by Jade Kuzma
“Of course, you would remember something like that.”
“Don’t act like I wasn’t the best whoever did it to you, Summer…”
I looked away from him and sighed, not wanting to indulge him even though it was the truth. Another bite of my burger was enough to distract me from his pompous attitude.
“It’s good to see some things haven’t changed though,” I said. “Every place in Ivory is some mom and pop shop. They’ve got places like this in the city but they’re a lot harder to find.”
“Maybe you should think about sticking around in Ivory.”
“Not likely. I’m doing just fine in the city.”
“And what is it you do exactly?”
“I got my masters. Now I’m teaching economics courses at the local community college. I don’t make a lot of money. It’s nothing fancy. But it’s a good, honest living. I’m helping a lot of kids who can’t go to university.”
“College professor. You were always talking about doing that back then.”
“You remember that, huh?”
“Why would I forget something like that? I don’t know if you noticed but we don’t exactly get too many college graduates in the Bone Pit.”
“And how about you, Theo? What have you been up to?”
“You know me. Still riding with the MC and working at the clubhouse.”
“Nothing’s changed, huh?”
“Wouldn’t change anything for the world. My life in Ivory is just perfect.” He made it a point to stare at me when he said it. Considering how I left him all those years ago, I knew there was something behind the way he looked at me. But I didn’t care enough to push him on it.
Even though the restaurant was busy, the silence between enough wasn’t enough to distract me from what was on my mind.
“Your daughter… Sage… You said she was three-years-old.”
“That’s right.”
“You married to the father? Roger or whatever his name was—”
“You remember what his name was. And no, I wasn’t married to Roger. There was no need for us to get tied-down. Sage had a good home. We provided her with everything she needed.”
“Apparently not. Roger wouldn’t be going around behind your back and dealing with someone shady like Moore if—”
“Look.” I cut him off. “I’m not interested in you trying to analyze my relationship. Our relationship is over. Roger is dead. The only thing I care about right now is Sage. Everything else is the past and I’m gonna leave it there. You got it?”
He paused for a moment before that confident smirk of his formed on his lips. “All right…”
“I don’t know anything more about Moore than you do.”
“Has he contacted you since you got the message the other night?”
“No. The police say he should be getting in touch with me soon to ask for the ransom again. He’s probably giving me time to put all the money together. Money I don’t have…”
“This asshole isn’t getting a dime. I’ll make sure of that, Summer.”
For all of his cockiness, Theo’s confidence was infectious. After all these years, being around him made me feel more comfortable since the last time I was with him.
I put my head down and took another bite of my hamburger. I could feel his stare on me the entire time. But when I shifted my eyes back up, I saw that he wasn’t looking at me.
“Summer.” His gaze was focused over my shoulder as he looked out the window. “Don’t look.”
“What?”
“Don’t look. Just listen to me.”
“What the hell are you talking about—”
“…Shit.”
“Theo? What—”
“Someone’s following you.”
“What? Are you sure?”
“Black truck. It was behind us as soon as we left the clubhouse. Now it’s parked across the street. Whoever’s inside hasn’t gotten out. Were you checking behind you when you came down from the city?”
“Why would I do something like that? I was in a cab and it’s miles away.”
“All the reason for you to let your guard down.”
Crap.
Theo was usually so sure of himself but when he got serious, there was no getting rid of it until he did what he needed to do. And right now, his eyes were locked on whatever truck was parked behind me that I couldn’t even see.
“What the hell am I supposed to do?” I muttered to myself.
Theo reached into his pocket and pulled out a clip of money. “I’ll handle this. Stay where you are.”
“Theo—”
“Just stay.” He popped up out of his seat and headed to the cashier to pay his bill. After that, he turned around and headed outside. Sure enough, there was a black truck parked on the other side of the street.
I can’t just stay here.
Against my better judgment, I followed him outside. He was just to the other side of the street when black truck’s engine rumbled. It sped off down the road and weaved through the traffic.
“Shit!” He quickly hopped onto his ride.
“Wait!” I didn’t give him a chance to refuse me as I jumped on the seat behind him.
“Summer! What the fuck did I tell you about—”
“I’m not gonna let you chase this asshole down by yourself. Whoever’s in that truck knows where my daughter is.”
He gritted his teeth and grumbled but knew he couldn’t refuse me.
“Go!” I shouted. Theo revved his engine and we took off. We moved through the streets until the black truck was back in our sights. The truck had no regard for all of the cars moving back and forth or the red lights. Neither did Theo. He burned rubber like he didn’t care who was behind us.
Of course, that just made it easier to get the attention of Ivory PD. The familiar sound of sirens filled my ears, bringing back memories of what it was like to be with Theo all those years ago. But that didn’t stop the truck. And that didn’t stop Theo.
The truck was fast but couldn’t match the speed of our ride. With the police in tow, Theo pulled his piece out and aimed right at the truck. My arms wrapped around him, my whole body bucked from the shot he took. He caught one of the back wheels and tore the rubber into pieces. Sparks flew as the truck spun out of control. It came to an immediate stop when it crashed into a lamppost.
