by L. Grubb
First port of call, I think, to distract my wandering mind, is Rexx. I head to his technology chamber, knocking twice before entering. Then I’ll take Hope her food. I need to remember the club comes first.
“Prez,” Rexx says, his eyebrows high. “Wasn’t expecting you this early.”
“Well, I want this shit to be sorted as quickly as possible. You know me, I don’t like to leave stuff to simmer.” I give him a smile as I plonk my arse onto the same chair I sat on yesterday. “So you got anything new, brother?”
“I sure do.” He smiles at me. “You know I did the deeper background check on Pike? Well, his real name is Deangelo Cruise, which we already know, ex-gypsy from Dale Farm and shunned for sleeping with his brother’s wife, which is news to me. Before Ranger ran into him on the streets, Deangelo was running with the crowds in the underground fighting ring.” He looks at me with a pensive look and I motion with my hand to continue. “Lynx owned the underground circuit, Prez.”
My eyes draw together. I never knew this and I thought I knew everything about the douchebag. “That’s news to me. I didn’t think he was anything more than a wannabe President of a club that’s more like a gang. Why did this not come up in our checks behind him back when I shot him?”
Rexx shrugs, saying, “I mustn’t have dug deep enough.” Seeing the pinched look on my face, he continues quickly with, “We had everything we needed back then, Prez. You told me ‘good job’ and that was it. We had enough evidence to put his arse six-feet under.”
“I know. I know. I’m just wondering how this wasn’t on his check. I’m sure it’s not a secret that he did that shit.” Tapping a finger against my chin, I think of how much bloodshed he’s been a part of over the years. I always thought he just started up the Devil Heads and that was it. I didn’t once think that he may have a bit more of a reputation than just causing trouble. If I knew this then I wouldn’t have just swooped in and put a bullet through him; unsuccessfully, obviously. We could have had a lot more shit thrown at us from other angles. Thankfully, we didn’t, but it doesn’t stop the ‘what ifs’ flowing through my mind. “Keep going, see if we can get a location on this cunt.”
“What about Pike?” Rexx questions, almost timidly. Rexx may be the computer geek of us all but he’s still a brother. He’s loyal to a fault and the thought of digging out shit on someone who’s supposed to be family is probably the single most difficult thing he’s ever done.
“Hmm…” I take a moment to think. “Pursue the underground fighting angle, see what we can dig up there. I’m going to call all high ranking brothers to Church, bar Pike of course.”
“How’s he going to take being pushed out though, Prez? Won’t he get a little suspicious?” Rexx, ever level-headed, points out.
“Good point, mate. I’ll send him on an errand with a prospect or something.” I wave a dismissive hand as I haul myself to my feet. “Good work, brother.” I clap him on the shoulder and leave the cool, dark chamber, heading to the main room to look for Pike. First, I haul my arse to the kitchen and get Hope’s requested breakfast and stalk towards the library. I knock the door and leave the tray by the door before swiftly walk away. Shit to do and I cannot be distracted by a pretty female that seems to be grabbing me by the balls the longer she’s here.
“Pike?” I walk up to him as he sits on the sofa, drinking a coffee and watching the news on the flat screen mounted on the wall.
“What’s up, Prez?” He turns his head to me, his beady eyes focusing on mine and I have to remember not to lose my cool or shit will be blowing up faster than you can say grenade.
“I need you to go on a quick run to Essex with Gavin,” I say, standing just to his right and looking down. In my head, I’m telling myself that this may be an intimidating pose but my body won’t move to sit down next to him. Hell, I don’t even want to fucking be near him right now.
“No probs. Where is the little shit? I haven’t seen him here this morning.” His eyes leave mine as they look around the main room. “Ah, there he is. What’s the run for?”
“Nothing major, hence why you only have a prospect with you. There’s a strip club out there for sale and I want in. Try and haggle a good price from Duce Fort, the owner.” I nod at him before turning to walk away.
“When do I leave?” His voice cranks my anger levels up a little higher. I don’t want him here but we have to do this properly.
