End Game (Sinners MC Book 2)

by Jennifer Hanks

  “I dated a man in a motorcycle club.”

  My eyes snapped back to the nurse when she spoke again. “Oh, yeah?”

  She busied herself with straightening Josie’s pillows and smoothing out her blankets while she spoke. “We were together a few years before he was killed by a rival club.” Her eyes flashed to mine and were filled with sadness. “For doing nothing but riding the motorcycle he loved more than anything.”

  I blinked my eyes slowly, but I knew the story. I’d heard it and seen it more times than I could count in my lifetime. “My club doesn’t do that shit.”

  Her eyes flicked back and forth between mine. “I’ve heard about you and your club. I know you support a lot of charities behind the scenes, and I also know you’ve been trying to change the perception of motorcycle clubs. But you aren’t the only club in town, and I can only assume your girl faced off with the worst kind of club.” She walked around the bed until she stood directly in front of me. “I’ve heard of the Black Widows from my time with Blake, which was well before they moved into our town. Blake always warned me what they were capable of.” She patted me on the chest. “If you’re anything like my Blake, and I can tell by the fire in your eyes that you are, then please be careful. They may not get to you, but I promise they’ll get to those you love.”

  “I will,” I said honestly, knowing I’d trade my life without regret if it would save the ones I love.

  Her eyes scanned my face. “I believe that.” She took a deep breath and exhaled heavily. “Now, I’m not going to throw you out even though I should.” She turned and headed for the door, calling out over her shoulder. “In the cabinet under the television, you’ll find extra blankets and a pillow.”

  “Thanks,” I called out, but she was already through the door, and it was closing softly behind her.

  Looking around the room, I saw a chair in the corner by the window. I walked over, grabbed it, and positioned it by the bed near Josie’s head. She looked peaceful. The pain surrounding her eyes when we found her was gone, but I knew when she woke, she’d feel it again. And most likely relive everything the Black Widows put her through.

  My mind flashed back to the last time I was face-to-face with the Widows, and anger rolled through me. Gunner’s father, Viper, had been the national president, and he was a violent leader, one who condoned everything we were against. We spent years gathering information to hand over to the FBI, who had not only been investigating them but had also planted an agent in their clubhouse, yet we could never get enough to take them down and keep them down. With Maggie’s help, we finally had enough to at least take out Viper, and that had been the plan. We set up the meeting at the local Widows clubhouse, but it didn’t go the way we thought it would. We walked out of that clubhouse a month ago and left Viper and Maggie’s ex for the police to pick up when that FBI agent blew up the building and ended their lives.

  I could still feel the heat from that explosion, still see the fire in Nick’s eyes when he walked toward us with no remorse for what he’d just done and none of the lightness that once lived in him. The man I knew who was sent to infiltrate the club was not the same man who walked out of that burning building. As far as I knew, no one had heard from him since then. I knew what he’d seen, what he’d been forced to do to maintain his cover, and I also knew without a doubt that he would never be the same again.

  That darkness would live in him.

  I understood that darkness because it lived in me.

  When Josie sighed, I snapped out of my memory and looked at her. She was still sleeping, but she seemed uncomfortable. Standing, I grabbed the pillow beside her, slid my arm under her head, and lifted her gently so I could move the pillow under her. I slowly lowered her back down and moved my arm. Her soft hair ran along my arm, and for the first time, I noticed the scent. I leaned down and lifted some strands to my nose, smiling when I recognized the familiar scent of coconut. I loved coconut, always had, and I loved the scent on her.

  Earlier tonight, I’d watched her walk through the door with Becs and knew immediately the clubhouse was not a place for a girl like her. She was so innocent you could almost smell it on her, and we were just a little too rough. I’d purposely walked behind her and slid my hand along her hip to see how she’d react. I wasn’t surprised at all when she stiffened.

  A girl like Josie had no place in my club.

