by Shayla Black
“Let’s take our drinks in the lounge and talk there.” He poured a generous measure for each of them and led the way. Liam took one of the armchairs, as did his father. Mum curled up on the sofa opposite.
He raised his glass. “Sláinte.”
Da did the same, swallowing the dram before setting his glass down.
His mother didn’t toss hers back yet. She simply stared down at the liquid rolling in her glass, looking as if she searched for words that wouldn’t break his heart.
“What is it, Mum?”
“I wish I didn’t have to tell you that Hammer’s struggle isn’t over. You best be prepared this time. They mean business. It’s far more serious.”
“Oh, fuck. Sorry, Mum.” The fiery liquor that had settled in his belly only moments ago did nothing to fight the cold fist of fear he felt now. “How long have we got?”
“Not long. I can’t tell you when exactly, but everything is in place. The decision has been made to proceed.” She looked at him with anguished eyes. “I wish the news was better, son. I know this will be extremely upsetting for you all, but you’ll need to keep Raine as calm as possible and—”
“Christ, she’ll be beside herself with worry and grief.”
“Your bigger task now will be to keep Macen’s head above water.”
Liam sat back. The loss of freedom—of control—would kill his best friend.
Duncan leaned in and laid a hand on his shoulder. “We’re here for you, son. For all of you.”
“Perhaps it might be best if you let Macen get what rest he can. You can wake him in a bit and tell him before Raine gets up,” Mum suggested.
“I’m so bloody tired of not being able to do more to help my family. It’s as if we’re trapped in a war zone, caught in endless crossfire, regardless of which way we turn.”
“I know. And things will get worse before they have any chance of getting better. But a happy outcome is still possible. Don’t lose hope.” Bryn came to him, resting her hand on his other shoulder to gentle his worry.
There wasn’t much more Bryn could tell him, and though they talked of family and the Emerald Isle for a while longer, they eventually left him to his thoughts and sought their bed again.
Liam didn’t return to his. He sat mulling over all the events of late, trying to thread together the pieces of the puzzle. If River had recanted, why had the situation become even more serious? When he focused, Liam could feel an oppressive force closing in, condemnation and purpose like a dragon’s breath firing down his neck.
When he looked up again, the clock on the mantel said it was nearly five. Wearily, he rose from the chair and went to wake Hammer.
That part was easier than he expected. To his surprise, his mate was coming out of the shower when Liam entered the master suite. With a quiet word, he told Macen to meet him downstairs and not to wake Raine. While the man dressed, Liam tossed on a T-shirt and left him to make coffee.
Hammer didn’t keep him waiting long, and Liam returned the favor by not dragging it out. It took less than two minutes to worry his best friend sick. Liam hated that he had to.
Macen collapsed on to the nearest barstool and stared out the kitchen window, into the darkness beyond. “I wish I knew who wanted to destroy me,” he murmured. “Do you think it has something to do with those damn missing backup drives?”
“I’ve wondered that, but really, what do they prove? That Raine likes kinky sex. She admitted as much to the police. She was an adult then, and nothing that happened was a crime.”
“She’ll never say I raped her, so I’m not sure how they can prosecute me with that video. The only other evidence they have is the money orders, which prove nothing without the contract I gave Beck for safekeeping. The photos of Raine that Dean was insistent I destroy… Winslow and Cameron may find them in the system, and they might even know I had them. But nothing about the pictures proves that I took them or that she was a minor at the time. Nothing. If she’s asked, Raine would never tell them that, either.”
“No. She’d tell them she brought those photos with her or something similar.”
“Yeah. I hate to have her lie, but I know she’d do it without even being asked. I just don’t understand how this shit is coming back to me.”
Liam ran his hand back through his hair, then poured them each a cup of coffee. “Maybe it’s that bloody witness they warned you about.”
“Yeah. I’d like to know who that lying fucker is.”
“Me, too. If we haven’t heard anything in an hour or two, I’ll get a burner phone and call Dean, see if he can find out.”
