by Blair Grey
No, it had to be one of the other members. The guys that were only sometimes involved with the MC’s plots. Whoever it was, though, I secretly hoped that Grant would go visit him in the hospital again. I’d love to be the one who figured out who was in there. I only wished Ryan’s phone call hadn’t kept me from following the man into the hospital before.
“The surveillance is doing well, and we’re learning a lot of information about how the club operates and how they recruit new members and new business,” Ryan continued. “And Holly is making progress with one of the members that I hope will get us some information on how best to proceed with our takedown actions. But for now, I really want to know who is in the hospital. Any information could help us.”
“You don’t think it’s Ray, do you?” one of the guys piped up. “We haven’t seen him going in or out of his house since we started surveillance there.”
Ryan shook his head. “As far as my sources have heard, at the moment, he’s out of the state on some sort of business. Of course, I don’t have anyone on the inside, but I do have people who keep track of the club’s movements. He’s got a son down in Florida. It’s possible that he’s headed out there for a visit. He’s always kept clear of the area when we ramp up surveillance.”
He looked around at everyone and continued. “I know we don’t have much information yet, but I want to stress again how valuable everything you have been able to tell me is. We’re one step closer every day to taking these fuckers down. It’s only a matter of time before we put them in their place. In jail, hopefully.”
He brought the meeting to a close, thanking everyone again and telling us all to keep up the good work. I lingered while everyone else cleared out of there. “Something on your mind, York?” Ryan asked.
I shrugged, feeling embarrassed. But there was something that I needed to ask. “Are you sure that Red Eyes are the ones that we should be keeping an eye on?” I asked.
“What do you mean?” Ryan asked, narrowing his eyes suspiciously at me.
I held up both my hands. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m not trying to get out of my job or anything. I’m just saying that from what I’ve seen from Grant, these guys don’t seem so terrible. I know they’re stealing money from the local businesses, but it seems like Las Cruces has bigger issues to worry about. We haven’t found anything that links Red Eyes with the drug trade. There could be some other kingpin out there that we’re missing because we’ve got all our manpower focused on this motorcycle club.”
Ryan stared at me for a long moment, his expression somewhere between incredulous and exasperated. “York, I wouldn’t think that I would need to spell this out for you, but these people are the worst of the worst. What you’re seeing from Grant is different. Guy’s a fucking pansy. That’s why I’m hoping that you can weasel your way in with him. But the other guys in the club are stone-cold murderers. And Grant isn’t all that different in his heart. There’s a reason he’s running with them.”
“Do we have any proof of that? That they’re murderers?” I asked. I didn’t mean to challenge him. The words just spilled out of my mouth before I could stop them, but to be honest, I didn’t regret it. I was starting to wonder if Ryan’s obsession with the club was a little clouded. If maybe he wasn’t going after them for the right reasons.
Ryan’s face practically purpled at my accusation. “York, I’m sure that I don’t need to remind you that insubordination could impact your ability to continue working on this task force,” he said, his tone clipped. “If you’re starting to feel like you aren’t fit for the position that’s been assigned to you, you need to let me know so that I can find someone else who’s willing to put in the effort to get these criminals off the streets.”
I ducked my head, suitably chastised. He and I might not see eye to eye on this issue, but I hadn’t expected him to basically threaten to fire me over something like that. I wasn’t willing to throw away my whole career on my first big undercover assignment. Especially since even though it was pretty clear to me that Grant wasn’t a terrible guy, that by no means made him innocent either. I just plain didn’t know what sorts of things he might really be involved with.
I needed to get closer to him. I’d been saying that for days, but it was time for me to put actions to my words. After this little back-and-forth, Ryan would be even more persistent about pressuring me for more information about Grant. And if I didn’t have anything to tell him, he might start to wonder if I was really trying at all.
Sure enough, Ryan was still frowning at me. “Is there some sort of problem with your assignment, York?” he asked.
I quickly shook my head. “No, no problems,” I told him. But inside, I was squirming. It had been days since I had talked to Grant, and I was starting to worry that he really wasn’t going to call me back.
I needed to go by the diner, I decided. That was the only place that I could think of that I could run into him without making it too obvious that I had been trying to run into him. I didn’t know exactly what I’d say when I saw him. Maybe I needed to apologize for the direction that the other night’s conversation had gone, but what if it wasn’t that at all? What if he just wasn’t interested in me?
I had to believe that he was interested, though. Why else would he have agreed to walk me to the library, given me his phone number, and agreed to go out for drinks with me? No, I must have done something wrong, and now I needed to make it right.
“Keep me posted,” Ryan said shortly before stalking out of the room, leaving me in there on my own.
I sighed, deflating a little. It felt like I had just failed my first test. And I hated that feeling. I hated that this was the way that things were going for me on the police force. This had been my dream for as long as I could remember, but what if I just simply couldn’t hack it? What if I wasn’t cut out for this?
What was worse, there was no one on the police force that I felt like I could really talk to about this assignment. Ryan clearly only wanted to hear about whatever information I could learn about Red Eyes. And the other guys all had their own assignments to worry about. Besides, someone like Bill would never have had an assignment like mine. He would never have been tasked with seducing his target.
