Chapter Thirteen
HUNTER
Em’s phone blew up first.
We’d just reached the bike when the first call came through. She dug it out of her purse and frowned down at the number.
“It’s Dad,” she muttered. “I wonder if he has radar that tells him I just did something he’d hate?”
She sent the call to voice mail, laughing up at me like we shared a secret, which I guess we did. But then the cell went off again. This time it was Cookie.
“Shit,” Em swore. “Do you think he called her?”
“Answer,” I told her, feeling uncomfortable. Things had gone way too well this evening—we were due for disaster. She nodded and took the call, and I knew it was bad by the way she gasped and swayed. That was when my own phone went off. Burke.
“Yeah?” I answered.
“We got a serious problem,” he said. “Mason is dead.”
“F*ck,” I said, keeping a close eye on Em. She’d started pacing with short, jerky strides. “I didn’t realize we were quite so close to the end.”
“It wasn’t the cancer that got him,” Burke replied, his voice grim. “Someone shot him execution-style in his own bedroom. His old lady found him. She was out of the house when it happened, thank f*ck.”
“He was alone?” I asked, startled. Mason shouldn’t have been alone, retirement plans or not.
“No,” Burke said. He paused, and my stomach sank, because nothing good happens after pauses like that one. “He had two brothers with him, Tucker and Dob. They think Tucker’s gonna pull through. Dob was DOA.”
“F*ck,” I muttered. I glanced over at Em, who was dialing frantically. Whatever was going on there, it wasn’t good, either. “What do you need from me?”
“Get back to the house and lock everything down,” he said. “We’ve got three more reports of shots fired at different clubhouses, although no more injuries. This wasn’t just a hit. This is a declaration of war.”
“War with who?”
“Reapers or cartel,” he said. Em seemed to be arguing with someone over the phone. So f*ckin’ pretty, I’d take her again right on the spot If I could. Damn. I hoped to hell I wouldn’t have to face off against her dad. “We figure it out, we hit them back hard. Plan on coming down tomorrow like we talked about, but take extra precautions to stay safe.”
“Got it,” I said, hanging up the phone. Em was still talking.
“Dad, I don’t know where Kit is,” she said. “If I knew, I’d tell you. For f*ck’s sake, I realize this isn’t a game. Keep trying to call her and I’ll do the same, sooner or later she’ll have to look at her phone. She wouldn’t make us worry on purpose, but she’s probably busy right now.”
She paused again, giving me a quick look.
“She’s busy having sex, Dad,” she muttered. “No, I’m going home right now. And don’t send someone to get me—I have a ride.”
She fell silent again, and my stomach churned. If the Reapers were behind this, wouldn’t they have gotten her safe before it went down? Picnic wouldn’t risk his girls, I decided. And I couldn’t see them pulling off something this big without him on board.
Had to be the cartel.
“I’m with someone,” Em was saying. “He can give me a ride. Honest, it’s safe. He’ll protect me.”
Her eyes met mine. Then she took a deep breath and answered the question I couldn’t hear but I could sure as shit guess at.
“I’m with Hunter, Dad,” she said. Fire didn’t explode out of the phone, which kind of surprised me. I did hear yelling, and then Em’s face tightened.
“Deal with it,” she snapped. “He’ll keep me safe and give me a ride. But only if you promise the guys at Cookie’s house won’t do anything to him. Otherwise I’ll go to a hotel … I’ll get myself safe, but I won’t tell you where I am. I won’t let you use me to find him or hurt him.”
Something tightened in my chest and I couldn’t breathe for a second. I felt a surge of possessive pride in my girl. I wanted to grab her, kiss her hard, and then f*ck her up against another wall. Or pretty much anywhere else, for that matter—the list of places I’d fantasized about doing her was nearly endless. She gave a frustrated growl, hanging up the phone.
“Things aren’t so good at home,” she said with quiet understatement. “I don’t want to be a hassle, but I think we need to find a hotel room.”
Normally I’d consider that was a great f*ckin’ idea, but tonight was anything but the usual. She needed to be under guard. Much as I hated to admit it, right now the Reapers were her best bet for protection.
