by Nic Starr
The strong words, spoken so quietly and calmly, were like a balm to Mitch’s soul. The leaden weight that had pressed on his chest ever since Finn talked about being involved in planning the attack lifted, and Mitch could breathe again.
“Oh, babe,” he whispered back. “Nothing could be further from the truth. I couldn’t ever hate you.”
Finn tilted his head for a moment, a flash of confusion crossing his face before his mouth settled in a soft smile. “I’m hope you mean you’re not pissed off at hearing me saying that about the club.”
Mitch tightened his hold and pulled Finn back to him. “Your words are like music to my ears.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
At Mitch’s nod, they gravitated together. Finn relaxed into the hug, raising his face and bringing his lips to Mitch’s. At first the kiss wasn’t sexual; it was gentle and slow and full of hope. Mitch moved his mouth over Finn’s, trying to convey how much Finn meant to him and how much happiness he felt at that very moment.
Finn returned the kiss with a soft touch of his mouth on Mitch’s lips, enough to give Mitch a hint Finn wanted more. But before Mitch could deepen the kiss, Finn took control. He placed his hands behind Mitch’s neck and pulled, drawing him closer. He pushed his tongue between Mitch’s lips, and Mitch accepted it eagerly, sucking and moaning into the kiss. They stumbled backward as they kissed until Mitch’s back was against the far wall. With nowhere else to go, he reveled in Finn pushing against his upper body, kissing and grinding and taking exactly what he wanted.
An instant later, the perfect moment was ruined as the door crashed against the wall.
Instead of celebrating that Finn had shared his thoughts about the club and wondering what that meant for the two of them, Mitch realized that was the least of his worries.
“What. The. Fuck!”
Mitch shoved Finn away.
“Huh?” Finn grunted as he regained his balance and stared in surprise at Rocky.
Rocky’s face was a mask of shock and disgust. His lips curled as he spat words. “What the fuck is going on here?”
“N—nothing.” Finn looked as if he were going to be sick—pale and shaking.
Rocky snorted and stepped toward Finn. “Nothing my arse. I know what I saw.”
“Then why the bloody hell did you ask, then?”
Thankfully Rocky spun around at Mitch’s question. “So you’re not going to hide it, then, try to pretend I didn’t see what I saw?”
Mitch pulled himself to his full height, mind racing a million miles a minute trying to work out the best way out of this. He needed to make sure his stupidity didn’t have life-changing consequences for Finn.
“Rocky—” Finn started.
“You saw what you saw,” Mitch said.
“Filth.” Rocky looked between the two of them. He turned to Finn again. “I always had my suspicions you were a fag, but you”—he looked to Mitch—“I never had you pegged as one.”
“Listen, Rocky—” Finn started again.
There was no way Mitch was going to let Finn take any heat from his mistake. Kissing Finn in the office had been a stupid thing to do. “It wasn’t his fault, Rocky. It was all me.” Mitch looked to Finn and hoped he’d stay quiet. He has to. Please.
“I—”
Mitch stepped forward before Finn could get out another word. He held himself tall. “Yeah, I’m gay. So what? I usually keep quiet about it, but it doesn’t change anything. I still do a fucking good job. I can take a man down as good as anyone else in this club, no matter where I like to put my dick.”
“And you thought my little brother was a good place to stick it, huh?” Rocky sneered. He screwed up his nose as he looked between them. His gaze settled on Finn, and Mitch’s blood ran cold. “Like I said, I always had my suspicions about you.”
Mitch stepped forward, drawing Rocky’s attention again. “It wasn’t him.” He thought wildly for a way to get Finn out of this. “It was all me. I forced myself on him.”
“You expect me to believe that?”
