“Why did you meet with Bubbles?” It was something I had been wondering about more than I had been curious about Samson. Why the fuck would Kelli meet with that cunt and not tell me? She knew we had been looking for the ex-sheep. She knew what Bubbles had done to my sister. “She nearly cost Raven Max.”
She blew out a long sigh. “Samson doesn’t know yet that I’ve been double-crossing him. Michaels wasn’t ready to let that little cat out of the bag. My father called and said he had a contact I needed to check up on. I had no idea who it was. All he gave me was a time and a place and told me to meet up with one of his contacts. I didn’t know it was Bubbles, had no clue who she was until she introduced herself. I spoke to her for all of ten minutes before I left.”
“What did she say?”
“She bragged about being my father’s newest lover. Apparently, she thought he was better in the sack than Kevin had been.” Her lips twisted in disgust. “She didn’t have much to tell me, other than what to watch for and which brother was the easiest to get the most information out of.”
“Which is who?” I had a feeling what name she was going to give me, but I needed confirmation.
“Warden was on the list. She said he liked to talk after he got good head.”
Warden never had been able to keep his mouth shut after he got his dick sucked.
Damn it.
I glared down at her, hating that I was feeling relieved she hadn’t betrayed me. “How the fuck do you expect me to believe anything you say?”
“I have proof,” she assured me. “Have Raider go to our house, tell him to lift the loose board under my bed. I have a USB drive under there of the recordings I made of each meeting I had with Michaels and Campbell.”
I put my hands on the end of the bed and leaned over her menacingly. “You better hope he finds it, babe. Because if he doesn’t, you won’t ever be going home.”
Chapter 1
Kelli
Head still spinning, stomach like an ugly storm, I turned off the shower and leaned against the tiny shower stall wall. Sucking in deep breaths, I closed my eyes and prayed for the world to stop turning so quickly.
Fuck, this was the worst hangover ever. Whatever Raven gave her brother to drug me with, it kicked my ass and kept me out for hours, and I was still feeling the effects of it. I shuddered at the realization that even a pinch more of that shit could have easily killed me.
Not that I expected her to care. Hell, I was pretty sure everyone in the Angel’s Halo MC wanted me dead at the moment. Including the biker who was currently stomping around upstairs.
Slowly, I got out of the shower, taking my time so I didn’t fall on my face. Drying off was a workout, and I was out of breath by the time I was semi-dry. Muttering curses under my breath, I struggled to get dressed and left my hair to air dry.
A bellow from upstairs shook the walls, and I rushed as quickly as I could up the stairs without tripping over my feet. Colt stood by the window, his phone to his ear as he listened to whoever was on the other end. He must have had a signal booster on his phone because I’d been sure there was no service up here in the middle of nowhere.
His face was clouded and set in pained lines as he raked a hand through his hair. “What about Quinn? Is she safe?” The bottom fell out of my stomach as I stood there watching his beautiful face and waiting for that expression to clear up. It didn’t, and all I could picture was Quinn, my beautiful and pregnant friend, looking up at the sky with lifeless eyes. “You’re sure she’s okay? You have your fucking eyes on her right goddamn now, so you can tell me she’s fine?”
The pause as he listened made my already tortured stomach protest, and I swallowed hard to keep the bile from filling my throat.
“Get your ass back to the compound, and don’t take your fucking eyes off her until I get back. I don’t care if Jet and Spider are there. She’s your woman. Fucking act like she matters more than everything else that’s going on.” Another pause and I could hear the distinct sound of Raider as he yelled at his brother, but I couldn’t make out what he was saying. When the older Hannigan brother trailed off, Colt broke in. “I’m leaving as soon as I get this place closed up. Give the USB to Flick. She can figure out how to open the files…”
Figuring Quinn was actually okay, I felt oddly weak and dropped down into the nearest chair as Colt finished his conversation with Raider. The fact that they were talking about the USB drive, the only evidence I had to prove I hadn’t betrayed Colt and the MC, didn’t matter to me. All I cared about was getting back to my friend and making sure she and the baby were okay.