“Good idea. The sooner we tackle this, the better.” He paused, obviously gathering his words. “Just promise me that no matter what happens, you’ll look after Raine and our baby.”
Liam ached for his friend’s pain. “Macen, nothing’s final, and we have so many reasons to fight.”
“Just set my mind at ease and fucking promise me.”
“Of course. You know I will.”
Liam came around the bar and roughly pulled Macen to his feet and into a hug. “Don’t give up, brother. We’ll figure this out. You’ll see.”
Inside, he wasn’t so sure.
“It’s out of my hands now.” Hammer pulled back. “Bring your coffee into the study. I have some paperwork I need you to see. The first of it protects Shadows. The rest… Well, if the worst happens, Sterling will advise you.”
With a heavy heart, Liam spent the next hour reviewing Hammer’s files, discussing possibilities and options.
As they wrapped up, Hammer’s phone rang. Sterling Barnes.
Macen answered immediately, turning on his speaker. “The police are coming, aren’t they? What’s the charge?”
“Forget the police. This has escalated. Now you’re up against the FBI. Someone found those pictures of Raine battered as a minor. There’s a bit of nudity, and coupled with the money orders…” The lawyer paused. “They’re assuming the worst. Someone really wants you nailed to a wall. Get ready, Macen. The feds are on their way as we speak.”
Macen looked stricken, struggled to process his lawyer’s warning, but could only gape for a reply.
Liam forced his own shock down and jumped in. “Barnes, this is O’Neill. What can Raine and I do to help?”
“Let me take care of Hammer this morning. You focus on the agents with search warrants. They’re coming to both your home and the club, and everyone will have to leave both premises. Anything deemed to have evidentiary value to their case will be seized. I mean anything—paper, photographs, and especially electronics. If they ask, you and Raine should be ready to give them your phones, tablets, computers, access to any safe…everything.”
In other words, their entire life would be invaded, turned upside down, seized, scrutinized. Another wave of furious disbelief seized Liam, but he swallowed it back for Hammer who still stood in wordless shock.
“I’ll take care of it,” he promised.
“Call me when they arrive,” Sterling instructed. “I’ll have more instructions then. Macen, I know this is a lot. Right now, I don’t know how we’ll get out of this clusterfuck, but I promise I’ll do my damndest.”
“Thank you.” Liam quaked as he took the phone from Hammer’s numb fingers and ended the call.
“The motherfucking FBI?” Hammer staggered back into the living room and sank into a waiting chair.
Seconds later, the doorbell rang. He and Macen exchanged a glance. This could be the end; they both knew it.
Hammer rose, stiff and stoic, and made his way to the door. With a tight grip on the knob and a sharp intake of breath, he braced himself, looking for the courage to open it and meet his fate.
“Macen?” Raine called from behind him at the top of the stairs. “What’s going on?”
He turned to Liam, jaw clenched tight. “Don’t let her see this.”
Liam thoroughly agreed, especially when he glimpsed a horde of cars and agents outside the window, just waiting
to descend.
“I’ve got your back. We’ll see you soon.” Giving Hammer a brotherly clap, he crossed the room and took the stairs two at a time.
“What’s going on?” Raine watched him ascend with a wary gaze and tried to dart past him. “No. This can’t be…”
Liam grabbed her around the waist and hauled her off her feet and into his arms, grateful when his parents seemed to melt out of the woodwork to stand beside his best friend. “Let him go with dignity.”
“No!” she screeched even louder. “They can’t take him. Macen…”
“Stop,” Liam insisted. “Barnes will have him out soon.”
Hammer didn’t turn to look at her again, and Liam hid her face in his shoulder. “Don’t look. Don’t make this any harder for him.”
Raine tensed. He could feel the fight in her. She wanted to argue with every cell in her body. Instead, she clutched at him, digging her nails into his skin.
Liam grimaced. The pain of her wee scratches was nothing compared to the agony gashing his chest when Hammer opened the door.
Things got ugly fast.
