by Harley Stone
“Depends on how good he is,” Morse replied. “I called in the cavalry, though, and if anyone can help me find this motherfucker, it’s Tap. He’s former military intelligence, among other things he won’t tell me. If this guy can be found, we’ll find him. Come on. I’ll take you up to one of the rooms so you can get some rest.”
The two of them left. Fighting the urge to check out the clipboard they’d left behind, I kept my eyes on my screen and my fingers on my keyboard and mouse.
Stay in your lane, dumbass.
No matter how captivating Mila was, she wasn’t worth risking my job—or at the very least, pissing off my boss—over.
Morse returned about a half hour later, seeming hella distracted. “You good?” he asked. “You got any questions for me?”
I had more questions than I could voice, but none of them pertained to work. “Nope. I’m good. Just truckin’ along.”
“Good. Thanks. It’s a relief to have you here, Hound. You doing that has freed me up to look into Mila’s problem.”
It felt damn good to be needed. “I’ll help with whatever you need, brother.”
“Just keep doing what you’re doing.” He sat in front of his laptop and went back to work, occasionally looking over the clipboard Mila had left behind.
Tap showed up about an hour later, and after a quick hello to me, the two of them put their laptops together and typed away, speaking in a language that held hints of English woven throughout technical jargon. I recognized some words and phrases, but they spoke way too quickly for me to keep up.
They were still at it when I clocked out and logged off my computer.
“Good job today, Hound,” Morse said, sparing me a quick glance before his gaze darted back to his screen. “I’ll see you at church tonight.”
“Thank you. See you both there.” I slipped out and stopped by the kitchen to grab some dinner before heading up to my room to get dressed for church.
“New business?” Link asked, once again opening the floor for discussion.
We’d already gone over old business and the minutes from the last meeting. I was perched on a pew toward the back of the room with the rest of the prospects. We were allowed to attend the meetings, but we only spoke when questioned and weren’t allowed to vote until we officially patched in as members.
Morse’s hand shot up like a rocket. When Link acknowledged him, Morse said, “My cousin, Amelia, is in trouble. Her best friend and one of her clients were recently murdered, and she’s been getting these… threatening Bible verses.”
“What the fuck is a threatening Bible verse?” our club treasurer, Specks, asked.
I’d been wondering the same thing, and was glad he asked.
“The overarching theme of the Bible is love and grace, but some old testament verses demand blood for sin,” Morse replied. “It’s all in the interpretation, and trust me, plenty of sick motherfuckers have used these verses as justification to wipe out entire groups of people. I mean, look at the crusades.”
“And you think some religious fanatic is after your cousin?” Link asked.
Morse nodded. “Tap and I have been trying to track down the IP address, or addresses, the emails were originally sent from, but whoever it is has gone through a lot of trouble to hide his tracks. In my experience, innocent men with good intentions don’t fuckin’ hide their location.”
“You and Tap can’t find him?” Link asked, sounding both impressed and concerned.
I understood where he was coming from. I’d only gotten a glimpse of what Morse and Tap could do, and those nerdy bastards were downright terrifying.
They shared a look. “Oh, we’ll find him,” Morse replied sounding confident. Finding this elusive bastard was clearly personal, which made me wonder exactly what was in the emails. “It’s just gonna take a little time.”
“What do you need from us?” Link asked.
“She needs a room to rent and protection until we get this shit sorted. I’d like to bring it before the club for a vote, because Amelia’s presence could possibly put the club at risk. I don’t know the lengths this psycho will go to in order to get at her. From what Tap and I have found, he doesn’t fuck around. I don’t see him leaving her alone.”
“Good.” A brother named Zombie said, cracking his knuckles. “Let the motherfucker come.”
Chuckles and nods of agreement drifted around the room.
“What kind of punk-ass little bitch threatens a woman with Bible verses?” a brother named Buddha asked.
“The kind that needs Jesus,” Frog said. “Wouldn’t mind settin’ up that meeting.”
Link stood and stepped forward, scanning the room. “She’s family. We don’t turn our backs on family, regardless of the risks.”
