“Yeah, it could have caused a real shit storm. But you wouldn’t have gone to jail, would you? And it wouldn’t have hurt you. Not personally because though the guns might have implicated someone in a crime, there’d be no DNA or fingerprints or whatever to tie that person to the case.
“It would have hit the company, took away some of our gloss, but at the same time, our rep is built on being an MC. Heck, it might have added to our mystery.” She wrinkled her nose. “It just seems like a lot of trouble to go to, to imprison an innocent man just to get Spyder to get us to transport a package. A package that could cause a bit of chaos, but is that enough punishment? Is that enough for him to feel like he’s pulled one over on us?”
Silence fell at her words, then Annette grimly stated, “I hate to agree because I don’t like what she’s saying, but she’s right.”
Mars hissed out a breath. “You know we all agreed a long time ago that none of the cubs were ever right.”
Ava grunted. “Ain’t that the truth.” She shot Jessie a look, and they rolled their eyes at how spot on Mars’s gruff teasing had been.
Annette reached for Mars’s hand. “For Martinez, this has to be personal, surely? Why bother if it isn’t?”
Mars shot a look at Spyder. “Have you never heard of Martinez?”
Behind her, Spyder tensed. “No. Well, I’ve heard of him. But do you really mean has my MC been involved with him? As far as I’m aware, no. I carried on with what my dad started. Stealing cars and redistributing them.”
Jessie winced at that. She’d grown up around a bunch of outlaws in title only because these outlaws had all been following the law for longer than she could remember. It made for an interesting paradigm; one she hoped to continue.
The last thing she wanted was to find her mate and then lose him to jailed months or years later.
Perhaps he sensed her discomfort with his words because Spyder squeezed her shoulder. More to Mundo than to her, though, he murmured, “I’ll be relinquishing my position as Prez of Spider’s Venom once this situation is resolved.” His statement had the men in the room nodding their agreement, but Jessie gasped in surprise.
“You don’t have to do that,” she told him, whirling around to look at him. She didn’t want him to go to jail, but that didn’t mean he had to give up his rightful place in the MC.
“I do. Things have changed, Jessie,” he told her softly, and his smile was gentle. Reassuring.
She shook her head. “No. It isn’t necessary.”
“It damn well is,” her father grumbled. “You want him going off to jail every few months when the cops figure out what stunts he’s pulling with those cars?”
“No, of course not. But there’s no need to give up the MC. Mars changed the MC’s MO. Why can’t Spyder?”
“Because before the fact that we’re riders and brothers, we’re Bears, Jessie,” Mars commented. “And even then, a lot of people weren’t happy. I had to fight a lot of Challenges to make sure the men understood that things were changing and that my word was law.
“Spider’s Venom is a different kind of matter, entirely. Spider’s Prez out of respect to his father’s memory, but also because he’s leading the MC down the route they want to take.”
Spyder nodded his agreement with Mars’s surmise. “The Nomads had the manpower and the funds to go on the straight and narrow, Jess. Spider’s Venom is smaller. Money’s tight. And it’s not like we could diversify the way you guys have done anyway. For some of the men in the MC, they have no other skills.”
“They can tear cars apart and redistribute them,” she argued. “Why can’t you open garages and or dealerships.”
Major, Jarvis, and Kiko snickered, but at a quick glower from Annette, they stopped. “She isn’t wrong,” she declared.
“No, she isn’t,” Mars replied patiently. “They would have the skillset for that, but Jessie, they had that skillset all along and still chose to go down the illegal route. That tells you something.”
Jessie’s frown was loaded with concern. “I don’t want you giving up something you love for me.”
He snorted. “Babe, I don’t love the MC.” When their eyes caught and held, her heart began pumping double time. She sensed his silent message: he loved her. Gulping at that, she felt her gaze turn misty and quickly nodded, attempting to transmit the same message back to him.
It might have seemed crazy, but that was a mate bond. It took over everything. Consumed and overwhelmed. If it wasn’t a construct of good, it could be seen to be cancerous. Overpowering everything until nothing was left.
