by Carina Adams
Now I was really confused. “Your main concern?”
Taylor’s face was blank when she looked at Matty. “This is my job, Jo. I run welfare for the club. I make sure that kids and parents have what they need until the trial is over, if there is a trial, and then I find them a new life. Whether it’s here or in another part of the country, I find them a home, a counselor, and a job, get them furniture and clothes, and then check in on them every couple of months. And, I work with Rob to make sure everyone is protected.”
“What’s that have to do with Jon?”
“If the Bastards go to prison, my families aren’t protected. If they go to prison, the image I’ve worked so hard to perfect becomes tainted and we won’t have the help we do now. I need the boys to stay out of prison. In order to keep them outside of the locked gates, we need Jon. We need him to feel camaraderie with the boys, a connection to the club. It’s there, I can see it, but he needs that final push.”
She sighed at the look of bewilderment on my face. I was impressed, but shocked that this Taylor was so dedicated. “You don’t know me, Jo, you never did, so don’t look so surprised. What I do for the club is important, and I’m not going anywhere. So, as long as you’re around, you’re just going to have to put up with me.” Standing up she smoothed down her dress.
“I think we’ve been gone long enough, don’t you? Let’s go tell my dad that I’m staying here with your delightful little group. Yay!” She gave me a fake excited smile and then left the room.
“She won’t be here long, babe. I promise. I’ll have Rob take her to wherever she wants to go as soon as the old man is gone.”
I honestly didn’t care about that right now. I swallowed, trying to wrap my mind around everything from the last 24 hours. “Why do you hate her? It seems like she did you and the club a pretty big favor, and she’s helping as many people as she can.”
He laughed as he stood and pulled me into a hug. “I don’t hate her. I don’t ever want to be alone in the same room as her because she’s a lying manipulative wench, but, I don’t hate her.”
“You were so cold and mean to her!”
“Just because I don’t love her anymore doesn’t mean that I hate her. I didn’t treat her any different than I treat anyone else in my life.” Grabbing my hand, he pulled me out of our room and up the stairs. “I’m really sorry, Joes. Forgive me?”
I nodded. I’d already forgotten why I was mad. Now, all I could think about was how he’d never treated me with as much indifference as he had Taylor. Not once, not even before we’d gotten together or even when we’d broken up. The thought made me speechless. He really had loved me from the beginning.
Chapter 31
Matty
What a fucking day.
I opened the door to our bedroom and looked in on Jo one more time. I’d just double-checked the kids, covering Ben back up, tucking Lily’s much loved Pooh Bear in next to her, and moving Sam so that his head was on his pillow instead of his feet. Hearing Jo’s snores, I smiled at how normal this felt—her in my bed and the kids here with us. I had the sudden urge to yell, “Eleven O’clock and All is well!”
Chuckling to myself, I shut the door and climbed the stairs. Grabbing a bottle of Jack’s Tennessee Whiskey, my favorite after a hard day, and a couple of tumblers, I joined Rocker on the deck. It was a warm spring night and the city was alive beneath us. Everyone was out trying to beat the winter blues. I didn’t even ask him if wanted a drink, just poured three fingers and handed it to him.
We sat for a few minutes, enjoying the burn.
“L.K. sleepin’?”
“Yeah. She’s been overloaded with information the last few days. She’s fuckin’ exhausted, man.”
“You come clean and tell her everythin’?”
I nodded. “Everything I could.”
“And she stayed with your dumb ass? Huh.” He smiled. “Must be the great sex I keep hearing.”
I flipped him off. “Did you get Taylor where she needed to go?”
“Interesting change of topic, from one fiancé to the other.” Wow, he was on a roll tonight, the fucker. He took a long pull of his whiskey, trying to hide his smile behind the glass. “Yep.”
“You’re not gonna tell me where you dropped her off, are ya?”
Another sip. “Nope.”
