by A. M. Myers
“He might be working with someone else.”
Storm sighs. “I’ve been having the same thought lately but it doesn’t help us much.”
“I know,” I agree, turning back to the video playing on a loop on my monitor. “It just makes him even harder to find. I’m almost afraid to ask but did the owner give a good description of the guy?”
“Uh, no,” he scoffs and I turn back to him.
“Why?”
“Because he never actually saw his face. Apparently, he communicated through email only and when he showed up at the club to do his performance, he was wearing the mask. He claimed it was part of his “process”.”
Gritting my teeth, I grab the pen holder off of my desk and chuck it at the wall. “I’m so fucking sick of this douchebag!”
“We should make a club,” he quips, nodding in agreement and I scoff, some of my anger melting away as I shake my head at his shitty joke.
“Thanks, asshole.”
He shrugs as he stands up. “Got you to stop throwing shit, didn’t it? I got to go check in on my wife and kid.”
“How is Ali after last night?”
“Fucking traumatized,” he answers with a sigh, pain on his face, and I shake my head, thinking about the effect last night is going to have on all of us. “Speaking of which, though… you and Rowan?”
I shrug. “Yeah. It’s just…”
“Casual,” he cuts in, nodding as he arches his brow. “Yeah, I heard but you know that’s dumb as hell, right? The way y’all were with each other last night was anything but casual.”
“Okay, cupid. Why don’t you mind your own damn business? Just ‘cause all of you think marriage and babies are the best things ever doesn’t mean everyone else does. Rowan and I are just having fun.”
He purses his lips and nods as he turns toward the door, not buying a single word I’m saying. “Make sure you really emphasize that part when Kodiak finds out. I wanna see what happens to the human body when you drop it off the roof.”
“Fuck you.” I laugh as he opens the door. Kodiak won’t like it, for sure, but he wouldn’t murder me over this… I don’t think. He flips me off as he walks out of my room and shuts the door behind him as I turn back to my computer and sigh. Closing out of the video, I lean back in my chair and try to think of a new angle, any other way I could look at this, that might give us the lead we need but I’m drawing a giant fucking blank. My phone rings on the desk and I grab it, scowling at the unfamiliar number on the screen before I answer it.
“Hello?”
“Travis, long time no talk. How are you, my friend?” a voice asks and I scowl as I pull the phone away from my ear before shaking my head and pulling it back.
“Uh… who is this?”
The voice on the other end of the line scoffs. “You don’t remember me? And here I thought we had such a special relationship.”
“Okay, who the fuck is this?” I demand and he laughs.
“It’s your old friend, Warren.”
No…
An ice cold wave of dread washes over me as I sit forward in my chair and try to think of something to say. Why in the fuck is he calling me? His laughter greets me and the dread is quickly replaced by anger.
“Oh, that got your attention, didn’t it? Let me ask you, how did you like my little show last night?”
I grit my teeth, shoving out of my chair. “Oh, yeah. It was really something.”
“I’m so glad you enjoyed it. What about Rowan? Was she entertained, too?”
My heart pounds in my ears at the mention of her name and I clench my fists as I pace back and forth through my room, trying to calm myself.
“Don’t fucking talk about her.”
He laughs again. “Touchy touchy. I thought you didn’t do relationships, Travis.”
“I don’t,” I snap, my hands shaking out of control as I think about all of the awful things I want to do to this fuck for the hell he’s put us through over the last two years. And how in the hell does he know that I don’t do relationships?
“So, then you have no say when it comes to her, do you? If I wanted to get to know her, too, it would be well within my rights. I have to admit, I’ve watched all of your brothers meet their wives and lose their damn minds as they tripped over their own two feet in their attempts to woo them. It’s always bored me before but there is just something about our little Rowan, isn’t there? She’s special.”
“You listen to me, you son of a bitch. You stay the hell away from her or I’ll…”
“You’ll what?” he growls, cutting me off. “You gonna start taking after your daddy?”
All of my thoughts screech to a halt and I freeze in the middle of my room. “What the hell do you know about that?”
“Oh.” He laughs and the sound grates on my nerves. “I know everything, Travis Hornback.”
“Don’t fucking call me that.” I roar as I smash my fist into the wall but it does nothing to quell the rage pumping through every inch of my body. My anger only seems to delight him though because he laughs again.
“Why not? It’s your name. I mean, sure, you can get it legally changed to your mother’s maiden name but we both know the truth. Don’t we, Travis?”
I shake my head. “You don’t know shit and when we find you…”
“Oh, speaking of your little club, there is something I need you to do for me,” he interrupts and I shake my head as I spin toward the door, clenching and unclenching my fist.
“Not happening.”
A noise of disapproval greets me. “I wouldn’t be so quick to say that, Travis, or I might have to start showing you what I can really do.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“Oh, just that if you tell anyone about this little conversation, I’ll have to start coming after people you care about. Maybe I’ll even start with… ooh, Tate. Wouldn’t that just destroy your pretty little girlfriend and her brother? And then after that, I could send him the photo I have of you fucking his sweet little baby sister on your desk. Trauma like that, back to back, is enough to make anyone snap, don’t you think?”