“Now.” I walk away completely this time. I really can’t lose my temper with him without alerting the brothers of what’s happening. I know they’d be in my corner regardless if I was the one that throws the first punch but as a club, we’re in this together.
Heading speedily to my office, I keep my head down but ears open. Now I know Pike is a disloyal bastard, I have to keep my guard up for anything in this club that seems unusual.
I’ve literally just sat my arse on my office chair before Ranger strolls in and takes one of the uncomfortable school-like chairs opposite me. “So, what’s happening?”
“Come in why don’t you.” I narrow my eyes at him but I’m only messing and he knows this. “Just waiting on Pike to leave on a short run with a prospect then I’m calling church.”
“Good plan. I was hoping Pike was going to be out. Fuck knows how unpredictable he is right now.” Ranger shakes his head and a look of disgust spreads across his face. He may be disgusted at the behaviour of a brother but I know he’s more hurt than anything. We’ve had a rat before, and he was flushed out thanks to the guys from the main chapter of the Crusaders in America. Champ and Cobra, along with the Prez, helped us out with shit when we needed it and now I owe them big time. But Pike is an Officer, a high ranking member here, his betrayal cuts deep and Ranger isn’t the only one that’s feeling it right now. “How long til he leaves?”
“Fuck knows. I told him to go now but whether he has to get shit ready, I haven’t a clue. Do me a favour though, brother, go out and keep watch. Come tell me when he’s left and is past the gates.”
Ranger nods and lifts to his feet. “Quick question, where the hell is Hope?”
I laugh, I was wondering when someone would realise that she hasn’t been about today. “She’s locked in the library, for safety measures, until we can sort this shit out.”
“Good thinking, mate. After those emails… we can’t be too careful with her, right?” I see in his eyes that she’s grown on him too, not like she has with me but he doesn’t want to see her get hurt. “She may not have been here long, but she was still Granger’s daughter. He was good once, loyal to a fault. The least we can do is keep an eye on her, right?”
“Right.” I nod toward the door, dismissing him. He salutes me just before pulling the door shut behind him.
The tick-ticking of the wall mounted clock has me grinding my teeth, the sound grating on my last nerve. I tap the fingers of my right hand on the wood of my desk as I wait patiently for Ranger to give the all clear.
In the meantime, I go over how to address the club with a brother going rogue; or almost, anyway. Do I just blurt it out? Or do I get Rexx to print out the evidence. These guys aren’t going to take this lightly and I don’t want an uproar if evidence isn’t handed over straight away. Even though I know they trust me implicitly, I can’t risk them turning on me. I mean, Pike is a brother after all, one of their own, and this is going to hit hard, especially as it’s only been a few months since we last had a rat in the place.
If the big boss, the Prez from the main American Crusaders chapter, gets wind of this, I’ll probably be out the door and on my arse within minutes. We have to keep this under wraps as much as possible. It’s bad enough that the Devil Heads are going to know that Pike is out of here, that’s guaranteed, but to have big Prez know? Fucking hell no.
I blow out a frustrated breath as time slowly ticks by. Has Pike not left yet? Jesus, what part of ‘now’ doesn’t he quite understand? I growl into the empty office just as Ranger breezes in. He freezes and raises his brows at me. “He’s l
eft.”
“Perfect.” I follow my VP out to the main room and stand addressing the brother’s that have started to trickle in. “Did you round everyone up?”
“Yeah, saves the hassle of waiting around and maybe getting caught in the act when Pike got back.” He shrugs his shoulder as if to say ‘no biggy’ before joining Grizz who stood in the middle of the room, arms crossed over his muscled chest.
“SILENCE!” my voice booms into the room. “Emergency Church meeting. Now.” I hook a thumb over my shoulder in the direction of the large room we used to conduct important meetings and pivot on me heel to go in that direction. I listen to the boots pound against the wooden floor and the grumbles and mumbles of the men.
I take my seat at the head of the table and wait as the guys scrape back the chairs and park their arses onto their usual seats. “Settled?” Nods all around and I light my usual cigar that I have in church. I blow out a cloud of smoke toward the ceiling, trying to carefully chose my words. They’re going to be pissed and it will be aimed at me. “We have some information.”
