The Sinner Unleashed (L.A. Sinners MC Book 2)

by J. L. Leslie

  Besides, he threw me out. Told me he was done with me. At the time, his words cut deep.

  But then he was here, in my house, and I could see it written all over his face. He didn’t want me to go, and fuck, I never wanted to leave.

  I remind myself that I have responsibilities, a club to take care of. A job. A life outside of what that man wants and what I want to do to him.

  Yet, he’s all I can think about.

  Groaning in frustration, I finish up in the shower and dry off, wrapping the towel around me as I walk back into my bedroom. Suggs is sprawled over my bed, his naked ass on display.

  I’m certain he’s exhausted. I thought I could screw Warren out of my mind, but that was an epic fail. At least he stopped asking where I was and if I was alright after he busted a nut.

  I grab my phone off my dresser, seeing notifications for dozens of missed calls and texts. Once I scroll through and listen to a voicemail from Donia, I throw on a pair of jeans and loose-fitting tee. My boots are by my door, so I snag them on the way out.

  I don’t bother waking Suggs before I leave, hopping on my bike and heading out to meet with Donia so I can find out what damage Warren did. When I arrive, the rest of Hell’s Fury is already there. Donia summoned us to our usual Tuesday meeting spot, and despite the fact that it’s not Tuesday at eight p.m., we’re all here.

  “This meeting is officially in order,” Donia calls out and the side conversations that were taking place cease. “I suppose we should welcome Mackenzie back from her little hiatus.”

  I can hear the disdain in her voice and take note of how her eyes narrow at me. Instead of getting my groove on, I should’ve called her first. Oh well. I can’t go back and change that now. The damage is done.

  “I apologize,” I tell everyone. “Family emergency.”

  Donia taps her fingers on the table. “The Sinners have taken possession of our product. All of it.” Murmurs ripple throughout the members. “They also know about Travis.”

  “Son of a bitch,” Annie curses. “How did this happen?”

  “Mackenzie was vetting a pledge, and she betrayed us,” Donia answers. “She led the Sinners right to our product and to Travis.”

  I open my mouth to defend myself, to tell the club that I wasn’t the one who brought Sabrina on board, but then I close it. I know better than to go against Donia and certainly not in front of the other members. If she says I brought her in, then that’s the way it is.

  “Who was the source?” Annie questions.

  “And why didn’t we know you were thinking of bringing a pledge in?” Marla, one of our longest members, puts in. “We should have put that to a vote.”

  “We weren’t sure we could trust her and didn’t want to compromise her,” I answer. “That’s why we didn’t make any announcements. She wasn’t club material, and that’s why she was compromised.”

  “Who was it?” Annie asks again.

  “Sabrina, one of the Sinners’ club whores,” Donia replies.

  Disapproval is evident on both Annie and Marla’s faces as well as several others. I hate that I was thrown under the bus about it.

  “It’s irrelevant at this point to be angry about it,” Donia says. “We have more important things to discuss tonight. Suzanne’s funeral arrangements are made, and we’ll be holding the service tomorrow. The Sinners found her and were kind enough to return her body to me.”

  “They found her?” Annie asks, sounding shocked to be told this.

  “Yes,” Donia answers. “It’s possible they found her because they’re the ones responsible. Two of their men were killed, and in their book, we owe them one more.”

  “I don’t believe they were responsible,” I speak up. “Not any more than we were responsible for their deaths.”

  Donia chuckles, shaking her head. “But we were.”

  For a moment, I feel like I’m going to faint. The blood drains from my face and my hands get clammy. What is she saying?

  “I didn’t think…I didn’t –”

  “Mackenzie, I make the decisions in this club. It was time to make a move on the Sinners.”

  I gasp. “How could you make that decision without me? Without the club?”

  “When was this decided?” Marla questions Donia.

  “I make the decisions,” Donia states, firmly. “I have always done what is best for this club, have I not?”

  The members mumble in agreement, but I can tell some of them are as surprised as I am.