“Give me the phone.”
She shook her head.
“Em, give me the f*ckin’ phone,” I growled. “I don’t know what’s happening on your end, but a bunch of my brothers got shot up in the last hour and two of them are dead. I don’t have time to argue with you or find you a goddamned hotel when you should be with your club. I want you safe so I don’t have to worry about you.”
“We lost a brother in Boise tonight,” she said slowly. “Dad wants me locked down. They think it was Jacks, Liam …”
My name on her lips twisted something up inside my chest. Looking back, I think that’s the instant I made my decision. I wasn’t going to give her up. Ever. I’d die first.
“It wasn’t the Jacks,” I told her. We’d have to talk about “us” later. I needed time to think, and I wanted her ass off the street. For once, I agreed with Hayes. “Please, Em. Let me talk to him.”
She shook her head slowly, but she handed over the phone and I hit the callback button.
“Baby, we don’t have time to argue,” Picnic said.
“It’s Hunter.”
Silence.
“What are you doing with my daughter?” he demanded, his voice like ice. He didn’t give anything away, but he had to be scared for his children. Last time we’d talked like this, I’d threatened to kill her. Hell, I completely understood why he hated me after that. Sometimes I hated me, too.
“I’m trying to take her somewhere safe,” I said, my voice steady. Unthreatening, but not showing any weakness, either. “I think the best place—at least for tonight—is with the Reapers, but I need more information. We’ve got two men dead. If that wasn’t you, now would be a good time to tell me. My brothers will want blood.”
More silence. Then he spoke.
“It wasn’t us. We’ve got our own casualties. One dead, two in the ER. Someone took potshots at four clubhouses, including Portland. Care to tell me what you and your brothers were doin’ earlier tonight?”
Your daughter, up against a wall in a dirty alley.
Yeah, probably best not to mention that.
“The Jacks aren’t behind this. It’s the cartel. Has to be. Unless you know another crew we’ve both pissed off? Because someone executed our national president tonight, and fingers are already pointing your direction.”
“F*ck me …” Picnic said slowly. Silence fell between us as we processed the situation. “You playin’ games with me?”
“I wish to hell this was a game,” I said. I reached out and pulled Em into my side, eyes sweeping the street for danger. I wanted her behind walls. “I want to take her home, Pic. Only way that happens is if you give me safe passage. No f*ckin’ way I’m letting her go to a hotel without protection, so if I can’t take her to her people, she’ll be staying with me.”
“She with you voluntarily?”
“Yup,” I replied.
“Shit,” he muttered. Then he sighed. “Daughters are a curse. The other one isn’t even answering her phone … At least Em’s safe right now, although I hate to give you credit for that. Can’t say the same about Kit.”
“We’re in the open here,” I told him, losing patience. “No reason they’d know where I am, but I’m not comfortable just standing on the street. Tell me where to take her.”
“Bring her to Cookie,” Picnic said. “I’ll call Deke, he’ll make sure you get in and back out without trouble.”
About f*ckin’ time.
“Hunter?”
“Yeah?”
“Thank you for protecting her. You get her home safe, I’ll consider it a personal favor.”
I felt a grim smile steal across my face. He wouldn’t thank me if he had any clue what I’d been doing to his baby girl fifteen minutes ago … Or what I had every intention of doing to her again as soon as I got her alone in a room with a bed. Little Emmy had a trip around the world in her future.
I shook my head, trying to clear the mental image. Damn.
“I don’t need your favors,” I told Picnic. “Tell me about Kit. You can’t get hold of her?”
“She’s not answering her phone,” he muttered. “Em says she took off with some guy, but she doesn’t know what he looks like. F*ck, Kit drives me crazy. Odds are good this prick’s got nothin’ to do with our situation, but I’m not gonna breathe easy until we find her.”
“My sister saw the guy,” I said. “Want me to have her call you?”
“I’d appreciate that.”
I hung up and handed the phone back to Em. Her eyes were haunted.
“How’d it go?” she asked. I shrugged.
