The instant the words were out, Cara winced. She had to remind herself Caid wasn’t the type of man interested in anything long term, and she wasn’t looking to marry again anytime soon. They’d have a few months at most before he tired of her and found someone new. Even knowing what was to come, Cara couldn’t bring herself to shorten their time together by walking away. Her time with him was too much fun, so much better than lonely nights and weekends alone.
Caid glanced at her, surprised and pleased at her interest in fishing. “That’d be great. I have a couple fishing rods that break down, making them easy to pack on the horses.” He looked around, knowing they had no more than forty-five minutes to make it back to the ranch. “We’d best get going. Mom’s holding dessert for us and I don’t want to take a chance Quinn will take our share.”
Cara followed him back down the hill in silence, unable to express how grateful she was for the invitation to Freedom Meadow. Riding into the barn, she removed the saddle and tack, then brushed her horse, sorry to see the day end.
Much later, she lay in bed with her head on his chest, listening to his deep breathing. Cara thought about all they’d done together since the night her Harley lowsided on the side of the road. If the javelinas hadn’t crossed in front of her, she’d never have been included in Caid’s life. She would’ve missed so much.
Cara knew she should relax and enjoy whatever time they still had together. Instead, she found herself wondering when it would all change. How soon it would be before something happened and it all came crashing down. And she knew with absolute certainty it would come crashing down.
Chapter Eleven
Ghost and Rock sat across the desk from Wrath, arms crossed, their gazes locked on him. Finishing his review of their newest assignment, he set the documents aside, deciding to confront his two closest friends. Leaning back in his chair, he rested his hands in his lap, a brow lifting.
“Is there a reason you two reprobates are sitting here instead of preparing the men for the next mission?”
Ghost narrowed his intense caramel brown eyes on him. “They’re ready. Not sure we can say the same for you.”
Clenching his jaw, Wrath forced himself to ignore the obvious slight. “Explain yourself.”
Rock spoke before Ghost could reply. “You haven’t been yourself for weeks.”
Wrath’s mouth twisted. “Myself?”
Blowing out a breath, Rock rested his arms on the desk. “Look, Prez, we get you’re seeing a woman and are unusually, well…happy. But we don’t know who this woman is. You haven’t asked Raider for intel on her. All we know is her name is Cara Mortensen and she’s an attorney.”
Ghost’s hand came down hard on Wrath’s desk. “And that information came from Mike at the bar. It should’ve come from you.”
He thought of the weekends and nights with Cara, knowing he’d not placed the club in danger. Still, these were his closest friends, holding top leadership roles in the club. Their concerns deserved to be addressed.
“Since I’ve been here every day, not missed a workout or meeting, you’ll have to tell me precisely what you expect me to do.”
Ghost’s shoulders relaxed. “The fact you care about the woman means she can put all of us in danger. Do you know anything about her except what she’s told you? What have you done to protect us, the people who depend on you to keep our cover in place? Tell us you know a lot more about the woman other than her name and profession and we’ll leave you alone.”
Scrubbing a hand down his face, Wrath shook his head. “Other than knowing she’s a widow, you’re right. I’ll get with Raider and have him do a complete background check on her. Will that satisfy you?”
Rock spoke again, his voice calm. “Depending on what Raider learns, yes.”
“Fine. Consider it done.” Wrath leaned forward. “Is there anything else?”
Rock shook his head. “Nope. Everyone’s ready for the next assignment. Go time is set for midnight. You’ll be here, right?”
An explosion of expletives broke the tension. Nostrils flaring, he shoved back his chair and stood. “Have you ever known me to miss a single mission? Shirk my responsibilities?”
Holding up his hands, palms out, Rock shook his head. “Sorry, man. We know the long hours you’ve put in to make this operation successful. Still, you understand we have to know if anything has changed since you got yourself tangled up with the Mortensen woman.”
