of prospect, and I can see already he’s going to be a valued part of this club. But, like everyone, the man has to prove himself and his loyalty. No better way to do that then to bring a cop down.
“Right,” I say, clapping my hands together. “Let’s fuckin’ finish this.”
And finish it, we will.
18
BRIELLA
“I want to be in there,” I say, walking behind Alarick, arms crossed.
“No fuckin’ way, Briella. There is some shit you don’t need to see, and what we’re goin’ to be doin’ to that cop is one of those things.”
“He is the part of the reason my entire family is dead, Alarick. I have a right to witness this.”
Alarick stops and turns, staring down at me. “Do we need to go over the rules of respect?”
My lips tighten, but I’m not going to argue with him on that because I know he’s right. This is his club, and it’s my job to show him respect in it. No matter what choices he makes.
“I will be sight unseen,” I try, just for one more ditch effort. “You can place me somewhere and I won’t make a damned sound. Please, Flick. I respect your decision and I will, but please consider what I’m asking.”
He studies me, and then exhales. “Look, it’s not that I’ve got any issue with you knowin’ what I do to that motherfucker, it’s the fact that I don’t want you seein’ me like that. Seein’ the darkness and the ugly.”
He’s worried I’ll look at him differently?
Gosh.
He could do the worst thing in the world to that cop, and I would never be disgusted.
I reach up and take his face in my hands. “You have no idea how silly what you just said sounds, if you understood my mind you’d know that there isn’t a single thing you can do to that monster that’s going to make me see you any differently.”
He curls his hands around my wrists and closes his eyes for a second, exhaling. My hands are still resting against his face, and my thumbs stroke over the stubble that now resembles a beard far more. It’s gorgeous, and it only makes him look more dangerous.
“I’ll find somewhere for you, but there are conditions. First one is, nobody fuckin’ knows you’re there. If you can’t deal, you get out. You do not, and I repeat, do fuckin’ not, make a sound.”
“I swear it.”
He nods and I drop my hands. He takes my face in his now, and leans down, kissing me. I expected a peck, but his kiss is deep and warm and oh god, it sends shivers down my spine.
“Well,” I say huskily when he pulls back. “If I knew you were going to kiss me like that, I would have done this somewhere more private.”
He grins, presses another kiss to my nose, and then says, “I’ve got shit to do, baby. Need you to go and see King, it’s time he shows his face. He’s goin’ to be part of this, he owes it to the club.”
I blink. “You’re bringing King in?”
“Yeah.”
“He’s not going to go for that. He wants to keep hidden.”
“And he can, I’ll get him in and out without sight, but the man is goin’ to finish what he started. He’s goin’ to be part of this. I’ll give you his location, you are goin’ to take Karen out there so you’re not alone. You’re goin’ to tell him what I just told you, then you’re goin’ to bring him back with you.”
“What if we’re followed?”
“You won’t be. I’ll have Bohdi follow you to a certain point, and make sure nobody passes until you get back. Trust me, you won’t be followed.”
“He won’t come back with me, Alarick.”
“He will if you tell him I’m goin’ to tell the club. He’s not goin’ to let that go down without him bein’ there to explain. Trust me.”
“I’m not sure this is a good idea.”
Alarick looks down at me. “Just trust me, yeah?”
God.
I do.
But something just doesn’t feel right.
I don’t know what it is, but whatever it is, it’s making me uneasy.
I PULL OVER AND GET out of the car, walking over to where Bohdi is following me in his truck.
He winds the window down and tells me, “This is where I leave you. I will be watchin’ any car that comes past, if I’m at all suspicious, I’ll call.”
I nod, and glance around.
We’ve gone down a bunch of back roads, there is no way anyone has followed us without being seen. With Bohdi sitting here, we’re definitely not going to be seen without him calling alert.
I smile and thank him, and then get back into the car with Karen.
She glances around and then looks to me. “King lives out here?”
“Yep. Apparently, he’s well hidden.”
“I can see why; nobody would find him here unless they knew exactly where to look.”
“Are you ready?” I ask her, exhaling and then glancing at the long dirt road we’ve been instructed to follow until we come to an old shed.
