by Brook Wilder
Red. I hated that I still worked for him, but it wasn’t because I needed his money any longer. Plus he had stayed away from me since I had returned to work only a few weeks after Amelia’s birth, though I imagined he was biding his time.
What he didn’t know was that I was only back to ultimately take him down for good.
“How do you know them?” he asked, his voice a deep timbre.
Goose bumps crawled over my body, but I kept my profile neutral. “I’m working for them.” Well, it was the resistance, mostly, but Siren had given me specific instructions to keep my answers short and to the point. I wasn’t to give him too much information, but enough to keep his interest until they could figure out everything the Jester biker was here for. It was clear to me that both Siren and Voodoo were wary of his presence. Though they hadn’t told me a lot about them or their history with the club, I did know that they had come to Mexico to get away from the bike clubs they used to be partnered with.
“Working for them,” he said slowly. “In what capacity?”
I drew in a breath, knowing that I had to be careful with my words. “I’m a courier of information,” I started out, thinking about the moment that Siren had approached me when I was pregnant. She had told me that I was in the best position to provide valuable information on the one man I hated more than anyone else on earth.
My boss, Red.
Turned out, Red had recently found himself as a new pawn in the cartel business, pushing large amounts of fentanyl to the States. The very bar I worked for had turned into a regular drop point and while I bartended, I kept an ear out for anytime that a truck pulled up to the back door, or when some creepy guys with cartel markings entered the bar, clearly not there for a drink and a laugh.
All I had to do was send a text to Siren’s phone and my job was done.
The money they were paying me was really good, allowing me to afford a nice apartment for me and Amelia, along with everything we could possibly need to live a thrifty but comfortable life.
I didn’t want to throw up any red flags to Red or anyone else that knew I worked in that shithole of a bar. So, I went to work like I was supposed to, kept to myself as much as I could, and pretended that nothing had changed in my life.
When in fact, everything had changed. Once I finished spying on Red, I was going to take the nice nest egg I had in my account and head for the States with my sister in tow.
We were leaving Mexico for good.
Until that day, however, I was doing things like facing a person I thought I would never see again. “My boss, Red, is funneling fentanyl to the States in bulk for the cartel. I’m the spy who gives away his plans, tracks his movements.”
He chuckled. Damn, why couldn’t I remember his name? “A spy, huh? Seems Siren and Voodoo don’t really need our help then.”
“Maybe not in Mexico,” I stated, trying desperately not to notice the shift of his muscles as he crossed his arms over his chest. My face heated and I forced myself to look away. Hadn’t he caused enough trouble in my life? “But they can only reach so far, and across the border is currently beyond that reach.” Siren had told me that as much as she would hate to lean on the biker clubs again, it could come in handy very soon, especially to stop the drugs from crossing the border.
While the resistance members tried to stay as incognito as possible, the moment that someone was uncovered, the cartel went after them and their family. While I wanted the cartel to disappear from Mexico and the States, I was scared to death that Red might catch wind I was working for the resistance and report it to the cartel. I had a lot on the line right now, a lot to worry about in my personal life.
I had a daughter that depended on me to keep her safe, a sister who had very little knowledge as to what I had agreed to with Siren. I had tried to keep Emily out of that part of my life as much as I could, in case I was caught, and the cartel dealt with me.
At least she could take Amelia and run.
And as much as I hated it, I had this guy to deal with now. When I had been told to track him, I couldn’t believe my eyes that he was back in Mexico. The part about him being Amelia’s father had just tumbled out of my mouth and I knew that he didn’t believe me.
That was fine. He didn’t have to. I was doing just fine on my own. I wasn’t looking for any money from him but felt like I owed it to my daughter for her to have a relationship with her father.
It would be wrong for me to withhold that from her and I didn’t want Amelia to hate me in the end because of it.
“Really,” he finally said, a hint of a grin on his gorgeous face. Lord help me. Had I really slept with him and let him walk out the next morning? “Well, the Jesters are interested in acquiring the help of Siren and Voodoo.”
I loosed a breath. “Good. I will pass along the information.”
He cocked his head to the side, that grin still playing on his face. “What’s your name, sweetheart?”
“Cora,” I said instantly, not even upset that he couldn’t remember my name. Hell, I couldn’t remember his. “Yours?”
“I must not have left a good impression on you the first go round if you can’t remember my name.”
I rolled my eyes. “Really?”
“It’s Clayton,” he answered, laughter in his eyes.
Clayton. That was it. I gave him a nod. “Thanks. I really was tired of referring to you as that guy in my head.”
“Same here,” he answered.