He shifted his hard stare from one man to the other. “Nothing has fucking changed. Now, get out of here so I can speak with Raider.”
Each gave a curt nod before walking out, neither saying anything else.
A loud curse sprang from his lips. They were right. He’d screwed up. Massaging the back of his neck, he paced toward the bulletproof window, staring out at the tall pines and sycamores beyond the tall fence.
Turning away, he opened the hidden door, maneuvering down the stairs to the room below. “Raider, are you down here?”
“Where else would I be?”
“Anything new on the latest assignment?”
Raider didn’t take his eyes from the screen, or screens, as there were several around the room. “Nope. This one seems as clean as it comes. What I don’t get is why we’re being tapped for a mission that isn’t much more than a babysitting job.”
Wrath smirked. “Babysitting after we rescue the woman. And the protection is for a few hours until we can get her to the rendezvous point. Any more information on her?”
“Nothing. All I’ve been able to find is the same intelligence Grayson provided. Female, late twenties, high security clearance with a brain full of top secret data.”
Wrath cocked his head. “Still no name?”
“Only the one Grayson gave us. Yellow Rose.” Raider looked up. “What the hell does that even mean?” He glanced back at the screen. “They need to hire someone with more imagination. But I’m guessing there’s more to you coming down here besides checking on the mission.”
“I need a background check on a woman who lives in Liberty Lake.”
“Yeah. Cara Mortensen. It’s about time you came down here.”
Wrath held back another round of cursing. “Does everyone know about her?”
“Pretty much. Not much you can put past us.” He looked up again, a cocky grin on his face. “That’s why we’re the masters at what we do.” Reaching into a drawer, Raider pulled out a file. “Here you go. Everything you’ll ever want to know about your woman. I think you’ll find some interesting reading.”
He snatched it from his hand. “Who ordered this?” he ground out.
Raider winced. “To tell you the truth, a few of us made the decision.” He slumped against the back of the chair, letting out a breath. “Sorry, boss. It wasn’t right, but we were concerned. Ghost and Rock said the only other time they’d seen you like this was—”
“That’s enough,” Wrath’s hard voice interrupted.
Raider dropped his head, staring at the keyboard. “Take a look at her background and let me know if you need to check anything further.”
Wrath was ready with a terse reply when an explosion shook the building. “Fuck!” He rushed up the stairs, turning back. “You stay down here.”
“But—”
Another explosion rocked them.
“Your skills are more important down here than up top. I’ll be back as soon as possible.” Pushing through the door, he slammed and locked it, tossing the folder on his desk. Moving to another hidden spot, he grabbed an HK MP5 9mm before taking his Glock from a drawer, settling it in the waistband against his spine.
The office door burst open, Rock running in. “It’s the Night Devils. They breached the front wall, set off two bombs. The men drove them back. We’re clear, for now.”
Wrath moved past him. “Casualties?”
“None. Most of the men were behind the building, working out. Several bikes are totaled, but nothing worse.”
Placing the butt of his rifle against
his shoulder, Wrath kicked the front door open, taking in the damage. It occurred to him how much the destruction reminded him of so many battles overseas.
His men held rifles, positioning themselves in defensive positions as they scanned back and forth, waiting. Deep scars in the ground, twisted metal, branches on fire, smoldering debris scattered across the entire front of the clubhouse brought memories he’d rather forget.
Another explosion had everyone retreating.
“Gas tanks.” Rock moved closer to the men. “Everyone stay back.”
“Fargo, Gunner. I want a perimeter sweep.”
“Roger, Prez.” Fargo was already on the move, Gunner going in the opposite direction.
Rock moved next to Wrath. “Ghost is outside the back fences with Tracker, Fuse, and Moses, looking for any sign of more explosives. If the combatants set charges, Fuse will find and disable them.”
Wrath nodded, his sharp eyes taking in everything, mind working through the options. He looked at Rock. “Are we certain it was the Devils?”
