by A. M. Myers
“What about them?” Blaze asks, his brows furrowed. “Have you found anymore evidence?”
I drop my gaze to the table and shake my head. “No.”
“That’s because there’s nothing to find,” Kodiak snaps, slamming his hand on the table and my head jerks up.
“Look, if you want to bury your head in the damn sand like a coward, that’s your business but if we ignore this and I’m right, the next one to die could be someone important to all of us. Y’all have wives and families now that you have to think about and you can’t afford to dismiss this.”
Kodiak growls. “Leave Tate out of this.”
“Or what?” I snarl as I square my shoulders and meet his gaze. He stands, his hands balled into fists but before I can jump out of my chair, Blaze slams the gavel down on the table, drawing the attention of everyone in the room.
“Enough.” The roar of his voice echoes through the room as his gaze flicks between the two of us, anger lighting up his eyes. “It will be a cold day in hell before I let you all turn on each other. That’s not the way this club works.”
I deflate as I nod my head and Kodiak murmurs his agreement as Blaze turns to me.
“Listen, Fuzz… unless you can show me some new evidence, I’m inclined to side with Kodiak…”
“Hell, no,” I say, cutting him off. “I know I’m right about this.”
“And what proof do you have?”
“Since this club turned things around eight years ago, we’ve lost five girls total and three of those girls have been in the last two years and the other two, we know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, were killed by their exes. Also, all three of the girls who were killed in the last couple of years had our card with them when they died.”
“Of course they had our card, we helped all of them,” Kodiak mutters.
“But they all had them when they died. Are you gonna tell me they just carried our card around all the time with them?”
He nods. “It’s fucking possible.”
“For the sake of argument here,” Streak says, leaning back in his chair. “Why would they need the card? Wouldn’t they have put the numbers in their phone?”
“Exactly and what about Sammy? Our card was laying on top of her body when they found her.”
“Not to mention, Biche couldn’t have done it,” Henn adds and I nod. Holy shit, are they actually saying I might be onto something? Finally?
“I’ll admit that Sammy’s case is weird but it’s also entirely possible that it was a fluke. Dina was murdered by her ex, Mitch. Rodriguez locked up the wrong guy and Laney was killed by the guy who was really stalking her and Sammy could have just been random.”
I squeeze my eyes shut. “And this random killer found our card and decided to place it on top of her dead body?”
“Maybe.”
“Jesus Christ,” I growl, shaking my head. “Why can’t you open your damn eyes and see what’s right in front of you?”
“If there was something to see, I’d see it but there isn’t.”
“And what if I’m right and the next time someone gets hurt, it’s one of your old ladies? Or your sister? Or someone’s mom?”
“I fucking told you not to talk about my wife and maybe if you stopped obsessing over this shit, you’d finally be able to find a woman willing to put up with you.” His comment stings more than I’d like to admit but I push it down. It’s not important right now. He shoves his chair away from the table like he’s going to storm out but Blaze holds his hand up to stop him.
“Enough!” he bellows and the room is painfully silent as he shakes his head in disappointment. “Fuzz, there isn’t enough evidence to move on this yet and I can’t spare anymore people to look into it right now but if you want to keep investigating, you can.”
I scoff as I cross my arms over my chest and lean back in my seat. As if he could stop me from digging into this more. I know I’m right and I won’t stop until I find the truth.
“And the two of you,” he says, motioning between Kodiak and me. “Need to sort this shit out now. If Fuzz is right and there is more to these cases than we can see, we cannot be divided. Is that understood?”
I nod. “Yeah, boss.”
“Fine,” Kodiak growls, sparing a glance in my direction. Blaze rolls his eyes before turning to look around the table at the rest of the guys.
“If there’s nothing else…”
When no one says anything, he nods and slams the gavel on the table to dismiss us. I grab my beer off the table and follow everyone else out of the room before going back to the table with the files on it and sinking into the chair.
