by Jayne Blue
He smiled and placed a soft kiss on the top of my head. I wanted to say so much more but a knock at the door drew me away. Nash stiffened and I slid my purse over my shoulder.
Nash opened the door and King poked his head through the crack, his expression grave. “Prez, I hate to cut in on you, but the crew’s here.”
Nash nodded. “Harper, can you make it home all right?”
“Of course, I have my car.”
“I’d send somebody with you but I’m afraid ...”
I shook my head. “No. It’s better you don’t. I know the drill.”
The drill was to put as much distance between myself and the club as possible. I’d done it six years ago; I’d do it today.
“We set for a table meeting?” Nash asked King over my head. King gave him a grim nod. Nash hadn’t had a chance to fill King in on what I’d told him. I shuddered thinking about what these fierce men would do with the information.
“I’ll be in contact when I can,” Nash said. “Paps is manning the front tonight. He’ll watch to make sure you get to your car safe and sound.”
“I’ll be all right, I promise. Just do what you have to do and so will I.”
I kept my back stiff, resisting the urge to kiss Nash one more time before I left. But a strange current ran between him and King. I’d gotten so used to hiding the way I felt I could recognize Nash doing the same thing. It dawned on me then he must not have told even King about me or Wyatt. It sent a shiver of fear through me. If he’d kept that secret, there could only be one reason. Nash truly feared we could be in danger if anyone found out who we were to him. My knees felt like water as I brushed past King and headed for the front door of the club.
I stole one last glance back toward Nash’s office. The rest of the club members had started to file in and their expression took my breath away. To a man, they were Nash’s soldiers and he’d just called a war council.
Chapter Sixteen
Nash
* * *
“Fucking hell.” Paps said it first. I’d relayed every detail of Harper’s story about the meeting between Paul McGill and the mayor. Paps got up and started to pace, taking halting steps and favoring his bad knee.
King shook his head and cupped his hands over his face, then ran them up through his hair. “What the fuck do you think the mayor’s play is with this one?” he said.
Hammy pounded his fist on the table. “That’s your question? I mean, before we start talking about that, isn’t anyone gonna state the obvious?”
I didn’t like his tone one damn bit. Hammy and I had been on a collision course to something rough ever since we got the news about Ghost. I could write it off as grief for only so long.
“Say your piece,” I said. “That’s why we’re here.”
“This girl could be playing you.” I expected him to say as much. It took everything in me not to challenge him then and there. But he was right to look at it from another angle. It was the reason we were here. It didn’t mean I didn’t want to rip his fucking face off. Unfortunately, the ashen-faced expressions I saw on Gordo, Puck, and Shakes tipped me off the doubts at this table ran deeper than I thought. I still had Paps, King, and Floyd on my side at least.
“She works for the mayor, Nash,” Puck said. “You said yourself she admitted he sent her to turn your head and report back to him.”
“Yeah? And exactly why the fuck would he send her here with a message that he himself was behind the hit on Ghost? Why put himself in the direct line of fire?”
Shakes shrugged. “Maybe she’s trying to play both sides of this. She goes back to the man and tells him the club’s after him and she holds the key to stopping that.”
“You want justice for Ghost? I sure as hell do. We all know Mayor Dodge has it in for us and everything that’s happened has played right into his hands. What we don’t know is why. You think he’s really dumb enough to try to incite a club war in his town?”
“He wants us gone, that’s for sure,” Paps said. “What better way than to turn the town against us. Killing Ghost was the one surefire way to pour gasoline on this particular fire. He knows we don’t let shit like that stand.”
“Hammy, have you stayed in contact with Paul McGill? Can you pick him up? I think at the very least we need to have a fucking conversation. He needs to be persuaded to spill what he knows. I don’t like this shit about our liquor shipment either. If Harper heard right, it means he could be planning an ambush or trying to frame us with something we don’t do anymore. We need to play this careful and smart. I will not lose anyone else.”
On this, we could all agree. Hammy sat back hard in his chair but nodded. “Yeah. I can get to Paul.”