“I’m ready.” She nods. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen King, I’m kind of looking forward to it.”
We drive down the road until we reach a large shed, just as Alarick had described. I tuck my phone into my pocket and turn the car off, glancing around. It’s quiet, there seems to be nobody here, but of course that’s how King wants to live. He’s not going to make it obvious that he’s here.
Karen and I get out and walk toward the large shed. I reach the door and bang on it a few times, calling out.
No answer.
I frown and look to her, “Maybe he’s asleep?”
We try the door, and it’s unlocked, so we push it open and step inside.
The lights are on, there is some soft music playing, and overall it looks like someone was literally just standing in here. I can smell coffee. Maybe he’s in the bathroom?
“King?” I call out. “It’s Briella. Are you here?”
I walk around, moving past the old furniture and going through the entire shed. Room to room, he’s not here.
Something doesn’t feel right.
“He’s not here,” I say to Karen, my voice softer now.
She looks to me. “I don’t feel good about this, I think we need to get out of here.”
“Yeah, we do. Let’s go back to the car and I’ll call Alarick.”
She nods and we start walking toward the front door, that’s when I catch a glimpse out of the window and see two men standing by my car. They’re quiet, but they’re there, eyes on the front door, hands on some guns. Oh god. I grab Karen and stop her, and then quietly point. She glances out the window, and her eyes widen.
“Oh god,” she whispers. “Briella ...”
“Calm down, it’s okay. They were obviously expecting someone to come out here. We need to stay calm and get out of here.”
“How? They’re going to see us the minute we make a run for it out the back.”
“They are, but it’s our only option. We either go out there and get taken, which we really don’t want, or we make a run for it and risk getting shot. Now, I need you to listen to me and listen to me good, okay?”
She nods, but I can see the fear in her face.
“When we run from that back door, I don’t want you to stop. Do you hear me? I do not want you to look back. Don’t do anything but run. When you run, I want you to move everywhere, left and right, back and forth, wave your arms, do anything but be a moving target that’s easy to hit. It might not stop you getting hit, but it’s going to make their shot really hard. I learned it on a crime documentary.”
She stares at me, swallowing. “I’m scared, Briella.”
&nb
sp; I put my hands on her shoulders. “Me too, but we’re going to get out of here. Okay?”
She nods, and I pull out my phone, glancing at the men again. They’re looking around, and I know any moment, they’re going to walk toward the house, which gives me an idea. It’s not going to give us a great head start, but it’ll give us a chance not to get shot in the distance from the shed to the thick bushland around it.
“I’ve got a better idea,” I say quickly. “They’re going to start walking toward this shed soon, the moment they do, that’s when we’ll run. The closer they are to this shed, the easier it’ll be for us to go out back and get into that bushland.”
“But they’ll catch us.”
“We’ll just have to move fast, it’s better than being shot. Come on.”
I look down at my phone and punch in a quick text to Alarick.
B – King isn’t here. There are two men here. We’re making a run for it. Send help.
I turn my phone off and then I take Karen’s hand.
“Are you ready?”
She nods, but I can see the fear in her eyes. “Ready.”
Here goes nothing.
I take her hand and glance out the window. The men, as predicted, start walking toward the shed. We move closer to the back door, and when I’ve guessed that they’re close enough, we push the back shed open and run.
We don’t look back.
We don’t do anything but run as fast as our legs can carry us toward the bushland.
I hear shouts behind us, and I know they’ve figured it out. A gun fires, and as I ordered, Karen starts moving around, waving her arms, trying to be a lesser target. I do the same thing, and just as we reach the thick bushland, a bullet grazes past my leg. I feel the burn and the immediate pain, and I cry out loudly.
For a moment, I stop, hopping and grasping at my leg.
Blood rolls down my calf, and I can see that it has hit me, but not penetrated.
“Oh, god,” Karen cries. “You got shot.”
“It’s a graze,” I cry out, as the burning sensation travels up my leg. “Let’s go.”
She takes my hand and we run. We run deeper and deeper into the trees, rushing through the thick scrub, tripping over, doing anything we can to get as far away from the two men following us.