Mitch shrugged. “Sure, ’cause it’s the truth. All the talk about the Brutes and what’s going to happen got the adrenaline pumping. I was horny as all shit. He had nothing to do with it, was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. I should have had better control and waited till later, gone to a club and found someone else to take it out on.” He chanced a glance at Finn, who thankfully didn’t say a word. He turned to Rocky. “Listen, I’m sorry you found out I’m gay like this, but—”
The fist slamming into his cheekbone knocked Mitch’s head against the wall. The flare of pain was instantaneous. His teeth knocked together from the impact, and his face throbbed. He itched to slam into Rocky but forced his hands into fists to prevent himself from retaliating. Rocky rounded on him, using one hand to hold Mitch against the wall. It took every ounce of Mitch’s self-control to let himself be pushed back.
“I don’t give a flying fuck that you’re gay,” Rocky hissed. “Actually that’s a lie. I fucking hate the fact you’re gay, but what pisses me off even more is you touching a Soldier, and even more, you touching my brother.”
Mitch stood ramrod straight, ignoring the urge to shove Rocky away. He allowed Rocky his show of power, particularly glad Rocky’s focus and anger was on him.
“So he forced himself on you?” Rocky looked over his shoulder and addressed Finn.
Finn looked to Mitch, his blue eyes wide and scared. Mitch didn’t think he’d ever seen him look so miserable. Mitch ducked his head slightly, hoping Finn would see the gesture for what it was. Yes, Finn, say yes.
Finn lifted his chin and answered his brother. “Yeah. He forced me.”
Mitch smiled at him. Good.
Rocky looked back at him. Fury flashed in his eyes, and his nostrils flared. He growled, then spat words at Mitch. “You make me sick.”
“Please, Rocky, don’t do anything.” Finn moved to his brother’s side. “It’s okay. I had it under control.”
“It didn’t look like that to me.”
“You came in at the wrong time. I was just pushing him off.”
“You shouldn’t have had to push him off. He shouldn’t have been on you in the first place.”
“So what are you going to do?”
“One thing’s for sure, he’s no longer welcome here. No job and no membership.” He turned his head and glared at Mitch. “And no fucking with this club. You’re lucky I don’t cut your fucking dick off.”
“You’re not going to hurt him?” Finn’s voice shook.
Rocky finally dropped his hand, and Mitch took in a deep breath as the pressure eased from his chest. “Oh, he’ll hurt all right, but just not in the way you’re most likely thinking. He’ll pay for what he’s done to you and the disgrace he’s brought on the Soldiers.”
“He’s not brought anything on the Soldiers—in fact, he’s taken a lot of the heat off.”
“Yeah. I stepped in when the shit went down with Pete. Surely that has to count for something.”
“It doesn’t work like that. Nothing you’ve done up until now can change anything. There’s no place in the Soldiers of Fury for someone like you.” Rocky looked Mitch up and down with obvious disdain.
“So—what happens now?” Finn asked.
“Now? Now we talk about the Brutes.”
“I don’t understand.” Finn’s voice shook as he darted a glance at Mitch and looked to his brother again. “What do the Brutes have to do with this?”
“Mitch here has just scored himself a starring role in the showdown.”
Mitch’s blood ran cold.
“Mitch will be coming with me to meet with the Brutes, and Mitch will have the honor of taking out Slider Popov.”
Oh fuck. He swallowed hard. At least Rocky was letting him stay around and, better than that, keeping him close to the key events. It could be lost worse, and maybe he should be grateful he still had all his body parts. He forced a smile onto his face.
“Sure, Rocky. This is my chance to prove myself once and for all. I won’t let you down.”
“This isn’t a fucking chance for you to hang around. Like I said, we don’t want your sort around here. But you can pull the goddamn trigger. If everything goes according to plan, then you get to keep your balls. If something goes wrong, then you take the fall. Win-win.”
Finn looked horrified. Mitch forced himself not to react. He’d never killed anyone in his life—pulled a gun, sure, fired to maim, yep, shot to kill, never—and even though it wasn’t going to happen this time either, just the thought made him feel sick to the stomach. The situation wasn’t ideal—he didn’t need the additional attention on him, and the distrust wouldn’t help—but at least he could keep an eye on Finn.
“Get outside and wait with Stack. He’s gathering some of the boys together. Tell him I’ll be ready to leave in fifteen. I want to talk to my brother. Alone.”
He nodded. “Sure, Rocky.”
