by Brook Wilder
“I know you know more than you’re telling me,” I said, “and I also know you’re not about to answer my questions directly. What if I talked to some of your friends and fellow gang members? That way, you wouldn’t have to tell me anything. I’d figure everything out on my own.”
“My immediate thought is to say no,” Emmett said carefully, “You’d only get shot if you went door to door dressed like that and asking questions.”
My heart sank. Here I was, so close to cracking this case. I felt my chance to escape Black Rock slipping away from me.
“However,” he continued, “I think there’s a way you could talk to a couple of people without being too suspicious.”
“What is it?” I asked eagerly. “I’m willing to do whatever it takes, so long as it's legal.”
“I can take you to the Hole tomorrow night. It’s the bar we all hang out in, and my friends will be much more willing to chat with some whiskey in them. You’ll have to go undercover, though. Dress like us, I mean.”
“Like I said, whatever it takes,” I said, grabbing a notepad and pen from my pocket. “Here’s my address. It’ll look better if you pick me up. I drive past that bar in my truck every day, and I’m pretty sure everyone would recognize it.”
Emmett stared at the slip of paper I handed to him before turning his gaze to me. His eyes were as blue as ever, but there was a new emotion hidden in their depths. Was it respect?
“I’ll swing by around nine,” he said as he stood to show me out. “Just make sure you look the part. I don’t want to start a bar fight because I brought some pretty lawyer as my date.”
I said nothing in reply, only giving him a grin and a wink before I turned and walked out the door. I felt his gaze boring into me as I headed to my car. Once I got the engine started, I sped out of there and onto the highway. I drove past the turn I normally took to get home and, instead, kept going until I reached the city limits. The next town over had a large shopping mall and I was in desperate need of some new clothes.
Chapter 9
I stood in the bathroom, admiring my outfit in the full-length mirror. It had taken me all day today and most of yesterday afternoon, but I was actually quite proud of my transformation. I’d been glued to my phone in the mall, swiping through image after image of inspiration. Thankfully, I’d found an all leather store, which made finding the perfect jacket easy. It was black, cropped short, and not actually real leather since this biker chick was on a budget. Still, it fit the look with its wide, snap down lapels and asymmetrical zipper. I wore it over a black tank top with a skull printed on it as well as tastefully ripped, black skinny jean. I’d spent almost an hour in the shoe store trying to decide between boots and heels. Boots fit the image I was trying to go for, but I was also going to a bar, not actually riding. I ended up compromising, choosing a pair of high heeled ankle boots covered in silver studs. After adding a couple of spiky leather bracelets and a black fringed purse, my look was complete.
Dealing with my hair had been tricky since I wasn’t willing to cut or dye it just for one night. I was pretty sure I’d teased and styled it enough, but it was definitely the weak point of my disguise. I tried not to stress too much about it and, instead, focused on putting the final touches on my makeup. Just as I’d finished blotting my ruby red lipstick, I heard a motorcycle pull up in front of my apartment building. Perfect timing. I threw my wallet and a compact into my purse, and hustled out the front door.
I immediately spotted Emmett standing on the curb next to his parked bike, and made a beeline to him. He was wearing what I now realized was his every day uniform of jeans, white t-shirt, leather jacket, and boots, but without the usual grease spots. He’d even made an effort to style his hair by pulling back into a slick ponytail. The effort was worth it, he looked damn good.
“Looking good, Emmett!” I said as I approached him. He’d been focused on picking at his fingernails and looked up when I spoke. I watched as he did a double take, his eyes going wide when he realized it was me.
“Not too bad yourself,” he replied, “I almost didn’t recognize you. It’s like you’re a completely different person.”
His eyes wandered up and down my body, and his face had taken on an almost predatory expression. I should have felt scared, but I honestly had never felt sexier in my life.
“So, what’s the plan for the evening?” I asked.
“I figure I’d take you over to the bar and introduce you as my date for the evening. You’ll be an out of town girl my ex introduced me to, to cover the fact that you’re a new face. We’ll have a few drinks, and I’ll try to introduce you to someone who might be able to help you.”
“Sounds great! What should my name be?”
“What do you mean?” he said dismissively. “I figured you’d just be Olivia since no one there should know you.”
“Oh, well,” I said. I could feel a blush rising in my cheeks, “I just thought it’d complete the disguise.”
“Since you’re so dead set on being the master spy, I’ll call you Liv. Hop on, we should get going.”
I smiled bashfully and hopped onto the bike behind him. The engine roared into life and Emmett smoothly pulled away from the curb. As we picked up speed, I wrapped my arms around his waist to keep from toppling off the bike. This was the closest we had ever been, and I felt myself snuggling closer to him. I was slowly realizing how much I liked the feeling of his body against mine. Emmett was focused on the road right up to when we pulled into the bar’s parking lot, and I wondered if he’d felt the same way.
“Welcome to the Hole,” he said after he cut the engine.
