“With the Henderson Police Department, yes,” I said.
“Are you… is he kidding us with this shit?” Fox asked.
“You said you had information,” Mac said. “Did you… exploit her for that or something?”
“No,” I said. “She wanted answers as to why I was always sneaking around and hiding shit from her, and I wanted to know what the police knew about us.”
“So you traded,” Talon said.
“In a way, yes.”
“So, what do you know?” Mac asked. “What did she tell you?”
“She found out I was part of The Road Rebels because the police have identified us. This core group. From what I could tell, no one else is exposed. But we are. And they know our titles, too. Our positions in the club,” I said.
“Shit,” Fox said. “Seriously?”
“Yep. But, they don’t have any proof. All they’re working with is circumstantial with us. And the only reason we’re on their radar is because of our history with The Devil Saints,” I said.
“So they’re still heavy on them,” Mac said.
“Yes. They aren’t patrolling us at all.”
“How do we know she’s telling the truth?” Talon asked. “She could just be planting seeds to throw us off.”
I turned my angry gaze to him and balled up my fists.
“What did you just accuse her of?” I asked.
“It’s a logical assumption. Was she wired or anything?” Mac asked.
“Nope. I patted her down and disarmed her of all the guns and knives she had on her,” I said.
“I bet you did,” Fox said with a murmur.
“Can I kill him now, Mac? Please?” I asked.
“Fox, I’m about to excuse you from this entire meeting if you don’t stop it,” Mac said. “Now, the mere fact that they have our faces tacked up in the police department means we’re in trouble. Big trouble. More trouble than I thought.”
“Can someone tell me why the fuck The Devil Saints weren’t arrested when the drugs in the truck were found?” Talon asked.
“Ah, I think I can,” I said. “I guess that they wanted to kill two birds with one stone. Because the drugs were cut similarly to the cartel drugs coming over the border, they thought they could watch and exploit The Devil Saints and track down their suppliers. You know how these fuckers like to take out these big groups to ‘make the public feel safer.’”
“But when they dig deep enough, they’re gonna figure out that’s not what’s going on. That those drugs never came from the cartel,” Hawk said.
“Exactly. Which brings me to my solution for how we can get this group right and keep our women safe,” I said.
“And what is this brilliant idea?” Mac asked.
“We get out of drugs.”
The room fell silent, and I could tell they were all blindsided. I was asking them to take away two-thirds of our fucking income based on some soppy love story. I wasn’t explaining myself clear enough, and I knew the protests were coming even before Fox opened his swollen fucking face.
“Not a fucking chance,” he said. “That’s two-thirds of our yearly income for this club.”
“He’s right,” Mac said. “You’re gonna have to give us a lot better than a love story.”
“Wait, you’re considering this?” Fox asked.
“Depends. Snake, you done?” Mac asked.
“No. Look, it’s obvious we’re branching out in our lives. Hawk has Syd and Emery, and Talon has… my sister. Laiken’s back, and in a precarious position because she knows someone in one of the clubs her department is investigating, and it’s only a matter of time before some woman takes pity on Fox.”
“You are so dead,” Fox said.
“Look, the DEA is everywhere right now, and even though we don’t want to admit it, it is because of Syd,” I said as I looked over at Hawk. His fists clenched. “I love Syd. We all love Syd. But just like so many other historical wars… this started because of a woman. And we helped her get out of it. Then shit went down with my sister, and we helped her and Talon. And now shit’s going down with Laiken and me. And I’m not just proposing this to keep her safe. I’m proposing this to keep all of our women safe.”
“I’m listening,” Talon said.
“Say we agree on this,” Hawk said. “Do you think Laiken would help us?”
“Yeah, it would be nice to have a connection in the police department,” Mac said.
“I don’t really know, but she might. When she left my place this afternoon, she was explicit in the fact that she wasn’t arresting me. Even after the truth came out. It’s a start,” I said.
“What do you think would make her help us?” Hawk asked.
“Are we really considering this?” Fox asked as he looked around confused.
“I’m considering taking a vote to get you out of this fucking group, Fox. Shut your swollen pie hole,” Mac said.
“If we cleaned up our act a bit, I think she would, yes,” I said.
“Another reason to get out of the drugs,” Talon said.
“It puts distance between our women and Emery, and any other women and children that come along in the future. We can find other avenues to make money. Ones that lean a bit more onto the legal side of things just so we are able to keep those we care about safe, and keep all of us out a jail,” I said.
“How would we made up the income?” Mac asked.
“The bar. We legalize that up a bit, stop selling to the minors, then offload all the drugs we have. Take what we made and invest it and open a bar in town, and that’ll easily replace our income stream. And legally, too.”
“You’ve really thought about this,” Hawk said.
“I’m still not sold,” Fox said.
“Because you get fun little kickbacks because you’re good with running drugs. Get over it, Fox. This isn’t just about you. It’s about our women and children now,” I said as Fox crossed his arms over his chest. He was pissed, but at this point, I didn’t fucking care.