  But all of that became irrelevant when the Widows targeted her. Settling back in the chair, I lifted my legs and propped them on top of the rail raised by her hip before crossing my ankles. Folding my hands together, I laid them on my stomach and dropped my head back, closing my eyes. It was going to be a long and uncomfortable night. I doubted she would even wake, but for some reason, I felt compelled to stay.

  I had no idea what time I fell asleep, but the sun shone brightly through the large window across the room when I woke. My attention shifted toward Josie, whose right eye was open but her left still a slit due to the swelling, and her gaze was locked on me. I slowly lowered my legs to the floor and leaned forward, resting my forearms on the rail of her bed.

  “Morning,” I said gruffly.

  She blinked slowly but didn’t speak, and I knew why. Black and blue fingerprints peppered the ivory skin of her neck, telling me her throat probably hurt like hell. Looking toward the small table by her bed, I saw a pitcher and a small cup. My eyes moved back to her. “How about some water?”

  She didn’t respond, but her eyes did flash toward the cup and pitcher, so I slid my chair back and leaned over until I could reach both. I poured some water into the cup and shifted forward, holding it against her lips. She hesitated, but I had no doubt the idea of the cool liquid superseded any hesitation. She opened her mouth, and I tipped the cup, biting back a curse when she cringed while she swallowed. She drank a few more sips before she shook her head. I put the cup back on the table and once again propped my forearms on the rail.

  Then I made a promise I wasn’t sure I could keep. “Nothing’s going to touch you again.”

  She studied me closely before her eyes left me and scanned the room. I glanced in the direction she was looking when she whispered slowly, “I need my phone.”

  I met her eyes again before I nodded and crossed the room. Grabbing her purse, I slid open the zipper, pulled out her phone, and walked back toward her.

  She held out her hand, her stare locked on her phone, but I hesitated. “You need to call family?”

  Her eyes lifted to meet mine. “Work.”

  Nodding, I placed the phone in her palm. She pushed to sit up straighter and cringed. I stepped forward to help her, knowing the pain she felt when she moved, but again, I hesitated. She was making it clear without saying a word that my presence in her room wasn’t welcome.

  When her phone beeped, she typed out something short and laid it on her lap. She inhaled sharply when she shifted her body and closed her eyes. I’d had broken ribs more times than I could count. They hurt like a bitch and burned as if they were on fire.

  “You have some busted ribs,” I explained, but her eyes remained closed. Reaching out, I wrapped my hand around hers and squeezed. “This is on my club. I take full responsibility for what happened to you, Josie.” Her eyes flicked open and met mine. “And I will make it right.”

  “I want you to leave.” I wasn’t surprised by her words when she spoke.

  Dropping my head, I ran my hand along my forehead. I had to leave anyway. Church was beginning soon, and we had a lot of shit to talk about. Lifting my head slowly, I met her eyes. “Okay.”

  She pulled her hand from mine, and I stood. “Can I get you anything before I leave?”

  “Cops,” she whispered.

  Fuck. I knew that was coming. And I couldn’t deny I was proud of her for being strong and wanting to make the bastards responsible for her attack pay, but it wasn’t going to end the way she was hoping.

  I put my hands on my hips. “Josie, let me handle it. I promise I will.”

  �
��I don’t trust you,” she shared quietly.

  I could understand that, but I had plans to change how she felt. Bending over her, I put my hands on either side of her arms. “You will.”

  She didn’t respond, but I hadn’t expected her to. My eyes searched hers for another moment before I pushed off the bed and stood straight again. “I’ll be back soon.”

  She turned her head and faced the window, obviously having no idea what she’d unwittingly became involved in just by knowing us.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  BEAR

  Looking around the room, I saw every officer in the club seated around the long table, and they all had their eyes locked on me. We knew this was coming. The Widows had been quiet for too long. But they were never going to stay silent forever, so we’d always assumed we’d eventually have this meeting. A meeting that could determine the future of our club.