“Holy shit!” Chance yells from the bar, a wide smile on his face as he slaps Smith on the shoulder. I arch a brow as he turns to the rest of us and holds up his beer. “Quinn’s knocked up!”
The room explodes with cheers and shouts of congratulations as they all drift toward Chance and Smith to give him the old “atta boy” shoulder pat. I force a smile to my face before lifting my bottle of beer to my lips and draining half of it, my stomach churning. I don’t mean to be an asshole and I certainly don’t want to be but each time one of my brothers falls in love and starts his own family, I can’t help but think of all the plans I had for my life that haven’t come to fruition. I’m happy for all of them, especially Smith and his wife, Quinn, after everything they went through but it still doesn’t stop the onslaught of memories of pain that I usually keep under lock and key.
Shaking my head, I try to force my mind to turn off as I finish off my beer and set the bottle on the table. Cleo holds up another bottle in question from behind the bar and I shake my head. In the mood I’m in, if I keep drinking, I’ll end up too drunk to drive home and I can’t stay here tonight with the celebration that is sure to follow an announcement like that. Sparing a glance at the group, I gather up my files and slip away from the bar without anyone noticing before stepping outside. It’s still muggy as hell even though the sun went down hours ago and I sigh as I slip the files into my saddlebag, looking forward to the ride home. Maybe it’s just what I need to clear my mind.
After climbing on the bike, I back it out of the parking spot and turn the key, my heart kicking in my chest as the engine rumbles to life. God, I love that sound. After I got back from my first deployment, I needed something to take my mind off of all the shit in my life and jumping on the back of a bike gave me the peace and quiet I so desperately craved. The roar of the motor drowned out the sounds of war and the vibrations of the bike beneath me distracted me from the hollow, persistent ache in my chest. Just thinking of that time in my life brings back awful memories and I try to clear them as I peel out of the parking lot. For a solid two years, I was a miserable, cranky bastard and even now, ten years later, it still kills me to think about that time and my traitorous bitch of a wife. I guess I assumed that, in time, the throbbing ache in my chest would disperse and if I’m thoroughly distracted, it’s easier to ignore but it never really goes away.
I try to relax as downtown Baton Rouge blurs past me, fighting back memories both good and bad. Thinking back to the last time I saw her, the day I deployed, that damn ache returns and I rev the bike’s engine like maybe if I go fast enough, I’ll finally be able to outrun it. Man, how fucking pathetic am I? Piper threw away everything we had and everything we could have built together and here I am, still thinking about her when it’s clear, she doesn’t give a damn about me or the plans we made. And they were grand fucking plans, too - a cute little house, some kids running around in the backyard with the dogs and my woman by my side until the end. Thing is… I still want all that. Not with Piper, of course. She can rot in hell for what she did to me but the wife, the kids, the house, and the dogs… I’ve never given up on that dream and hearing Smith’s news tonight just reminded me how badly I want it.
Pulling my bike into my parking spot in front of my building and climbing off, I run through my options as I grab my files out of the saddlebag and turn toward my door. I�
�ve spent years working my ass off to avoid thinking about Piper and what she did to me and it’s left me without options. I mean, occasionally I’ll hook up with Cleo when the need gets to be too much but it’s never been anything more than mindless fucking and I can’t see that woman being the mother of my children. So, what else is there? I could go out to a bar and try to pick someone up but the odds of finding someone that is looking for the same things I am seems unlikely at best. Sighing, I unlock my door and slip into my place before dropping the files onto the table with a thump and flipping the light on.
My gaze flicks around my one thousand square foot townhouse and I sigh again, rubbing my hand over my face. It’s a quintessential bachelor pad complete with the signature black leather couch and it’s even more depressing than Smith’s announcement. I peel my jacket off and toss it on one of the dining room chairs before turning to the fridge and grabbing a beer. As I sink into the couch, I grab the remote and kick my boots off before flipping through the channels. A baseball game catches my eye and I toss the remote to the cushion next to me and take a sip of my beer. My vision blurs. I drop my head back and close my eyes, rubbing them as I yawn. An image of Piper fills my mind almost immediately. Growling, my eyes snap open and I down half my beer as a commercial for a dating site flashes across the TV. I snort.
