But there was a face that stood out among all the rest that made my blood run cold.
“Our intel team was able to figure out who all The Road Rebels were. We have their names, their faces, and their possible roles within the club. They’re all featured here with their assumed titles underneath their names.”
Monaco banged her fist on the board like she’d come up with some ingenious information for us to take in. But I wasn’t focused on the same old bullshit she was spitting. I was focused on that face.
Jace’s fucking face.
Only it wasn’t the name ‘Jace’ that was underneath his picture. Instead, it was ‘Snake.’ Along with the title of ‘Treasurer/Secretary’ underneath his name. And aside from my shock and utter confusion, I had to bite back a giggle.
He would be pissed if anyone tried to call him a fucking secretary.
“So why are we investigating The Road Rebels again?” I asked. “Has there been any evidence found that links what we think the Saints are doing to something they’re doing?”
“There seems to be a lot of… chatter… about some sort of retaliation against them,” Monaco said.
My eyes flickered over to my captain as he folded his arms across his chest.
“Right now, we simply need to know all the players on the field. Even if we can’t see a connection just yet. They aren’t being surveilled-”
“These pictures prove that statement false,” I said.
“They aren’t being heavily surveilled,” Monaco said. “But if the rumors about some sort of attack or retaliation are true, the only people the Saints have to retaliate on are the Rebels.”
“So… we’re doing this to protect them?” I asked.
“We’re doing this, so we don’t put all our eggs in one basket,” Monaco said.
“So… there’s no new information for us,” I said.
“Riley,” my captain said curtly.
“We have their names and faces. I figured that was important. We also have proof that the Saints are offloading things into their compound even though the entrance we have under surveillance hasn’t seen activity in days. That’s serious,” Monaco said.
“Gotcha. So… where do we go from here?” I asked.
I knew exactly where I wanted to fucking go, and that was right up to Jace’s damn doorstep.
Or Snake’s.
Or whoever the fuck this man was.
“If you’ll stop talking,” Monaco said, “I was about to get there.”
So I shut my mouth, cast my anger aside, and listened to the plan Monaco had laid out for us. It was a shit plan, as always. More surveillance, more digging to find proof, more protection for the town until this was settled. I should have known with a government agency there would be all this red tape they had to get through before they took any meaningful action. It was the most pointless meeting I’d ever been a part of, but it made my captain happy that I was there.
And now, it was time for me to make up some fucking excuse so I could go track down Jace.
Snake.
Whoever the fuck this man was that I’d fallen in love with, and get to the bottom of what the hell was going on.
Chapter 19
Snake
I rode around town for a while before I headed back to the lodge. I needed to clear my head if I was going to go back to that stuffy place. I had allowed myself to leave it behind, mentally and physically, for an entire night. I had crash-landed right into the body of the woman I could never let go of. To say I was distracted was the understatement of the fucking century. I couldn’t concentrate on the road ahead of me; I couldn’t concentrate on where I was going.
I couldn’t even concentrate enough to give a fuck about the club… and that shit was a first for me.
But as lunchtime approached, I could feel my phone vibrating in my pocket. I had several missed calls, and text messages from both Fox and Talon, who I assumed was checking in on me because of Gemma. I gritted my teeth and left the calls untouched as I headed back to the lodge. I knew Mac would be pissed, but I didn’t care. I knew everyone would be pissed, but again… I didn’t even care. All I wanted was to fall into bed, sleep this bullshit day away, and then make actual efforts towards forgetting Laiken.
It was time I fucking moved on anyway.
“Where the hell have you been!?”
Fox’s voice boomed over my body as I ripped my helmet off my head.
“Back the fuck up,” I said.
“Where the hell were you last night!? You told me you were going to some bar and then you just don’t come back!?”
“Sorry I worried you, sweetheart,” I said. “Daddy was a bit busy.”
“This shit’s fucking serious,” he said. “Who the fuck do you think you are?”
He grabbed my coat and pulled me towards him before I shoved him away. I balled my fists at my sides as he came at me, his fists flying and his gaze fiery. I ducked every time he swung before I connected my fist to his gut, doubling him to his knees as he gasped for air.
“Didn’t realize you liked it rough, shnookums,” I said with a growl.
“You could have been killed,” Fox said, gasping. “And none of us would’ve ever fucking known.”
“He’s right,” Mac said as he came up behind me. “Now, can you stop beating up on your partner? I believe that’s called ‘domestic abuse.’”
I slowly turned around and took in Mac’s stare as he puffed his chest out. Fox was groaning as he got off the ground, a sound that rose a smirk on my cheeks. I wasn’t about to let this club push me around. I was a big boy, and if I got myself into shit, I owned up to it. I didn’t run like a little pussy to my mommy so she could defend me. I cleaned up the messes I made.
“You can’t keep me cooped up here any more than you can keep us all safe,” I said. “That lodge? It’s not protecting everybody. If anything, it congregates us into one fucking place. One perfectly-timed attack and we’re all fucking slaughtered.”