  “You should have talked to us, Donia,” I admonish. “At least put it to a vote.”

  “I couldn’t be sure if you could be trusted, Mackenzie,” she tells me. “Especially after what happened with Harper and now Sabrina.”

  “I have been nothing but loyal to this club,” I state, surprisingly able to keep from raising my voice. “I have given you no reason to believe I would ever betray your trust.”

  “It’s done,” Donia says harshly. “It’s done, and they deserve everything that’s coming to them.”

  “So, we inflict the same pain on them as they did on the Hades Riders?” I ask, and Donia smiles, confirming my accusation. “Even though we are well aware that the leadership who issued the death sentences on our families has been killed already?”

  “The Sinners are responsible, and they have to pay! A bullet to the skull is not enough!” Donia yells and the other members slowly clap in agreement. “We are well on our way to taking them down!”

  The cheers ignite, and I sit back, unsure what to say or do. This club is my family, everything to me. But I don’t recognize these women anymore.

  Chapter Twenty

  Warren

  I haven’t decided if letting Mackenzie go was the best thing I ever did or the worst fucking mistake of my life. I talked with Lucien, let him know she was safe and sound and that I don’t think Hell’s Fury is behind the shit that’s happening against our members.

  Being a member of an MC, we’ve always had enemies, threats to the club. I have lived looking over my shoulder for a while now, but it feels different knowing you’re watching for a woman you have feelings for.

  Yeah, I have a good set of balls hanging down between my fucking legs so I can admit it. I feel something for Mackenzie Salizar. I wanted to end Suggs when I saw them together. I haven’t ended a human life without being ordered to do so.

  With Suggs, the way I saw them together, I would have killed him without an order from my club. I still want to just so I know he can never sink inside her again. Never taste her flesh. Hear her moaning his name when she was thinking mine.

  Frustrated, I pull a cigarette from my pack and hold it between my teeth while I fish out my lighter. The moment I get it lit, I hear a knock on my door. I’m relieved, thankful for the distraction, whatever it might be. I call out for whoever’s knocking to come in and Reid pushes my door open.

  “Lucien wants to see us in his office,” he lets me know.

  I frown, knowing it’s late, so whatever it is, it can’t be good. I rise from my bed, only removing my cigarette from my mouth long enough to pull on a black t-shirt. I go ahead and tug my boots on, figuring if I’m being summoned, there’s a good chance I’ll be heading out.

  When I reach Lucien’s office, Reid is leaning against the wall, his dark hair messy from whatever party he came from. If he’s not on club duty, he’s either with one of the club whores or partying somewhere. Lately he’s been slipping off and hanging out with some college kids. He’s a smart kid, but still has a lot of growing up to do if you ask me.

  “There was another body found tonight,” Lucien states, grimly.

  “Fuck, whoever’s doing this is stepping it up.”

  He nods, his face solemn. “Suggs is there, and he’s waiting on us to come take a look at her.”

  “What the fuck is he doing there?” I ask before I can stop the words from coming from my mouth.

  Reid stands up straight. “We aren’t fucking detectives, Lucien. We go tampering around
a crime scene, and we might get nailed with that shit. We already took a risk taking that fucking Suzanne bitch. If there’s something we need to know, the chief will call us, won’t he?”

  Lucien gets up from his chair. “I don’t put my faith in others when it’s our asses on the line, and if someone is setting us up then we need to go see what’s out there,” he answers Reid and then turns to me. “Besides, this body isn’t going to be found. I have no doubt if I take another body to Donia she’ll hold us responsible, and I’m not fucking having that.”

  “How did Suggs even find her?” I ask, and I can see Lucien’s patience wearing thin.

  “Suggs knows a lot of people in a lot of low fucking places. I asked him to keep his eyes open for us.”

  “And you trust this guy?” Reid questions and I’m glad he did so that I didn’t have to.

  “Not exactly,” Lucien answers honestly. “He’s a contract man. Whoever pays the contract is who can trust him. He’s loyal to no one.”