The air warmed around me and I shook it off. This was not the time or the place to have any warm feelings toward him. We had a job to do, and I was going to perform it for the sake of my little family. “So,” I said, shoving my hands in my jean pockets. “I will be in touch.”
“Wait,” he said, his mouth working. “What about the baby?”
Chapter 4
Halftrack
By the look on Cora’s face, I shouldn’t have asked about the kid.
I couldn’t help it. As much as I wanted to deny the fact that it was mine, I was curious to know what he or she looked like and if there could really be a possibility that I had slept with this woman and produced offspring.
Besides, I was enjoying her company. Hell, I didn’t have anything to look forward to once she walked away—other than her call, that is. My room fucking sucked, the roof leaking in the corner from the recent rain, and smelled faintly of mildew, likely from the worn carpet I chose not to walk on.
Yeah, the longer I hung out in this graveyard, the better.
Her eyes narrowed. “Why?”
I decided to be honest with her. “Hell, I don’t know.”
She ran a hand through her long hair, biting her lip. “After we finish this deal, then we can talk about the baby, all right?”
I didn’t want to wait that long. If the kid was mine, there was a shitload of things that needed to happen. I wasn’t going to leave my kid and his or her mother in this cartel-infested territory. For one, they could be used against me and the club if the cartel ever found out, and that would never bode well for anyone. I had watched, time and time again, when other members had had loved ones kidnapped by pawns of the cartel, seeing the terror on their faces as they assumed the absolute worst.
That was why I hadn’t gotten involved with anyone, not anyone who I gave a damn about at least. I was in a dangerous business and had a lot of enemies looking to take not just me down, but any member of the Rough Jesters.
From the cartel to the feds, everyone was the enemy unless they could prove otherwise.
And if by some chance this was my kid, I was responsible for them both, meaning they would be heading across the border the moment I could confirm her claim.
And if this was my kid, I wanted to see it. “How do you know it’s mine?”
I didn’t even see the punch coming. One minute she was staring at me, her mouth dropped open, the next there was an explosion of pain in my jaw, causing me to stagger back in surprise. “You fucking punched me.”
“Yo
u deserved it,” she said angrily, wincing as she wrapped her hand around her reddened fist.
I growled, closing the distance between us so that I could examine her fist and make sure she hadn’t broken it. Cora made a sound as I took her hand into mine, forcing her fingers to move. “What are you doing?” she asked as I held her hand in place.
“I’m making sure you didn’t break the damn thing,” I answered, my fingers skimming over her soft skin. My cock twitched and I frowned immediately, dropping her hand. “It’s fine.”
“Of course it’s fine,” she mumbled, rubbing her other hand over it. “You’re not the first guy I’ve punched.”
I wanted to ask for more information but held back. I had already pissed her off by insinuating that she fucked around. Moving my jaw gingerly, I found her watching me. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for it to sound like that.”
“Maybe you should watch what you say then,” she said.
I dropped my hand from my jaw. “So? Is the kid mine?”
She regarded me with a glare. “If she is, do you want anything to do with her?”
“Hell yeah,” I said immediately. I wasn’t going to be an absentee father. Wait a minute. “It’s a girl?”
“A beautiful baby girl,” Cora said softly, her expression softening. “With your eyes.”
I frowned, mainly because having a girl was far different than having a boy. A boy could be taught things, like fighting and how to be tough. A girl, however, well. There would be boys to worry about, hormones to deal with.
I didn’t even know what to do with a baby, much less a girl.
Clearing her throat, Cora’s expression turned serious once more. “Will you still help Siren and Voodoo?”
“Why do you ask that?” Hadn’t I been the one tracking them for weeks now?
She gave a half shrug. “Just curious.”
“Listen,” I said, feeling the need to put it all out there. “You were the one that sprang this kid shit on me, not the other way around. If you hadn’t, I still would be looking for those two.”
To my surprise, she just gave me a quick nod. “I will let them know you are interested in working with them. Keep your phone close.”
I wasn’t done yet. “When will I see my kid?”
“When I want you to,” she shot back.
I let her go then, watching as she disappeared around the corner of the crypt and out of sight. I turned and headed back the way I had come, a light mist starting to fall all around me. Well, at least it was progress. Voodoo and Siren were willing to come to the table and let us help them with this resistance work.
Chains would be pleased, but I wasn’t ready to tell him just yet.
My mind was on this supposed baby of mine. Had Cora had any help during her pregnancy? I had seen a few of the Jesters’ wives go through the whole pregnancy bit and it didn’t look like a ton of fun.
Was she staying somewhere safe? Did she have enough money to feed them both?
I chuckled at my own dark thoughts. I didn’t care about what Cora dealt with in her life. Hell, I didn’t even know about her or the kid until a few weeks ago.
