Heart of a Rebel: Rebel Aces MC Part 1

by K. D. Latronico

  His eyes widened as his expression changed to one of shock. "That fucking alt-right group that's more pain in the ass than actual threat?"

  "Apparently not anymore. An undercover source heard a few idiots sporting their brand bragging about it in some seedy bar outside of town. Chief says he's gonna look into it more and see what he can find. I told him I needed all of the info on them he can get me as soon as fucking possible, but you know." As I went on, I'd managed to walk over to the head of my table where my chair sat. Angrily, I yanked it back, the wood scraping against the concrete loudly.

  Taking his hat off, Tank rubbed his bald head, a sign I knew indicated the stress he's feeling. "Fucking shit. This is the last goddamn thing we need."

  My glare was set at the center of the table. "Don't I fucking know it." Leaning forward, I rested both my elbows on the wood in front of me, my head briefly going into the palms of my hands. It's a sign of weakness I don't trust many people to see, but Tank is one of the exceptions. It lasted only a few moments before I took a deep breath and pulled myself together. "Have all of the guys been called in?"

  Tank nodded. "Yeah, they should be here already."

  "Alright. Send them in."

  CHAPTER 31

  WARD

  ALL CURRENT PATCHED MEMBERS were seated around our church table, mouths closed but expressions bearing varying levels of anger and concern. I'd just finished bringing them all up to speed with what has been going on. Woodchuck's information. The failed set up. The incident at Velvet the night before. The information from Carrington. As every detail left my mouth, my rage grew, filling my body, but simmering right there just under the surface. I spoke calmly, with purpose, but I knew the men seated in front of me could tell there was a storm brewing within me.

  But now it was all laid out, and I needed the input of my brothers. This wasn't just my fight, it was ours as a whole. This had been fully extended to the club, which affected club members and their families. The last thing I was about to do was keep any of them in the dark or risk their safety, which was what we had to hash out right here and now. We needed methods to deal with all threats - a plan of action, and a plan of defense. Being prepared on both ends was the best way to approach this mess.

  "This is an unknown enemy we're dealing with right now. We don't know how they operate," Tank started, taking over for me, which was a welcome relief. "We don't know their motives, their causes, even who they deal with. At least with the Hounds, we know their code. With Los Chingados, we know their motives. But these guys? We never saw coming, and that's a problem."

  There was a murmur throughout the room, men rumbling their concern, agreeing that this new threat to the club was a problem. Bear sat back heavily in his chair, shaking his head as he stretched his arm back. "We're not dealing with guys that are right in the head, either."

  "No," Hawkeye agreed, "they're not even an organization. They're a mix of alt-right, Nazi sympathizers, doomsday preppers, that have a big mistrust of the government and some seriously fucked up morals. They don't seem to follow any laws, and if they have any internally, we don't know what they are. What doesn't make sense is what these assholes could possibly want from us or gain from bombing the warehouse."

  There was silence for a moment as people thought, and then Jekyll jerked up from his chair. "Oh, shit, boss."

  My eyes shot over to him, narrowing. "What?"

  "The security guy. The one that came in for an interview a few weeks back. With Bright and Ortiz? He was Forgotten."

  The realization dawned on me just as Jekyll brought up that day. I hadn't seen the guy, but I remembered the twins coming in to say that he was freshly marked into the group. "You're right. Fuck, we turned him away. How was he when you told him to go home?" I'm already cursing myself for not making sure he had left quiet and without an issue.

  "Seemed like a little pussy," Hyde chimed in, "basically pissed and moaned. Knew that we weren't hiring him because of the club. Almost as if he came in to test us."

  Joker arched an eyebrow in the direction of my end of the table. "Do you think that could have been it? A test, to see where we were on their fucked up moral compass?"

  My jaw clenched so hard that it started to hurt, and I can see that others are just as enraged.

  "If that's the case," Kang practically growled, his accent thick, "we're better off wipin' em all out in one go."

  I can't say I don't agree with him. Not at all. But we have to go about this the right way or we'll be shit out of luck as far as staying off police radar goes.

