“Whatever. Do you have your computer there?”
“Yeah.” I juggle the phone with my shoulder, trying to hold the laptop still enough to type. The phone falls as a result. I pick it back up, putting it on speakerphone and setting it on the sink. “You’re on speaker so, for the love of God, speak quietly.”
“You sure are awful concerned with some bitch you just met, hermano,” Skull counters, his voice tense.
“I don’t want to upset her until I get her home behind our walls. You don’t know her like I do, Skull. She’s a runner.”
“Just how well do you know her, Torch? Been using your polla to keep her in line so she doesn’t know we’re using her as bait?” Skull asks.
His words make me sick. We’re no better than Katie’s dad, put like that. Sure, I’m doing it to protect her, but still I’m using her to get Beth. That’s what it comes down to, even if I care for her. No, that’s not right. I love her. She’s the first woman I’ve met who makes me glad to have her around, who makes me smile, laugh, scream… She’s it for me, and I have no idea how I’m going to make all of this right. I just know I need to.
“Boss, just give me the coordinates,” I say, getting upset, more with myself than him. I don’t know how I got in this situation.
He rattles off the coordinates that Diesel’s crew gave him. It’s supposed to lead to a piece of property that Colin’s been using. He wants me to tap into the street cameras that the city put up. The property is on the Tennessee state line. It takes some hacking, but not a lot. I get it up on the computer. It looks like an abandoned business that has the gates closed and padlocked. You can’t really see in, but there are armed guards at the entrances.
“They’re definitely up to something, boss. I can run the feed through the system there,” I tell him. “It might be worth having some men go check it out. Katie and I are about two hours away from the club. I can go later this evening,” I offer, not wanting to, but I know I need to help bring an end to this shit. I need it behind us, not only for the club, but I want to keep convincing Katie of our future. I can’t do that as long as there’s more crap from the Donahues coming at us.”
“No,” Skull says as I finish setting the feed up so it will transmit into Skull’s office. “You need to keep playing Beth’s sister. You’re doing good there. She’s letting her guard down with you. I could tell while you were letting me listen in last night. Keep working her, do whatever you have to do. I want Beth found and back here. I could tell last night when you let me listen in that Katie was close to telling you where Beth was. A few more nudges by you, and she’ll cave.”
His words burn me from the inside. Jesus, fuck. Is that what I’ve been doing? I wanted to help Skull, but I thought by letting him listen to Katie talk, he could see what I see: that she loves her sister, that her and Beth aren’t doing things to hurt Skull, that they’ve been abused and used by their family for so fucking long that they just don’t trust anyone…
“Boss, it’s not like that,” I start, but that’s when I hear the door slam. Katie’s not only up, but she’s heard this shit. “FUCK! Boss, I love Katie. You have them wrong. They aren’t doing this to hurt you or—shit, boss, I have to go. Katie’s been listening.”
“Why the fuck would you let her hear—??”
“I didn’t know! Okay. I was in this bathroom, hiding like a * and trying to do work for you when I should have just told Katie what the fuck was going on.” I pull my shirt over my head.
“You better go after her! If she gets away, then—”
“Goddamn it, boss! Are you not listening? If she gets away, it’s not we, it’s me. Me. I love her! She’s mine! This isn’t some play to get your information. I love her!”
“Fucking hell,” Skull groans. “Torch, man…”
“It’s okay. I have the key. She can’t get far. I’ll get her back and—”
I’m heading towards the door with my phone and open it just in time to catch Katie zooming past our room in the jeep. She looks at me as she passes, flipping me off. She’s moving fast, but even with that, I can see the pain and tears on her face. I see them and I know I’m the cause. She pulls out on the main road like a mad woman and I’m left standing there in my bare feet, holding a phone and a key and feeling like my world just exploded.