by Jade Kuzma
“You had me followed?”
“Sometimes we have to do things we don’t enjoy. We do them because we have to.”
He crushed the small receiver between his fingertips then stomped it out on the ground.
“You almost had me,” he continued. “But then you had to go and break my heart.”
“James. Listen—”
“There’s nothing you can say to me, Kristen. It’s too late. Your friend isn’t coming.”
His smirk grew even wider.
“That’s right. I’m afraid Mr. Whitaker won’t be joining us. Well, not in the way you were expecting. Mr. Blackwell, if you will…”
I looked back into the van and James’s imposing security guard stepped out. He turned around and reached into it for something. He dragged it out and it fell down to the floor.
Whitaker.
His body was lifeless. His eyes closed. I kept staring at him, waiting for him to move, but there was nothing.
I put my hand up to my mouth to stop whatever horrified sound was building up inside of my throat.
“There’ll be no recording of my business deals,” James said. “There’ll be no evidence to convict me. Things will proceed as usual. I’ve taken every precaution to ensure that. Your friend Mr. Whitaker has been dealt with. That just leaves me with another problem.”
He slowly raised his index finger up.
“You. You betrayed me, Kristen. After everything I’ve given you. After everything I’ve done for you. I treated you like a queen. You were royalty. And you decided to throw it all away—”
“You’re a murderer. You’re a lying snake. You poison the streets of my hometown and think you should celebrate.”
“Is that what this is?” he said, an eyebrow cocked in surprise. “You’re taking offense at what I do because of what I’ve done to Ivory. Oh, what a shame…”
He put his hands on his hips and shook his head.
“…Look around you. This town is a cesspool. Overrun by motorcycle clubs. The police department is powerless to stop them. Federal Agents like this poor man come here to die. I’m not doing anything to Ivory that Ivory hasn’t already done to itself. Ivory needs me to run my business. It needs me to have any semblance of success. Ivory is small, insignificant. It wouldn’t matter if it weren’t for me.”
“You’re wrong. Ivory is a good town. The police department. The MCs. There are good people here. Don’t try to put them down to try and justify what it is you do.”
James straightened up, his eyes still locked on me. He had this annoyingly coy little smile on his lips. Confident as always.
“I see there’s no getting through to you,” he said. “No matter how much I gave you or praised you or offered you, you’ll still be just another Ivory whore.”
I took a step forward and his smile grew even wider.
“Are you going to do something?” he said. “Because you’d only be proving my point.”
I wanted to do something. I was already lost. If I was going down, at least I’d go down with my head high.
Blackwell grabbed Whitaker’s body and loaded it back up into the van.
“You want me to take care of her now?” Blackwell said.
“No,” James said as he put his hand up. “Kristen doesn’t know what she’s thinking. She’s lost. Besides, I need her if I’m going to make my point.”
He held his fingers up.
“Two days,” he said. “Tell your friend Cain that he has two days to give me my money back. If he doesn’t, I’ll turn Hades into Hell.”
James spun around on his heel and stepped back into the van with his personal bodyguard. The doors slammed shut and the van slowly moved down the alley.
I stood there. Numb. Unmoving. Like I was in a nightmare and something I couldn’t explain was holding me down.
I shut my eyes, hoping that everything we would be back to normal when I opened them.
No… No, of course not…
A deep sigh escaped my lips. A pathetic resignation to the fact that there was nothing I could do.
Agent Whitaker was dead. The only man left to stop James from going after Sebastian was gone. There was nothing I could do now. All that was left for me to do was find a good seat because nothing would stop the fireworks from going into the air over Ivory.
Chapter 22
SEBASTIAN
The sun started to go down and the orange hue of the sky slowly darkened. I rode toward the horizon by myself.
You heard every biker say it. There was no freedom like the open road. The wind in your hair and against your face. The asphalt close enough for you to touch. The seat rumbling underneath you. It was like nothing else. No drug, no booze, no sex could compare to it. It was what we all lived for.
I headed toward the outskirts of Ivory. Small town like this, there were common parts as far as the eye could see. Everybody had their own place. A place where they could get away from everything. A place where they could truly be by themselves.
The lake near Ivory sprawled for miles. It was so big that you could barely see the other side. On warm days, people would head out here to relax and get away from it all.
I didn’t have to look far to know where I was headed. More times than not, I needed to clear my head. And when I saw Roman’s bike parked along the water, I wasn’t surprised.
I rolled up right to his ride. Roman stood off in the distance near the pier, his hands in his pockets as he stared out toward the other side of the lake. I walked right up next to him.
The way the light shined off the water cleared my head like nothing else. Nothing in my thoughts. Nothing in my heart. Just an empty feeling of calmness.
I sighed a soft breath through my nose, waiting for Roman to say something. A part of me expected him to grab me by the collar but I knew Roman better as I knew any man. The guy had a temper. He reacted on instinct. But deep down inside, he was a good man. A man who knew what was right and what was wrong.