“Don’t leave us in suspense, Prez,” Crank jokes, smirking.
“Keep your trap shut, Crank. This is fucking important.” I throw him a glare before I continue, “Someone from this club has been feeding Lynx information on Hope. Lynx knows she’s here and that she’s under my protection.”
The room erupts in voices; some shouting, some growling. I see each of them eyeing the other, suspicion clear in their eyes. “Who, Prez? Is the fucker in this room right now?”
“No. I sent him on a run so we could have this meeting. Rexx has found numerous emails to Lynx from Pike. I’m not sure how the two got acquainted, though I have my suspicions based on information Rexx dug up, but that’s not all.” I pause, waiting for the men to fully pay attention to what I’m saying. “Granger also exchanged emails with Lynx about his daughter and some shit about us when he was still here. I have no clue what Lynx has with the brothers of this club and what kind of hold he has on Pike right now but be assured, we’ll find out. Also, we found some new shit on Lynx too. He happens to be the owner of the underground fighting circuit.” I sigh, taking a long drag on the cigar. “He’s more powerful than I thought he was. He doesn’t just run an ‘MC’ after all.”
After a beat of silence, Grizz asks, “So, what do we do now, Prez? Do we pull him in and tell him we know, or what?”
“Personally, I don’t think that’s the right thing to do. In my opinion, we need to monitor his emails and see what else he says,” Ranger, ever on point, comments as he taps his fingers against the table top. “If we go at him he’s going to clam right up and not tell us shit.”
“Good point, brother.” I clap him on the back and then turn my attention back to the room. “Okay, we do that. I’ll let Rexx know to keep his eyes open. We need to act normal around him though, guys. We can’t let him know that we know. Nothing changes until I say it does. Understood?” My eyes land on each brother and each one nods in return. “Good. That’s settled. Dismissed.” I bang the gavel down and the scrapes of the chairs around the room has me grinding my teeth. I’m so on edge that shit is hitting my nervous system and making my bones rattle at the slightest thing; at things that are normal everyday things to me.
I stub my cigar out in the glass ashtray and heave myself from the chair, groaning at the constant ache in my back. Leaving the room, I bite my lip, hoping that all the brothers can keep their traps shut until I say otherwise. This shit is going to be difficult but we have to play it right, we have enough shit to deal with right now without Pike ruining us for good.
The urge to see Hope, to check on her wellbeing, is at the forefront of my mind when I leave the room and I ignore Ranger calling out for me and head straight to the library like a rocket’s up my arse. Anxiety at her being hurt makes my heart skip a beat and I swallow the sudden build-up of saliva in my mouth.
Knocking on the solid oak door, I wait impatiently as I hear the soft footsteps of Hope approaching the door. The door creaks open slightly and her face comes into view. “Hey, babe. Let me in.” She opens the door wider and I walk in, looking around the room. This room, to me, will never get old. I built this from scratch and to be able to share it with Hope fills my chest with warmth. “You alright?”
“Sure, why wouldn’t I be? I’ve been locked up in here with tonnes of books. Can’t get any better when you’re technically being held captive.” Her playful smile has me shaking my head from side to side and the corner of my mouth lifting in amusement. “Besides, the thought of being around big burly bikers isn’t at the top of my bucket list so this works just fine.”
“Have you found the toilet yet?” I know, rapid change of subject but I’d rather not have puddles of piss on the floor.
“Yep. Had a nose around for hidden doors and found it just fine.” She smiles brightly, blatantly proud of her accomplishment without any help from myself. “I probably would have been screaming by now if I didn’t, holding in pee hurts after a while and you didn’t exactly tell me there was a toilet hidden in a secret passage, did you?”
“I guess not.” A twinge of guilt twists in my gut. I’ve been so preoccupied with Pike and Lynx that I practically neglected her. “Sorry about that.”