Theo pulled right next to it and hopped off his ride. He forced the door open and pulled out the driver with both hands. The man was in a daze, blood streaking from the top of his head.
“Who the fuck are you?” Theo slammed him to the ground and clocked him with a punch against his temple. If the man wasn’t out already, he was out now.
“Freeze! Put your hands up!” One punch was all Theo could get off before the cops interrupted him.
He followed their orders and they put him in cuffs. I watched helplessly as they threw him in the back of their police cruiser. I hadn’t even been back with Theo for an hour and he was already bringing back the wrong kind of memories.
“Just like old times,” I sighed.
I guess I was asking for this when I came back to Ivory.
Chapter 7
THEO
The wrinkles and liver spots. The hair that was just a few wisps at this point. The belly that seemed to be extending past his beltline with every passing day. Sheriff Sutton was an old, old, old, old man. There were jokes that he was around in Ivory before they’d even planted the first tree to found the town. With how old and weary he looked, I believed it.
Despite his age, he was as proud as any man you’d ever meet. He wore his badge like it was a privilege. I wasn’t a fan of the cops in this town but at least they were honest. They did their part to keep the streets of Ivory safe.
Right now though, I could’ve done without him trying so hard to do his job. My forehead pressed against the bars of my cell, I looked down at the bruise on my knuckles.
“Theodore Miller… It’s been a long time.”
“It
has, hasn’t it?” My eyes still locked on my hand, I laughed because I could feel his eyes on me from the other side of the bars.
“It’s been a bit since I’ve had to lock up a Reaper or a Cobra. I guess it was stupid of me to think you two clubs would be on your best behavior.”
“Can’t say much about the weepers but the Cobras are always are on their best behavior. You know that.”
“And I suppose discharging your weapon and causing an accident on public property is something you consider good behavior.”
“The guy in that truck was an asshole. You can’t blame an innocent Ivory civilian for trying to stick up for his town now, can you?” I shifted my eyes toward the old man. He crossed his arms as he stared at me. He might’ve been trying to play the part of stern parent but even being behind bars wasn’t enough to intimidate me. “I’ve got some business to take care of.”
“You sure do. Someone’s here to see you.”
“Who? Summer? That asshole I was chasing?”
“No. Someone else. Frankly, he’s the only reason I’m not considering locking you up for longer.” Sheriff Sutton disappeared down the hall of the police station. A few seconds later, I watched as some guy in a suit made his way in front of me. He stood in front of the bars, his hands on his waist to make sure I could see the badge on his hip. He was young-looking. Then again, everybody looked young after you’ve been staring at Sheriff Sutton long enough.
“Theodore Miller.”
“Sutton told you my name,” I sighed. “And I wanted to keep it a secret.”
“Seems like you’re not very good at keeping secrets. What business do you have with Summer Humphrey?”
I raised an eyebrow at the suit. “What business do you have with Summer?”
“Detective Bradford. I’ve been assigned her case.”
“Is that right? Do you know she’s being followed?”
“How much do you know?”
“I know enough to know you aren’t doing a very good job with tracking down Moore.”
He leaned in closer to me like he wanted to make sure nobody else heard even though there was nobody else in the detention area.
“I told Summer the man she’s looking for is in Ivory,” he said.
“And you thought it was a good idea to let a woman get involved with a guy who’s capable of anything?”
“She’s already involved. We’ve got eyes and ears in Ivory. We’re trying to get a fix on Moore. I told Summer because she has every right to know what’s going on in the investigation.”
“Right… And was letting her get followed part of the investigation?”
“Moore won’t try anything. Summer’s daughter isn’t in danger. Anything happens to her, Moore won’t get his ransom.”
Bradford kept staring at me from across the bars. “And you’re willing to just put Summer in danger as long as you can get your man. You know, if I wasn’t in this cell right now, I’d wring your fucking neck—”
“I’m trying to get to the bottom of this, same as you and her. You going on some high-speed chase in the middle of Ivory just put Moore on notice. Now he knows Summer isn’t alone.”
“Well… I’ve got an idea. How about you go after Moore and take him down before he can try anything with Summer? I guess it’s too much to ask you to do your job though.”
“I would do my job if you let me. Now I won’t get the chance.”
“What are you talking about?”
“That guy you chased. He already had a concussion when he crashed. You had to go and sock him on the side of the head. Now he’s in ICU. Can’t get a man to talk when he’s unconscious.”
“Shit…” I sighed and leaned back away from the bars.
“Do me a favor, Miller. I don’t know why Summer came to you. But the police will handle this. Worse-case scenario, Moore asks for the ransom and we give her the money to pay for it. We get her daughter back and we take him down.”
“Let me ask you something, Bradford. What’s more important? Getting the girl back or making sure you put this asshole away?”
“…Both.”