I picked up a rock from the ground and threw it across the water. It sank like a stone with a plop.
“Damn,” I said as I shook my head. “I never could make the damn things skip.”
“You’ve gotta throw with your wrist. Like this…”
He picked a rock up and tossed it. It skated across the water, rippling every time it hit.
“Don’t worry,” he said. “I’ve got more practice than you. You were always busy fishing.”
“That’s why anybody comes out here. Fresh fish. Free food. Roasting ‘em on a stick. Can’t get that shit anywhere else.”
“I can still smell it. I remember all of that fishing we did. We were just standing there but when that smoke hit my nostrils, damn if my mouth wasn’t watering.”
“Remember when we brought Murph out here?”
“How could I forget?” he said with a soft chuckle. “The old bastard was complaining the whole time.”
“We went out to the lake and the guy still wore a suit.”
Roman and I were both laughing so much that I could barely talk.
“He had so much bug spray,” I said.
“Yeah! And he was completely covered but he was still putting on sunscreen every five minutes.”
“I remember. He threatened to kill us all but he stuck around once he smelled the fish.”
“Everybody’s powerless to the fish in this lake. No matter what they’ve got to eat in Ivory, nothing compares to it.”
“There’s something about catching what you’re cooking that makes it taste a little better.”
“Yeah…”
Roman fell silent once again, his eyes shifted down toward the water right before him.
“…We haven’t been fishing in a long time.”
“It’s been a while,” I replied.
“Could’ve brought Murph out here. I think he’d appreciate it more like this, when the sun is down.”
“Sunset at the lake… Nothing quite like it.”
“You got that shit right.
”
He slowly turned toward me. He didn’t have to say anything to let me know what was on his mind. I could already see it in his eyes.
“I’m sorry—”
“Don’t apologize,” I said. “It was my fault. It was my plan. I’m in charge. I take all the responsibility.”
“I should’ve checked myself. Can’t let something like this split us up.”
“We’re brothers. Nothing could split us up. Grabbing me back there… I’m glad you did what you did. Lets me know if you’re alive.”
“The boys probably thought I was actually gonna slug you back there.”
“You came pretty close,” I sighed. “But no matter what happens, we’re still brothers. You know that.”
“Yeah…”
He shook his head and swallowed.
“I just can’t believe he’s gone,” Roman said. “He’s been there since the beginning. And now, just like that, poof, I’m never gonna talk to the old bastard again.”
“I talked to Murph the other night before it happened. He was proud of us, the shit we did. He was happy that he got to see it. The Devils pulled something off that other MCs can only dream of.”
“We pulled it off but we didn’t get away with it. Emerson is still out there.”
“Emerson…”
I scoffed at the thought of him. Even though this shit was as desperate as it could be, I still didn’t doubt that I could get through it.
“…Murph wasn’t a patch anymore but he was one of ours. Emerson got him. I’ll give Emerson that. But that’s all he’ll get.”
“You got a plan?”
“We got… something.”
“Something,” he said with a smirk. “I guess something is better than nothing.”
“Unless you’ve got something better.”
Roman shook his head.
“I thought about talking to Mia. Palazzo is a powerful man. If he got involved, maybe he could help settle this shit.”
“That’s not a bad idea.”
“Maybe if we were that desperate. But this ain’t got nothing to do with Mia. It ain’t got nothing to do with her father. If Emerson goes to war with Palazzo, Mia is getting involved. Mia. Lacey. Faye. Danica. Kristen… They’ve been through enough having to deal with guys like us. This is our business, so we’ll handle it ourselves.”
“I wish you could tell Kristen that yourself.”
“What’s up?”
Thinking about Kristen just made the situation more complicated.
“She’s involved with some federal agent,” I said. “She told me that he should be the one to take Emerson down. That’s the only reason she’s messing around with Emerson in the first place.”
“Are you shittin’ me?”
“She’s working undercover. A fucking real estate agent and she’s the one that’s gonna take down the biggest drug kingpin in the state.”
“Kristen was an ambitious woman.”
“She had to be if she was ever gone mess around with someone like me.”
Roman turned back out toward the water and skipped another rock across it.
“So, she was never really Emerson’s boyfriend then?”
“I guess that’s one way of putting it.”
“Then this whole thing with Emerson really is just about the money?”
“…I guess it is.”
Roman shrugged, seemingly more calm than he was just a few moments ago.
“So, Venom… What have you got cooking up in that head of yours?”
“I talked to Hunter. Talked to Aden. Talked to Ezra. Told ‘em the plan. Took a vote. Unofficially.”
“And?”
“They’re all on-board. But for this shit, it needs to be unanimous.”
Roman skipped the last rock in his hand across the water then sighed a deep breath. He turned toward me. Eyes unblinking, his stare was focused. I’d known Roman for as long as I could remember. Even with the worst odds, I never doubted him when he had that look in his eyes. Right now was one of those times.
“You know I wanna know what the plan is,” he said.