  “I don’t like this,” Reid mumbles, but Lucien ignores his comment.

  “I have Harco already pulling surveillance from the area where Suggs told me the body was dumped, and Wiggie and Hatcher are leading two patrol groups to secure the area as we speak. They’ll see what they can find out while we go check out the bodies.”

  “Where is she?”

  “The diner.”

  No wonder Lucien was so grim when he called us in here. He didn’t have to tell us the diner he was referring to is where Harper works. She was waitressing there when they met, and despite his protests, she hasn’t quit her job. Of course, she didn’t leave Hell’s Fury when he asked so I have no idea why he thought she would quit that hole-in-the-wall diner either.

  It takes us about forty-five minutes to get there due to traffic, and when we arrive, my stomach is in knots. Something is fucked with the way these bodies are being tossed in our territory.

  I don’t think Hell’s Fury is behind this, but it honestly doesn’t look like the work of the Sicarios either. Sure, we have beef with them, but we haven’t crossed into their territory, and they’ve steered clear of ours lately. As for dead females, they keep their women locked away, not tortured, and murdered.

  “Have you moved her?” Lucien questions Suggs as he uncovers the body.

  Although the diner is open twenty-four hours, the lights were out and the doors locked as we came around back to where the dumpster is. I keep my eyes peeled although I know Wiggie and Reid will do their jobs keeping the area secure. No one will be coming in or out as we take care of this.

  “Nope, this is exactly how I found her,” Suggs explains.

  “Any word on the street about who’s responsible?” Lucien asks, and Suggs runs a hand over his bald head.

  “My source tells me people think it’s a war between you guys and the women’s club.”

  “What source?” I ask him and he narrows his eyes at me, not answering.

  Maybe he did see me at Mackenzie’s house, watching them together, or either she’s told him the truth by now.

  No. I wouldn’t be breathing if that were the case.

  “Anyone at the diner see anything?” I question, and he shakes his head.

  “I called in a gas leak and had the manager, some Donnie guy, shut the diner down,” Suggs tells Lucien, not looking at me when he answers.

  Lucien leans down and carefully brushes the blood-matted hair from the woman’s face. He clenches his jaw in frustration. “Let’s get this cleaned up.”

  Mackenzie

  I pour another glass of Southern Comfort, not bothering to add any Sprite to the glass. I’ll have it straight. Donia eyes me as I down the third glass without flinching.

  “If you have something to say, then say it, Mackenzie,” she says, sternly. “You can speak freely. The meeting has been concluded.”

  Everyone else has gone, including Annie and Marla. Annie said she was heading home and Marla was going over to the diner for a late-night dinner. I almost asked if I could come because I miss the damn diner. Not because Harper works there but because I love the food. At least that’s what I tell myself.

  “Have you seen the bodies?” I ask Donia, and she averts her gaze a moment, looking down at my glass as though she longs for a drink, before returning her eyes to meet mine.

  “Yes.”

  I puff out a sigh, somewhat shocked. “And you’re alright with this? Alright with what we’re doing to those men? Raping and beating them and dumping their bodies out in the open like that?”

  “We are in a war, Mackenzie,” she reminds me. “There are casualties in every single war. Those men deserved their fate.”

  “And what about their families? Do they deserve to see that done to their loved ones.”

  “As far as I’m concerned, they have no families.”

  “Everyone has family!” I raise my voice. “I thought that’s why we started this club! For family, our families!”

  She slams her fist on the table. “That is why we are fighting! We will not be destroyed, Mackenzie!”

  “Don’t you see it, Donia? We’re destroying ourselves! We’re a mockery of what a club should be!”

  Donia backhands me, knocking me from the stool I’m sitting on and to the floor. The coppery taste of blood fills my mouth. So much for being allowed to speak freely.

  “Are you truly bothered by what we’re doing or by the fact that your little boyfriend might be next?” she yells.