I felt someone grab my shoulder and rip me around, which brought me face-to-face with Fox again.
“You don’t get to make that fucking decision,” he said. “You don’t get to go off on your own, worry us fucking sick, not pick up your phone, and expect us all to calm your damn sister down.”
“I figured she had Talon for that now,” I ground out. “Why the fuck is it my job anymore?”
“You’re a selfish asshole, Snake. You always have been. And up until now, I’ve put up with it. Stomached it when Mac partnered us up for jobs. But you’ve put us all at risk, and you don’t even fucking care,” Fox said.
“And if I don’t?” I asked.
Fox took another swing at me, and I ducked before I took him to the ground.
“The two of you cut it out. Now!” Mac yelled.
But I was rolling around and wrestling with Fox as he connected a fist to my face.
“You’re a fucking prick, Snake!”
“You’re a pussy, Fox!”
“You’re pointless to this club and pissed that Talon can protect Gemma better than you can!”
“You’re gonna pay for saying something like that.” I brought my fist down on Fox’s face before Mac ripped me off him. Fox was holding his eye as people started to trickle out of the lodge, trying to figure out what the hell the commotion was all about.
“I’m the one who kept Gemma away from this lifestyle,” I said. “I was the one who kept her sights on school. I was the one who shielded her from the pain my father rained down on our fucking family, and I was the one who hid from her the pain of our mother’s death. I had shielded her from fucking everything. It wasn’t until Talon descended in with his cock hanging out that Gemma got pulled into this shit. And now? It’s my fucking job to fix it!”
“Well, you’re not gonna fix it by wandering away from the compound and screwing other women,” Fox said.
“Can’t you tell by his attitude?” Talon asked as he walked up. “I don’t think he got laid last night.”
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I connected my wild stare with Talon, whose eyes were looking me up and down.
“Glad to see you’re alive,” he said.
“Yeah, yeah,” I said as I shrugged Mac off my body.
“Church. Now,” Mac said. “Talon, go get Hawk. Meet us in the shop as soon as you can.”
Blood was surging through my veins. Just looking at that damn compound made me sick. All of us cooped up in there, cowering away like pussies while we waited for The Devil Saints to make the first move. The DEA was up our ass, Laiken was a fucking cop, The Devil Saints wanted to wipe us off the face of the fucking earth, and Gemma was wrapped up in all of it.
There was no control. There was no plan. There was just chaos.
And it made me sick.
I kept my distance from Fox as his eye began to swell. We made our way into the shop and put all of our phones into Talon’s magic case thing. I didn’t know what it was, I didn’t know how it worked, and I didn’t give a shit to figure it out. All I wanted was to get us out of this situation so we could get on with our lives.
I just didn’t know how the hell we were going to accomplish that anymore.
“Got Hawk,” Talon said. “We’re ready.”
Hawk took one look at Fox before he whistled and shook his head.
“Maybe I wasn’t clear on the rules for this little reunion at the lodge, but everyone is to be back every fucking night,” Mac said.
“You can’t keep us cooped up like this, Mac. It makes us look like fucking pussies. It’s stressing everyone out.”
“The only person complaining about it is you, Snake,” Talon said. “Everyone else is fine.”
“You sure about that? Because I’m pretty sure it was you last week who got into that fight with Syd,” I said.
“You did what?” Hawk asked.
“Now you’re just stirring up shit, Snake,” Fox said.
“No. I’m trying to point out something to Mac. Everyone’s getting restless. We’re family, but even family gets rough when we can’t live our own lives. You’re trying to coop us up like children without putting forth a plan to fix this shit. You’re our President, Mac. It’s not a good look when you don’t know what to do,” I said.
“What did you and Syd fight about?” Hawk asked.
“Yeah. Why don’t you tell Hawk why you were yelling at his wife,” I said.
“It doesn’t matter,” Mac said. “Snake, I get your point. But we’re stronger when we’re together. If Hawk and Sydney and Emery are in their home and Hawk leaves, who’s there to protect them? No one. But, if Hawk leaves the compound to go get something, all of us are there to defend them if something happens,” Mac said.
“I can’t come back to this lodge every night, Mac,” I said.
I felt myself crumbling in front of the guys as I drew in a shaky breath. I sat down in a chair and put my head in my hands. Images of Gemma bleeding out ran through my mind. Images of seeing our coats doused in blood shook me to my core. I felt my breathing shallowing out as gunfire echoed off the corners of my mind, pulling me back into a moment in our history that had altered me as a young boy.
That turned me into the angry man I was today.
“I don’t know what The Devil Saints are going to do,” Mac said. “But I’m not willing to take the risk of them finding out where my club lives and taking them out. Beast is unhinged. We have proof of that. Keeping us all here lowers the risk that Beast will go after us individually.”
“Which means he’ll just formulate a plan to take us out altogether,” I said.
“But that buys us more time because it’ll take more time for him to figure that shit out,” Mac said. “Which is what I’m doing all damn day instead of gallivanting off and finding some nice piece of ass to lay.”