“Don’t bring him here,” I said. “You take him to the warehouse off Beckham Road. I need to be there when you talk to him. We all need to be there. This needs to happen preferably before the sun rises. If he has even an inkling we have a problem with him, he could find a way to disappear.”
“I won’t let that happen,” Hammy said. “You have my word. I’ll text you as soon as I have him secure.”
“Good. Take Shakes with you. Right now, I don’t want anyone riding alone. Puck and Gordo, you have your families someplace safe?”
They both nodded.
“Good. So we agree. We get Paul’s story then we make our next move. Nobody goes rogue on this or you’ll have to answer to me. This asshole is waiting for us to escalate this with the Brigands. If Harper heard right, that’s a hell of a motive for what happened to Ghost. They wanted us to start a war. That shit plays right into his hands. In a day or two, I’m going to meet with Des Boudrie someplace neutral. Until we get a lock on this, I think his guys might be at risk too. If the mayor’s expecting us to retaliate against them, he might try to speed the process along if we don’t.”
“Good thinking,” King said. “You want me to reach out through neutral channels on that?”
“Who do you trust?”
King narrowed his eyes. “Well, you’re not gonna like this, but a few of Carleen’s girls party with some of the Brigands. That’d be the quickest way.”
King was right, I didn’t like that. The last thing I wanted to do was put Carleen in the middle of this. But he was also right it would be the fastest way to get the message across. I had no love lost with the Brigands, but if I didn’t reach out soon, this shit could have the makings of a Shakespearean tragedy we could avoid. I nodded and waved my hand.
Everyone had their matching orders. The meeting broke and Hammy was the first one out the door. Paps and King hung back and waited for everyone else to leave. A look passed between them and King got up to shut the door. I sank down into my chair and folded my arms.
“You sure, son?” Paps said. “You know I’ll follow you to hell and back. But Hammy has a point. You’re putting a lot of stock into what that girl says. She’s had your head turned for weeks.”
King didn’t have to say anything; I could see the same concern filling his eyes. I wanted to protect Harper in every way that I could. But I couldn’t keep this from my father and the closest thing I had to a brother.
“Harper’s not just some chick. She’s the mother of my child.”
Paps took a step back. King sat down slowly beside me. “The fuck?”
I nodded and gave them the highlights of my relationship with her. King whistled low and Paps leaned back hard against the wall. It almost looked like he’d taken a gut blow. Well, I guess he had. I knew the feeling.
“Son of a bitch,” he said. Then he said it twice more. “I have a grandson?”
I smiled. “Yeah. When this is all over, we may have to change your name to Grandpaps. It has a nice ring to it.”
King shook his head. “Congratulations, man. The timing couldn’t be worse.”
I couldn’t help it. I laughed. “Fuck me.”
“She’s lucky she got out of that office, man,” King said.
A shudder ran through me. “She took a hell of a risk coming
here.”
Paps pushed himself off the wall and started pacing again. “Son, you gotta get her and the boy out of here. You know what could happen if we end up having to burn this town down to deal with this asshole.”
Fear made Paps’s eyes wide. God, I knew that look. I knew he saw something behind his eyes that had nothing to do with Harper or Wyatt. He saw my mother. He remembered that fucking day when she died in his arms because he couldn’t protect her the way I meant to protect Harper. I put a hand on his shoulder and a sob escaped from him.
“This isn’t like Mom,” I said. “I won’t let it be.”
Paps’s eyes misted with tears and his lip trembled as he looked up at me. “He’s five, you say?”
I nodded.
“Sheeit. When you were that age, you were hell on wheels. You still are.”
I squeezed his shoulder. “We’re gonna get this behind us. Then I’m going to take you out to meet your grandson. I promise.”
Paps let out a soft chuckle, but fear and pain still clouded his eyes. He was a strong man, maybe the strongest I’d ever known. But part of me wished I’d kept this secret from him just a little while longer.
“Get her out of here, son,” he said. “Make her go back to Michigan or someplace else far away. I got a bad feeling about this.”
