“Why were you on this run?” Trev asked.
“Carlo is out of town. They have extra security because of you guys. I was given a chance.”
“That sucks,” I said. “You fucked up, man.”
“Please,” the prospect said. “You know where it is now. You know everything. Just let me…”
“We know where it is?” Trev asked. “The land?”
“Yes,” the prospect said.
“No we don’t,” I said.
“You said you saw us.”
“Fuck,” I said. “That’s the land?”
The prospect nodded.
Land that was touching Belle’s property. That’s where these fucks wanted to set up shop? My heart pounded in my chest. I wanted to kill this guy myself.
“Shit,” Trev said. “Someone sold Hell Five some land.”
“Whoever it is, they’re fucked,” Jasper said.
“I’m done here,” I said and started to walk away.
I waited at my ride for the guys.
Trev left the woods first. Then Jasper. Before I could ask where Kye was, I heard a single gunshot.
This was my life… this was why Belle needed to stay far away.
**
I had toyed with calling Belle for hours but I sat at the clubhouse, drinking, trying to clear up my muddled thoughts. The war with the Hell Five was getting deeper. Ivan made a friendly reminder call to Trev about the sixty-five thousand. Jasper, Cade, and Austin were out on a ride to check out a potential run for us that would give us some cash.
I sat outside with a beer, letting the seconds tick by. I kept going back in time and I hated it. Going back to me and Belle together. All those wild nights together. How she had been my best friend’s dorky ass sister and somehow turned into a beautiful woman. Like a flower that bloomed over one summer, she became everything. Even then I held back from her. I protected her from assholes and kept my distance until I couldn’t take it anymore. Hell, maybe I joined up the military and went overseas to give Belle a chance to get away from me. But she didn’t. She was always there, always waiting.
And I was the outlaw, always riding.
“Fuck,” I whispered.
“It’s only going to get worse.”
Kye was there. I hadn’t even heard him come up to me. That’s how lost I was.
He was drunk as shit, his eyes bouncing all over the place.
“Easy,” I said. “Drink the night away.”
“You saw it,” Kye said. “You know it. I saw your reaction.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?”
“Up there today with the Hell Five prospect. And that land. It’s big, brother.”
“I know it is. We’ll take care of it.”
“So what do you think will happen? We find out who sold them the land?”
“That would be the logical thing, right?”
“That’s what we’re going to do,” Kye said. “And it’s going to be bad.”
“Why?”
Kye inched forward. “Because you and I know who owns that land. Come on, brother. What the fuck were you doing up there?”
“I was on a goddamn ride,” I growled.
“No you weren’t,” Kye said.
I stood up, a little bit taller than Kye. “Listen, man. You better start talking right now or else I’m going to drop you. I don’t think you want that.”
Kye put his hands in fists and ducked his head around. The dumb ass was so drunk, he didn’t realize how serious I was.
My hand shot out and grabbed his shirt.
That got his attention.
“Brother, I saw your face,” Kye said. “We both know the woman that owns it.”
“I only know one person up there,” I finally admitted. “Her land ends where that begins.”
Kye shook his head. “No, man. That family… there’s a house, right? It’s a brother and sister that live there. The old man died of heart problems. It’s her land now. All hers.”
“What?”
“Shit, Duke,” Kye said. “My old man used to play cards with their old man. That’s how I know them. The old man bought up all the land around his property. He wanted to have his kids build there. He wanted his own little neighborhood of his kids and grandkids and shit. I guess his son went to Iraq and got blown up. Lost his leg. His daughter moved back in to help take care of things. Then the old man got sick and died. All that land went to the daughter. She owns it. She’s the one who sold it to the Hell Five.”
I let Kye go and stepped back.
Everything started to spin.
Belle?
“You do something right now for me,” I said.
“What?” Kye asked.
“You keep your fucking mouth shut about what you just said. Understand me?”
“We have to take it to the table.”
“We will,” I said. “But right now… shut your mouth. Don’t assume a fucking thing. If you need to move your mouth, find a pussy to eat.”
Kye laughed. “Ah, fuck, brother. You’re hitting that up there… that’s why you were there…”
I pulled at Kye, bringing him nose to nose with me. “Don’t assume a thing, Kye. You’re good at connecting the dots, right? So if her brother was in Iraq… how do you think I know them?”
Kye’s eyes went wide. “Shit. You and him…”