“There’s no way in hell,” I mutter, shaking my head. I’m not too proud to admit that I’m desperate for my dream to become a reality but I’m not that desperate. Finishing off my beer, I stand up and trudge back into the kitchen to grab another one before plopping down on the couch again. The game helps me turn my brain off and I drink three more beers before glancing at the stairs and telling myself I should go to sleep. The commercial for the dating site comes on again and I turn back to the TV. Maybe it’s the five beers making my brain fuzzy but I don’t have the same reaction to it that I did last time. Instead, I’m left wondering… why not? My brows draw together and before I know what I’m doing, I have my phone in my hand and I’m typing in the website.
“Jesus Christ,” I whisper to myself as I click the sign-up button and the application flashes across my screen. “I’m not really doing this.”
Glancing up at the TV, a gorgeous brunette models shampoo but in my head, all I can see is Piper - her pale skin, rosy cheeks, smokey green eyes, and long dark red hair as she straddles my lap and takes my cock inside her.
“Fuck.”
I chug my beer and set the bottle down on the coffee table before holding my phone in front of my face and start filling in my information before uploading a photo of myself. When I’m finished, my thumb hovers over the submit button and I suck in a breath. I blow it out as my stomach flips and I press the button. The page refreshes and my profile stares back at me as I shake my head.
Fuck it.
What’s the worst that could happen?
Chapter Two
Piper
The familiar chords of Canon in D by Pachelbel begin to play, drifting across the manicured grounds of the plantation, twisting between the sprawling branches of the massive oak trees scattered around the plantation and float across the gleaming water as every guest in attendance stands and turns toward the back of the house, waiting for the bride to make her first appearance. Ignoring her, I focus my lens on the man waiting for her at the other end of the aisle and start snapping photos, one right after the other in rapid succession and the moment he sees her, his eyes widen and his jaw drops. Tears well up in his eyes and I grin as warmth radiates through my body and I continue snapping photos. Most people like to watch the bride walk down the aisle when they come to a wedding and Eden, my business partner and best friend, will make sure we get plenty of shots of her but my favorite part of any wedding we’re hired to photograph is to watch the groom’s expression as soon as he sees his bride for the first time. Whether he smiles, stares at her in awe, fights back tears, or bawls like a baby, it’s always magical and it reminds me of a time in my life when I had the same thing.
Pushing away those memories, I continue photographing her walk down the aisle and when she reaches the altar, I move to the middle of the aisle and creep forward to continue capturing their ceremony. I glance over to my side as Eden works her way around the outside of the guests to get an even better angle of the groom’s face as the preacher begins speaking. Staring up at the couple, I notice their hands intertwined and snap a couple shots of that before moving the camera up to their faces. The dress our bride chose embodies classic southern elegance and it’s molded to her body like a second skin, showing off her curves as she stares up at her groom, her eyes shining with unshed tears. It would be a killer shot if I could just find the right vantage spot… scanning the outskirts of the property, I notice a tree that would give me the perfect angle and I rush back to my equipment, swapping out my lens for a longer one before motioning to Eden. She glances over to where I’m pointing and smiles with a nod.
After securing my camera around my neck with the strap and kicking off my heels, I jog around the outside of the seating area, ignoring the disapproving looks from the older guests as I loop my hands around the lowest branch and pull myself up as discreetly as possible. Wedding photography is a delicate balance because each couple wants that perfect shot that they will proudly hang in their home for the rest of their lives but I also have to be careful not to be a distraction and sometimes, that’s easier said than done. Especially when I’m doing something crazy like climbing a tree to get the right angle but if it works… it will be glorious.