“Macen Daniel Hammerman, I have a warrant for your arrest for the purchase of a minor for the purposes of sexual exploitation. Please turn around and place your hands behind your back. You have the right to remain silent—”
“Liam?”
“I’ve got her, mate,” he assured.
“Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.”
Hammer wasn’t listening to the feds. “Take care of her.”
Liam kept Raine’s face buried against his neck. “I will.”
Raine’s jagged sob resounded above the chaos in the room. “Macen…”
“You have the right to an attorney…” As the agent led him out the door, he clamped handcuffs around Hammer’s wrists.
The click sounded ominously final.
Chapter 11
With his arms stretched uncomfortably behind him in the back of an unmarked car, Hammer’s shoulders screamed. Liam and Sterling had warned him, but he hadn’t truly been prepared for the terrible reality of the feds hauling him away with his hands secured behind his back. Now, he tried to force himself to relax. He’d cuffed many subs over the years. They’d survived, sure. But Macen wasn’t a sub, and being bound like one pissed him off—and demeaned him—even more.
Purchasing a minor for the purpose of sexual exploitation? Bullshit!
Obviously, River hadn’t done a stellar job of recanting his claims to the authorities—if he’d even tried at all. He’d bet the prick had been blowing smoke up his ass, plotting all the while to zap him from Raine’s life. No doubt the motherfucker would devise a way to get rid of Liam next.
I’m sorry for what I’ve done to you, Hammer. Liam.
“You’re not yet, you fuckfaced son of a bitch. But if you didn’t keep your word, I’ll make sure you will be soon,” Hammer muttered to himself.
Inside the station, he tried to block out the booking process. After the humiliation of being fingerprinted, having his mug shot taken, and being divested of all the personal property in his pockets, an officer led him down the narrow, steel-cage hallway filled with cursing and shouting. The armed officer directed him inside an empty cell.
He should have been grateful he was alone, but once the door rattled shut behind him and the lock clattered like the lid of his coffin, Hammer’s rage reawakened. He wanted to beat the fucking shit out of someone—preferably River.
Avoiding the dilapidated mattress and its dingy sheet, Hammer paced the eight-by-eight cell. His thoughts swirled in a furious cyclone while niggling doubt began burrowing in his brain.
River wanted Raine in his life. Even the cynic in Hammer had believed her brother intended to clean up the mess he’d made. If he’d tried—if he hadn’t been the one who’d stolen the security footage from Shadows—then someone else was behind this sabotage on his life. But who? Who had he pissed off enough to warrant this vile revenge?
Yes, he’d been a snarling prick at the club for the past few months, snapping at members over the slightest provocation. But had he seriously wounded another Dominant’s pride so deeply they’d resort to ruining his future with Raine and Liam? Carl lacked the balls. And no one else with a beef readily leapt to Hammer’s mind.
“Shit.” He scrubbed a hand over his face.
Maybe this vendetta went back further. Hell, Juliet’s mother had vowed over her youngest daughter’s grave that she’d see Hammer dead for his “irresponsibility and abuse.” Since she’d never hired a hit man, could the old woman have found the next best opportunity?
“Face it, fucker. Your life has been bleak since Juliet killed herself.” And looking back, too many of his darkest days had been self-imposed. He’d hurt the people around him too much.
It was entirely possible he was paying for it now.
Hammer heard voices and footsteps coming down the hall. Stepping toward the bars, he craned his neck. The sight of a uniformed officer escorting Sterling Barnes sent a blast of relief through him.
“Sterling,” Hammer exhaled. “Thank christ.”
“Don’t be too happy to see me, Macen,” his lawyer replied grimly. “This shit has gotten far deeper than you or I imagined.”
“What?” Hammer’s stomach rolled up to his throat. “River didn’t recant, did he?”
Sterling darted a perturbed glance over his shoulder until the officer stepped back.
“He did, but I’m afraid it was too little, too late. As far as they’re concerned, you committed a crime, and River’s opinion is irrelevant. They also have the two missing surveillance videos from Shadows.”