I felt my blood start to boil. What a ridiculous assignment to begin with. I hadn’t been on board with it, not even at the start, but Ryan had basically blackmailed me into accepting it. Otherwise, I was never going to get undercover work. But that wasn’t fair. That shouldn’t be the way that this business worked. It definitely rubbed me the wrong way.
Could Vera possibly be right? Maybe I should find a different line of work. There were plenty of people who went through the police force and then turned to law or something else, but I wasn’t ready to give up just yet. The more I thought about it, the more determined I became to show Ryan that I could handle this. That I could get the inside scoop, and that I could get whatever information he wanted about Red Eyes. Starting with finding out which of the members was in the hospital and why Grant and Cameron felt the need to go there and visit whoever it was; I doubted that was just a social call. They had both looked too serious outside of the hospital afterward. There had to be something more to it.
I needed to start by getting back into Grant’s good graces. Maybe play the clueless newbie card again. He had seemed to respond to that. Maybe I could get him to show me around Las Cruces or something? He seemed like the kind of guy who couldn’t resist a damsel in distress. If I could get closer to Grant, maybe I would learn something about him that I didn’t want to know.
Maybe I would find out what a heartless criminal he really was.
I had to hope so. I didn’t like the idea of taking down an innocent man, even if it helped secure my place on the police force for the rest of my career. Even if I managed to make a name for myself, that wasn’t why I had joined the force.
13
Grant
On Wednesday, I went to the diner to have lunch on my own. I was still thinking to
o hard about the Ray situation. About the idea of becoming the next leader of the MC. It was starting to stress me out just thinking about it. Even though I hoped that Ray was going to be fine and that I wouldn’t have to worry about it for a long time.
I was starting to realize, more and more, that I couldn’t picture a future for myself in the MC. That I wasn’t meant to be part of Red Eyes for the rest of my life. But I didn’t know how to tell that to anyone else.
I actually considered talking to Braxton about it. I knew that he was slowly warming up to me, but I also knew that when he had first started training me, he had been sure that I shouldn’t have been part of the club. That I was too much of a pussy to ever amount to much. Even though he had warmed up to me since then, I had a feeling that if I told him that I needed to get out of the club, he wouldn’t be surprised at all.
The trouble was, I was still hiding Ray’s illness from Braxton, and I felt guilty about that. What if Braxton could tell that there was something I wasn’t telling him? The man had ways of getting people to talk, and I wouldn’t put it past him to use some of his most dangerous moves on me.
Besides, I didn’t want my brothers to feel like I was turning my back on them. I just didn’t have the mettle that I needed to remain in the club. But with recruits who still needed training, I was definitely still a much-needed asset for the club. I couldn’t leave that behind.
I knew I was going to the diner a little too frequently lately, that it was starting to become a habit. But I couldn’t help wanting that little bit of peace and quiet. Even though the rest of the guys knew they could find me here, they respected that this was my place. They didn’t bother me here. I could have lunch by myself and try to forget about everything to do with the MC.
When I got to the diner, though, I paused on my way to my normal booth by the windows. There in the back was Holly. She was sitting by herself, a cup of coffee nestled in between her hands, her gaze turned inward. She looked like she was struggling with something.
I had walked out of drinks with her because I knew that I couldn’t get involved with her, but she looked like she definitely could use a friend, and I could honestly use one as well.
I headed over toward her, leaning against the edge of the booth and folding my arms across my chest. “Are you following me?” I asked jokingly. “How do you seem to keep ending up here at the same time as me?”
Holly jolted, looking guiltily up at me. “Uh, Grant. Hi. Sorry?”
“I didn’t mean to scare you,” I said, genuinely feeling bad about the way that she had jumped. “I thought you would have seen me walk up. But you looked like you were pretty lost in thought.”
“Yeah.” Holly sighed, running a hand back through her hair. “It’s just been a rough day, I guess.”
“A fight with your sister?” I guessed because that was the only thing I could think of that would have her looking so morose.
Holly looked surprised and then shook her head. “Nah,” she said, but she didn’t elaborate further. Instead, she cocked her head to the side. “Are you here for lunch?”
“Yeah,” I said. “Are you here alone? Did you want some company?”
“I’d love that,” Holly said, looking relieved as I dropped into the seat across from her. “With the way that you ran out of there the other night, I thought you must be mad at me or something. Or maybe just not interested?”
I raised an eyebrow at her. “Now you’re just fishing for compliments,” I teased. Because honestly, how could I not be interested? Even today, dressed in a simple blue shirt with her hair pulled back into a messy ponytail, she looked adorably attractive.
“I can’t help it,” Holly said, then laughed. “You’re the first friend I made in this town, and I sent you running within an hour of getting drinks with you. That must be some kind of record.” She shook her head. “People are just so different here than in Montana. I don’t even know how to act.”
“Having a hard time with the adjustment?” I asked sympathetically.