  "As much as I want to walk right into whatever hole they're hiding in and paint the ground red with their blood, we have to be smart. We still have the police breathing down our neck for this, and there's only so much the Chief can do. And we can't forget the active threat from the Chingados. Clearly, that's still a factor."

  Jekyll snorted. "Especially since we know the guy from last night clearly isn't part of the Forgotten, that's for sure."

  Tank raised an eyebrow. "How do we know that?"

  The twins looked at one another, then back to the rest of us. "Mexican," Hyde said, before Jekyll added, "Those guys hate brown people."

  There were a few snickers from the rest of the room, but I just shook my head. "Did you get a positive I.D. from the surveillance cameras from Velvet?"

  Hyde shook his head. "No I.D. yet, but we got a clear shot of his face. I also went over to Morton's and sweet-talked Dee into letting me see the security footage from inside on the day Chuck said he talked to the guy. The face matches. It's just not in the system."

  I cursed, leaning heavily on my left forearm on the arm of the chair I'm in. "So he's not one of the guys released. How the fuck can we not find these motherfuckers?"

  "There still isn't any word of where they could possibly be hiding out. Nothing." Hawkeye shook his head. "They're fucking ghosts."

  "They're getting sloppy, though," Joker spoke up, shifting in his chair so he could lean towards the table. "This guy wasn't hiding his face at all and had the balls to walk into our club and harass one of our girls while members were right fucking there. Makes me think that they're cocky because it's someone we're not looking at."

  A lightbulb went off in my head, and I sat up straight. This was why Joker and I worked so well together. "Family. Guys that were off our radar because they were never members. Because they were too young at the time."

  Tank tapped the table with his knuckles as he caught on. "Sons, grandsons."

  "Exactly. We need to look into any and all children that the ones that went to jail ten years ago would have had at the time. Younger siblings that were underage. Close fucking neighbors. Whatever you can get." I'm directing my commands towards everyone because this isn't just a job for my enforcers anymore. All hands-on deck are needed to be able to get in front of this threat. Both of them.

  Something dawned on me then. "Jek, Hyde. One of you said that you had a guy on the inside confirm that the guy who came for the security job was a member of the Forgotten. You still in contact with him? Have his info?"

  Jekyll nodded. "I can see if I can get in touch with my guy. And we still have the pussy’s app on file at the security building. It's in the 'fuck no' folder."

  "Alright." I puffed out a breath, thoughts racing through my mind. "I want info on both organizations as soon as possible. Forty-eight hours, max. Church will be then and we'll figure out where to go from there. In the meantime, I want patrols to be upped, security to be tightened at all businesses and here. They can't get the upper hand on us again." I paused. "We also need to consider a lockdown in the case that our next step is immediate retaliation. I don't want any family member walking freely when one of those fucks, on either side, could waltz right in while we're distracted and do something."

  Everyone agreed in murmurs and low voices, and I went to reach for the gavel but paused. There was something else I could add, and normally I wouldn't have thought of it under these circumstances, but since sec
urity would be tighter, my guys needed to know that Leah was top priority now. Not that she wasn't before.

  Plus, why not some good news after all this shit?

  "Right, one more thing. As the President's Old Lady, Leah's safety has been moved up to top priority."

  I was met with a few dumbfounded looks, and my eyes went to Silver, who's own had widened. A loud laugh came from next to me, and I felt Tank slap me on the shoulder.

  "It's about fucking time!"

  "Shit, you finally did it."

  "Congrats, brother."

  "Got yourself a ball and chain, hey boss?"

  The men were laughing and teasing me now, with a few younger members chanting 'ball and chain' at the end of the table, and I couldn’t help but grin like an idiot. We weren’t exactly a sentimental bunch, but I knew my brothers, and I knew they cared.

  I banged the gavel then, waving them all off. "Get out of here and get to work, assholes."

