“Maybe we can use Hayley—”
“No,” he said harshly.
“Look, Stone. I know you aren’t a fan of dragging Hayley into any of this, but look around you. All of us—including those we love—have been dragged into this. There’s nothing we can do at this point except utilize what’s at our disposal,” Texas said.
“Hayley isn’t at anyone’s disposal,” Stone growled.
“Well, she’s our only link to the detective, and if that man files a missing person’s report, we’re fucking screwed. She has to do something, whether you like it or not,” I said.
Everyone turned and glared at me, but for once? Stone faltered. I knew he heard me, and he knew I was right.
Whether or not he liked it.
“I have been keeping tabs on her father, but his relationship with the police department is wearing thin. I think the idea of his daughter missing, so to speak, is eroding at his ability to work. I really don’t think we’ll have an issue with the police coming after us, because he’s losing his credibility and his sanity, day by day,” Stone said.
“You think we could use his eroding relationship with his own police department to take him out?” Bronx asked.
“We aren’t killing the detective. That’s Hayley’s fucking father,” Stone said.
“Yeah, but he’s also the man that chased us out of town,” Asher said.
“And lied to his own daughter about her mother,” I said.
“Which led to keeping Freya away from her sister,” Bronx said.
“Enough!” Stone roared.
“No, not enough. Look, I know you don’t like that idea. I know you’re trying to preserve everything in Hayley’s world. But sometimes? That isn’t possible,” Texas said.
“You better watch where you step. Because if you’re talking about me betraying the one I love, that doesn’t bode well for what I think you might do to my fucking sister and niece,” Stone hissed.
“I mean, let’s think about it logically. Is it really possible to not take out the detective? Do we even have a choice in the matter?” I asked.
Everyone paused at my question as Stone’s nostrils flared.
“Even if the Chinese stop and Hayley goes back out into the real world, her father isn’t going to stop pursuing us. If anything, he’s already under the assumption we have her and will stop at nothing to take us down. That’s how an obsessive mind works,” I said.
“He’s got a point,” Asher said.
“Whose side are you on anyway?” Stone asked.
“The side that doesn't get us all fucking killed,” Asher said curtly.
The Celtic Riders mumbled in agreement, much to Stone’s dismay.
“My guys have only been out of Terry’s crosshairs because he kept Rose a secret. But now that we’re out in the open? Now that we’re back? It’s only a matter of time before Terry figures it out and comes after us, too. We have just as much of a stake in this fight as you guys do. I knew that coming in, and so did they. But we’re still here. Helping. Awaiting instructions. But I won’t give instructions that will get my men jailed or killed. Are we clear?” Asher asked.
“No, we’re not clear. You’re here under my discretion. I had no obligation whatsoever to call you about your little runaway, rebel daughter. But I did. You’re here because I fed you information you wanted, which means you owe me one. And big time. Bronx, especially, for saving her ass time and time again,” Stone said.
“Don’t you dare drag me into that fight,” Bronx said.
“Why? Because you don’t want to betray the woman allowing you to get your dick wet?” Stone asked.
“That’s my fucking daughter you’re talking about,” Asher growled.
“Yeah, just like you want to protect yours,” Bronx said between gnashed teeth.
And as everyone erupted into an all-out brawl, another church meeting came and went without any answers.
I was getting tired of these fucking things.
10
Maya
For the past three days, I hadn’t been able to get my mind off him. No matter what I did, it wasn’t enough to override him. Every time I closed my eyes, I felt his commanding grip on my hips. I felt his tongue against mine. The searing hot skin of his lips pressed tightly against my own. Never had I felt so beautiful. So virile. So wanted by another man. I wanted to trace his tattoos with my tongue and let him explore all the small crevices my body had to offer.
I never thought a man like him would want a woman like me.
I stood in the mirror in nothing but my bra and panties. I was a B-cup on a good day. Flat as a board, laying down. I had no waist. I was straight, from ankles to shoulders. I hated my body for years. And with the gender neutral clothing I donned on a regular basis, the only thing that gave away my label as “female” was my hair.
The drunk frat assholes that came into my shop to cause mayhem always enjoyed pointing that out.
I never let them get to me, but I also didn’t fool myself. There was nothing about me that stood out from a crowd. No bright blonde hair. No sparkling green eyes. No curves to catch a man’s eye, and I certainly didn’t have a soothing voice. I blended into the background better than anyone I knew, which was imperative for my survival. But that usually meant my sex life suffered in the process.
“Not with Notch,” I murmured.
His promise to me made me shiver, and I’d been on pins and needles. Every time my shop door opened, I wondered if it was him. Coming to fulfill the salacious promise he left me with. I wanted him to. I wanted him to barge in just as I was closing and make love to me in that damn leather chair. I wanted to tug him up the stairs and fall into my apartment with me, marking every wall and surface I had in this barren place with his memory.
I shivered as I put my clothes back on.
I flipped the mirror around and stopped looking at myself. I always hated mirrors. I had my father’s eyes and my mother’s downturned lips. My brother and I had the same color hair and the same jawline from our father. We both had my mother’s high cheekbones and mischievous glint. I hated looking at myself because it reminded me of all I had lost.