“I guess,” Holly sighed. “I wish that I could say that I wasn’t. I don’t feel like I should be. I mean, it’s not like I moved to another country or anything. It’s just a different state. But somehow, everything feels so different here.”
“I get that,” I said.
“Oh yeah?” Holly said. “I thought you were from around here.”
“I am. Born and raised,” I told her. I shrugged. “So maybe I don’t get it. I’ve never moved states. But I guess I can imagine all the things I would miss if I moved away from here.”
The MC, for one. Even though I wasn’t sure that I wanted to be a part of the club for the rest of my life, I also didn’t want to leave it behind entirely. There was no way that I could ever become the next leader after Ray stepped down, but maybe I could be an auxiliary member, only there if they needed me.
I just hoped that they wouldn’t ever need me.
“What do you miss most about Montana?” I asked. Even though I was sure it would be hard for her to talk about that, at the same time, I wanted to know more about her. And I definitely didn’t want to keep thinking about my own stress. Maybe it was selfish to ask her to tell me about Montana when I knew it might upset her, but I needed a distraction.
“Fishing,” Holly said immediately, without spending even a moment thinking about it. She shook her head. “Montana’s just beautiful. Gorgeous, really. And I know it’s beautiful down here as well, but it’s just different. I had this place that I'd go to in Montana, up in the mountains, and the scenery was just breathtaking. And the fish were always biting. You could take a canoe out on the lake and spend the whole day drinking in the surroundings. You felt small, you know? Like there was a great big world out there, and you were lucky enough to be a part of it.”
She laughed, looking embarrassed. “Sorry, I’m babbling. I just miss it.”
I shook my head. “Don’t apologize,” I told her. But in my head, I was already formulating a plan, even before she said her next words.
“It’s just so dry around here. I can’t help thinking that it’s all so dead looking. Dusty and dirty. I knew that it was going to be dry before I moved down here, but I didn’t really realize how that would affect me. I thought I’d appreciate having a little more sun and warmth in my life. But I don’t know.”
“Put your fork down,” I said, getting up.
Holly gave me a startled look. “But—”
“No,” I interrupted. “Come on, put your fork down.” I grinned crookedly at her. “Trust me.”
“Okay,” Holly said, shaking her head with a grin on her face. “What are you planning?”
“It’s a surprise,” I told her, taking her hand and leading her toward the door.
“Wait.” Holly giggled. “I still have to pay my bill.”
I rolled my eyes fondly at her and tossed some money on the table. “That should cover it,” I said. “Now come on.” We went out the front door, and I led her over to my motorcycle, pulling the second helmet out. “You’re going to need this.”
Holly’s eyes widened. “I don’t know,” she said.
“You don’t strike me as the kind of girl to be scared of riding a motorcycle,” I said.
“I’m not!” Holly said, and I could hear a touch of indignation to her voice.
I laughed. “Then come on!” I told her, swinging atop the motorcycle and waiting for her to swing on behind me. She put her hands on my waist, and I could tell how uncertain she was, but when I looked back, she was grinning eagerly. Oh, she was game.
She was the first woman I’d ever had on the back of my bike, but it felt right. And besides, this was the quickest way to get her to the place I wanted to show her. I kicked the bike into gear, and we roared out of town, following the dusty highway for a little while before turning off onto a smaller road. It was about a forty-five-minute drive, and I hoped that was okay with her. But she didn’t seem like she wanted to complain about it.
Gradually, her arms
relaxed around me, and I could tell that she was actually just enjoying the ride. I tried to remember how I had felt my first time on a motorbike. The wind in my hair, that power thrumming between my legs. It was a heady feeling.
“Where even are we?” Holly asked as I finally pulled into the parking lot and shut off the bike.
“You’ll see,” I told her. “Come on.”
“You didn’t bring me out here to murder me, did you?” Holly asked jokingly.
I laughed. “No, I didn’t bring you out here to murder you,” I told her. “What happened to trusting me?” I led her up the short path through the brush to a place overlooking the entire town.
“Oh wow,” Holly said as she emerged beside me. I had been here dozens of times before, but I tried to look at it through new eyes. We were up on a bluff above Las Cruces, with what seemed to be the entire state spread out in front of us.
“I know you think it’s dry here. And it is,” I told her. “But I guess I just wanted to show you that this can be beautiful as well. Different, but beautiful.” Now that I said it in so many words, it seemed kind of silly. I didn’t know what I’d been thinking, bringing her here. I was sure that this didn’t even come close to comparing to how things were in Montana.
Holly grinned as she shook her head, though. “This is incredible,” she said. She must have seen my look of disbelief because she laughed. “No really. Like I said, I’m from up in the mountains in Montana, and there, you never get views quite like this. All the way out to the horizon. There’s always another stinking mountain in the way.”
I chuckled. “Well, maybe you should give Las Cruces more of a chance then. I know it’s different, and I doubt that it’s incredible compared to where you’re from. But there’s some extraordinary places around here. Places that no guidebook is ever going to tell you about.”
Holly raised an eyebrow at me. “Places that you’re going to take me to?” she asked hopefully.