I nodded. “We’ll take care of her. We’ll take care of all of them. Also, I can’t wait for you to meet Professor Mays, her mother. She’s tough as hell. You’re gonna love her.”
* * *
When we hadn’t heard from Hammy by dawn, I started to worry. When Shakes finally checked in a couple of hours later, shit got even worse.
“What the fuck, Shakes?” I answered. “This isn’t the time to keep me in suspense.”
“Sorry, Prez,” Shakes said. “We’ve got a situation. Paul McGill’s nowhere. But we’ve got another problem.”
I sat at the bar. We didn’t open until after noon so the place was empty except for me, Paps, and Floyd. I’d sent King to do rounds with some of the local businesses and he took Puck and Gordo with him.
“Dee Ballas’s shop went up in flames just after sunrise.”
My heart dropped. I banged the phone against the bar. Paps froze holding a glass and a towel in his hands. I made a circular motion with my finger and Paps whistled for Floyd. I put the phone on speaker and set it on the bar so they could hear.
“Fucking hell. What do we know?”
“It’s bad. Total loss,” Shakes said. “Dee and Andre got out but Sadie’s in bad shape. A beam fell on her when they were trying to get out of their apartment. She’s in the hospital.”
I pressed my fist against my forehead. “Does it look deliberate?”
“Does it matter?” Shakes said. “The news is already all over it. Turn on your TV. They’re calling Dee a known associate of the club. Mayor’s planning a press conference for this evening. This is a fucking circus, Nash.”
“Where’s Hammy?”
“He’s with Paul’s Aunt Irene. She doesn’t suspect anything but we think Paul’s bound to check in with her sometime today. I’m right outside.”
“Good. Stay with Hammy. I mean it. I don’t want anyone riding alone today. You think Paul’s laying low because he saw you over at Irene’s?”
“I doubt it.”
“Well, don’t take any chances. Paul McGill is priority number one right now. As soon as Puck and Gordo get back, I’m gonna have them hook up with you. I want this asshole found before the day’s out. I’ll head over to the hospital with Paps to check in on Dee.”
“He’s gotta be pretty busted up. Sadie’s his whole world.”
I closed my eyes and let out a breath. Paps’s face fell and I knew what he was thinking. As much as it would tear me up to do it, he was right about Harper. It wasn’t safe for her to stick around Emerald Point for the short term. I gave him a nod to let him know I got his drift.
After I hung up with Shakes, I left Floyd in charge at the bar. A couple of the probies hung back and I took Paps in the SUV to the hospital. Dread filled me as we walked down the third-floor corridor. Sadie was in the burn unit.
I froze when we came up to the waiting room. Dee and Dre were sitting with their heads in their hands. On either side of them were Harper and Emily. Harper looked up, her face ashen. Her eyes brightened a bit when she saw me.
Dee did his best to give us an update on Sadie’s condition. The worst of her injuries seemed to be scarring to her lungs. She’d inhaled a lot of smoke. She had a few broken ribs where the beam fell and third-degree burns on her arms. But she was tough. The doctors figured she’d pull through. Thank God.
Paps sat down next to Harper. Unspoken tension ran through all of us. We all knew who we were to each other now, but none of us could say anything with Dee and Dre sitting there. Hell, even if we could, nobody knew what to say.
“I need to talk to you,” Dee finally said, his voice choked. “Take a walk with me?”
I put an arm around his shoulder as he stood. Dee practically collapsed against me. I shot a look toward Harper. A part of me wanted to shake her for coming out here. But I know she wouldn’t have let her mother come alone. I wanted to ask her where Wyatt was. Her hard gaze spoke volumes. She had things to say to me too but for now it would have to wait.
We went down a short hallway and stood in front of a supply closet. Dee turned on me. “This was a message, man. You get that?”
I nodded. “What do you know?”
Dee’s eyes filled with tears. He put a hand over his mouth as if he were trying to keep from puking. Hell, I wouldn’t have blamed him if he had. His whole fucking world just blew up. But all that mattered now was Sadie.