My heart pounds in my chest and pain swarms my body at the thought of losing any of the people in this club. I fucking hate the idea of keeping this from everyone but what other choice do I have? Until we know who Warren truly is, I have to keep my mouth shut.
“Travis?” he asks and I grit my teeth and I nod.
“Fine.”
“Excellent!” he exclaims and I can hear the triumph in his voice. It tears through me as my anger flares out of control and I vow that I’ll do whatever it takes to find this asshole and put an end to him. “Well, I’ve got to get going. Plans to put into motion and all that but I’ll talk to you soon, Travis.”
He hangs up before I can say anything else and I throw the phone against the wall as I let out another scream, rage spiraling through me like a tornado and consuming everything else in its path. The door to my room opens and Rowan steps in with a shocked expression as she shuts the door behind her.
“What the hell is going on in here?”
I shake my head, holding my arms out to her and she eliminates the distance between us without a second of hesitation. Pulling her into my body, I bury my face in her hair and my body sags in relief.
“I’m sorry, Princess. I… was just frustrated that I couldn’t find anything from the surveillance videos,” I lie, the deceit seeping through my system like poison as she pulls back to meet my eyes. The concern on her face fucking kills me and my entire body aches to tell her the truth about what just happened but I think about Warren coming after her and it stops me. She presses her hand to my cheek and I lean into the touch.
“I know last night was…”
“Hell,” I supply and she nods.
“But we’re going to figure this out, okay? Don’t give up hope, Travis.”
I close my eyes as my name rolls off of her tongue, almost like her voice is erasing Warren’s from my mind,
and nod. “I won’t, baby. I promise.”
“Good.” She leans up and presses a soft kiss to my lips as I tighten my arms around her waist. “Now, Storm sent me up here to get you. Blaze just called everyone into church.”
I nod and kiss her again. “Thanks. I’ll come find you afterward, okay?”
“You’d better,” she quips as I release her and when I turn to walk away, she smacks my ass. I turn back to her with a grin.
“Watch it, woman. You’re going to start something you can’t finish.”
She cocks her head to the side and smiles. “Actually, I think you’re the one who can’t finish it and besides, I still have tricks, remember? Now, go.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I tell her and her grin widens.
“Ooh, dirty talk, I like it.”
Laughing, I walk out of the room with her trailing behind me and I marvel at her ability to make me relax even after the most stressful, rage inducing situation I’ve ever been in. When we get to the bottom of the stairs, she shoots me a wink and joins Ali, Tate, Emma, and Nix at the bar and I slip into the war room, flinging myself into my usual seat across from Blaze, who walks in and shuts the door right after me.
“Okay, so we’re not going to be long today but we’ve got a job to do in four days that we need to go over,” Blaze says as he sits down in his seat and slaps a folder on the table. Kodiak shakes his head.
“I’m sorry but what? After what fucking happened last night, you really think it’s a good idea to take a job?”
Blaze sighs. “I don’t know but this mother and her children need our help and we only have a limited window to get them out.”
“Why?” Chance asks, scowling and on edge like the rest of us.
“Because they will be traveling through Baton Rouge in four days, on their way to relatives in Arizona and we’re going to get them out when they stop at a gas station right outside of town.”
Everyone starts talking, all at once, arguing with Blaze about why this is a terrible idea and while I agree with them, my mind jumps back to my phone call from Warren and the threats he made. Listening to them bicker about this seems so fucking stupid when I think about the things he vowed to do if I said a word about our conversation and I wish that his promise of violence made it easier to keep it to myself but it doesn’t. These are my brothers and every cell in my body is screaming at me to open my mouth and tell them what is going on. How would he even know if I did say something? He mentioned having a photo of Rowan and me together and I clench my fists as I think about him, standing outside the clubhouse and watching us together.
Fuck.
We need more security and we need tighter patrols around the clubhouse but, of course, I can’t say any of this to my brothers without telling them about the phone call.
“Okay,” Blaze barks, dragging my attention to him once again. “I understand y’all are concerned about us going out to do this job but one thing we are not going to do is let this animal control us. This club has always helped people and that is what we’re going to do now, Warren be damned. He doesn’t get to control our lives and that includes Fuzz and Piper’s wedding in two days. We are going to fucking party and celebrate them without looking over our shoulder and being scared. Do I make myself clear?”
Everyone nods and he turns to me.
“Streak, did you find anything on the surveillance videos?”
I shake my head. “Only if you’re into complete and total darkness.”
“Fuck,” he sighs and scrubs his hand down his face, the stress of this whole situation shining in his eyes as he turns to Storm. “And what about you? Did Rodriguez have any information for us?”
Storm begins recounting everything he told me upstairs about Warren and the club’s owner and I lean back in my chair, wondering how much hell we’re in for from Warren before this whole thing ends and the one thought that dogs me more than any other is wondering who will be left standing after the smoke clears.