“Hard to tell. Not as bad as it could’ve—he says it’s safe to take you home, and I believe him. He wants you behind walls more than he wants me dead. Let’s go.”
I swung a leg over my bike and she hopped up behind me. A true child of the MC, she didn’t think twice about climbing on in her little skirt. I kicked the scoot to life and we took off.
EM
Cookie’s small front yard was full of motorcycles. Like, full of motorcycles. Half the Portland brothers must’ve been there, which wasn’t a good sign.
Hunter still insisted on walking me to the door, despite the fact that two prospects stood in the yard eyeing him. In theory this was safe. Dad should’ve called ahead, made sure they knew he was coming … But walking into a Reaper stronghold with a Devil’s Jack felt like tempting fate.
Deke himself opened the door. He and Hunter were about the same height, although Deke’s build was heavier. Seeing them together, I was struck by how similar they were. Not in appearance … No, more in the way they held themselves, casually poised for violence, faces blank. I’d heard rumors about Deke over the years. They said he made people who caused trouble for the club go away. I glanced at Hunter with new eyes, realizing he’d never actually told me what he did for the Jacks.
Did he make people go away, too?
“Thanks for bringing her home,” Deke said, reaching for my arm. Hunter met his gaze, then took my chin and turned my head toward him. He leaned over and kissed me, slow and deliberate.
That kiss had nothing to do with sex. Nope, this was all about marking territory.
Dad’s head was going to explode.
“She’s here because you’ll keep her safe,” Hunter said. “Don’t know if Picnic told you, but we have our own problems tonight. I’m assuming we all got hit by the same crew.”
“Maybe,” Deke said, his eyes cold. “I find out you’re behind this, I won’t kill you fast, boy.”
Holy shit. Deke was scary.
“Night, Em,” Hunter said, ignoring the Portland president’s threat. He leaned forward and whispered in my ear. “I’ll call you later. Might not be right away, but don’t worry.”
Then he turned his back on us and walked back down to his bike. There was something almost cocky about the way he moved. Like he was taunting Deke. The Portland president pulled me into the house, shutting the door behind us. I tried to pass through to the kitchen, but he blocked me.
“Your dad know you’re f*ckin’ the enemy?”
I swallowed, but I held firm.
“I’m an adult, Deke. What I do is my business.”
He crossed his arms and eyed me, something almost like disgust in his face.
“You’re a spoiled brat,” he said bluntly. “You and your sister both. I’ve never given a shit about that because you’re not my kid and you’re not my old lady.”
I gasped.
“Here’s the thing, though,” he continued. “You do anything—anything at all—that puts Cookie and Silvie in danger, I’ll kill you myself. We clear?”
I’d never had anyone talk to me like that. I knew my eyes must be wide and I had no idea what the hell I should say to him.
“Em!” Cookie called, running into the living room. Her face was red, like she’d been crying. She pushed past Deke to catch me in her arms, hugging me tight. “I can’t believe what’s happening. When Picnic called because he couldn’t get hold of you … I was terrified.”
“It’s all right,” I said, watching Deke over her shoulder. His face was still blank. Had I imagined what just happened? “I’m safe now. No word from Kit, though.”
Cookie pulled away.
“Shit,” she muttered. “I hoped she’d be in touch by now. You know anything about the guy she took off with? Your dad is nervous. He’s thinking it might be one of them … whoever they are. The shooters hit a pipe at the clubhouse, flooded the whole place. That’s why the guys are all here tonight.”
“It wasn’t the Devil’s Jacks,” I said firmly, and I believed it. The look of shock on Hunter’s face had been too real.
“We don’t know who it was,” Deke said. “And you don’t need to worry about that right now, anyway. Jumping to conclusions gets people killed. We’ll figure it out and then we’ll take care of business. Em, you keep trying to get hold of your sister, okay? Cookie, you might as well go to bed. Doesn’t matter how much drama we have tonight, Silvie’ll still be up at the crack of dawn and she’ll need her mama.”
“What about work?” Cookie asked him. “I’m supposed to open the shop tomorrow morning. I have a sitter coming over.”
Deke shook his head slowly.