She shuddered at the thought and turned back to the table. Mars studied her, lowered his head to hide a smile she noticed anyway.
“So, as you pointed out, Jessie, this whole situation with Martinez does seem pretty motivated. Anyone have any ideas?”
Kiko piped up, “He’s nowhere near release, is he?”
It was Ava’s turn to have her say. “No. He should have been, but ten years ago he got involved in a fight that added to his time because he killed the opponent.”
Mundo grimaced. “That’s the fucking thing about jail. You get in there, and once they have hold of you, it’s damn hard getting back out.”
Annette retorted, “Just don’t do anything wrong and you’ll get out.”
Mundo cocked a brow. “You been to jail?” He knew she hadn’t so when she didn’t say anything, stated, “I have as you all know. Too many times. You can’t always stick to the right side of shit. People get you involved in their crap. You can’t avoid it sometimes.” He shrugged. “You can’t go it alone because someone will always single you out. But when you buddy up, you take on their shit too. It’s a fucking slippery slope. I don’t feel sorry for him, but I kinda feel sorry for the bastard. If you get my meaning.”
Justiss clapped him on the back. “I know what you mean.”
Mundo grimaced. “Glad somebody does.”
Chris chuckled. “You feeling sorry for yourself?”
“As a matter of fact, yeah, I am. My baby girl’s mated. Emphasis on baby. I’m pouting.”
Snickers went around the table and even Jessie’s lips twitched in good humor. He’d taken the surprised mating quite well actually. When they’d gone to speak to him shortly after the Claiming, his disappointment had been evident, and his concern too, but more than anything he and her momma had been supportive. Kind of. Offering to help out where and when they could, that is.
Mars rolled his eyes when Mundo wrinkled his nose at the Council’s amusement. “Is there any chance of staying on topic today? Or are we all going to keep jumping from shit to shit?”
Justiss pointed out, “There’s no way of knowing what Martinez’s next step is. Or even if there is a next step.”
Mundo narrowed his eyes. “Does anyone know if he has a cell mate?”
Ava nodded. “He does.”
“Know his name? Affiliation?”
She scowled at him. “Why? Does it matter?”
“Just tell me.”
“As far as I can tell, his cell mate has no affiliation.”
“Why is that?”
“Well, his crime wasn’t gang related.”
“What did he do?”
“Killed his baby momma.”
Annette gasped. “What?”
Ava wrinkled her nose. “Hate to say it, but she kind of deserved it. The woman knew her boyfriend was abusing the guy’s daughter.”
Jessie winced. “Bitch.”
“Yeah,” Ava agreed. “Hard to agree with someone having their head caved in with a mallet, but shit.”
Mundo clicked his fingers. “I’ve got it.”
Mars frowned. “You do? Since when do you ‘got’ anything?”
Mundo flipped him the bird and on a roll, said, “You know where his baby girl is?”
Ava huffed out a breath. “We only have this information because I’m anal about shit like this.”
“I know. That’s why I’m asking,” Mundo retorted.
“She’s in foster care.”
“Good foster care?”
“Now that’s going above and beyond. I can look into it though. I highly doubt it’s ‘good.’ When is it?” she stated rhetorically.
Mundo rubbed his jaw. “We can get to Martinez through his cellmate if we hold the cards on his daughter.”
Annette hissed. “You want to use an innocent girl as a pawn in this shit? An innocent girl who’s already been abused?”
Mundo scowled at her. “Just how big a piece of shit do you think I am? No, of course I don’t. I’m saying, let’s get her out of foster care and into a good home. No daddy wants to think of his kid in foster care. Not with all the fucking perverts out there, especially when she’s already been targeted and hurt, and he’s willingly killed to protect and avenge her. We tell him we’ll get her into a good home if he helps us.”
Annette firmed her jaw. “If we go through with any of this insane plan, we get her into a good home regardless of whether he agrees to help or not.” She reached for her mate’s hand, jerked it. “Do you understand me?”
The Prez and First Lady shared a look. Mars nodded. “Agreed.”