“No need to apologise, Mack. I know you have a lot of shit on your plate. Remember, I’ve grown up knowing club rules and all that jazz. I’m not going to be a problem or a complete burden. I promise.” She throws me a soft smile before sitting on the recliner and curling her feet underneath her. Her beauty takes my breath away for a second as I stare at her whilst she stares at one of the high bookcases.
I know I have a lot of shit to deal with right now, but I can’t seem to tear my gaze away from her as she runs her delicate fingers down the spines of the books, her eyes roaming the titles. Is she looking for something to lose herself into, so she doesn’t think about her abduction and now her stay at yet another clubhouse? Does she need to speak about it? I’m not good with the heart-to-heart bullshit that people do but I’m willing to sit and listen if it means I get to spend more time in her presence. Now is not the time though and I close my eyes, take a deep breath and turn to head out but instead, I stop dead in my tracks as the cutest giggle sounds from behind me.
“Is something amusing you, babe?” I ask without turning. “Care to share?”
“You actually have a romance and erotica section? Who reads that here? I’d love to know what big bad biker would read stuff that’s so… I don’t know, lovey-dovey? Sexy? Hot? Emotional? From my perspective, and only from first glances, I can’t see any of your men as being emotional enough to read about love.” She giggles again, and it warms my heart.
“If you must know, I like the occasional romance,” I say in a low voice, frightened that if I say it any louder my guys will hear and start ripping into me. I turn and acknowledge Hope’s stunned expression with a half-smile. “Do you want to know why?”
“Uh.. Sure, I guess.” Hope tucks her hair behind her ears and makes her way to the recliner, where she seems to have made herself at home nicely. She folds her legs under her and links her fingers together on her lap, eyes wide waiting for me to move.
I take a seat on the one sofa in the room, less worn and comfy then the recliner, but it will do for this short conversation. “What I’m about to tell you, I haven’t spoke about with anyone other than Ranger; my VP.” I gouge her reaction, she nods and I continue after taking a steadying breath. “Before I joined the Crusaders, I was in the Army, stationed in camp Bastion, now known as camp Shorabak, in Afghanistan. For three years, I fought for this country. I saw shit no man, or woman, should ever see. The dead bodies, the blood, the constant noise of the air strikes and gunfire, your buddies getting killed by land mines and the number of orphaned children who walked the dangerous streets, not a care in the world but wanting to belong. Some were shot dead by accident by trigger happy Afghan soldiers, who still had no idea what they were really doing.” I pause, sw
allowing the bile that’s rising in the back of my throat. “That sort of destruction has been etched deep into my brain. I have nightmares of my time there and romance novels and rom-com novels makes me feel there is a little kindness, and love, in the world. I may not have found it myself, but it’s there. My PTSD controls me at times, I’ve not managed it as well as I’d like but at least I’m able to focus on club stuff without it peeking from behind its proverbial wall.”
“Oh, Mack.” It’s not pity, or sympathy, that’s in her eyes. It’s understanding, and I release the breath that I didn’t realise I was holding. “That must have been God awful. My kidnap has nothing on the crap you’ve been through and now I feel absolutely dreadful that I’ve been whinging and moaning about it when really it was like taking a piss in the park compared to being waist deep in war.” She sighs, and I notice a tear slip from her left eye.
“Please, don’t cry on my account, Hope. It’s been years since I managed to get discharged with honours. I may have to live with it for the rest of my life, but I have the club. My brothers don’t understand what goes on inside my head and I’d rather they didn’t. I don’t want them pussy-footing around me.” I gaze at her, a soft smile spreading on my face.
“You have brothers?” She tilts her head to the side and raises a brow.
“The club brothers, babe.” I laugh, she should know this. After all, her dad was in this life after all.
“Oh, for fuck sake, of course.” She wipes her eyes with the back of her hand discreetly, kind of like rubbing the sleep away after a long nap. “I’m such a blonde div sometimes.”
“But you’re not blonde?” I pose this as a question, my brows lifting in question.
“Mack, it’s a figure of speech. Have you not heard it before from previous girlfriends?” She licks her lips and the movement has me momentarily dazed. “Mack?”