Why would I care now? Besides, despite what she said, there was a high probability this was not my kid. Though I didn’t want to think of Cora as some money-grubbing woman looking for a payout, it still could be the case.
Clearly, she didn’t need my help. If she was really working for Siren and Voodoo, I knew they were paying her well for her silence.
I didn’t care about anyone but myself.
Turning the corner, I headed back to the sleazy hotel I had been holed up in, already thinking about my next steps. I would have to go back across the border to lay out the rest of the plan for the Jesters and the Bitches. I had kind of hoped that if I was successful with this plan and it resulted in a subsequent victory for the clubs, they would promote me to the council in some position.
I had remained loyal when others had not. I had stuck by the Jesters’ motto and everything they stood for, helping hunt down the rogues and stopping an uprising against the original club.
How had they rewarded me? By sending me down here, away from the club and the work that continued to go on. Now, I wasn’t bitter about the work. This was extremely important to the club’s future and if we couldn’t get help to snuff out the cartel for good, then there was a good possibility the club would not survive.
Still, I felt like I had paid my dues and should be rewarded as such. I had no other plans for my future, no thoughts to having a family or even someone I was serious about.
Unless this kid turned out to be mine. Then I would have someone to take care of, someone that could be used against me if I stayed with the Jesters.
Well, hell.
Diverting from my path, I pulled open the door of some random hole-in-the wall bar, finding myself in desperate need of a drink. It was dark, dank, and nearly empty; every bit of what I was looking for to match my current mood.
“Señor?”
I looked up at the old Mexican behind the bar, walking over to slide myself onto the barstool. “Tequila.”
“Sí, señor.”
The old drunk at the end of the bar barely acknowledged me and with no one else in the small establishment, I allowed some of the tension to ease from my shoulders. The life I led was a hard one, constantly having to watch my own back when I wasn’t in the realm of the Jesters’ clubhouse. I had scars all over my body from surprise attacks, but I had always held my own in a fight.
I had a lot of practice as a kid from my old man.
The bartender plunked the glass down in front of me, pouring a healthy dose of tequila before setting the bottle in front of me. “Drink, señor.”
“Thanks,” I answered, picking up the glass. Since I had accomplished what I had been sent to do, getting drunk as hell sounded pretty good right about now.
Chapter 5
Cora
I watched as Clayton walked into the bar before I turned around and headed toward another section of town, the rain wetting my skin. I wanted to make sure he didn’t follow me before I headed home. Clayton was dangerous, and now that I had told him that he was the father of my little girl, I wasn’t sure what he would do.
Well, besides not believe me.
I frowned, hurrying down the cracked sidewalk toward the bus stop, where I would take the number five bus to the stop near my apartment. While I had a car, albeit not a great one, I had chosen specifically to be on foot today for this meeting.
And now, I would have to let Voodoo and Siren know the outcome.
The bus stop was empty, so I sat in the covered shelter as I waited for it to arrive, pulling out the cell phone they had given me months ago. There was only one number programmed in the contact list, a number that I knew belonged to a burner cell phone. The moment that I became compromised, they would destroy the phone and move on.
I knew I was disposable, and the thought wasn’t far from my mind every time I performed a task for the resistance. I could die for this cause, leave behind my young daughter and my sister, or even put them in danger if I was caught.
There were moments I had thought about telling Siren I wanted out, especially in the beginning. I was deathly afraid that Red would catch on and then I would be at his mercy. He would no doubt turn me over to the cartel and then my life would become a living hell. There were all kinds of stories of what the cartel did to women.
But the weeks had stretched into months and I had gotten away with every bit of information I had passed on, every moment that I spied on my own boss for the sake of the greater good.
I just hoped it all paid off in the end.
The bus arrived and I climbed on board wearily, settling into the hard plastic seat near the window. I didn’t have to work tonight, which meant I could spend time with Amelia and my sister without having to run off. I had told Emily I had an errand to run, begging her to watch Amelia for a few hours. Being the good aunt she was, Emily hadn’t said no, but
I knew she would have questions once I returned.
I didn’t know if I wanted to tell her I had found Amelia’s father. My sister wasn’t a huge fan of my one-night stand, though she wouldn’t trade her niece for anything in the world now. I hadn’t told her about the meeting between me and Clayton a few weeks ago, not wanting her to tell me again how much that one-night stand had cost me.
She was dying to know what Amelia’s father was like, if he was a local, and I knew if she got a look at the dark biker that had cradled my hand like it was porcelain, Emily would flip out. I hadn’t really had a boyfriend since high school, and he looked nothing like Clayton did.