  The only person who knew about what happened between Warren and me was Harper. Hell, she’s the only one who even knows about Suggs. I kept the club away from him and him away from the club. It’s my family, but it’s also a part of my life that I have to keep separate, secret.

  I can’t walk into the DEA office and announce to my co-workers that I’m a biker in a motorcycle club. I don’t invite my fellow club members to come have drinks with my co-workers and vice versa. My club life and personal life are two different things.

  “Warren is no better than the piece of shit who actually is your boyfriend. Suggs, isn’t it?” she remarks. “He came through the DEA office, didn’t he? We could have used him, but no, you had to swoop in on him and try keeping him from us. He could have been a valuable asset to the club!”

  “Did you send him to me?” I ask Donia, praying that isn’t true.

  “Oh, Mackenzie, you find these fucking losers all by yourself,” she quips. “If I wanted to contract Suggs, I would. That’s his job after all. A hired hand. Christ, the stuff he’s willing to do. The stuff he’s already done.”

  I wipe the blood from my mouth and climb to my feet. The way she talks about Suggs has me wondering exactly what she knows about him and the jobs he’s been contracted to do.

  “Then, there’s the Sinner. I saw the way you reacted to his name when Sabrina was around. How jealous she was of you. Do you think I’m a damn amateur at this?”

  “I’ve never questioned your judgment, Donia,” I tell her, trying to smooth things over. “But we can do this a better way. The right way.”

  Her voice softens a little. “I don’t condone the raping and beating of other human beings, Mackenzie, but in this life, it’s them or us, and I choose us. I will always choose us. We have to see this through, or we’ll lose everything.”

  She sounds defeated and I hate seeing her this way. She is the strongest woman I know. When she lost her sons, both of them, she held it together and made sure her daughter was safe. She hasn’t seen her own daughter in years, not since the Sinners annihilated the Hades Riders, and she never fell apart.

  When it comes to making tough decisions, impossible decisions, Donia will make them. I don’t doubt that everything she does is for Hell’s Fury. She has no one else.

  But I do.

  I have Warren, and whatever fucked up relationship it is that we have. I’ve put everything into Hell’s Fury. I haven’t questioned Donia, always respected her. If she gave an order to do something, I followed it. We had the same goa
l in mind.

  I no longer know what that goal is.

  And even though she didn’t come right out and ask, she wants me to let go of the only man who was capable of giving me a taste of freedom. Capable of allowing me to be the woman I am beneath all of my scars.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Warren

  I sit on the passenger side of Suggs’ truck, staring out the window and doing my best to ignore the shitty music he has blasting. It has to be some fucking amateur rappers posting videos on YouTube. My ears are practically screaming in protest by the time we reach the meeting spot.

  I want to ask him about the four flat tires on the back of the truck with the dead body, but I opt to sit in silent satisfaction.

  The moment he pulls to a stop, I bail out of the truck, anxious to put some distance between him and me. He’s putting on this show of helping us, alerting us to the body, but I’m not buying it. He has no reason to help us. We aren’t paying him that I know of. His girlfriend is the VP of a rival club. Surely, he can’t be fucking Mackenzie and not know that about her.

  Then again, I took her right out of her damn house and held her for over a week, and he didn’t have a clue where she was.

  I go to the back of his truck and lower the tailgate. I pull on a pair of gloves before I touch the body. The woman I now know to be Marla is wrapped in a tarp, her lifeless body heavy as I lift her up.

  “Can’t believe Lucien still has you doing clean-ups,” Suggs comments as Reid pulls up on his bike.

  “This isn’t a clean-up,” I correct him. “It’s protecting our club. You wouldn’t know anything about that.”

  I gently lay her down and go grab a few shovels from the back of the truck. I’m doing this clean-up because Lucien wants it done right. Yes, he took Suzanne’s body back to Donia to show that we weren’t involved. It was a matter of respect.

  A second dead Hell’s Fury member can cause our club a lot of problems. It sure as fuck looks like retaliation and they have every reason to believe we’re responsible, just as the more dead bodies turn up makes them look guilty as shit.