“Done,” Wilder agreed before heading to his bike.
“Jesus, this town is beginning to crawl with scum,” I said, convinced those two were deserving of that label simply because of who they were laughing and joking with.
Scott nodded. “Sure feels like it, brother.”
King sat on his bike looking at Scott expectantly. “Let’s go fuck some shit up, Cole,” he said. “I’ve had about enough of *-footing around; it’s time to get down to business.”
And there was the King we knew. God help Slug when we found him.
* * *
“Jesus fuck,” Nash said, looking at the bloody scene in front of us.
We stood in Slug’s living room, all seven of us silent as we took in his dead body. Or more to the point, his body parts that were strewn across the room.
King whistled and turned to face Scott and me. “I don’t know what the fuck’s going down, but going by this, it’s something you need to figure out fast. I’m gonna put a call into Hyde and get him to start asking questions; see if we know anyone who knows anything.”
“Thanks, man,” I said. Between his VP and our guys, surely someone had to know something.
Anger clouded Scott’s face as he took one last look at the death scene. Then he directed his attention to us, a look of determination on his face now. “Wilder, you check into those guys like we discussed. J, you and Nash follow up on that drug deal Ricky’s talking about. Griff, you and I are gonna spend today visiting every fucking person Slug knew and see what we can find out.” Eyeing King, he said, “And you and Kick can either ride along with us or you can question my boys.” He paused for a moment while a darker look shadowed his face. “And if you figure out who’s been spreading that shit about your club, I want time with them before you do whatever the fuck you’ve got planned.”
King’s lips quirked into a grin. “I like the way you think, Cole.”
I was with King there. We’d been treading carefully with the club for too many weeks now; it was way past time to deal with misplacements of loyalty.
5
Sophia
I sat in my car outside the diner I ate dinner at occasionally, and pulled the rearview mirror down so I could take a good look at my face. After a long day at work, I’d gone to the gym and spent an hour there trying to work some of the stress out of my body. I’d showered afterwards and changed into shorts and a shirt with the intention of going home, but on the way, I’d had a craving for a hamburger.
Looking in the mirror, I decided that tonight perhaps wasn’t the night to eat out. My hair hung half dry after I’d washed it, and my face held no trace of makeup. Some days I had no problem going out without my hair or makeup done, but I wasn’t sure today was one of those days. Not only were my hormones all over the place, but I’d had a run in with one of my work colleagues today, and she’d made me feel little. I fucking hated giving people that power in my life, but some days I struggled not to. And today, I hadn’t won the battle.
Fuck it.
I opened the car door and stepped out. Locking the car, I began walking towards the diner. My tummy growled, eager for a hamburger because, goddamn, they were the bomb at this diner.
Pushing through the front door, I entered and looked for an empty table. As I scanned the room, my heart fell into my stomach when I saw the guy at the back smile at me.
Worst luck today.
I should have just gone home.
My ex-boyfriend, Tommy, sat at one end of the diner smiling at me as if he’d never stuck his dick in any other woman’s vagina before coming home and whispering sweet nothings about growing old with me.
He stood and walked my way, and in my haste to avoid him, I swiftly turned and headed in the other direction.
Shit, there are no empty tables.
The universe is conspiring against me today.
And then I spotted him.
Griff.
He sat by himself at a table near the back and was engrossed with something on his phone so he didn’t see me coming. His head snapped up, though, when I slid into the booth with him, and announced loudly, “Sorry I’m late, handsome. I got caught up at work.”
His eyes widened right before he frowned. I didn’t give him time to speak before leaning across the table and pressing a kiss to his cheek. My hand moved to his cheek once I’d kissed him, and I let it linger there, hoping like hell my ex was taking this all in.
Easing back into my seat, I realised Tommy now stood next to Griff’s table with a look of disbelief on his face. “Sophia,” he said before turning his attention to Griff. “And you are?” His voice held that possessive tone he’d liked to bring out whenever we’d gone out and another man had even so much as looked at me.
What did I ever see in him?
Griff didn’t even skip a beat. “None of your fucking business,” he replied, his eyes hard as he watched Tommy.
Tommy scowled at him and then turned to me. “You’ve stooped so low as to date a biker now?”