“Look. The drugs are good money, but it’s cost us a lot of fucking hardship. Lost purchases, undercutting of our stash, underselling of the drugs in the first place. The bars are straightforward. And while we are building that up, we can look into other avenues to make cash.”
“It’ll take time for us to build a revenue stream through the bars,” Mac said. “Everyone’s gonna feel it in their pockets for a while.”
“That’s the risk we need to take. But if we clean up our act and I can get Laiken on board, then we can shake the DEA for good this time,” I said.
“What makes you think the police department doesn’t know about our drug-running, too?” Fox asked.
“Even if they did, they don’t have proof of it. I’m trying to get us a little more legal before the DEA can sink their claws into us. They’re looking at The Devil Saints for drugs, so that’s the lens they’ll look at us through. Offload the drugs and get rid of our distributions channels, and they’ll have nothing to stick to us,” I said.
The guys fell silent, and I understood why. I was asking them for a massive risk, and all because Laiken descended back into my life. None of this shit would even be happening right now if I hadn’t left that night. If I hadn’t gone to that exact bar at that exact moment. None of this would’ve taken place if Laiken had chosen any other bar, or came in at any other time, or transferred to any other police department around here that was close and gave her access to her mother.
“I’m not gonna lie,” Hawk said, “with Sydney and Emery in the picture, I’d love for things to be safer around here. Emery’s scared. Legitimately scared. And it breaks my heart to feel her shake against me at night.”
“I guess this is as good of a time as any, then,” Talon said.
“What?” I asked.
All of the guys turned their attention towards Talon as he cleared his throat.
“Gemma is pregnant.”
Talon’s eyes connected with mine as the guys clapped th
eir hands. Gemma was pregnant? How far along as she? I stood to my feet and stalked towards Talon as the other guys shot up from their chairs. Talon stood from his chair and met me toe-to-toe, but the anger I was feeling towards him slowly slid from my body.
“How far along is she?” I asked.
“Not quite two months,” Talon said.
“You guys going to the doctor?” I asked.
“We have another appointment tomorrow,” he said.
“The baby healthy?” I asked.
“So far, so good.”
I eyed Talon up and down before I drew in a deep breath. My fists uncurled as I met Talon’s eyes again, and I felt my body soften. Gemma was pregnant.
I was going to be an uncle.
“We need to get out of this shit, my niece or nephew will not be born into this,” I said.
“I’m on your side. We do. I have to keep my family safe, and this isn’t safe anymore. It isn’t,” Talon said as he looked around at the rest of the guys.
I took a step back as a small flicker of pride sparked in my chest. Maybe Talon wasn’t gonna be so bad after all. But now, I was more determined than ever to sway Fox. It wasn’t just Gemma and Laiken that were in the line of fire now. It was my future niece or nephew.
And they weren’t going to grow up without their mother and father in the fucking picture.
“I’m going with the majority on this one,” Mac said. “But we need a unanimous vote. Fox?”
We all turned towards him as I drew in a deep breath.
“It’s the majority of our profits,” Fox said.
“I know,” I said.
“And it’s going to take time to build up the reputations of the bars,” he said.
“I know.”
“And there’s a good chance our bar might not succeed. Then we’re back to square one with families still struggling,” he said.
“But our families will be alive and kept out of jail, and that’s the point,” I said.
I watched as Fox let out a deep breath before he nodded his head curtly. As much as I knew he loved the money, I’ve seen him play with Emery. I knew how much he cared for Syd and Gemma.
“Time for a vote,” Mac said. “All in favor of offloading the drugs, cleaning up the bar, and opening another one in town, raise your hands.”
And my chest filled with hope as every single man in that room raised their hands high and proud.
Chapter 28
Laiken
I sat back in my chair at the office as I ran my fingers through my hair. For the past two hours, I’d been making runs to the courthouse, staring at my fucking computer, and going through all these files. No one had bothered me, and I was thankful for that because had anyone tried to intervene with any circumstantial bullshit, I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to hold my tongue. All of these failed charges and botched court appearances were for stupid shit. Circumstantial evidence, paperwork being processed wrong, names being misspelled on documents. It had laziness and Daniel Carmichael written all over it, and because of it, The Devil Saints were getting off the hook for all sorts of shit. Domestic abuse charges, murder charges, racketeering charges.
All of it lost because of stupid shit, and all of it won at the hands of Daniel Carmichael.
I hunched back over my desk and started in on the last box. It held the past ten years of The Devil Saints’ lives, and I was ready to take it in. I had memorized every name, face, and involvement the police department had with this club, and I was ready to take in more.
But then, I came across the shootout.
Articles that had been cut out of the newspaper and charges filed that were never pursued. Body counts and the names of those they thought were killed. There were pictures of the scene after the shootout, with barrels and sand drenched in blood. It was splattered along a warehouse and running through the street.
Then, I came across the first link to The Road Rebels I had found in all of this paperwork.
The police had tried to investigate the deaths of The Road Rebels members, and one name stood out to me. My captain was the lead investigator on it. He had notes and questions written in the margins of his paper. Theories and postulations that made sense, but none he could ever prove. No wonder this man was so hell-bent on getting The Devil Saints put behind bars.