But when he hung up, his phone landed on the small table beside him with a loud clatter, and I wondered briefly if he’d cracked the screen. His rage-filled bellow filled the cabin as his fist connected with the wall right beside the window, making the glass rattle from the force. I didn’t flinch as he punched the wall a second and a third time.
“What happened?” I asked cautiously when he just stood there staring sightlessly at the hole he’d put in the wall, knowing from experience that Colt Hannigan in this mood was more dangerous than a hungry panther desperate for food.
He turned, his eyes taking a few seconds to focus on me as his rage cleared enough for him to see. “The bar was shot up by the Italians. Lexa was shot. Uncle Chaz and Uncle Jack are both dead.” His jaw clenched, the pulse at his temple ticking in time to his heartbeat, which must have been pounding. “I should have been home. I should have been there to protect them. Instead, I was here dealing with your shit.”
“Are you saying this is my fault?” I snarled, jumping to my feet and facing the raging panther head on. “I haven’t done shit to you, asshole. And I sure as fuck didn’t want to be brought to the middle of nowhere just so you could drug me and question me like a goddamn prisoner of war. All you had to do was ask, motherfucker. I would have told you the truth and given you that flash drive without hesitation. If it’s anyone’s fault that you weren’t home, it’s your own.”
“And I was just supposed to trust you?” His laugh was full of menace. “Because you’ve been so honest and forthcoming up to now?”
“Just because you share my bed and use my body to get off, doesn’t mean I have to share my whole life story with you. And if memory serves, you never once asked me about my parents or anything else about my past. All you cared about was how fast you could get between my legs.”
“Which you spread all too willingly so you could spy on me and my brothers.”
“If I really wanted to spy on you, I wouldn’t have been fucking you. There are plenty of other MC brothers just begging to do me and spill all your dirty secrets.” I turned away from him, too pissed and hurt to look at him. “I never betrayed you. I couldn’t do that to Quinn.”
Or you.
But I didn’t say those two words. He didn’t deserve them. He didn’t deserve anything from me. He’d accomplished what he set out to do. He got my secrets and the flash drive easily enough. Drugging me and chaining me to the fucking bed was overkill.
“Get your things. We’re heading out in thirty minutes,” he informed me in a cold voice.
“You mean I actually get to go back to civilization with you?” I sassed.
“Don’t push me right now, Kelli,” he bit out. “I just lost two of my brothers. Good men who were like family to me. I’m still dealing with Tanner’s and Warden’s deaths, and I’m about to crack Raider’s head open for leaving Quinn alone. I don’t need your bullshit on top of everything else.”
I gritted my teeth but didn’t smart off again. I knew he was hurting. His pain was my pain, and I despised myself for it. I hadn’t wanted to fall for Colt. Love wasn’t something I had good memories of. My mother’s love for the senator became obsessive to the point that nothing else mattered but him. I always promised myself I would never fall in love, and even though I swore I wouldn’t fall for the biker who started spending most nights in my bed, I did it anyway.
But that was a huge possibility now.
I didn’t know if we could come back from this. My lies by omission and his dirty trick to get the information he needed weren’t things most couples could easily bounce back from.
Chapter 2
Colt
I drove through the night to get home as fast as possible. Not that I was going to be any help to my family or MC now. Fontana and his men were long gone. Uncle Chaz and Uncle Jack were both dead, and Lexa was already tucked in bed where she belonged.
Even if I’d been home, I knew there wasn’t much I could have done. I wouldn’t have magically saved Uncle Chaz from taking a bullet to the gut. I couldn’t have realized Uncle Jack was close to having a massive heart attack, and I wouldn’t have been able to keep Lexa from taking a stray bullet to the arm.
I knew all of that shit.
It still didn’t stop me from feeling guilty that I wasn’t there.
All I wanted was to see my niece, make sure she was really okay, then check on Quinn.