Jessie frowned. “This is all well and good, but what are we going to ask the cellmate to do? I thought we weren’t in the business of murdering off enemies who are a pain in our ass?”
“We’re not,” Mars remarked. “But Martinez doesn’t have to know that, does he?”
She frowned. “I guess not, but there are so many holes in this, you want to make sure they’re plugged before we go anywhere near the girl.”
“Of course,” Mars said easily.
“What’s the cellmate’s name?” Spyder asked Ava. “I know a few guys in Sammy’s jail,” he explained when Mundo looked at him askance.
“Joseph Randolph.”
Spyder blew out a breath. “Jesus. I know Joe.”
“That’s perfect. You’re our in.”
“I’m not sure if I can go to him with that offer. I know him, knew what he did. It’s too close, man. His girlfriend just sat back and let the abuse happen. She deserved what she got and the motherfucker earned every blow after what he did to Savannah... that’s Joe’s kid. I’m not sure I can offer her up to him as leverage.”
Leverage. Wasn’t that just the word of the moment?
Jessie cleared her throat. “I can.”
For a second, there was an explosive silence, then Mundo roared, “You ain’t going anywhere near a prison.”
“Why not? I can help. I know Spyder, so Joe might talk to me. I can explain the situation.”
Annette blinked. “It might come better from a woman.”
“You can’t agree with this?” Mundo demanded.
“If she thinks she can help, then we should give her a shot,” Annette retorted.
“Look. Spyder can get in touch with the jail, make the first steps to getting a visitation. When it happens, we go together, but I do the talking. It’s not like I’m going to get attacked in there, Dad. If anything, I’ll be safe as Larry.”
“Safe as Larry,” Mundo seethed. “In a jail.” He closed his eyes. “What did I ever do to the Goddess to deserve a daughter who wants to kill me?”
She snorted. “Stop being so melodramatic.”
His eyes popped open. “Melodramatic? Melodramatic?” His voice was hoarse. “You think this is me overreacting? Sugar, you ain’t seen nothing yet.”
Chapter 7
The instant his brother hugged him back, it finally hit home that this was real. That this wasn’t a joke.
Ava had done it.
She’d played the political game and had managed to screw up so many careers, and all to get his brother home.
Spyder shuddered as he clung to Sammy’s thin frame. His baby bro had lost a shit ton of weight and was favoring his right side as well as shielding it with his arm—an arm he hadn’t lifted to hug Spyder back.
“I’d kill the bastard who broke your ribs,” he whispered into Sammy’s ear.
“I know, but then I’d have to figure out a way to spring you from jail. I’m not sure if I’d do as good a job of it as you have.”
Spyder grinned. His brother’s sense of humor hadn’t gone anywhere—that was a relief in itself. “I had friends. Good friends who sorted shit out for me.”
“Sorted shit out is an understatement.” Sammy blew out a breath as they pulled back from one another. “They worked a fucking miracle.”
Spyder acknowledged that as he took in the prison behind Sammy. The guards were eying them both like feral dogs as he grabbed his bro’s good arm and tugged him away from the chain metal gate.
“You’re a free man,” he told Sammy as they stepped toward the car park and headed for his bike.
Sammy looked back at the low level buildings, endless chain metal fences, high walls topped with barbed wire‒ gate after gate, lock after lock.
“I’m just glad to be going home,” he whispered, his eyes on the hellhole that had been the roof over his head for far too long.
Spyder shook his head as he pointed out where his bike was parked. “We’re not going back to the clubhouse.”
“Why not?”
“I got married while you were inside, Sam,” he explained carefully. Jessie and he had decided married made more sense for the moment. They could explain it all to Sammy later, when things had calmed down and he was getting the ball rolling with putting his life back in order. To say he was mated would just make things complicated when things were already crazy for Sammy. “I live with her now.”
Sammy scowled at his reasoning. “But what about Spider’s Venom?”