I chuckled, swirling the amber liquid in my glass. “So, which brother is it?” He arched an eyebrow. “She’s obviously been goin’ to the clubhouse in the middle of the night. No way in hell the Senator’s security wasn’t all over her. The only place she’d go that would make them think she was meeting me is the clubhouse. So, which brother is she fucking?”
Rob stared at me, expressionless. “Does it matter?”
“No. I just want to shake that mother fucker’s hand and then warn him she’s seriously crazy.”
He laughed. “He already knows.”
I leaned forward, glass still in hand. “Holy shit! It’s you, isn’t it? I knew you two were getting close!”
Rob choked on his drink. “Fuck no! I gots my hands full with the two I’ve got! But, every brothah knows she’s bat shit crazy and whoevah he is, he’s gonna have his hands full.”
I laughed. I let the humor surround us for a few minutes before I asked what was really on my mind. “Anything on the stalker?”
He shook his head. “Not one damn thing. We talked about it, and Taylor promised that for the next few weeks she wouldn’t go anyweah alone. I put Preach on her.” I tipped my head, concerned at his choice of a guard. He rolled his eyes. “No, I don’t think she’s fucking Preach. But, he’s the only one that won’t kill her in the meantime. She’s a wicked pain in the ass.”
“Someone’s really following her?”
“Yeah, it’s real.” He finished off his whiskey. “I’m calling court first thing in the mornin’.”
I swallowed the last few drops in my glass and then refilled it. “You think it’s related?”
“It could be. Fuck, Mateo. First Ellie was attacked. We have one missin’ ol’ lady. Now, Taylor’s being followed. It seems like too much to just be a coincidence. I’d order a lockdown, but we have nothin’ to go on. Not a single threat, not one fucking lead. I’m goin’ crazy trying to figure this shit out.”
I adjusted, sitting up. “Should I send Jo and the kids home?”
“No. They’re better off here with us. Especially until we figure this out.”
I nodded, agreeing completely. “You headed to the clubhouse tonight?”
He turned back to the city before answering. “Naw. I need to think. It’s right there, I know it is.”
I leaned back into the cushions, getting comfortable. “Ok. Let’s figure it out then.”
*****
I stifled a yawn as Jo refilled my coffee mug and offered me a sexy smile that made me want to throw her over my shoulder and run down the stairs. It had only been a few nights since we’d been together, but it was too long for me—especially when I’d found her brushing her teeth dressed in nothing but my shirt this morning. The thought of it riding up the back of her legs as she bent to spit was enough to make me hard, and I tried to adjust discretely.
Dean caught my eye as Jo moved on to fill his cup, and he gave me a knowing smirk. A quick look around the table assured me that no one else had seen it. The kids were laughing and talking amongst themselves, and Rob looked as exhausted as I felt.
We’d stayed on the deck until the sun came up, going over every single enemy that we’d made and trying to figure out who could be behind this. All the threats we’d gotten over the years had been clear—they’d either been stupid enough to leave tracks or brave enough to claim responsibility. There was something we were missing, and we both knew it.
I had the kids clear the table after we were done eating while I pulled Jo into the roof stairway so we could have a few seconds of privacy. She giggled and hooked her arms over my shoulders as I yanked her closer, leaning down to run my tongue over her collarbon
e. I wanted to kiss every square inch of her, but I knew that if I started I would never stop. I pulled back and held her close to my chest.
“Are you sure you’re ok taking the kids without me?”
I felt her head move. “It’ll be fine, honey. Cris said she’d meet us there, and Dean’s skipping court to come with us. We’ll miss you though.”
“I shouldn’t be long. I’ll meet you at the gym this afternoon, right?”
She backed up slightly and put her chin on my chest. “Right. Stop worrying!” She laughed. “We’ll be fine.”