“Either call someone in to cover for you or I’ll have one of the boys put a note on the door.”
Cookie got a funny look on her face.
“I’m a business owner, Deke,” she said. “I can’t just close up for the day.”
“You can tomorrow,” he said. “Until I know what’s goin’ on, you’re staying where it’s safe and I can have my guys watching you.”
Cookie crossed her arms, her face growing wary.
“I’m not an old lady anymore,” she said slowly. “In fact, I’m not attached to the club at all. Just because you guys check in on me doesn’t mean I’m a target. Or I wasn’t, until everyone parked their bikes on my lawn and made this your new headquarters.”
“Listen to me very carefully,” Deke said softly. “You’re one of ours, and you always will be. But I can’t afford to keep too many men on you. That means I need you and Silvie in one place, where I know you’re safe, so I can focus on what needs to be done. Either find someone to cover for you or the shop stays closed. Your call.”
He turned and walked away, leaving both of us staring at him.
“F*cked-up night,” Cookie muttered.
“No shit,” I answered, my voice subdued. “I think I’ll try calling Kit again. You going to do what he says?”
She nodded slowly, her eyes thoughtful.
“For now. They shot Swinger in Boise. He was a friend of Bagger’s, you know. Best man at our wedding.”
I looked over to find her twisting her wedding ring around her finger absently.
“I’m going to bed,” she said suddenly. “But come and get me if you hear from Kit, okay?”
“Okay.”
HUNTER
The ride down to Salem the next morning was f*cking cold. It’d started raining right on the edge of Portland. Not bad. Just enough to make the trip utterly miserable. Some a*shole in a Hummer nearly took out Skid on the freeway, which almost got ugly, seeing as we were both trigger happy and paranoid as hell.
Dickwad came damned close to getting shot.
When we pulled up to the Salem clubhouse, I saw a good fifty bikes parked outside. I’d known officers would be coming, but this was a bigger turnout than I’d expected.
Guess war will do that.
Skid and I backed our bikes into the line. He glanced over at the prospects standing guard, then gestured at me to wait before going in.
“Kelsey says you were with Em last night?” he asked. I bristled.
“I put Kelsey on a plane at six this morning. Picked her up at her place, and she won’t land for another hour. When the f*ck did you talk to her?”
He just looked at me, and I clenched my teeth.
“I knew it,” I muttered. “She deserves better than you.”
“It’s none of your business,” he said.
“What I do with Em is none of your business, either.”
“Different situation. F*ckin’ Kelsey doesn’t put anyone in danger but me, and I’m pretty sure you won’t kill me outright unless I knock her up or something … But this shit with Em hurts the whole club, bro. You need to go in there and tell Burke.”
“Don’t lecture me, a*shole. I know that. Or are you saying I can’t handle myself?”
“So long as you put the club first,” Skid said. “Burke needs us. Remember that.”
“Trust me, I never forget,” I snapped. “And don’t hurt my sister.”
Skid snorted.
“I wouldn’t worry about that if I was you.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“Ask her,” Skid muttered. “Trust me, she’s not the victim here.”
The atmosphere in the clubhouse was darker than I’d ever seen it. Burke sat in the back, talking to several of the chapter presidents. His eyes caught mine as I walked in, and he gestured me over. I realized this was it—decision time.
Might as well get it over with.
“I need a moment, Burke.”
He tilted his head, considering. Then he nodded.
“In my office,” he said. He stood and I followed him down the hallway, wondering how the next ten minutes would play out. You never knew with Burke. He’d been like a father to me … But he’d also taught me to kill.
He couldn’t afford to show mercy, especially not right now.
“Shut the door,” he said, sitting back in his chair. “What is it?”
“It’s Emmy Hayes,” I said, figuring it didn’t make sense to be anything less than direct. “I f*cked her last night and I’m pretty sure I’ll be doing it again in the near future. Hopefully on a regular basis.”
He studied me, eyes cold like a snake’s. Sometimes I wondered why Burke helped me kill Jim all those years ago. At the time I thought he was saving us, that he didn’t like seeing two kids suffer. In retrospect, I wasn’t so sure.