As I parked my bike behind the compound, the sun had been up for a while. Kelli groaned as she got off behind me, stretching and popping her neck. I walked around her, avoiding her gaze as I marched through the back entrance into the kitchen of the clubhouse. My guilt over what I’d done to her wouldn’t let me look her in the eye. Not now. Not yet, at least. We had to get through church before I could finally tell her I was sorry.
As I expected, breakfast was already being made. Aggie, Rory, and Flick stood at the stove, frying bacon and flipping eggs and pancakes. The smell of coffee filled my nose as I stomped by Flick, and I poured myself a mug of her freshly brewed elixir.
I gulped down the scalding contents, welcoming the burn as it flooded my throat and hit my stomach painfully. I told myself I deserved this pain. That it was my punishment for not trusting my gut where Kelli was concerned. For not trusting her.
My future sister-in-law touched my arm cautiously, her beautiful eyes swollen and red-rimmed from crying, full of concern for me. “Are you okay?”
I clenched my hand around the mug, felt the porcelain protest, and then coffee leaked onto my fingers. “Fuck,” I muttered, dropping the mug into the sink.
“Shit,” she cried and grabbed a few paper towels, wiping away the coffee that had spilled onto my hand, turning the skin an angry red. “I’m going to take that as a no,” she said with a shake of her head, cleaning me and my mess up. Tossing the paper towels into the sink with the broken mug, she grasped my shoulders, forcing me to look at her, then wrapped her arms around my waist.
I hesitated, wanting to stay pissed at the world, but this was Flick. I couldn’t not hug her. She was too much a part of my life, too precious and important. My arms wrapped around her tightly, holding on and selfishly absorbing all the strength she was so willing to offer me.
“Is it okay if I get a cup of coffee?” Kelli asked hesitantly as she came into the kitchen.
Flick stepped back, her brows arching when she spotted the other woman. For the first time since we left the cabin, I finally took a closer look at Kelli. Her face was pale, there were dark circles under her eyes, and she looked like she hadn’t eaten in days. Probably because she hadn’t. She’d been knocked out for a few hours, and I hadn’t offered her anything to eat or drink once she woke up.
Guilt filled me, but I had to hold on a little longer. I wasn’t sure what was on the flash drive Raider found, and Bash still needed to question her. I would make all this up to her once it was over, I promised myself. Until then, I had to keep my mouth shut and my hands to myself.
“Here, honey,” Aggie croaked out as she handed Kelli a mug of coffee. “You must be worn out, riding all night. Would you like something to eat?”
She shook her head as she lifted the mug to her lips. “No thanks, Aggie. My stomach isn’t really interested in food right now. Maybe later.” She gave the older woman a grim smile, noting her swollen eyes and red nose. “I’m really sorry about Jack and Chaz.”
Tears filled Aggie’s eyes, and she sniffled loudly as she turned back to the stove with Rory. “Me too,” she whispered.
“Kelli?” Quinn’s voice called before the kitchen door swung open.
As soon as she was in the room, my heart felt lighter, my soul more at ease. That was the way it had always been with Quinn. If I could have fallen in love with her, our lives would have been so much easier. Instead, she had fallen for my idiot older brother, and I’d had to pick up the pieces time and again until recently.
Which probably made the fact that I’d never had romantic feelings for her a good thing. Because the protective feelings I already had regarding my best friend were enough to make me tear my own brother’s head off his shoulders. If I’d ever actually been in love with her, I probably would have shot him in the face years ago.
“I was so worried about you!” the women said in unison as they hugged each other.
Giving a shaky laugh, Quinn stepped back. “You look sick,” she observed, her weak smile falling. “Are you okay?”
“Just a headache.” Kelli brushed off her concern. “I’m happy to see you, babe. You and the baby biker okay?”
Quinn touched her hands to her stomach where the smallest baby bump was starting to form. “We’re good. Raider brought me home early last night, so I was here when the shooting started.” Tears filled her eyes as she turned to face me. “Colt,” she sobbed as she threw herself against me. “Uncle Jack and Uncle Chaz…” She buried her face in my shirt, her fingers clenching my cut as her tears soaked through to my chest. “I’m so thankful you weren’t here.”