They had slaughtered practically an entire rival motorcycle club just because they could.
There was no evident motive found for the shootout, but it was assumed The Devil Saints started it. Since it was on The Road Rebels turf and only two Saints members were killed, the police drew the conclusion that it was The Road Rebels that were blindsided. I looked at picture after picture of the carnage. The bodies lying in the sand pumped with metal and twisted at ungodly angles.
It made me sick just to look at.
But, just like everything else The Devil Saints did, they couldn’t find any hard evidence. Bullet casings were missing, and those taken from the bodies had lost their registrations. I found paperwork filed to try and get them to appear in court and explain themselves. Arrest warrants to try and bring them in to get more information, but nothing ever panned out.
And still, Daniel Carmichael’s name was popping up.
Holy fuck, Jace was right. As I continued to devour the last box of information, I could see the disgusting picture being painted in my mind. The documents noted a change-over in the President of The Devil Saints, and then things got brutal. Charges of prostitution were brought against them. Selling drugs out of their compound and all sorts of other shit. Things like ‘child labor?’ and ‘where did she go?’ were written into the margins of papers and pictures the police had filed and collected over the years.
That was literally all this department had to go on for the past three decades.
Fucking theories and circumstantial evidence bullshit.
The Devil Saints were disgusting. But even though they were, that still didn’t excuse The Road Rebels. Now it was time for me to dig into them. Figure out what the hell this police department had on them.
And shockingly enough, it wasn’t much.
By all accounts, they were a legitimate motorcycle club. They owned a bar on a deserted highway that allowed minors, which probably meant they were serving them. But, it couldn’t be proven, and the police department hadn’t investigated any further. They had a mechanic’s shop the club owned and worked, and by all accounts, it seemed to be legitimate. Had all of the correct licensing and employee records. I couldn’t find a single thing to substantiate the ‘chatter’ that they ran drugs or anything else, but that usually meant they were just good at covering their tracks.
I sat back in my chair and took a deep breath before my cell phone started to vibrate.
“Officer Riley,” I said.
“Laiken. It’s Jace.”
I sat upright in my chair as the sound of his voice pounded in my ears.
“Jace,” I said. “Um, yes. Hello. H-... how are you?”
“Did I interrupt something?” he asked.
“No, just… sitting at my desk,” I said.
“Then I’ll make it quick. Can you meet me? I have some information for you.”
“What?” I asked. “Information?” What the hell information could Jace want to give me?
“Damn it, woman. Can you get to my house or not?” he asked.
“You don’t have to be so demanding,” I asked as I grabbed my things.
“But I thought you liked that.”
“I can hear your smirk.”
“And I can feel your blush. Meet me at my place in twenty minutes,” he said.
“On my way.”
I had no idea what the hell he meant by information, but I had to clean up before I could go. I shoved the notes I was taking into my desk, then packed everyone up and took it back down to the evidence locker. I went out the front and found my car, trying to calm my nerves in the process. If no one was looking for me, then it meant they weren’t going to ask me any
questions about where I was this afternoon. And now that we were going into the weekend, no one would question the fact that I was leaving at four thirty instead of six.
I got into my car and took the quickest route to Jace’s home. I was anxious to see him again. Just being able to clear my head and back up some of what he had told me helped me to trust him again. I still wasn’t completely there, but I couldn't deny how I felt about him. I still cared for Jace and his well-being, and all I wanted for him was to be safe in whatever it was he had gotten wrapped up in.
And as long as The Devil Saints were still active, he would never be safe.
I pulled up into his driveway, and he was waiting for me. Leaning against his motorcycle like he owned the fucking world. My heart fluttered in my chest as I got out of my car, and the two of us headed inside where we could talk.
He didn’t even get the front door closed before my mouth ran away from me.
“You were right about The Devil Saints,” I said. “They’re a ball of fucking trouble. And their lawyer, Daniel Carmichael, is right in the middle of it.”
I watched as Jace turned towards me and shrugged off his leather cut. I eyed it realizing that it had The Road Rebels logos on it. A slow smile spread across my face. This was the first time I had seen him in his club’s cut, and I couldn’t help but think of how good it looked on him.
“But it’s all circumstantial. And they have even less on you guys. With the little bit of information they do have on you, by all accounts on their end, you’re a legitimate club. They check up on you, but it’s nothing big.”
Jace’s eyes found mine, and I could feel myself melting into the floor. Why the fuck was I telling him all this? I was cooperating with a fucking criminal. I could lose my badge over this shit.
“Anything else?” he asked.
I shook my head as I lowered my gaze to his chest.
“I talked with the guys,” he said.
“Your club?” I asked.
“We’re getting out of the drugs.”
“Wait, what?” I asked.
“We took a vote, and it was unanimous. We’re getting out of the drug trade,” he said.
“But… why? Why would you guys…?”
Protected by the Biker (Grim Reaper MC) Page 50