My parents to that gang, and soon? My own brother.
I just had to make sure he didn’t take me down with him.
I sighed as images of Notch flashed in my mind. I stumbled backward, falling onto my bed as his tattoos rolled through my mind. I’d gotten a great look at them as I filled in the spaces on his arm. Those geometric patterns made them stand out even more, and I smiled as I recalled them. The pile of dust with a date on it. Probably to symbolize a fire where he had saved a life. The skull and crossbones with another date on it. Probably to symbolize when he brought someone back from the brink of death.
But there was one that didn’t quite fit the rest. One I felt was probably a personal tattoo. It was tattooed in calligraphy and wrapped around just below his right elbow. Right there on his funny bone, which made me shiver simply thinking about.
“I Am A Lost Boy,” I murmured to myself.
I wondered what it meant.
My phone ringing ripped me from my trance and I groaned. Whoever it was that was calling, they could bite me. I leaned up and reached for my cell phone, figuring it was someone calling for downstairs. During my off days, I always had phone calls forwarded from the shop phone to my cell phone so I never missed a potential customer.
I should have checked the number first.
“Siren’s Tattoo Shop, this is Maya,” I said.
“Hey there, sis.”
I gnashed my teeth together at the sound of Harry’s voice.
“What do you want?” I asked.
“I was wondering if you wanted to come over for dinner, thank you very much.”
“No, I don’t.”
“Please?”
I paused. “Did you just say please?”
“Yes, I really did. I really want you to come over for dinner, Maya. I’ll do anything to get you over here.”
Was he serious?
“Say it again,” I said.
“Please, Maya. Come have dinner with me,” Harry said.
He sounded so lost. So destitute.
I remember my father feeling that way the last time I spoke with him on the phone.
“Fine. Okay. I’ll come have dinner with you. Can you shoot me your address?” I asked.
“I just did. Really, Maya. Thank you so much.”
I rolled my eyes and stood up. And as I figured, we weren’t meeting at his house for some family home-cooked meal. We were meeting at a local Chinese restaurant known in the community for its “affiliate” connections. That was the nice word people used. Because “gang ownership” didn’t roll off the tongue as well.
It took me almost thirty minutes to reach the restaurant, but it didn’t take me long to find Harry.
“Maya!” he exclaimed.
I paused when I saw the three massive men who turned their heads toward me. They were all situated in different booths. Like that was somehow supposed to cover up who they were and what their purpose was at that place. I almost turned around and walked out. But I was hungry, the food smelled good, and I had no idea what the fuck my brother had pulled me into.
“I should have never come,” I murmured to myself.
I had to admit, the behemoths did well to blend in. Traditional clothes. Their noses in their menus. Their eyes not focused on us. But I knew they were lookouts. I’d grown up in this lifestyle. Men like that were around all the time when Harry and I were kids. Walking behind us on the way to school. Following us around in cars after we got our driver’s licenses.
I sat down in front of Harry and waved off the menu given to me.
“Not hungry?” he asked.
“What is going on?” I asked.
“Well, I’m trying to have dinner with my sister.”
“That’s not what I mean, and you know it. I’m not stupid, and I’m ready to hear it from your own mouth.”
He glared at me as I leaned back into the chair.
“Maya, just order some food. Let’s have a nice family dinner and—”
“According to what I heard, the last family dinner that happened ended in the slaughter of our parents,” I spat.
“Not now,” he hissed.
“Is that what’s about to happen here? Are these three men in the booths about to pump my body full of lead?”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“I’m not. An idiot. Harry.”
He dabbed at his lips with his napkin before tossing it onto the table.
“Fine, you want an argument. You’ve got one,” Harry said.
“I know what's going on here,” I said.
“You don’t have a damn clue what’s going on,” he said plainly.
“Well, then fill me in. If my assumptions are so gravely wrong, then maybe you can be the man I hope you are and fill in all the wrong angles for me to make them right.”
“No. I won’t. Because it compromises your safety if I do.”
“So, that’s what this is about? Keeping me in the dark while trying to protect me? You saw how well that ended for Mom and Dad.”
“This isn’t about Mom and Dad!” he roared.
“But it really is! Because you took Dad’s place, didn’t you!?”
I stood up quickly, causing the three men to turn and face our conversation.
“You’ve tried for years to pull the wool over my eyes. Telling me you moved to San Diego to try and get away from the ghost of our parents. That you took a job here to be closer to me. A job working as an event manager at a hotel. Do you think I’m an idiot, Harry?” I asked.
“You really should watch your tone,” he hissed.
“I know you’re part of the gang that killed our parents. I know you took Dad’s place in their ranks. It’s the same shit that got them killed, and it’s about to get me killed, isn’t it?”
“Maya, just sit down and—”
“I’m done sitting down!”
“Well, then you need to learn your place if I’m going to keep you alive!” he exclaimed.
I slowly straightened my back as the men stood from their booths.
“No,” I said plainly.