  Bear and Hawkeye both congratulated me again and slapped me on the shoulder as they left. Joker was slowly getting up from the table, a half smile playing on his lips, and I immediately can tell what's gone through his mind. But that doesn't stop him from being happy for me. "Don't worry, brother. She'll have someone on her at all times. Ain't gonna let anything happen to her."

  I stood, reaching out to clasp his hand, before pulling him into a hug, my one hand slapping him hard on the back. "Thanks, brother. Appreciate it." Stepping back, I looked him in the eye, and said only one thing. "You'll figure it out."

  His jaw set, a serious look on his face. He shrugged. "Who the fuck knows." Turning away, he reached into his back pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes, tugging one out and placing it in his mouth before the pack went back into his jeans. "Gonna go see who I can talk to about info on the dick from last night and our little Nazi," he called over his shoulder. "Catch you later."

  I watched him go, shaking my head as I headed out the door. Love could be simple, or it could be complicated. But I didn't have time to figure that out.

  Grabbing my phone, I sent a quick text to Leah, updating her as much as I could before I see her. I headed to my office then, planning on a very long afternoon of digging in the hope that we'll find one shred of information that will help us out, one way or another.

  CHAPTER 32

  LEAH

  "DO YOU KNOW WHAT’S going on with the guys? Because Quinn just texted me and said that Ward was really angry and they had emergency church this morning. It doesn't seem good."

  Lana was already talking as she walked into the living room, which was currently a picture of chaos. Her eyes were so focused on her phone that she nearly tripped over a pair of wings I had just put together.

  "Hey! Watch!" I said, snapping my fingers at her.

  She flipped me the bird, showing off her long, black talons that she had just gotten done at the salon. "Don't keep your shit all over the floor!"

  "Watch where you're going and you won't trip over my shit."

  Rolling her eyes, Lana hopped nimbly from each clear spot on the carpet before finally flopping down on the couch. "Seriously, though, is something going on? You were with Ward this morning."

  I frown, thinking back to this morning. He hadn't seemed like he was in a bad mood or worried about anything. Even when he dropped me off, things seemed relatively fine. "I don't know. Everything was fine when he brought me home." Turning my head around, I started looking for my phone. "I haven't checked my cell in a while..." Reaching out, I patted my hands on the floor, before finally finding it under a pile of material. I checked the screen and see a text from Ward.

  Ward: Gonna be a long day, baby. Lots of stuff going on. I'll let you know what I can later. I love you.

  Ward: Gonna have a prospect on you at all times for now. Deal with it. Just need to keep you safe.

  I almost shoot back a sassy reply for his ‘deal with it’ comment, but instead my response is a smile. Scratch that - grin like an idiot. I can't help it. This is the culmination of years daydreaming about what it would be like for Ward to make me his. Now that it's all come together, I feel like I was made for this. For him.

  When I finally looked up, my sister was staring at me, an astute expression on her face. "You are so damn gone with him, aren't you?"

  With Lana, I couldn’t hide anything from her, just like she couldn’t hide anything from me. I never could really lie to her, but it's not like this is something I'd want to keep from her, anyway. I just smiled and shrugged. "Yeah, pretty fucking much."

  From her perch on the couch, her long legs crossed underneath her, Lana laughed. "I knew this was gonna happen one day. I'm just glad you two didn't waste any more time." After a few moments of silence, I watched as her expression grew somewhat serious. I could see it in her eyes that she was struggling with something, so I stay quiet. As a kid, Lana was always letting her emotions run wild. She had never been afraid to show and tell people exactly how she felt. After our parents died, though, thick walls were built up, ones that a very select few could see through, and even then, it was hard for even me to get through them, depending on the day. My other half kept things bottled up, locked away in a secure safe, buried deep down inside of her. But sometimes, rarely, she let those close to her take a peek inside.

  "I'm really happy for you, Lee," she started, her hands fidgeting with her phone as she looked across the room at me. "Really. I couldn't wish up anyone better for you than Ward." She paused, and then a smirk grew on her lips. "Plus, I already know I don't hate him, so it's not like he has to pass my extremely difficult can-you-date-my-sibling test."