“He was scared. He’s just a kid.”
My face fell. “Tell me what you know, Dee.”
Dee looked over my shoulder. Dre sat with his face buried in his hands. Emily leaned over him and smoothed her hand over the kid’s head.
“He didn’t know who he was messing with. I told him a thousand times. He’s young. He’s got a hard head. He saw dollar signs and freedom. It’s that fucking generation.”
“Dee! Man, I want to help you. You know I will if I can, but you gotta level with me. What’s Dre into? Who did this?”
Dee shook his head. “It’s been happening up and down the boardwalk. They’re moving in. Taking over if you don’t do something. It’s that hard shit too. Somebody’s gonna die. China White. That’s what they tried to get Dre to move. He said no at first, but then they threatened to kill him. He still said no.”
Bile rose in my throat. Heroin. Fucking heroin. “Give me a name, Dee. Don’t make me get it out of Andre.”
A tear spilled down Dee’s cheek. “Roscoe. That’s all he got. They’re Russian though, Nash. And they’re smart. Connected to somebody high up in this town. The surf shop down the street from me, the one that does dolphin tours. They’ve had trouble with City Hall and their business license revoked. Same thing happened to a couple of the charter captains. These are bad dudes, Nash. They’re moving in and somebody wants them here.”
I let out a breath. I didn’t have hard proof yet, but I was damn certain who the connection was. I put a hand on Dee’s shoulders. “We’re gonna get a lid on this. I’m not gonna promise you when. But you need to take care of your own for right now. Get Sadie well. In the meantime, you need to get Dre the hell out of town. You got me?”
Dee nodded. “It’s already arranged. I got a sister in Louisiana. He’s gonna go stay with her. Maybe even do his senior year up there. He needs a new crowd. I’ve tried so hard to keep him straight. He’s a good kid but the temptation from this changed him.”
I reached into my jacket and pulled out a money clip. I peeled off a few hundred dollars and handed it to him. “You get him on the next plane out of here. Sadie’s gonna be all right. She’ll be back on her feet in no time. When she is, you come to me. Things are gonna get better around here starting now. That’s a promise.”
Dee nodded
and let out a sob. I pulled him into a quick hug and slapped him on the back. Then we turned and walked back to the waiting room. I gave Paps a look. I wanted him to stay with Dre and Dee but I needed to get Emily and Harper the hell out of here so I said so.
Emily shook her head. “I’m not leaving until Sadie wakes up. Harper, you need to go home. Wyatt’s going to be coming back from his playdate over at the Derbys’ in about two hours.”
Harper rose and kissed her mother on the head. She turned to Paps. “You make sure she gets home safe?”
Paps smiled and nodded. “Something tells me the professor and me, we got a lot in common.”
Emily smiled and gave me a wry look. God help us all if Paps and Harper’s mom ever teamed up against us. “I’ll send one of the prospects out to pick you up in a few hours, Paps,” I said. “I’ll take Harper home in the SUV.”
Harper leaned down and hugged Dee then Andre. Then she took my hand and we walked out to the parking lot.
“This could get worse before it gets better,” she said, her tone grim.
I didn’t answer. There was nothing I could say that would make any of this okay. I just thanked God Sadie was alive. Dee’s shop could be rebuilt. We’d weather this, but the casualties were already too damn high.
Harper sat silent beside me as I made the drive up the coast back to her condo. We got there just past noon. The sun baked the back of my neck as I got out and opened the door for her. She took my hand and gave me a sad smile that cut straight through me. We walked to her front door together and she let me inside. When I stepped across the threshold, she turned and wrapped her arms around me. I kicked the door shut behind me.
“I know,” she whispered, pressing her head against my chest. “But can you just hold me for a minute and let me pretend you aren’t going to say what you have to say and I don’t have to do what I have to do.”
She let out a slow sigh as I kissed the top of her head. Seconds ticked by as I felt her slipping away.
Chapter Seventeen