We both hopped off and I got my first good look at the bar. Even though I drove past it almost every day, I’d never really paid close attention to the details. It was a rough looking building made of faded red brick that showed the wear and tear of the dusty, desert wind. The only thing that told me that it was, in fact, a bar was a half broken Pabst sign in one of the windows flanking the metal side door. I peered around to the front and saw that no one was sitting on the rickety front porch. I could, however, hear the music thumping away inside.
“Ready to head in?” Emmett asked with a grin.
“Ready as I’ll ever be,” I replied and we set off across the lot.
“Just be careful in there. These are dangerous guys. It’d be best if you stick to talking to the women. The Devil’s Martyrs is a men only club, so none of the ladies will be full members. Their info won’t be as good, but they’ll be less suspicious of you asking questions.”
“I’ll frame it like I’m just trying to scope out the club,” I said. “Make it seem like I’m interested in the guys.”
“Smart move,” Emmett said as he pulled the door open. He then placed his hand on my lower back and guided me in.
A wave of noise hit me as soon as we stepped into the room. Rock music blared from the ancient jukebox in the corner, punctuated every other moment by the smack of billiard balls from the three tables that dominated the center of the room. The bar was packed full of bikers, all talking and drinking bottled beer. Emmett led me to the bar and bought us both a drink.
“Sorry bout the lack of selection,” he said, leaning close to my ear so I could hear him. “They only keep one kind of beer here, and I didn’t take you for the kind of gal that shoots whiskey.”
“No worries, thanks for the drink,” I said, raising my bottle.
“For a beautiful girl like you, it’s no trouble,” he said with a wink.
We wandered through the room a bit while Emmett introduced me to the other bikers and their girlfriends or wives. Everyone was polite enough to my face, but it seemed like I caught someone staring at me every time I turned around. I chalked it up to just being the new face in the room and got down to business. Emmett wandered off to play a round of pool and I approached a pair of women he’d introduced me to earlier.
“Hey ladies, mind if I join you? My date’s abandoned me,” I said. They welcomed me over
and we started chatting. We were interrupted, though, when Emmett came over with another beer for me. Before he left, he slid a hand down to my rear and planted a kiss on my cheek. I felt his stubble graze against my face and I felt a small shiver of pleasure run through me. Was this all still just an act for him? It certainly didn’t seem like it right now.
“Seriously, Liv,” a woman named Cherise said after he had walked away, “how’d you manage to snag Emmett? Ever since he had that kid, he hasn’t so much looked a woman, much less asked one out.”
“I dunno. He’s the one who asked me,” I said as breezily as I could manage.
“Well, lucky for you,” the other woman, Anna, chimed in. “Of the Cruz brothers, Emmett’s definitely the better one.”
“Emmett has a brother?” I asked. I could tell by the concern on the women's faces that I hadn’t done a good enough job of keeping my intense excitement out of my voice.
“Yeah…” Cherise replied. “He has a twin brother named Knox. He didn’t tell you that?”
“Oh, uh, no. I guess he didn’t,” I said.
“Huh. Well, I guess that kind of thing doesn’t always come up when you first meet a guy,” Anna said awkwardly. “Now, Liv, you need to dish the details about Emmett…”
“Does his brother happen to have green eyes?” I knew immediately that I’d made the wrong move. I should have kept going with the conversation instead of interrupting, but my impatience was getting the better of me. If these two women weren’t suspicious of me before, they definitely were now.
“He does, actually. They almost have a freaky glow to them,” Cherise said, shooting a furtive glance at Anna. “Excuse us, Liv. We’re going out for a smoke break.”
They then scurried off with a speed that made it clear that I shouldn’t follow them. I let out a long breath, mentally kicking myself for being so stupid. I set my empty bottle down on the table and made my way to the door. Maybe some fresh air would help. Just as I put my hand on the doorknob, another hand slammed into the door a few inches from my face. I looked up at the older man holding the door shut and our eyes locked. He was large and terrifying, but also eerily familiar.
“Emmett!” the man roared, still holding my gaze. “Get your ass over here!”
“What is it?” he asked as he trotted over, pool cue still in hand.
“Who the hell do you think you are, bringing a little yuppie girl like this to the Hole?”
He broke our staring match to turn to Emmett and I almost gasped with relief. He was a large man, maybe even larger than Emmett, with his salt and pepper hair cut close in a military style. I would put him in his late sixties, but the muscles that bulged under his black tee shirt said that he was far from a frail old man. His posture spoke of authority and his grim face told me he wasn’t used to being questioned. His eyes, though, were the most terrifying part of him. They were so dark that they were almost black and his intense stare had a whiff of instability about it, like he could snap at any moment.
“It’s just a girl my ex introduced me to, Prez,” Emmett said carefully. I could tell by his defensive posture that he wasn’t sure how his leader was about to react and that violence wasn’t completely out of the question. “I just thought I’d show her around the town.”