I panned my gaze up as I stood to my feet. Mac’s eyes were locked on me as everyone stared me down. I wasn’t going to win this fight. As much as I wanted to and as much as I needed to, this wasn’t my fight to win. Mac was right, in his sick and twisted way. He was trying his best to keep us safe, and when I didn’t come back last night they probably all assumed I was dead.
I sighed heavily as my clenched fists slowly unfurled.
“Okay,” I said. “Back every night. Got it.”
“And no punching your club members,” Mac said. “That’s just unfair. We all know you have the meanest swing on this club.”
“And don’t you fucking forget it,” I said.
Chapter 20
Laiken
I walked out of the meeting room and headed for my desk. I was dazed, confused, and riddled with hurt. My heart was beating so fast I could no longer count its beats, and I was trying to keep a strong facade with my captain. I knew he would come in here at any moment and ask me what I thought. All of the men around me that were in that meeting were buying the shit Monaco was spitting. They were okay with her using suspicions and mindless chatter to connect dots we couldn’t prove, and it was all in the name of gang wars. I knew how the government looked at cases like this. I knew all they wanted was to clean up the streets. And maybe Monaco’s word was good. Maybe there was a reason to worry.
But I was stuck with two commanding officers who were running based on their guts instead of on proof.
Which meant it was possible Monaco had false information. There was no way on this fucking planet Jace was involved with a motorcycle gang. Sure, he fucking rode one. But that didn’t make him an outlaw. A criminal. According to the files, The Road Rebels were known for running drugs. No one could prove it, and no one had caught them in the act, but that was what the ‘chatter’ on the street was. The Devil Saints were known for prostituting their own women, owning strip clubs with dirty money, and pedaling drugs out of them. At least, that’s what the ‘chatter’ on the street was. But there was no fucking proof. There was nothing that connected them except for some woman and a truck full of drugs that were cut sort of like cartel drugs.
All of this shit smelled funky as hell, and I was pissed that I had been dropped in the middle of it.
Her information had to be false. There was no way Jace was wrapped up on all this. He was angry and could be a hothead, but that didn’t mean he was a gang member. He was selfish. Kept to himself. Crews and gangs have to rely on each other. Depend on each other. Jace was many things, but dependable and reliable were the last two words I’d use to describe him. He was loyal as long as you fucking gave him something, but if there was nothing in it for him, he was gone.
But that picture was so clear. It wasn’t grainy, like the others. It was Jace, without a shadow of a doubt. What the fuck was going on?
Sitting at my desk, I started doing a bit of research myself. A quick internet search popped up several articles on The Road Rebels, including something about a shootout six years ago. I remembered my captain saying something about that, so I clicked on the first article and began to read. Twelve members of the Rebels were found dead, and only circumstantial evidence linked it back to The Devil Saints. No one was charged. No one was convicted. And twelve people died without finding justice for who killed them.
I scrolled through article after article that reported on the killings. Most of them were local newspapers, and a couple were out of towns in the eastern portion of California, near the border with Nevada. I scrolled through endless articles that repeated most of the same thing, but there was one article I found that had a piece of information that hadn’t been mentioned in any other article.
It referenced a name I didn’t recognize.
“Anthony Duboir,” I said.
But there was something else that was there. A picture that went along with the article. It was small as well as in black and white, and expanding it only made it grainy. The picture looked like it had been taken from far away. Like the person was standing across the road behind something. There was a row of what looked to be tipped over motorcycles and objects that were lying on the ground.
Holy shit, those were bodies lying on the g
round.
I did an internet search on the photo, but it only popped up in two more places. One of the places was a copy-and-paste job of the article, but the other article had the picture in a higher resolution. I figured it must’ve been the original source of the picture, but my blood froze when I studied it up close. There was a man staring at the camera. Straight through all the carnage and blood that had been spilled on the streets.
And I would recognize those eyes anywhere.
“Riley.”
I quickly clicked my screen out and turned my eyes up towards my captain.
“Lieutenant,” I said.
“I wanted to talk with you about the meeting,” he said.
My heart was thundering in my chest as I closed out the rest of my internet search.
“What’s up?” I asked.
“You’re very persistent about evidence,” he said.
“That’s my job.”
“No, your job is to arrest criminals for their wrongdoings.”
“With evidence to prove their crimes,” I said.
“Look, I know you’re new here, but sometimes… things aren’t as cut and dry as they are in bigger cities. In bigger cities, there are more people to question. There’s always another witness. The streets are so muddled with buildings and cameras and clubs… it’s almost impossible to get away with something because someone somewhere has caught it on something. But in places like this? Dusty old places with gangs and motor cycle clubs that control entire cities? It isn’t always that cut and dry.”
“Sir, it doesn’t matter. We can’t arrest a person on suspicion. No matter how much we think they’re guilty.”
Protected by the Biker (Grim Reaper MC) Page 45