“We had a man on lookout. He saw their patches. It’s definitely the Devils.”
Scrubbing a hand down his face, he swore. “It was a warning. The question is why?”
Rock shrugged. “They may have figured out we were the ones transporting the Blood’s product. If they knew we were the ones who took out so many of their men, I’d expect more than what happened today.”
“Up the number of men on guard. I’ll get with Raider to see if he can find out more and contact Grayson. He needs to know what happened.” Wrath turned to enter the clubhouse, then looked back at Rock, nodding toward the damage. “Take pictures, then get the men to clean up the mess. And take care of replacing the bikes.”
Other than a few nonoperational members of the Brethren, the inside of the clubhouse was vacant, all the men scouting the outside. Closing his office door behind him, Wrath contacted Grayson, who knew nothing about the attack and little more about the Devils.
The admiral’s dossier said the Arizona chapter had been started less than a year before with several existing members transferring from other chapters. The local president, Poison, was known to be as ruthless as Vulture, the president of the outlaw motorcycle gang.
By the time Wrath hung up, he’d learned little more than when he’d made the call. He spoke with Raider next, who’d been in the process of reviewing the camera feed. As Rock said, the patches clearly showed them to be members of the Night Devils.
The images didn’t provide Wrath with anything more about the reason the gang came after the Brethren. He had to agree with Rock. They’d somehow found out the Brethren had been assisting Demons Blood in completing the delivery of their merchandise. It was a dangerous connection.
Returning to his office, Wrath sat down, his gaze landing on the file. He stared at it several minutes, not sure he wanted to learn about Cara from a stack of documents, a condensed version of her life.
Should she learn about it, he had no doubt Cara would see it as an invasion of her privacy. Wrath had to agree. After three weeks, he knew almost nothing about her, except what she’d told him the first weekend. When she’d learned he’d be able to share little of his life, she’d hunkered down, talking of little more than her colleagues at the college, rides they could take, and food. All boring, all safe.
Pursing his lips, Wrath picked up the file. A long moment later, he began to read. Thirty minutes later, he closed the file, his chest tight. He’d read nothing indicating she presented a threat to him or the club. What he did learn surprised him, providing more questions than answers. As hard as it would be, he had to find a way to get those answers.
Cara closed the binder, feeling a deep sense of satisfaction. Over the last few weeks, Tessa’s ex-partner had signed the dissolution agreement, accepting the amount offered. Neither had wanted to be in the same room together, so Cara had made the rounds, even getting a chance to meet Tessa’s ex-fiancé. By the time she’d left, he’d made a deep impression.
Whiny, needy, and malleable, not one characteristic Cara found inspiring. He made little money in his law practice, had few friends, and no problem bending his values when it suited him. She hadn’t learned this from their brief meeting, but from casual conversations from people who knew him. Walking out with the final executed documents, Cara felt certain her new client, who’d become a friend, was much better off without the little worm and his slimy wife.
Tomorrow, she’d be having lunch with Tessa. A celebration of sorts, and a planning meeting for how Tessa wanted to proceed with keeping her pregnancy private. Cara had several ideas, but after meeting her ex, she didn’t believe it would be a real issue. She doubted a man like him wanted a child and would agree to sign over full custody to Tessa with little encouragement.
She checked the time. Wrath would be at her house for dinner in an hour, and she still had to go by the grocery store. Pulling her purse from a drawer, she left, hurrying toward her truck. The roar of motorcycles stopped her a few feet away. Looking around, she spotted three sets of headlights coming toward her.
Unlocking the truck, she placed her purse inside and waited. At first, Cara thought it was Wrath with a couple of his men. But as they approached, she realized she’d never seen them before. She jumped into the truck, her hand shaking in an attempt to slide the key into the ignition.
Before she could get it started, her door flew open, a beefy hand reaching inside to clamp over her arm. Sucking in air, she screamed, praying someone would hear her. The large, bearded man dragged her out of the seat, slamming her against the side of the truck.