“Of course, you do. But you know I love jerking you around.”
“This time though… You don’t need to tell me. I don’t care about the money. All I need to know is that Emerson is gonna pay for what he did to Murph.”
“When Emerson killed Murph, he gave himself a countdown. His clock is ticking. Time is almost up.”
Roman nodded then looked back out into the water.
“I thought shit would be settled once I got with Mia,” he said. “Thought there’d be no more bloodshed. No need to go to war. Figured I’d found my Heaven already.”
“Don’t worry. When this is all over, you can go back.”
I put a hand on his shoulder and he pulled me in close for a hug. He squeezed me tight. Tight enough that I knew he meant it.
“I’m here,” he said. “I’m always here. I love you, brother.”
I pulled away from him and hit his chest with my fist.
“Let’s get back,” I said. “Time to end this.”
Chapter 23
KRISTEN
The noise in Hades Pub would have been enough to unnerve anybody. It would’ve bothered me, too. If I could actually hear it…
But I was alone with my thoughts. Sitting at the bar, it seemed like I was the only person in the whole building.
“Have a drink.”
I was staring forward into space when a shot of liquor suddenly appeared in front of me.
I slowly turned my head toward the person I felt standing next to me.
One of the waitresses at Hades. Some young, blond-haired, blue-eyed number that caught everybody’s eye. It wasn’t a surprise the club employed someone like her. She was probably responsible for half of the place’s profits tonight.
“I didn’t order that,” I said.
“I know you didn’t order it,” she said bluntly. “I still think you should have it.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because you’ve been sitting here for the past few hours. You’re brooding like it’s the end of the world.”
“I think it might be.”
“Kristen, right?”
I narrowed my eyes at her.
“How do you know—”
“Danica. I’m Aden’s old lady, as they like to call me. I’ve seen you around. It’s not exactly the biggest secret in the world that you and the president of the Devils have a thing going on.”
“That obvious, huh?”
I took the shot and gulped it down. As soon as it hit my throat, I had to stop myself from gagging.
“Ah… What is that?” I said with a grimace.
“Whiskey. Off the rail. Don’t worry. It won’t kill you but it’ll get you drunk just like the expensive stuff.”
“Must’ve gotten too used to the champagne…”
I smacked my tongue but could still taste it. Danica laughed softly at me and patted me on the arm.
“You get used to it,” she said.
“I guess when you’re an old lady, you must drink a lot.”
“Aden stays out of trouble for the most part. You know, these club members aren’t as bad as you think. They’re not riding around doing drive-bys and shooting people up.”
“That’s surprising…”
“They’re all good men. They’re all just trying to do the right thing.”
“They can do the right thing without riding around on their bikes.”
“Maybe. But there’s more to it than that. The patch represents something. Camaraderie. It’s a brotherhood. They’ve got a bond that won’t be broken.”
I played with the empty shot glass between my fingers, trying to distract myself from everything happening.
“You bought into that, huh?” I said.
“I didn’t have to buy into it. I can see it in Aden. He’s more focused. He’s more determined. And that’s saying a lot, considering who he is. Believe me when I s
ay it, he’s a lot better off wearing the patch. It gives him a purpose.”
It was hard to believe that Danica was lying to me. In a room full of chaotic rowdiness, she was sincere.
“You don’t have any regrets?” I asked. “Dating a club member, especially this club?”
“If I had any regrets, I would leave Aden. But I don’t know where I’d be without him. He’s… He’s a reason. He gives me a purpose. Ivory is such a dull, boring town. There’s more to it when he’s around.”
“Right now, I’ll take dull and boring over everything else.”
“You say that now but you don’t mean it. The other girls feel the same way.”
“The other girls?”
“The other old ladies. Mia’s in school. Same with Faye. Lacey’s running that amazing restaurant of hers. We’re all… We’re all happy. There’s no reason you can’t be, too, if this thing with you and the president is serious.”
“Maybe,” I sighed. “I think there’s still some other things I gotta worry about right now though. Relationships are the last thing on my mind.”
Danica got up from her seat and made her way around the bar. She picked up a bottle then poured me a shot.
“Here,” she said as she set the bottle down. “Take what you need.”
“Thanks,” I said with a laugh.
Danica went back to work and left me alone with the only company that made me feel any better. I put the glass to my lips and braced myself as the liquor burned inside of my chest again.
Just as I finished smacking my mouth, I caught the front entrance opening up from the corner of my eye. I turned and saw Sebastian walk in with Roman right next to him. Sebastian caught my eye quickly and came over to me.
“How much have you been drinking?” he asked.
“Not much. Just… Just a little bit.”
He glanced at the bottle then laughed.
“It doesn’t look like it.”
“Sebastian… We… We have to talk…”
He gave Roman a nod and the other man excused himself.
“In my room.”
I followed Sebastian into the back of the clubhouse. Just a couple of shots and my knees were already wobbly. I was a little shaky but not to the point that my thoughts weren’t clear.