  Leaning back in the chair, I glanced to my side and met Gunner’s stare. The stakes were high for my vice president. Maggie would be a target for the Widows. His hope had been that any memory of her would’ve faded with the death of his father and her abusive ex-boyfriend, but the Widows’ memories were long, and her deception was not going to be forgotten.

  My attention shifted toward the man sitting at the other end of the table, directly across from me. As the oldest member of our club, he’d been a part of it when it was violent, but he’d wanted peace more than anyone.

  Pop.

  He’d nominated me all those years ago for the position I still held. He’d wanted me to have the position so I could turn the club around and run it cleanly with the expectation of peace. But I couldn’t give him what I’d promised. I couldn’t give it to any of these men. Not until the Widows were stopped.

  I rubbed my hand around the back of my neck and exhaled before starting the meeting. “Last night, we faced the consequences of our involvement with the Widows.”

  Gunner dropped his eyes to the table when I spoke. He held a lot of guilt for bringing the Widows to our doorstep because of Viper, but he shouldn’t. And I needed him and everyone here to know that.

  “We’ve been a target for years. Even without the events of this past year, we’d eventually be making the choices we’re about to make,” I continued.

  “Not true, brother.” Gunner sat back and faced the men at the table. “I brought this here by blackmailing Viper eight years ago to gain my freedom from the Black Widows. My freedom came at a cost, though, and we’re paying the price now.”

  “When the Widows move into a new area, they expect to run the show, Gunn,” I pointed out. “When we didn’t allow that, we knew they were gonna try to force us out.”

  “The Widows only set up shop here because they were following me at the direction of Viper.”

  “To intimidate you?” Ritz, the club’s treasurer, spoke up.

  “My father wanted to remind me that he was always watching and would eventually get his revenge. His own son bested him. Viper was never going to let that go unpunished.”

  Bull grunted. “He’s dead now. We already handled him.”

  I propped my elbows on the table. “For the Widows, it’s about finishing what Viper started. At least it is for Snapper. We always knew the local chapter’s president was tight with Viper. Hell, Viper sent Snap here to run the show because of his loyalty to the club and to him. Seems like that loyalty didn’t die with Viper, and Snap’s reminding us of that.”

  Tank grunted and crossed his arms over his chest. “We practically handed them a fucking invitation.”

  “Doesn’t matter what we did in the past. We made the best choices we could at the time to keep everyone safe. Now, we’ll do the same again.”

  “Maggie a target?” Ritz asked.

  “Without a doubt,” Gunner replied, his eyes hard. “They won’t forget that she gave us a lot of confidential information about their club.”

  “Didn’t sign up for this, brother.” Ritz gave a voice to what I could only assume was the opinion of most. “Have no problem fighting to defend what we believe in. They’ve been playing these fucking games for years now, and we’ve been letting them, but what we’re facing is exactly what we never wanted.”

  “Some things are unavoidable,” I reminded them.

  “What the fuck does that even mean?” Tank questioned my answer.

  “That means, last night, an innocent woman was attacked in the parking lot of our clubhouse. And as much as I never want our club to be a club like the Widows, that disrespect can’t be ignored.”

  “How’s the girl?” Pop spoke for the first time.

  My eyes slid to meet his. “Pissed. And scared, if I had to guess. She threw my ass out, but not before she asked for the cops.”

  “Fuck,” Gunner muttered.

  “You ask her to let you handle it?” Pop inquired.

  I jerked up my chin. “She doesn’t trust me. She doesn’t trust any of us.”

  “That doesn’t answer his question,” Bull, our sergeant at arms and a man who’d stayed with the club when I’d doubted he would, responded gruffly.

  My attention shifted to him. “I asked her to let me handle it, but she won’t.”

  “Quit fucking asking.” Bull’s eyes narrowed. “Seems to me we’re losing respect because we keep asking for shit. We take what we need, and we get stronger.”

  “That’s the club shit we left behind, brother,” Gunner declared. “What we all agreed we didn’t want.”

  “I never agreed to just sit on my ass while we were made to look like pussies.”