I couldn’t stop though. Rob had called court, and as VP, I had to be there. Jo and the kids had decided not to wait for me and to go to the aquarium with Cris instead. Dean had wisely informed us he was missing court, because he didn’t want Jo taking all three kids by herself, and for that, I was thankful. I didn’t think anything would happen to my family in broad daylight, but that didn’t make the uneasy feeling go away. Pair that with lack of sleep and all the demons Rocker and I had dredged up last night, and I was on edge.
The meeting wasn’t much better. There was still no sign of Tink, and Tank was ready to go off the fucking rails. The fact that Taylor had been followed spread panic around the room like wildfire. We all knew the chances of she being the only one tailed were small. Even though we weren’t ordering a lockdown, most of the brothers decided to move their families into the house anyway. When the people you love most in the world are in danger, there are never enough precautions to keep them safe.
We did have some suspects. People that thought we’d wronged their loved ones, a group of dirty cops we’d gotten fired five years ago, and then there was Carlos. My gut told me it wasn’t any of them, but Carlos was the most believable option. Not only was he the head of a local mafia group, he was the skum bag that liked to use his fists on his girlfriend- a woman that used to be a huge part of our club.
Everyone around me was wound up as we decided to break into groups and track each one of those fuckers down until we had answers. Dean would stay on my kids—unless they were staying here, Tank would be stationed here to keep an eye on things—he was too unpredictable to go out in the community right now, and the rest of us would stagger shifts. I didn’t want to leave Jo, not for even a minute, but I knew she’d come here and she’d be ok. I hadn’t thought about it before, but when I realized that Taylor was a target because we had a very public relationship, and that there was no reason for anyone to connect Jo to me, I was immediately relieved.
As the meeting closed, and the brothers filed out, Bear kept the officers back. He waited for the door to close, but then faced us all. “There’s one name not on that list.” He stared at me and then at Tank. “I know you don’t want to hear this, but first El. Then Tink. Now Taylor. The marks on the forehead. How do you not see the pattern? He’s coming after the three of us, not the club.”
“Because of Providence?” Tank asked as my stomach dropped. “No way in hell.”
I’d thought about it, but hadn’t wanted to be the one that made the connection. I didn’t want it to be a possibility, because I wasn’t sure how it would end if it was him.
Rob looked down the table. “Wiz? Is there any way to look back through security footage to see if Pixie had been followed? Maybe if she was, we can finally have the connection.”
Wiz looked thoughtful. “There might be, depending on how long the city keeps their files. I’m on it.” He turned his attention to the tablet in front of him and began tapping away.
I looked at the men sitting around the table. We were all wearing the same irritated expression. That dick had been a source of worry for us for years. Outside of this room, there were only a handful of people that knew what really happened that night. Everyone here knew, though, and they all supported us.
Scott Dyer was the grandson of some down on his luck immigrant that moved to America, struck gold, and became an oil tycoon. Not much older than me, Scott had been born with a silver spoon in his mouth and grew up entitled and spoiled. Unfortunately, he was also a demented soul. We’d dug up file after file of cases that were buried because good old grampa threw money at them, paying every injured party off instead of having his beloved heir face the consequences of his actions. Even his parents had gotten fed up at some point and had sent him to Europe for boarding school to scare him straight.
The plan backfired though because Dyer became friends with men just like himself, and some that were much worse. When his grandfather finally kicked the bucket, Scott inherited millions and moved back home. Men with his sadistic tastes can’t just quit cold turkey and forget the life they once led. On the outside, he looked like the model citizen. He donated to every charity Boston had, hob-knobbed with the local celebrities, and was friendly with the most powerful men in the city.
When he married a middle-aged single mom, their rags to riches fairytale made the gossip sites. When he beat her the first time, no one batted an eye. When it happened the second, third, and fourth time, the police failed to respond to the frantic 911 calls her daughter made, and when she was rushed to the emergency room, all evidence conveniently disappeared. No one would help her. Until her ex-husband came to us.