I cupped the back of her head, holding her against me as I kissed the top of her sweet-scented hair. “Don’t cry,” I begged. “You know it kills me when you cry, Quinnie.”
She sucked in a deep breath and held it, trying to calm down for me. Pulling back, she exhaled slowly and gave me a trembling smile. “I’m glad you’re back,” she said, wiping at her eyes. “I was so worried about the two of you.”
The kitchen door swung inward, and Raider walked in. Taking one look at Quinn’s face, he groaned and crossed to us. Pulling her into his arms, he shot me a death glare. “She just stopped crying,” he snarled at me. “Now, you show up, and she’s dehydrating herself all over again.”
“I’m fine,” Quinn tried to protest against Raider’s cut.
“I wish you would go back to our room and rest,” he grumbled, kissing the top of her head. “All this stress isn’t good for you and the baby.”
“Neither is staying locked in a room,” she snapped and attempted to push away from him. “I’m pregnant, not fragile.”
Raider only tightened his hold around her, tucking her in closer. “Maybe not fragile, but you are fucking precious to me. Baby, please, for the sake of my sanity—rest.”
“I think you should relax, boys,” Aggie cut in. “If she wants to be out here helping us, she’s more than able to. Quinn knows her limits and won’t push them, will you, honey?”
“Damn it, Ag,” Raider growled at her.
But Quinn was already pushing him back and moving toward the stove where she took over flipping pancakes for the old woman. Raider bit off a curse and took the mug of coffee Flick offered. After she handed over a fresh cup to me, her blue gaze went back to Kelli for a second before she turned those knowing eyes my way.
“The brothers are all up in Bash’s office,” she said quietly so as not to draw the attention of the women at the stove to us. “Get going before they come looking for her.”
I had to focus on not cracking the new mug in my hands. Taking a big swallow of the contents, I set it on the counter. “You listen to it yet?”
“The brothers have,” she assured me. “Jet asked me to leave after I got the files open. But the look on his face told me all I needed to know.”
Raider placed his coffee beside my own. “There were s
ome interesting conversations, let’s just say that.”
“Was she telling the truth?” I gritted out, my eyes on Kelli as she leaned against the wall by the door, sipping her coffee and looking like she was about ready to fall over. I ached to pull her into my arms and tell her how sorry I was. To hold her close and protect her from what might happen upstairs.
But I couldn’t do that. This was going to be hard for both of us because there was nothing I could do while they questioned her but watch.
“Oh, she was telling the truth, all right. Girl could bring down the entire Senate with some of those secrets she was spouting about her daddy.”
The relief I felt was like a punch to the gut by the Hulk. Releasing a pent-up breath, I crossed the room and grabbed her wrist. “Let’s go,” I muttered as I pulled her out of the kitchen, needing to get this over as quickly as possible.
“But you didn’t eat yet,” Quinn called after us.
“They’ll eat later,” I heard Flick assure her as the door swung shut behind Raider.
The rest of the clubhouse was filled with the pain and loss the last week had brought. People were still lying around in their sleeping bags or on various furniture, but I could hear the sheep weeping as we stomped past.
Four brothers had been lost in this damn war with the Italians, and that was four too fucking many. I marched up the stairs to Bash’s office, practically dragging Kelli behind me, and knocked twice before opening the door.
Every brother was sitting around the room, waiting expectantly for us. I pushed Kelli into the vacant chair right in front of my brother-in-law’s desk, already turned to face the others for the interrogation that was about to ensue.
Glaring up at me, Kelli rubbed at her wrist. “Asshole.”
Raider closed the door, and I stepped back, letting my brothers take point. As much as I wanted to question her on this, I knew I was too close to it. I would get too emotional, too fucking pissed or regretful, and the room would explode before we even got anywhere.
Angel's Halo: Avenged Page 2