With my heart thundering in my chest, I climb the tree as quickly and quietly as possible before situating myself on one of the branches and bringing my camera to my eye and grinning. Just over the groom’s shoulder, I can see the bride’s face as he begins reciting his vows and I start snapping, capturing each and every emotion that flits across her face as a few tears spill down her cheeks and her smile nearly splits her face. Love shines in her eyes and it smacks me in the chest. I suck in a breath as pain blossoms where my heart should be and branches out through my body like a virus. Fighting back tears of my own, I keep shooting, trying frantically to focus on the job at hand instead of the source of the agony ripping through my body.
As the bride begins reciting her vows, Eden crouches down on the other side of them and I climb back down the tree as quickly as possible so I can get set up for their first kiss. Once I’m on the ground again, I jog around the crowd to the back of the aisle and creep forward before dropping to my knees and training my lens up at the happy couple.
“I now pronounce you husband and wife,” the preacher declares. “You may kiss your bride.”
The groom flashes his new wife a wide smile as he hooks an arm around her waist and pulls her onto his lips before dipping her and the crowd whoops and hollers around me. Grinning, I snap several photos and an image of Wyatt smiling at me flashes through my mind before I can stop it. God, I love his smile. When we were married, it was one of my favorite things in the world but now it only serves as a reminder of everything I’ve lost… everything I walked away from. Shaking my head, I push the emotions down as I start backing up, snapping photos constantly, as the bride and groom clasp hands and begin walking down the aisle toward me, beaming at their guests and each other before turning to me to flash me a grin. When they get to the end of the aisle, they turn to each other and kiss again and I snap a couple more photos before moving to the table Eden and I set up to organize all our equipment.
“Wait until you see the photo I snapped of you climbing that damn tree,” Eden says as she walks up to me and I scoff as I shake my head.
“Whatever. As long as the client is happy.”
She nods. “Did you get a good shot?”
“You think I climbed a tree and missed the shot?” I ask, clicking over to the photos I took today and flipping to the one I snapped up in the tree before showing it to her. Her lips part in a silent gasp.
“Okay. That’s gorgeous. Totally worth climbing a tree ove
r. Although, Teresa’s grandma looked like she wanted to murder you.”
I glance over at the bride’s grandma and she meets my gaze before narrowing her eyes in disgust. I shrug as I turn back to Eden. “Again, whatever.”
“What are you thinking for the official wedding photos?” she asks as she turns to scan the property. I secure the flash on top of my camera and turn to do the same, pursing my lips. The afternoon sun is bouncing off the water and in about an hour, the light will be absolutely perfect.
“Let’s get all the family shots and then we can get the bride and groom down by the water and also by one of these oak trees.”
She nods and holds out several strings of mini paper lanterns. “You want to string these through the branches while I round the family up?”
“You got it.”
As she heads into the crowd to collect everyone, I go back to the tree I climbed earlier and inspect it before looking around the property. Other trees have better branches on them but this tree has a perfect view of the lake in the background that will look gorgeous with the lights as the sun starts to go down. I quickly hang the strings of lights off the branches before plugging them into one of our extension cords to make sure they are all still working. The soft light they emit is so romantic and I can practically see the photos in my head as I smile and unplug them until we’re ready for them.
“Piper,” Eden calls and I glance over my shoulder as she waves me over to a shady spot where the family is waiting for us to begin. Nodding, I jog over to the table and grab my camera and a reflector before joining them. As Eden gets the bride’s extended family set up for their first shot, I loop the camera strap over my neck and move the reflector around until it casts a golden glow on the group. Eden snaps a few photos before reorganizing the group to include the bride and her parents. Once she has enough shots, she pulls the groom in and snaps a couple more photos before replacing the bride’s parents with the groom’s and going through the whole process again. After we grab a big group photo with everyone in it, she sends everyone on their way except for the bride, groom, and the wedding party.