It had been almost a year when she met with us, and her once beautiful body was marred with the scars his treatment had left. She was shaking when we walked into the room, but I didn’t know if it was because she was afraid of us or terrified for her teenaged daughter. According to his friends, Dyer had taken his stepdaughter on a dream European Holiday while her mother got the psychological help she needed because of all the lies she’d told about him. It was a great cover story.
Funny thing, though. To get to Europe one needs to fly, and Dyer’s private jet hadn’t left the airstrip in months. We started digging, knowing that whatever we found would have to be dealt with internally. The police would be no help.
It was hard to dig up, but what we discovered made us sick. Not only did he have all his grandpa’s money, but he’d made his own fortune in an international sex slave trade, selling women to the highest bidder. Most of his sales came with a guarantee that they’d been ‘tested’ and listed how much pain they could handle. There were even pictures that caused more than one of us to lose our lunch. I’d taken one peek and my stomach revolted instantly.
Hawk had called his dad, convinced that this was something that needed law enforcement’s attention. But, once again, Dyer’s money slammed doors in our face. There was no way to help those girls now. Wiz started running their photos through every missing child database there was because we wanted a name to go with the faces. And, we broke into groups, each going to one of his properties in the city. We wanted to find him before his stepdaughter disappeared for good.
Every single place we checked was empty. But then Hawk’s dad came through and sent Hawk and Rob to a detective’s house. A detective that knew more about Dyer and his activities then he should have because he’d been too involved. After a little friendly persuasion, he gave them an address. Wiz pulled it up on his computer. It looked like an old abandoned building, and since my group was the closest, we went to check it out.
We really thought it was going to be another dead end. But, if it wasn’t, the plan was to go in, grab her, and bring her back to her mom. And put a bullet in his head on the way out.
Instead, we found the heavily guarded American hub of his trade. The same place he held, and tortured, every single woman and girl he’d kidnapped over the last few months. As well as the bodies of the ones that couldn’t withstand the pain he’d caused.
I didn’t know how many people I killed that night, or how many times I’d reloaded my clips. I can say, without doubt, that we rescued seven women. Seven out of fifty. I wished we’d been able to save more, but I would always look at the seven as a success. And, I’d forever mourn the loss of the women I couldn’t save.
When we realized what we’d walked in on, Bear started breaking the locks on the cages while Tank and I searched f
or the stepdaughter. Some of the women were too weak to walk on their own, others were too terrified to leave because the thought of punishment was greater than the idea of freedom, and, worst of all, were the ones that were severely injured and begged us to kill them. Bear took it on himself to start carrying them out, one at a time, promising the others that he would be back. Torn between helping him rescue them and looking for the girl, I’d only managed to lug two to safety before the screaming started.
Tank found the girl, but he also found the men abusing her. His gunshots brought men running in herds, all armed to the teeth and ready to kill, or die, protecting not only their boss, but also his high profile customers. From that point on, the details get fuzzy. I can remember holding a woman as she took her last breath, a hole in her chest that had been intended for me. I pulled a woman from a kennel, even though she screamed, kicked at me, and tried to hold on. Once she was out, I wrapped her in my arms, assuring her everything would be ok, and carried her out. There were the faces of women we couldn’t rescue, and the ones I saved with a bullet instead of my hands. I will never know if the memories were real, or if they were brought on by the pictures that fell out of that envelope last summer. Proof that I never knew existed until that very second.
Unfortunately, we’d only been able to wound Dyer before he locked himself in a safe room with some of his clients—thankfully without any of the women. For years I’d hoped that he had gotten a flesh eating bacteria and he’d died a slow painful death. Or, that he’d gotten stuck in the fire that we could only assume he’d set to destroy every ounce of evidence that he’d been there. He’d left America that night and never come back. But, a few years ago, Wiz found him in Russia, running another slave trade.
The thought brought up a great point. “We’d know if he was back, wouldn’t we?” I asked to the group in general.
Wiz nodded. “It’s not him.” Turning his tablet around, he pointed to the picture on the screen. “Dyer’s jet landed in London three days ago. He isn’t stateside.”