  “We have the respect of this community,” Gunner added, “and the respect of important members of this community, like the Dimarcos.”

  “Luke Dimarco showed up last night,” Bull pointed out. “You think he’s gonna show us any respect after her fucking statement?”

  “Already talked with Luke. He’s on our side. He wants the Widows stopped as much as we do.”

  “Ain’t no cop gonna end the Widows the way they need to be ended,” Tank said.

  “The Dimarcos understand what we’re facing. Luke and Cam work for the department, so their hands are tied, but the Dimarcos who own Elite Securities aren’t bound in the same way. We’ll have their respect and backing throughout this.”

  “We’ll have Pike,” Tank said confidently, and everyone nodded slowly. Pike Stevens might work for Elite Securities, but he’d laid his ass on the line in the hills behind the Widows clubhouse when he put his sniper skills to good use to protect our men after we walked into the meeting that changed everything. He had no stake in this club and no reason to watch our backs. But he did it, and it won’t be forgotten.

  “Jax and Brody Dimarco’s loyalties will stay with Luke and Cam, and they own Elite,” Bull stated, but before I could respond, Pop did.

  “Those boys fight for what’s right. There is no black and white with any of them. If we’re fighting something that saves innocent people and protects the ones they love, they’ll stand with us in any way they can.”

  Bull grunted. “Not sure I believe that. They’re good men who fight for who they love, but some shit is just too much to ask.”

  “You’re not wrong,” I admitted to Bull.

  “Where the fuck did Nick go?” Race questioned.

  Surprised to hear Race’s voice when he usually remained relatively quiet in meetings, my head jerked his way. “In the fucking wind. Nobody’s heard from him. He blew up their clubhouse a month ago and then just disappeared.”

  “We could use him,” Race added.

  “He’ll be back,” Pop replied confidently.

  “What makes you so sure?” Gunner asked.

  “He’s got unfinished business here. And a man like him never leaves shit unfinished,” Pop answered.

  I had a feeling that was true, but I had no idea how Pop would know that. The truth was, we could use Nick on our side. He’d made himself the right-hand man to Snapper, who had no idea Nick was still alive. He could give us the informa
tion we need to weaken them. No one knew where he was right now, but I had no doubt his best friend Cam was already hunting him to bring him back.

  “Cam Dimarco will find him,” I added. “He’s not going to let him run for long.”

  “What’s our plan?” Tank asked.

  I took a deep breath. “Our first priority is keeping Josie safe.”

  Tank grunted. “Who the fuck is Josie?”

  My voice hardened. “The woman in the hospital because of us.”

  Understanding crossed his expression when he realized who I was talking about, and he nodded. “That’s easy. Move her in.”

  “Not gonna happen.” Gunner spoke the exact words I was thinking.

  “Why not?” Race pressed.

  “She doesn’t understand club life.”

  “Then explain it to her,” Tank suggested.

  I shook my head. “You don’t know because you weren’t here, but she won’t ever be the kind of girl who’ll want any part of this club.”

  “It’s for her protection.” Ritz’s eyebrows drew together. “You think she’ll expect that protection from the cops?”

  I nodded. “Yep.”

  “They can’t protect her the way we can,” he insisted.

  “We know that,” I agreed. “But she just got her ass kicked while with us, so I’m guessing she’s not going to see it that way.”

  “What do you want to do?” Pop spoke up.

  “We need eyes on her full time. I’ll offer her a place here, but she’s not going to agree.”

  “You askin’ for volunteers?” Bull lifted his eyebrow. “Or you tellin’ us she’s on your radar?”

  I turned my attention toward Bull. “She’s on my radar, but only as someone to protect.”

  “When will she be released?” Ritz asked.

  “Tomorrow.”

  “How’d you get this information? She tell you?”

  “No,” I admitted. “I told the nurse we were engaged, and she told me.”

  “Brother.” Ritz whistled. “You sure that was a good idea?”