I moved closer to the bars and leaned up against them. I made it a point to look him right in the eye. “Let me make one thing clear to you. Summer is a good person. I don’t know what the fuck happened with the father of her kid. I don’t know anything that happened up in the city. But I know she doesn’t deserve any of this. If anything happens to her or her daughter, I’ll be looking at somebody to blame. Even a man with a badge.”
“Maybe you should look in a mirror and remind yourself what you just said.”
It was silent in the detention center. He stared at me, his eyes unblinking like he was trying to intimidate me. But after a few seconds, he straightened his tie and left. I sighed and moved back toward my uncomfortable bed. I was only staring up at the ceiling for a moment when Sutton walked back in.
“What’s going on?” I said.
Sutton unlocked my cage and pushed the bars away. “You’re free to go. Normally, a stunt like that would cost you a few months.”
“Bradford?”
“At the request of one Summer Humphrey. Just like old times.”
“Yeah…” I got up from the bed and smiled at the old sheriff. He gave me a nod, which was just enough to let me know he understood I was trying to do the right thing.
I walked through the police station and avoided the eyeballs of all the cops around me. There was something about being a club member walking through a place like this that drew more attention than usual. Never really gave a shit either way.
As soon as I got outside, Summer was standing next to the entrance, her head down and her eyes focused on her phone.
“Summer…”
She turned her head up and let out a deep sigh of relief. “That was stupid.” She shook her head at me the only way she could.
“That asshole was following you. If that wasn’t Moore, Moore sent him.”
“I guess we won’t find that out until he wakes up. You didn’t have to be so reckless.”
“And what was I supposed to do? Wait for Bradford to come swooping in? If that guy found out he was being trailed, he would’ve disappeared. I had to take the chance, Summer.”
“Of course you did. That’s just how you do things…” She turned her head back to me, shaking her head again like she couldn’t get over what just happened.
Shit.
There was something about seeing how worried she was that brought back memories. The wrong kind of memories. I walked up to her and put my hands on her shoulders.
“I put that punk in the hospital and he’s not gonna give us answers,” I said. “But now we know Moore is in Ivory. And if he’s in Ivory, that means I can find him. The whole MC is looking into this. We’ll get him, Summer. I promise—”
Just then, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out and read the number.
“Who is it?” she asked.
“It’s Doc…” I put the phone to my ear. “What’s up?”
“Heard about you getting involved with a little street race. You all right?”
“Fine. You know Ash and Smoke keep my ride in tip-top shape.”
“Sutton?”
“He knows Cobras don’t do things out in public without a good reason. It’s all good.”
“How fast can you get back to the clubhouse?”
“I can head there right now. You got something for me?”
“Yeah. I think I got a lead on Moore.”
Chapter 8
THEO
I sat in the meeting room with Rex and Jordan. Doc had all of our attention as he started talking.
“I headed to the Eastside. Figure I’d talk to some of the dealers in the area. Nobody’s big-time but they’ve got clout. Your little dust-up with the cops wasn’t exactly quiet. They heard about what happened and word got out. They’re looking for Cobras.”
We all stared at one another. I wouldn’t have believed it if it wasn’t Doc tell
ing me. “You talked to some dealers and they told you someone was looking for us?” I shook my head. “Sounds like a trap.”
“I figured the same thing. But right when I was heading back to the clubhouse, noticed some asshole in a sedan tailing me. Made it so obvious I had to see him. I pulled over to see what he wanted. Busy street, so I didn’t have to worry about him trying anything. Typical meathead. Some ex-con for hire. Nobody we’d have any trouble with. Told me his boss wants to have a meeting. More specifically, he wants to have a meeting with you.” Doc pointed right at me. “Gave me an address and a time. An hour from now. Told me not to get the cops involved.”
“That goes without saying…”
“Let me get this straight,” Rex said. “You head to the Eastside to talk to some dealers and they tell you someone’s looking for Cobras. Then you get tailed.”
“Like I said, Teddy pulled out his piece in broad daylight. Everybody heard that shit. Figured they gave me the message because I was the first Cobra they spotted.”
“This sounds like a fucking trap.”
“No shit it’s a trap,” Jordan said. “Teddy here gets tailed and puts a man in the hospital. Then Doc gets notified and tailed right after. Shit ain’t no coincidence.”
“You think it’s Moore?”
“No idea,” I said. “Don’t know who it is. Don’t know what he’s up to. But that guy was following Summer, that’s for damn sure. I say I head to this meeting and settle this shit right now. Get her daughter back and put this motherfucker in the dirt.”
“All right,” Jordan said. “Ash and Smoke are busy. Micah’s busy taking care of his lady. We’ll head out right now—”
“Nah. This is our only lead but it’s still suspect. Summer’s problem is my business. I’ll handle this myself. No point in risking the rest of you.”
“Shut the fuck up with that tough-guy shit.” Rex rolled his eyes at me. “I got your back. Pres and the old man can stay behind.”
Doc and Jordan nodded in agreement. Even if Rex was the only man heading with me to the impromptu meet-up, he was more than enough.