It was his turn to blow out a breath. “I’m giving it up, Sam. I don’t want to rule it anymore. I don’t want to go to jail, not with Jessie in my life. And what if we had kids? I don’t want to miss out on that. Dad was never away for too long, but I hated it whenever he went inside. A part of me hated him for not being careful enough, for not giving up that shit to protect us.”
Sammy blinked. “What the fuck has happened to you? Did aliens abduct you or something?”
Rolling his eyes, he retorted, “Yeah, Sammy, that’s what happened. I got anal probed and realized I don’t like leading a life of crime anymore.”
Sammy wrinkled his nose. “TMI, dude.”
Shit, it kind of was. Not with the Sammy of old, but Spyder was nearly one hundred per cent certain Sammy had been raped in jail. What the fuck was he thinking of mentioning anal probes?
Wanting to kick his own ass, he was relieved to note that Sammy didn’t look distressed just grossed out.
“So, I’m coming to stay with you?” he asked, nose still wrinkled as they approached Spyder’s bike.
“Well, I’m kinda staying with her folks.” He sucked in a breath. “You know The Nomads?”
“The MC?” Sammy nodded. “Their IPA is the bomb.”
He snorted. “I’ll pass on the recommendation.”
“What about them?”
“Well, Jessie’s the daughter of one of The Nomad’s Council members.”
“Shit. You married well, bro.”
Spyder grinned. “Yeah, I married her for her money.” He punched him in the arm. “Get real. Anyway, we’re staying at the clubhouse for the moment.”
“That’s great, but they won’t want me there. Surely?”
“They extended the invitation to you. They’re how I got you out of this hellhole.”
Sammy froze. “For real? A rival MC helped us out?”
“Yeah. For real. And they have never been our rivals. Not really. They’re on a whole other league.” Jesus, talk about understatement. “This whole thing was orchestrated to dump The Nomads in deep shit. They’re working to counteract that, and in the interim, want to help us, you, out.”
“So I can stay there? With no problem?”
“I told them you’re not really affiliated to the MC, anyway. Which wasn’t a lie.”
“It’s not a lie, but even though I wa
sn’t patched in, everyone knows I kind of was.”
“Yeah, but it’s the patch that counts. And you were only involved because Dad got you involved.”
“Because I asked him,” Sammy corrected. “It’s hard to be a brother in an MC when you can’t fucking ride a bike.”
Spyder grunted. “That’s only because you refuse to take the test.”
“Fuck that. I’m not having them mark me down as dyslexic.”
“Like that’s the be all and end all. There’s nothing wrong with being dyslexic.”
“You tell that to Mrs. Janowicz. She said I was stupid.”
“Jesus, you can’t let a bitch teacher from sixth grade stop you from doing shit with your life.”
“Why not?”
Wanting to feed his bro a knuckle sandwich after being reunited for ten minutes shouldn’t have surprised him as much as it did. The two of them had always constantly bickered. It was the way they rolled.
“We both know you can ride a bike, fuck, you can ride a goddamn car. All you need to do is take the shitty tests.”
“You got that right. Shitty is what they are, and I’m not doing it.”
Spyder shook his head then slung his arm around Sammy’s neck. Tugging him into a gentle headlock, he gritted out, “What the fuck are you gonna do when I do have kids and I need you to run an errand for me?”
Sammy snorted. “On which part of the label ‘uncle’ does it say I have to run errands for you? I didn’t realize indentured servitude came with being a brother.”
“Good,” he put extra emphasis on the word. “Brothers do shit like that.”
“Yeah? Well, you’ll just have to send me on errands within walking distance.”
“You’re a piece of work, bro. You know that?”
Sammy grinned. “It’s why you wuv me.”
“Fuck off.” He pulled a face. “You’re going to have to explain to The Nomads about your dyslexia.”
“It isn’t dyslexia if it isn’t diagnosed.”
“That’s just fucking stupid,” Spyder retorted.
Sammy narrowed his eyes. “It makes perfect sense.”
“To a dumbass, and you might not be able to read, but you’re not an idiot, Sam. How the hell are they going to trust you to work on shit if they don’t know you can’t read?”
SPYDER Page 8