“You’re being stubborn, just like Mom was,” Harry said.
“I don’t give a damn what you think I’m doing. But here’s what I’m doing nonetheless. If you ever come around my shop again—if you ever call me again—it’s done. We’re done. I’ll burn my entire life to the ground making sure you can never find me.”
“I’ll always find you, Maya. Just like I found you over a year ago.”
My blood ran cold as a phone rang off in the distance.
The world spun around my head as I fell back down into my chair. Was it true? Had Harry tracked me down like that? Like a rabid, hunted animal? I swallowed down the bile creeping up the back of my throat. My eyes traveled over to my brother, watching as he held up his finger. He placed his phone to his ear and walked away from the table. And suddenly, I was surrounded by those three men.
Trapped, with nowhere to go.
But, as the fog of my mind cleared, I kept my face in a daze. The only advantage I had was the fact that they thought I was in shock. Incapacitated. And since my brother apparently thought the same thing, I could hear his conversation.
“Yes, boss. The Lost Boys. That’s what they’re called. I’m sure of it.”
I Am A Lost Boy.
And suddenly, something in my brain clicked.
11
Notch
The arguing grew to a dull roar and began aching my head. Holy fuck, I was tired of these asshats arguing like a bunch of damn school girls. It was really getting ridiculous, and I was almost beginning to believe these church meetings were just a way to blow off steam without wanking it in the bathroom. I stormed into the middle of the men and glared at Stone. Texas wrapped his arm around the man and pulled him back, then I turned to Asher. The second the two of them shut up, everyone else followed suit.
“Phone. Now,” I commanded.
I held my hand out and wiggled my fingers, waiting for him to slap it into my palm. And when he didn’t, I got up in his face. I didn’t give a shit what he felt he needed to do or the image he needed to keep. We were all in trouble and we needed answers. Now.
“Either let me see the pictures or pack up and head out and take matters into your own hands,” I glowered.
And with a sigh, Asher handed me his phone.
I walked off into the corner and flipped through things. He was right, too. His phone took nice high-resolution pictures. I flipped through them and zoomed in, taking screenshots of the men’s faces.
“I’m sending myself text messages of these pictures to my phone. Try not to call me for a late-night booty call, yeah?” I asked.
I peeked up at Asher and heard him chuckle.
“Trust me, you wouldn't have anything on my wife,” he said.
My eyes peeked over at Stone before I went back to what I was doing.
“We need someone on the inside to do this. That’s my idea,” Stone said.
“In order to take down something this size, that’s a smart move,” Asher said.
“We got any idea where the hell these guys are comin’ out of? Where they’re getting these guns?” I asked mindlessly.
“Tianjin.”
I didn’t know who the fuck said it, but it stopped me in my tracks. I whipped my head up, scanning the room to figure out who the hell said it. My eyes landed on one of the Celtic Riders. One of the guys that initially did recon.
I narrowed my eyes at him as my muscles tensed.
“Why not Beijing? Where Yung is stationed?” I asked.
“Fuckin’ beats me. What gave you that idea?” Stone asked.
“We saw a couple of the crates stamped with the city name,” one of the guys said.
I scrolled through all the pictures before I came upon the zoomed ones of the cra
tes. I fluttered through them at lightning speed, pinching the photo and inverting the colors to try and get a read on things. Most of the crate pictures weren’t good quality, because they were zoomed in already. I drew in a deep breath, trying to calm myself down.
Then, I came across it. A fantastic picture of a crate a man had in his hands. I zoomed in as far as I could and right there, in thick black lettering with a box around it, was the word “Tianjin.”
“Yep. He’s right,” I said flatly.
I screenshotted it and sent it to myself, then continued with the faces of the other men. We’d have to call in some serious favors to try and identify who they were. But the entire time I rifled through Asher’s pictures, Maya filled my mind. Her face stamped itself across my memory.
Was it possible she was wrapped up in all this?
“Okay, got what I need,” I said.
“Where’s the picture of the crates?” Stone asked.
Asher promptly handed over his phone as I pulled mine out of my pocket. Filtering through all of them and trying to separate them into categories gave me some time to process. Time to settle the screaming voice in my mind. Was it possible Maya was involved in all this? Some sort of spy? I pulled up the website to her tattoo parlor and it was pretty sparse. Not a lot of information, though I did see a copyright date at the bottom of the website. It was established four years ago. And the only employee up on the website was the owner and operator.
Maya. No last name.
It was easy to fake a website. To fake credentials. But I had two sprawling credentials on either of my arms. She was a tattoo artist. Whether she moonlighted as a spy, I didn’t know. But she sure as hell knew what she was doing. Did she work in the U.S. for this gang and was brought in to spy on us?
I mean, it wasn’t like she found me. I found her.
I couldn't get my brain to clear.
Maybe she wasn’t a spy, but was she tied up in all this? From what I knew about her and the violence she mentioned on occasion back in her home city, it was possible. Maybe her parents had been involved with it at one time? Maybe a friend?
Notch: The Lost Boys MC #4 Page 7