At the doorway, Mitch looked at Finn. He wished he could say something to remove that look of horror from Finn’s face. Instead he closed the door. He had a message typed and sent to Ross before he even hit the end of the corridor.
Chapter THIRTY
FINN STOOD staring at the closed door. He had no idea how to read the expression he’d seen on Mitch’s face—resignation, sadness? But fuck, he’d so readily agreed to go along with Rocky, to take part in this power play. Finn found it hard to believe the idea of killing a man would sit easily with Mitch. The Mitch he knew wasn’t a violent person. Sure, he wanted to be part of the Soldiers, but Finn still didn’t understand that properly. Why did someone like Mitch need the likes of an outlaw motorcycle club? If he wanted to be part of a brotherhood, why not find some other club? If Finn had had a choice, being here was the last place he’d ever be.
It had probably only been seconds since the door closed with a resounding thud, but Rocky wasted no time. While Finn was a swirling mess of thoughts about the whole situation, Rocky turned his focus on Finn. His eyes were hard, the blue cold and his gaze unblinking.
“Rocky?” Much to his disgust, his voice shook, but Rocky didn’t seem to notice or just didn’t pay attention.
“Do you think I’m stupid?”
“W—what?”
“Stupid.” Rocky’s lip curled as he drew out the word. “You really think I believe that shit about you being forced into anything?”
“But you said—”
“I don’t like being played for a fool, Finn. Don’t like it one bit. You make me sick to the stomach, dragging the Soldiers’ name through the mud. Imagine if it got out that a Soldier, my brother, my blood, was a fag?”
“I’m sorry.” Finn held his hands up, warding Rocky off as he stepped closer. “I didn’t mean for any of this to happen.”
Rocky shot his hand out and wrapped it around Finn’s arm, grinding into the bones of his wrist. “The way Carl babied you, he should have toughened you up, not sent you off to university to sit around reading books all day.”
Finn’s anger rose as Rocky criticized their brother, giving him the courage to speak up despite the increasing pain. “Carl has nothing to do with me, with how I am. I’ve always been gay, and I always will be, no matter where I am or what I do for a living. Getting a uni degree doesn’t make me gay, just like roughing someone up doesn’t make you any more of a man.” Finn spat the last word.
Rocky leaned in close, his voice low as he hissed, “I should have left you in Melbourne. But I stupidly thought you belonged here, belonged by my side. Instead you’ve done nothing but embarrass me. But enough! I won’t have you bring shame on the brothers or on me.”
“You can’t change me, Rocky.”
The pressure on his wrist increased to the point Finn’s knees started to buckle. “No, but I can make your life a living hell. Just like I plan to do with your boyfriend.”
The mention of Mitch sent a frisson of fear down Finn’s spine. He tried to stand up tall but had no leverage as Rocky leaned over him. “Mitch won’t do it. He won’t kill for you.”
“You wanna bet? He’ll do anything I want,” Rocky said.
Finn prayed Rocky was wrong. “And if he doesn’t?”
“If he doesn’t, he’ll regret it until the day he dies.”
Nausea welled at Rocky’s words. Knowing Rocky, that means Mitch won’t have long to regret it. Finn swayed on his feet. “Jesus,” Finn murmured.
“What are you so worried about him for?” Rocky’s eyes widened. “Holy shit! This wasn’t a one-off, was it? The two of you have been… what, shacking up all this time? Getting it on right under my nose. Fuck, you must think I’m a bloody idiot.”
“I don’t—”
“Does anyone else know? All this time playing your homo games behind my back, making a laughingstock of me. Well, no fucking more!”
Rocky’s fist slammed into Finn’s belly, forcing all the air from his lungs. He would have landed on the floor but for the viselike grip Rocky had on his wrist.
“I’ll… d—o… what… w—whatever you… want.” Finn gasped the words as he tried to catch his breath.
“It’s too late for that.”