“Get her out of here,” the president of the Devil's Martyrs growled. “Just because you throw a tramp into fake leather and high heels doesn’t mean she’s welcome here. Besides, I heard she was asking strange questions that made Tex’s ol’ lady feel uncomfortable. Do I need to remind you that, as president of this damn club, I can kick out anyone I damn well please?”
Emmett stood frozen for a moment, with a defiant look on his face. I wanted him to just walk away now, before anything bad happened.
“Now!” The president screamed. Everyone turned to Emmett expectantly, waiting for his next move.
When it became clear that Emmett still didn’t intend to move, the president raised his hand and I realized he meant to strike me hard across the face. Just in time, though, I saw Emmett’s hand enclose around the president's wrist. They stood nose to nose and exchanged dangerous glances before the president ripped his wrist out of Emmett’s grasp. Silently, Emmett put his hand on my back and guided me out the door, his head held high. He didn’t look back once, and we only stopped walking when we reached his bike.
“Are you alright?” Emmett asked.
“I’m ok, just a little shaken up.”
“Well, the Prez sure does have that effect on people. His name is Wendell Johnson, but everyone calls him Capone because of how crazy he is sometimes.”
“It’s mostly my own fault. I made a couple of women suspicious. I did get some good info tonight, though.”
“Then the evening isn’t a total wash,” Emmett said with a smile. “Let’s get you home.”
We both hopped on the bike and we sped off into the night. I noticed Emmett took a more convoluted route back to my apartment, but I didn’t mind. I figured he wanted to lose anyone who decided to follow us, but I just appreciated the opportunity to spend more time leaning against his strong back. When we finally reached my building, I grudgingly got off the bike. Emmett surprised me by holding out his bent arm, which I gladly took. He walked me up to my doorstep, and we both paused.
Just as I was about to thank him for humoring me for the evening, Emmett bent down, grasped my face with his hand, and kissed me. His lips were soft and warm and I closed my eyes as I breathed in the spicy smell of his cologne. It was heaven. Time slowed to a crawl and it seemed like we stood there kissing for decades before Emmett slowly pulled away. We looked deep into each other's eyes before he suddenly turned away and headed down the steps.
“Goodnight, Olivia,” he called over his shoulder as he walked away. I stood there, frozen in shock, and watched him drive away on his bike.
Chapter 10
“What the hell do you think you’re up to?” Jon yelled as he stormed into my office.
It was the Monday after my evening incognito at the Hole, and I’d been quietly trying to figure out how to tell Jon about the information I’d acquired. I had figured he wouldn’t be pleased that I’d gone to the bar with Emmett, and it now seemed like my gut feeling was correct. The real question now was how he found out. I was there for an hour at most, and it’s not like Jon had any biker friends on speed dial.
“What do you mean?” I asked innocently, even though I knew exactly what he was talking about.
“You can just go traipsing around in biker bars, Olivia. We have an image to maintain at this firm and I need you to stay away from that type of people!”
“What I do on my own time is my business, not yours! I managed to get some good information too, for the case that you told me to win,” I said tartly. I didn’t want to get into a full on screaming match right now, but my temper sure was rising. “Besides, what happened to all the talk of ‘bettering our relationship with the biker community’?”
“I meant by fighting for Emmett’s case, not screwing around with him!”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“I was at the post office mailing a package this morning when my friend Joy, who was in line with me, tells me the strangest thing. She was out taking a walk last night and saw you all dolled up kissing a biker right there on your doorstep. What the hell am I supposed to make of that, Olivia?”
“It was just a kiss, and he initiated it, not me!” I said. I could feel all the blood in my body rushing to my face. I thought I’d gotten used to the small town, know everything about everyone mentality that permeated Black Rock, but clearly I hadn’t. “By the time I tried to push him away, he was already gone.”
“I’ll take your word for it, this time,” Jon said, a dangerous look in his eyes. “But if I hear anymore rumors about you and Emmett, you’re fired. Any sort of romantic involvement with clients is inexcusable and could get our case thrown out.”
“Understood,” I said meekly. I was surprised by how disappointed I f
elt, but I knew I’d have to be more careful from now on about my interactions with Emmett.
“With that out of the way,” Jon said with a heavy sigh, “you should at least tell me what you found out last night.”
“Emmett introduced me to a couple of ladies at the bar. They weren’t members, but they were involved with the club enough to know a few things. They told me that Emmett has a twin brother with green eyes.”
“Interesting, I wonder if he was keeping all of that from us to protect him. But why is the eye color important?”
“Well, on Saturday, I also talked to the diner owners, Craig and Ginger. I just wanted to see if there was anything that had slipped through the official reports. They didn’t remember too much about the shooter, but they were both described his glowing, green eyes. Emmett has blue eyes. They also had a copy of a tape which they’d forgotten to give to the police. I watched it and noticed that the shooter had an eagle tattoo on his right bicep.”
