by L. Wilder
“He was almost unrecognizable. They’d done a real number on him.”
“Fuck. You think the Blades had something to do with it?”
“Oh, there’s no doubt. Frankie got a message from them this morning. The package contained three bloody fingers and a letter that said there would be more to come if they didn’t get the rest of their shipment plus interest . He didn’t know until later that the fingers belonged to his driver.”
“Damn.”
“Yeah. I figure they tortured the driver to make him talk.”
“Yeah. They probably thought he’d taken their shit or—” I started, but was interrupted when Nitro pulled up next to us. When he got out of the car wearing jeans and t-shirt, instead of his normal shirt and slacks, I knew he’d been out with Tristen. I had no doubt that having to leave her only added to his pissed off mood. “Ryder just filled me in on what happened.”
Ryder turned to Nitro. “I didn’t get a chance to tell him everything.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Our shipment to Mercer was in the truck, and now, it’s missing.” I’d hoped that he’d had enough of Frankie’s bullshit and would be ready to walk away, but now that our shipment had gone missing, that wasn’t an option.
“So, whoever stole the drugs, also stole Mercer’s shipment?”
“You got it,” Nitro growled. “Which makes Frankie’s fuckup, my fuckup, and that shit don’t fly.”
Nitro sold guns. He sold and distributed them all over the world and had the means to do it the way it needed to be done. He was the best—dependable, powerful, and focused, making sure each and every transaction went off without a hitch. Frankie had fucked that up, and while Nitro was many things, there was one thing he wasn’t and that was a fucking detective. None of us were. We handled things up front, crossing every t and dotting every i , so we didn’t have to deal with a lot of bullshit. I knew Nitro wasn’t going to like it, but we just didn’t have the kind of connections we’d need to find out who had stolen our weapons. Whether he liked it or not, we were going to need help—the kind of help that only a certain person I knew could give. “You know I’ll do what I can to find whoever was involved, but I think we should get Big in on this. He’s the only one I know who can get this kind of shit done and get it done fast.”
Nitro ran his fingers through his hair as he considered what I just said. Big was the computer hacker for Satan’s Fury, and a longtime friend of Nitro’s. It wouldn’t be the first time Nitro had gone to Big for help. He had a knack for digging in all the right places, finding anything Nitro would need to know about potential clients, and there was even a time he helped derail a cop who was sniffing around one of Nitro’s warehouses. Hackers can do some pretty crazy shit, and by the time Big was done with that cop, he’d made his life a living hell. After mulling it over, Nitro looked at me and said, “See what he can find out. We need to know what we’re dealing with, and then, we can go from there.”
“I’ll head over there now.”
He nodded. “Ryder and I will go pay Frankie a visit. There’s always a chance he hasn’t told us everything he knows.”
We all went our separate ways, and after messaging Big, he told me to meet him at the clubhouse. When I pulled up to the gate, Diesel came walking over to my car. I rolled down my window. “Hey, man. How’s it going?”
“It’s going.” He shrugged. Prospecting could be rough, especially doing so for Satan’s Fury, but I’d heard stories about Diesel. With his blond hair and friendly smile, he looked like a nice enough guy, but he was tough. He’d proven that when Two Bit’s girl ran into some trouble with her father’s club. I had no doubt that he could handle whatever was thrown his way. “Big’s waiting at the bar for you.”
“Thanks, man.” I nodded and continued through the gate. Once I was parked, I headed into the clubhouse and found Big talking to the girl behind the bar. Big didn’t look, nor act, like your typical computer geek. He was at least 6’5” and was muscled up like a wrestler with tattoos covering his chest and arms. When Big saw me heading in their direction, he said something to the girl, then stood up and motioned for me to follow him down the hall to his room. I’d been there before, but his room always amazed me. With all his gadgets and gizmos, it looked like something out of a sci-fi movie.
He walked over to his desk and said, “So, tell me exactly what we’re looking for.” After I filled him in on everything, he turned to his computer and started typing. A few seconds later, “We’re sure the Blades killed your driver, right?”
“I’d say that message was pretty damn clear.”
“Okay. Let’s start from the beginning. From looking at his log, we can assume that the truck left here for LA with everything loaded and still had it when it reached the weigh station. So between here and there, we’ve got to figure out where the heist took place.”
“Makes sense.”
“I’m thinking we should start at the weigh station. You said that it got held up there for a couple of days, right?”
“Yeah. Frankie sent another driver to pick it up, and that’s all we know.”
“Then, that’s where we need to start.” He started typing again and said. “I’ll see if I can access their camera feed, then maybe we can get eyes on that truck.”
In a matter of seconds, he’d found his way in and started searching through the last few days of security footage. It didn’t take long for me to spot the dark purple outline of Frankie’s truck logo on the side of the trailer. It was parked off to the side next to several other trucks, but there was no sign of the driver. I leaned forward and pointed it out to Big. “That’s the one.”
He zoomed in on the license plate, then without telling me why, he pulled up another screen and started typing. Seconds later, he pointed at his computer and said, “Look at this. Someone called ahead and warned the safety inspector about the load being overweight.”
“What does that mean?”