The sudden pain in his jaw was excruciating as knuckles met bone. His mouth filled with the taste of iron. Rocky finally released his grip, allowing Finn to thud to the floor. A boot met his ribs, and he curled in on himself in an attempt to protect his body from the battering. A boot slammed into his forearm, the pain shooting immediately from wrist to elbow. Finn automatically grabbed the arm and held it close to his body, only realizing his mistake when another forceful kick hit his midsection. He heaved as pain and nausea combined.
The beating mercifully ended as suddenly as it began. Rocky stomped to the door, turning back briefly to sneer at Finn where he lay on the floor. “I’ll be back for you later.”
The door slammed, and Finn closed his eyes. His body screamed at him to lie there for a while longer, to catch his breath and deal with the pain, but the only thing on his mind was getting up and getting to Mitch. He dragged himself to his knees, crawling to the desk and using the edge to pull himself up with his right hand. His left hung uselessly at his side. He swallowed back another wave of nausea and picked up the phone.
It seemed to take forever, but eventually after telling his story, begging and pleading, and being transferred a couple of times, Finn reached the task force he’d been in contact with over the past couple of months.
Chapter THIRTY-ONE
THE UNMARKED police car stopped at the prearranged location. A large guy stepped from the vehicle. Thank God it was a quiet area with no one around. He patted Finn down and indicated the door. Finn slipped into the back seat. He bit back a groan as his ribs protested the movement. Thankfully his wrist only throbbed, obviously not broken like he first thought. He held the arm gently to his chest as he eyed the man in the driver’s seat.
The large guy climbed into the passenger seat and swiveled to look at Finn. It was hard to read his expression, but there was obvious doubt.
“Are you the guy I spoke with on the phone?” Finn asked.
The guy nodded. “I’m Sutherland. I’m in charge of this operation. This here”—he indicated the driver—“is Sloane. I take it you’re the person who’s been feeding us information?”
“Uh-huh. I said so on the phone.”
“You’ve been sending the notes.” Detective Sloane looked confused, and Finn wasn’t sure if he was asking a question or making a statement. “Why are you contacting us now and not via a note this time?” he asked.
“Things have escalated. There’s a confrontation about to go down. It needs to be stopped, and now.”
“Okay. Why don’t you fill us in?”
Finn started to provide some background as to who he was, but the detective interrupted him. “We know who you are.”
“You do?”
“You’ve been under surveillance for some time now.”
“Ri
ght.” Finn swallowed. Made sense. The whole club was being investigated, so of course he’d be scrutinized along with everyone else. Finn provided the outline of what he knew was about to go down.
“So the Soldiers are meeting with the Brutes now?”
Finn nodded. “That’s right. Supposedly to discuss territories.”
“But that’s not what’s going to happen?”
“No. Rocky plans to attack when the Brutes don’t expect it.”
“And why won’t they suspect anything, and what makes you think they’ll show up?”
“Oh, they’ll be there. Rocky’s tempting them with talk of a deal on a huge drug run.” Sutherland and Sloane exchanged a glance at the mention of the drug deal. “There’s no way the Brutes will turn that down. Plus if they don’t show, they’ll lose face.”
“Okay, Cummings. What you’ve said so far sounds on the up and up and matches the intel we’ve gathered. What I want to understand is why you’re doing this. Why are you going against the club and your brother?” Sutherland asked.
“I have no allegiance with the Soldiers. Any loyalty I felt died with my older brother and dad. I’ve never wanted a part of the drugs or the violence, and this is my only way out.”
“Got it.” Sutherland nodded to the other detective. Some sort of agreement seemed to be conveyed in the exchange. “Let’s radio the address and what we know and get the rest of the task force into position.”
It only took a couple of minutes for plans to be finalized.
Detective Sloane turned to Finn. “Ordinarily we wouldn’t allow you to come with us—”
“Fuck that! You’re bloody lucky I called you. Without me you wouldn’t know about the meeting or where it was being held.” And I need to get to Mitch. Just thinking of Mitch with Rocky facing off the Brutes had his stomach rolling.
“And we appreciate it, but this is now task force business.”
“This is Soldiers business.”
Sutherland cut in. “He can wait in the car. It might be handy to have him around if we need any other information.”