  Laughing, I shake my head at her. "Thank God for that, because I'm pretty sure it's impossible to pass it if you don't already know the person."

  A wicked look flashed over her face. "Lord help the girl that Eddie finally tries to settle down with."

  "Ain't that the truth." Pausing again, it dawned on me that I hadn't actually told Lana the most important news from the day before. "Ward's making me his old lady."

  Her eyes, which were identical to mine, widen. "Fuck yeah! That's awesome!" She fist pumped in the air. "Now I get even more privileges as the president's old lady's twin sister. The Sweeties can suck my asshole now."

  Groaning, I rolled my eyes and flopped back on the carpet, my hands going to my face. "Shit. We've created a monster."

  I hear my sister's evil snicker. "That's what they get! They suck."

  Opening one eye, the situation at Velvet pops into my head. "Speaking of. There was an incident at the strip club last night while Ward and I were out. One of the new strippers was attacked. Obviously not bad enough to stop her from trying to rub herself all over Ward. She was delightful, as was Tittyana, per usual."

  At the mention of the second girl, I saw anger flash across Lana's eyes. "That dumb bitch. What was she doing now?"

  Sitting up, I waved my hands, lackadaisical. "Being her usual self. Pissed her off when I laughed at her attempt at insults. But I didn't get to spend a lot of time with her because I had to go and peel Donatella off my man."

  Lana's eyes widened, and I can see the pure joy start to spread across her face. "Dona. Tella. Is she a fucking Ninja Turtle?!"

  "That's what I said!"

  The two of us erupted into hysterical laughter, that ended up going on far longer than it probably should have because we were making each other laugh harder. Most of the time neither of us would even have to say anything, we could just tell what the other was thinking.

  Finally, once we settled down, Lana brought the conversation back to the more serious topic. "So wait, this girl was attacked at the club? What happened?"

  "I'm not sure on the details, honestly," I started, pulling back the set of wings I was working on so I could continue to thread black feathers onto the wiring. "Ward didn't really tell me, just that a guy in one of the private rooms tried getting information from the new girl and ended up roughing her up a little before bolting out the back door. But we did
n't talk about it once we left."

  Lana arched an eyebrow. "I'm gonna assume it was because you were fucking all night?"

  "You'd assume correct."

  "Must be nice."

  It was my turn to arch an eyebrow at her, but my eyebrows were narrowed. "Lana. You know for a fact that if you just got out of your own head and told Joker how you felt, that man would drop absolutely everything, make you his old lady, and keep you naked all fucking day long. So don't give me that."

  Lana pursed her lips and sucked in her cheeks, her tell-tale sign that she was getting pissed, but I continued on. "Seriously. I wouldn't constantly bring this up if I thought that you really didn't have feelings for him or that you truly didn't want to be in a relationship. I know you better than anyone, and you know for a fact that I only have your best interest at heart. And if he was a jackass, there's no way I'd put my stamp of approval on him. But he'd treat you like the goddamn Queen that you are."

  Crossing her arms, Lana scowled at me. "Maybe I don't want to be. Maybe I just want to be left alone about all of this."

  "So it was okay for you to have constantly brought up me and Ward for years, but I have to leave you alone?"

  "That's different. I knew you two were meant to be together."

  Dropping the wings in my lap, I frantically wave my hands at her, the look on my face saying how is this different?!" That's exactly what I'm saying here!"

  Just as she opened her mouth, Lana's phone began to ring. Saved by the ringtone. Looking down at the display, she accepted the call. "It's Camilla." Putting it on speaker, she set the phone down in her lap. "Hey, Milla, you're on speaker. Leah's here too."

  "Hey, Milla."

  "Hey, bitches," came our roommate's voice from over the line. "So I've got some good news and bad news. Actually, it's more like annoying news both ways. Just got a text from Layla, telling me she quit by sending me a photo of her outside Velvet. So I'm guessing she's finally gotten her wish to show her tits off for more money and abandoned ship."