“I’m guessing someone wanted that truck to get held up at the weigh station.” After reading a little further, Big shook his head and said, “Check this out. The freight weight was only off by a few pounds. I can’t believe they deemed it out of service for that. I know they’re strict, but that seems a little extreme.”
“What’s the guy’s name?”
“Who?”
“The safety inspector. Maybe we should look him up.”
“Definitely. I’ll print everything out so we’ll have it.”
He sent everything to the printer and then went back to the security footage. After spending an hour sorting through it, we found what we were looking for. Around nine p.m., the driver hitched a ride with another truck and left the weigh station. I couldn’t blame the guy for leaving. His truck wasn’t set up with all the extras, like a bed and shower, so he’d been sitting there for over thirty-six hours with no food, no water, and no bathroom, at least not one with easy access. I figured he was in need of a hot meal and a shower. Big and I continued watching the video, and it was almost four in the morning when a black SUV with dark-tinted windows pulled up to the truck. It was hard to see exactly what they were doing, because like most cameras, there was a time lapse between segments. One minute the SUV was parked, then the doors were open, but no one was in sight. During the next segment, we watched as the SUV pulled out of the lot. “Damn.”
As he started to rewind the feed, he said, “Hold on. Don’t give up just yet.” We watched the video at least ten more times. Each time, the car would pull up to the side of the truck. The camera would lapse forward and we’d find the car doors open, and then after two more lapses, the car would be pulling out of the lot. “Don’t you think that’s strange?”
“Which part?” I grumbled. “All of it seems pretty fucked up to me.”
“The car was only there a few minutes. Ten tops. How the hell are they gonna find the drugs, load them, and get out that fast?”
“You’ve got a point there. The way we hide our shit, it
should’ve taken them a lot longer to find it,” Max said.
“Unless they knew where to look,” Big offered.
“So, there’s a chance Frankie has a rat.”
“Yeah, and from the looks of it, I’d say there’s a pretty good chance.”
“Fuck.” We continued to search through all the footage, but never got a look at who was in that car. All we managed to get was the year and make of the vehicle, along with the first few numbers off the license plate. It wasn’t much to go on, and I was afraid it wouldn’t be enough. “Now, what?”
“I need some time to look into that inspector. Maybe, I can make a connection between him and whoever called in about Frankie’s load. There has to be something up with that.”
I reached into my pocket for my phone and said, “I’ll call Nitro and get a contact list for all of Frankie’s drivers so we can cross reference them.”
“Not just the drivers, Max. We’re going to need to know the names of anyone who Frankie has on payroll.”
“You got it.” I sent Nitro the message and half an hour later, he emailed the names and numbers of everyone who’d worked for Frankie in the last six months. After I forwarded it to him, I said, “It’s in your inbox.”
Just when we were finally getting somewhere, there was a knock at the door. Diesel stuck his head in and announced, “Hey, man. Cotton’s called church in fifteen.”
“Thanks, man.” Big gave him a chin lift as he stood and said, “I’m headed that way.”
Diesel didn’t bother to shut the door as he turned to leave. He knew Big would be right behind him. When Cotton called his guys together, you didn’t make him wait. It’s just the way things worked, and while I respected it, I wasn’t thrilled that our research would have to wait. I looked up at Big and said, “I’m guessing that’s it.”
“For now, it is.” He started towards the door. “You know how it is. The club comes first.”
“Yeah. I get it.” I stood up and followed him into the hallway. “I appreciate your help.”
He looked over his shoulder and said, “I’ll try to do some more digging tomorrow, and if I find anything, I’ll let you know.”
I left there with an uneasy feeling like there was something big brewing, and I didn’t like the idea of waiting even if it was just for a day. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a choice.
CHAPTER 16
Harper
A fter Max left, I grabbed a cup of coffee and a blanket and headed out to the front porch. As I sat there looking out at the sun reflecting off the ocean, I thought back to my last few days with Max. It all seemed so surreal. I’d spent so much time missing him, thinking I’d never see him again, and it was hard to believe that he was really back in my life. I was thrilled, but at the same time, I wasn’t being naïve about the situation. I knew we still had huge obstacles to overcome, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little scared. Actually, I was terrified. There was so much about Max and his new life that I didn’t know. When I asked him about his job and the man he worked for, he was vague, at best. I had no idea if what he was doing was dangerous, or if he was simply installing security cameras like the one he installed at my cabin. I doubted it was that simple, especially after the phone call he’d just received. The disturbed expression on his face spoke volumes, and he wouldn’t have left so quickly if something hadn’t been wrong. While I was curious about his new found career, it was just one of the missing pieces to the puzzle.
The cold air was starting to get to me, so I took my empty coffee cup and went inside. When I walked into the kitchen, I grabbed my phone to see if I had any messages. As expected, I had several from Daniel, so I decided to go on and call him. He agreed to meet me in town at noon. I was feeling a little nervous about seeing him. I had no idea what I was going to say, so I called the one person who’d always given me the best advice, even when I hadn’t asked for it. As soon as she answered, I said, “Hi, Nat. You busy?”