Chapter Fifteen
Warren
I take a drag of my cigarette, the smoke burning my lungs, as I scan the clubhouse parking lot but it is nothing compared to the rage burning through my chest as I watch them all gather to celebrate Fuzz and Piper renewing their vows. All day I’ve sat here, watching them as they set things up, laughing and having fun as they talked about what a special day it is for the happy couple.
How fucking sweet.
So sweet I want to hurl.
When I first heard of this wedding, a part of me hated the idea of letting them take a break from the panic and paranoia I’ve instilled in all of their hearts and minds, especially after how well my stunt at the nightclub went, but after taking some time to think about it, I decided this was better. It’s my little gift to them, the only small instance of charity they’ll see from me in this game we’ve been playing. So, let them celebrate and be happy for this one moment. Let them live and remember what their lives were like before I came to get my revenge and let them get a glimpse of a normal life before I rip it all away.
Brutally.
Violently.
In a pool of blood.
It’s what they deserve. No, actually. Now that I think about it, it’s not anywhere close to what they deserve but it will have to do because if I had my way, I would lock them all away and make them live the rest of their lives in slow, agonizing pain but it’s just not practical. I clench my teeth so hard that my jaw aches as I watch Fuzz step up to the end of the aisle in his cut with Streak and Smith by his side. He rubs his hands together, waiting for his bride to join him as all of his brothers and their wives look on with smiles on their faces.
Not for long, though.
God, what I wouldn’t give to carve those grins from their faces.
It won’t be the same but I’m certain that the wedding gift I got for the happy couple will do a good job of erasing the joy from every face in the room. Except mine, of course. I grin as I think about them opening it. Fuck, I wish I could be there to watch it all go down but sadly, I can’t. That’s okay, though. Just knowing the horror they’ll feel when they see what I’ve given them gives me a little piece of happiness, one that will sustain me for a little while until I can launch my next attack.
I am so close to ending this, so close to getting the one thing I have wanted more than anything else in the world for as long as I can remember - vengeance… justice. There is a pounding in my ears and my hands shake, rage coursing through my veins as I think about what they did to me, everything they took from me. I used to fucking be somebody and then they came into my life, tearing it all apart. My thoughts drift to the plans I still have in store for them and my smile grows. It’s taken me a hell of a long time to put all of this together and most days, I hate how long I had to draw this out. I want action and I want it now but my drive to inflict the most pain, the most suffering possible, keeps me going. Now, this is almost over and when I’m done, they’ll be left with the same thing I have.
Nothing.
The music swells and the clubhouse doors open to reveal Piper in her wedding dress with Blaze by her side, beaming out at the rest of the crowd and I grip the steering wheel in front of me as my smile matches his. They are all happy now but they have no idea what I have in store for them and all I can think is, let the games begin.
Chapter Sixteen
Rowan
“Wyatt,” Piper says, her voice cracking and tears shining in her eyes as she peeks up from the little notecard in her hand at her husband. “The first time we stood up at an altar like this and vowed to love each other for the rest of our lives, we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into or just how hard it would be to fulfill those vows. We couldn’t have predicted the trials in store for us or the pain that would follow but, as cliché as it sounds, I would do it all again to wind up here with you now. I’ve loved you with the innocence of a girl and as I stand before you as the woman I am now, that love has only gotten stronger. Now that we’re back together and beg
inning our life as husband and wife again, I can’t wait to see everything the future has in store for us. I’m certain that it won’t always be easy but I know we’ll always face the storm together, with your hand in mine.”
Blaze, who is officiating this little shindig, clears his throat, dabbing at his eyes and I can’t help but smile at what a softie he is. He nods to Fuzz, who turns to his wife.
“Pip, I think it’s fair to say that we’ve been through hell in the last ten years and I’ve spent a lot of time hating you for the part you played in it all but as soon as you walked back into my life, I finally understood that old saying about there being a thin line between love and hate because even when I hated you, even when I couldn’t stand to hear someone say your name, I still loved you with every single piece of my heart. When you left, you took a part of me and I wasn’t whole again until you sat down across from me in that restaurant and said “Hi, Wyatt”.”
Color rushes to her cheeks as a few chuckles ring out and I can’t help but smile at how adorable they are. There is something so special about their story, which I was informed of last night when us girls snuck out to the roof and polished off two bottles of wine, and I’m honestly in awe of the kind of love survives through everything they’ve thrown at it. Piper drops her gaze to the floor but Fuzz nudges under her chin with his fingers, guiding her eyes back to his before he goes on.
“I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that there isn’t anything that can come between us or pull us apart again. Whether you like it or not, you’re stuck with me, Pip, and I’m going to spend the rest of my life loving you and the family we’re building together… including all of these hooligans,” he adds, smirking as he tilts his head toward the crowd. The guys stand up and cheer loudly before Blaze shoots them all a stern look. They sink back into their seats as Blaze begins his portion of the ceremony and my gaze flicks to Travis as he stands at Fuzz’s side. Our eyes meet and his lips twitch with the hint of a smile that makes my belly flip and my heart skip a beat.