Burke was always ten moves ahead of the rest of us. Had he seen an angry teenager and decided I might suit his purposes some day? The chance to shape a valuable asset for the club? I’d probably never know.
“You with her last night?”
“Yup,” I said, holding his gaze. “That’s why I’m convinced it was the cartel that hit us. I talked to Picnic right after it happened. He had no idea I was with her and no time to put together a story. He played tough, but the man was scared shitless for his kids—scared enough to give me safe passage to take her home. Her dumbass sister was still missing, by the way.”
“Interesting,” he said, betraying nothing. “I know when we started this, you thought keeping her around would work out for you … That was under very specific conditions. Apparently those conditions have changed—you’re obviously emotionally invested—and that’s not so convenient for my plans. How serious are you about this?”
“Pretty serious,” I admitted. “I’m not sure where we’re going, but I won’t give her up without a fight.”
Silence fell between us. I held his eyes steadily, refusing to soften what I’d just said or back down.
“I’ll need you to talk to the others,” he said finally. “Explain your relationship with her, including your plans and how they differ from the original arrangement. I won’t have this used against me. Of course, that kills any hope you have for leadership, at least for now.”
“I understand.”
Yeah, I understood. But it hurt.
“There’s some good that can come of this, though,” Burke said thoughtfully. “I’ll have you talk about Hayes’s reaction, explain why it reinforces the cartel theory. We’ve got hotheads pushing for retaliation against the Reapers. They don’t want to believe the cartel has the reach to pull off an attack like this.”
“So you think it was the cartel?”
“I’m certain of it,” he said, his voice grim. “I’ve met the Reapers’ president, Shade. He’s a good man. This isn’t his style. The others don’t want to accept that, though. They’d rather blame another MC than admit we’re really at war with the cartel.”
I nodded, because he was right. Fighting the Reapers was weirdly safe, almost comfortable in a strange way. We all knew the rules and what to expect from each other.
“Like I said, this pretty much kills any chance you have to go higher in the Jacks,” Burke continued. “So you’ll stay in Portland. At some point I’d like to see a true chapter started there, assuming we can get the Reapers to sign off on it. Deke’s still pretty pissed at us over his niece, and I’m sure the Toke situation didn’t help things. That happens, you’ll have another shot at leadership. Until then, I’ll still expect you to be available for delicate assignments. You’ll have to get a regular job, though. I’ll make sure you still get a bounty when it’s warranted, but the others won’t tolerate a man on payroll who’s sleeping with the enemy. And they’re still the enemy, at least in most minds. We clear?”
I thought about Em and nodded. She was worth the sacrifice—assuming things worked out. Shit … This was happening too fast. Something must have crossed my face, because Burke paused.
“How sure are you of this girl?” he asked.
I considered the question, reluctant to answer. Would’ve been nice to pin Em down, spend a little more time together first …
“Not as sure as I’d like,” I admitted finally. “I mean, we don’t have anything arranged formally, and her dad hates me. All her people do. But she stood up for me last night, so that’s something—even told her father we were together. That means I’ve got a shot, and God hates a coward.”
Burke snorted.
“You’re an idiot,” he said flatly. “Believe it or not, I can understand giving things up for a woman. I really can. But giving away everything for a girl you barely know? I’m saying this as someone who cares about you—you’re a f*ckwit. You’re lucky I need you to convince the others the Reapers aren’t behind this attack. We don’t save this truce, the cartel’s already won.”
“Hope they listen,” I murmured.
“Won’t hurt that you’re throwing everything away to tell them,” Burke said offhandedly. “Of course, your judgment is obviously f*cked, so it balances out.”
I shrugged.
“Can I ask a question?” I said. Burke was the closest thing I had to a father, but I was all too aware that I didn’t really know him at all.
“You can ask,” he said.
“If it wasn’t for what happened last night—if you didn’t need me to convince the club it wasn’t the Reapers—would you still let me have her?”
Burke laughed, but there wasn’t any humor in his voice.
“Romeo and Juliet died, son. Consider that all the answer you need.”