“If you scream again, Miss Cara Mortensen, I will cut you.” His menacing voice left no doubt he’d carry through with the threat. “You will tell me what I need to know and you will be free to leave. Do you understand?”
Eyes wide, she nodded.
“Where does Wrath live?”
Fear gripped her. These men were after Wrath, and judging by the way they looked, they weren’t his friends. “I-I don’t know. He has a clubhouse somewhere in town, but I-I don’t know where that’s located, either.”
Reaching behind her, he gripped her hair, tugging hard. “You are a fucking liar.”
Whimpering in pain, she shook her head. “I’m not. I know him, but I’ve never been to his house.”
A broad hand connected with her face, snapping it back. “Again. Where does he live?”
Tasting blood from her cut lip, anger surged through her. She shook her head again. “Hurting me won’t get you what you want. I don’t know where Wrath lives. I don’t even know where the clubhouse is located.”
Tears sprang to her eyes when he slapped her again.
“My patience is short.” He lifted his head at the sound of sirens, blurting out a string of curses. “This is not over. Think about it. Next time, I’ll expect the information I seek.”
Breathing heavy, knees weak, her body trembled in fear as the sound of the motorcycles receded. Swiping at the tears streaming down her face, she tensed when a patrol car stopped at the truck, the other going after the men who’d threatened her.
“Are you all right?”
She glanced up to see an older police officer standing a couple feet away. “I’m, um…I’m fine.”
“Do you know what they wanted?”
She thought of the menacing faces, their bullying behavior. Then thought of Wrath and what they’d do to him if they located his house.
They were thugs, much like the members of the motorcycle gang in San Diego. Evil men who killed and maimed, not caring about anything except their own needs. Crude and selfish, they felt no remorse for their actions. She shuddered at what they would do to Wrath, at what they’d been prepared to do to her.
“Ma’am. Did they tell you what they wanted?”
She shook her head. “No. I think they just wanted to scare me.” A choked laugh left her lips. “They succeeded.”
The officer looked around the parking lot. “Do you work
here?”
“Yes. I’m an attorney.”
“You didn’t recognize them?” He watched the other patrol car stop beside them.
“I’m sorry, but no. I’ve never seen them before.”
The questions continued. She learned someone walking to his car saw what was happening and called the police. Cara made a mental note to try to find out who’d made the call and thank him.
“Is there anything else you can tell me?”
Cara felt ready to collapse, but shook her head, ready to leave. “No.”
He handed her a card. “Take this. If you think of anything, even if it seems insignificant, call me.”
Taking the card, she nodded.
“Are you all right to drive home? If you’d feel safer, I can follow.”
She wouldn’t mind him escorting her, but she didn’t want the officer to see Wrath. “I’m fine. Thank you for the offer.”
Shoving his notepad into a pocket, he looked at her. “Remember to call if you think of anything.”
Nodding, she climbed back into the truck, this time slipping the key into the ignition in one attempt. Blowing out a relieved breath, her hands gripped the wheel. They no longer trembled.
She looked at the time, noticing less than an hour had passed since the thug had pinned her against the truck. It seemed much longer.
There was no time to stop for groceries. Instead, she’d head home to confront Wrath.
Chapter Twelve
Wrath paced Cara’s living room, picking up the television remote, then setting it down. She was half an hour late, and for a woman who prided herself on punctuality, that was thirty minutes too long.
He’d phoned her twice, leaving a message each time. Ghost had suggested putting trackers on her motorcycle, truck, and phone, but he’d hesitated. Two days had passed since he’d read the report. The same amount of time since he’d seen her. They’d spoken a few times, and he knew she’d stayed busy with her law practice and teaching. Damn if he didn’t miss her.
After the attack on the clubhouse, he had to stay close, take steps to protect them from further assault. Raider had continued his work, collecting as much information as possible on the Night Devils.
STEADFAST Page 10