Dread gripped Hammer’s gut. “I wish I knew how the hell they got their hands on those.”
“Once you’re arraigned and we start preparing for trial, the prosecution will have to tell us the name of their witness, as well as how they obtained the footage during discovery. I don’t know if that information will help anything, but…”
Yeah, Hammer doubted it, too.
“The state is also reserving the right to file its own charges and is only deferring to the feds for now because their sentence will be longer. But if the federal charges don’t stick, the state will probably try you for rape. From what I heard, November fourth is…damning.”
Hammer bit back a curse. To someone only watching, it probably looked brutal. He’d been drunk and in no way gentle when he’d heaped six years of pent-up passion on Raine.
“I swear it was consensual,” he argued—like it would do any good.
“The audio is fuzzy, so that’s not clear…except the part where you’re yelling and she says no. I’m not doubting you. But your number one problem right now is the photos they’re using to corroborate this federal charge. Raine is so bloody and bruised. They think you beat her for fun, snapped pictures as trophies, and shared them with your kinky friends.”
“Oh, hell no! I have never lifted a hand to her in anger. I never would.”
“The beating isn’t the worst part of those snapshots legally. Because a bit of pubic hair and the crest of a nipple are visible, the feds are using the photos and the money orders to substantiate their charge of purchasing a child for sexual exploitation. They’ll probably admit River’s original statement, too. Even though he recanted, an experienced prosecutor can plant the seed that you coerced him to retract his statement by threatening his sister.”
Hammer’s knees buckled. He gripped the bars and swallowed the bile rising in his throat. All the blood in his body plummeted to his feet.
“How many years if I’m convicted?” he managed to choke out.
“Thirty…in a federal prison,” Sterling murmured bleakly.
Fear, stark and merciless, gnawed at Hammer. His heart smacked against his chest. “No! No fucking way. I can’t go to prison for a crime I didn’t commit. Someone is setting me up. I need to find whoever it is and end this goddamn charade.”
“I’ve already talked to L
iam a couple of times. He has a PI on it. They’re looking into it now.”
“Seth? Yeah. He’s the best. Hopefully, he’ll be able to dig up evidence to save me.”
“Even if he can’t, when Raine testifies, she should be able to shed positive light on the case.”
He hated to heap more stress on her. “Will the prosecution try to discredit her?”
But he already knew the answer. The feds would do their best to chew her up and spit her out. They would slap him behind bars without an ounce of regard for the truth. The injustice made Hammer want to howl.
“You can guarantee it.”
“She’s fucking pregnant!”
“Calm down. They’re not going to beat her, Macen. I’ll do my best to protect her on the stand.”
“No. If they’re going to take her apart, she’s not testifying. She’s already under too much stress. I won’t let her do anything else to risk this baby.”
“One step at a time. Now that you’ve been indicted, come Monday, you and I, along with some of my colleagues who specialize in federal criminal cases, will go before the judge for your arraignment.”
“Monday? Monday!” Hammer roared. “I can’t sit in this fucking cell until then. Can’t you post my bond now?”
“It’s the damn weekend. The wheels of justice won’t turn again until that’s over. So keep it together and let me do my job. I’ll have you out of here as soon as I can.”
Clawing for control, he clenched his teeth. “How is Raine holding up? Do you know?”
“I’ll find out for you.”
Sterling would, but Hammer knew Raine. She was probably devastated. He hoped like hell she wasn’t crawling inside her shell, where Liam would be hard-pressed to reach her. “Tell her not to worry about me. Tell her”—his voice cracked—“tell her I love her.”
Sympathy settled onto the older man’s face. “She knows, but I’ll be happy to remind her for you. Look, I know things seem bleak, but I won’t stop until I’ve turned over every pebble, rock, or boulder to clear your name.”
“I appreciate that,” Hammer replied, wishing he shared the same conviction. But all he could picture was Raine and Liam without him, and the ocean of tears she’d be crying if he never returned home.