“You’re kidding, right?” she groaned with exasperation. “I’m making the kids breakfast, I’m up to my eyeballs in dirty clothes, and my adoring husband just told me that he is leaving for three days on a work trip. So, yeah, I’m busy, but I’ve always got time for my girl. What’s up?”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bother you. I was just calling to say hey. I didn’t need anything.”
“Liar,” she remarked. “I can hear it in your voice. Something’s up, and you know it.”
“Well, there is a little something that’s on my mind.”
“That’s what I thought. Now, spill it.”
“You know how I rented that cabin at Whiskey Creek?”
“Yeah? How are you liking it?”
I sighed. “It’s really beautiful here, but I’m not getting as much work done as I planned. I’ve been … uh … a little distracted .”
“Distracted by what?” she asked. “You’re out in the middle of nowhere, right?”
“Yes, but I went into town for dinner the other night … and I ran into Max.”
The line went silent for several seconds before she shrieked, “What? Max! As in Max Lanheart?”
“Yep. The one and only.”
“Holy shit-balls, Harper! You’ve got to be kidding me! Wait a minute.” I heard her scuffling around the house and then suddenly a door slammed behind her. “Okay. Tell me everything.”
After I told her everything , I expected her to have some infinite words of wisdom, but all I got was silence. When she didn’t respond right away, I finally asked, “Well?”
“I just can’t believe it,” she replied sounding completely befuddled.
“Neither can I … especially after all this time.”
“What does he look like?”
“It’s Max , Natalie. He looks the same, only better. It’s hard to explain.”
“So, he’s still hot?” She laughed.
“Oh, yeah. He’s definitely hot. My lord, just looking at him makes me want to do very bad things … very, very bad things.” I laughed.
“I think he’s always had that effect on you.”
“Yeah, he has. I know it’s been years since we’ve been together, but it’s like we’ve never been apart.”
“But you have.”
“I know.”
“And Harper … you have to remember that he left you high and dry after you’d just lost your brother. That was an asshole move, girl,” she griped.
“Yeah, I know, but I told you his reasons why.”
“I know, and even though he pissed me off by doing that to you, I think he was right about some things. Brody’s death changed things. I know it changed you, and at the time, there wasn’t anything I could’ve done about it. You needed time to heal and find your own way through it. I’m not sure that would’ve happened if Max was around.”
“So, what about now? Do you think we could make this thing work?”
“I don’t know, Harper. A part of me wants to tell you to go for it and not worry about all the little stuff like his job and where he’s living. But … the other part of me wants to tell you to just walk away.”
“I don’t think I can do that.”
She sighed. “I know that. You’ve loved the guy for most of your life. There’s no way you’re going to walk away from him, but please be careful and guard your heart. I don’t want you to get hurt again.”
“I’ll be careful, but I don’t think I have to be. In my heart, I really believe him when he says he wants this.”
“Good, but you should know, if he fucks it up again, I’m going to kill him.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” I giggled.
“You sound really happy.”
“I am. I really, really am.”
“Then, go for it. If you two are meant to be, then it will work out. You just have to grow some balls and let it play out.” She teased. “And you need to talk to Daniel.”
My stomach sank at the sound of his name. “I know. I’m meeting him today so we can talk abou
t it.”
“I kind of feel sorry for the poor guy. He never stood a chance.”
“No, he didn’t, and I really don’t want to hurt him by all this. None of it is his fault.”
“Umm … I don’t know. I think some of it might’ve been his fault,” she groaned sarcastically. “He’s a little clingy, and not in a good way.”
“Yeah. He was sweet … in that ‘you’re getting on my last nerve’ kind of way.” I joked.
“Exactly. And we both know you were never really into him. I know you tried to make it work, but come on … it’s Daniel.”
“I know.”
“When you see him, you’re gonna have to be firm with him. Don’t do that thing where you try to be nice. Daniel isn’t the kind of guy who’d understand nice. He’ll hang on forever thinking there’s still a chance things will work out.”
“Yeah.” I sighed. “You’re probably right.”
“I know I am. You’ve got to cut the guy off and be a little brutal about it.”
“You have a little bit of a mean streak. You know that, right?”
“Absolutely. I’m a teacher with three kids. What do you expect?” She giggled, and then I heard one of the kids screaming her name. “Damn, I gotta go, but keep me posted on things with Max.”
“I will.”
“And finish that damn book! I’m ready for my ending.”
“I’m on it.”
By the time we got off the phone, it was almost time for me to meet up with Daniel. I didn’t want to be late, so I got dressed, put my hair up in a ponytail, and headed out the door without bothering to put any makeup on. I could feel my nerves kicking in as I drove over to the park where we’d planned to meet. I was dreading it, but not because I wasn’t sure about ending this with him. I was sure about that. I was also sure that he wasn’t going to accept a simple goodbye. I’d tried that before, but he would always find a way to convince me to give things a chance. This time would be different. I knew what I wanted. I just had to find the best way to tell him.
When I pulled up into the parking lot, he was already waiting for me at one of the park benches. He was wearing dress khakis with a heavy, burgundy wool sweater, and his hair was perfectly combed to the side. I got out of the car, and he stood up and smiled as I headed in his direction. “Hi, Daniel.”