His word sounded final, and silence settled over the club as we all waited for him to continue.
“Any fuckin’ objections?” he asked, narrowing his eyes and scanning the room again.
Link was a good leader who sacrificed a lot of time and energy to run this club and there was shit he expected from us in return: loyalty, courage, patriotism, honor, respect. The same shit he’d demanded from his Special Forces team. And from what I’d seen, the club always rose to the challenge.
Not one hand went up. Nobody objected.
“She’s family,” Tap repeated, watching Morse. “We got your back, brother.”
“Good. It’s settled.” Link returned to his seat. “Your cousin can stay as long as she needs, Morse. Godspeed at finding the motherfucker harassing her. Let us know if you need anything else.”
Although I’d only been with the Dead Presidents for a short time, there had been multiple instances that the club made me proud to be a member. This was one such moment. They didn’t need details, didn’t need to talk to the woman. She was family and in trouble, and that’s all they needed to know. They’d take the risk regardless.
Still, the lack of questions disappointed me, because every answer I found just created more questions, and I really fucking wanted to know what was going on with Mila.
7
Mila
I’D STAYED IN a lot of places over the years, but this was the first time I’d called a renovated old fire station home. Even if it was temporary. Levi and a guy he referred to as “Bull” carried my bags up two flights of stairs, past the community bathrooms Levi pointed out, and into a bedroom only slightly bigger than the one I’d grown up in. Bull left after setting my luggage down, but Levi lingered, watching me.
“It’s not much,” he said. “But you’ll be safe here.”
A plain queen-sized bed with no head or footboards was pushed against one wall with a small wooden nightstand beside it. A loveseat sat against the opposite wall, with a dresser positioned between it and a set of sliding doors. Curious, I slid the door open to reveal the small, guest bedroom-sized closet. It was a far cry from my flat back in Ontario, but it was clean.
“It’s perfect. Thank you.”
He nodded. “The club has a meeting tonight, where I’ll ask if you can stay, but like I said, I don’t think that’ll be a problem. These guys like playing the hero, and I don’t see them dumping you out on your ass. Either way, we’ll figure it out.”
If his club didn’t let me crash here, I had no idea where I’d go. Finding Levi had been my Plan A, and there was no Plan B. Since Rishi had been killed in his suite, even thinking about checking into a hotel filled me with crippling anxiety.
“Thank you.” I must have said those words at least a dozen times since I’d arrived. My gratitude was all I had to offer, and it seemed completely inadequate for everything he was doing for me.
Levi gave me a reassuring smile as he perched on the arm of the loveseat. “We’ll find these guys, Meals. It’s what we do. If—by some miracle of a chance—anyone comes looking for you here, they’ll have a shit-ton of vets to get through to get to you. In the meantime, get some rest. You look old with those bags under your eyes.”
“At least I’m
not an asshole,” I shot back.
Chuckling, he shook his head and pushed off the sofa. He waved a key in the air before tossing it on the top of the dresser. “Locking your room isn’t necessary, but it’ll probably make you feel better.” He tugged a keyring out of his pocket and attached a second key to it. “I got the spare in case you do something stupid like lock yourself out.”
As he opened the door, I called out, “Wait.”
He looked at me over his shoulder.
“Thank you, Levi.” Again, the words weren’t nearly enough. “I mean it. I don’t know where I would have gone if you hadn’t… I couldn’t…” Words failed me. If Levi hadn’t taken the time to find me on social media after he’d gotten out of the service, I wouldn’t have known what to do or where to go.
He met my gaze. “I’m glad you trusted me enough to land here. I, too, like to play the hero, and this is giving me one hell of an ego boost.”
I laughed. “Great. That’s the last thing you need.”
“Yeah? Well, when my head can no longer fit through the door, just remember, you did this.”
“May the universe someday forgive me,” I replied, only partially faking my concern. “Please lock the door on your way out.”
Smiling, he left, closing the door behind him. Seconds later, the lock engaged.
Sitting on the bed, I took another look around, but there wasn’t much to see. I thought about unpacking my clothes, but figured I might as well wait until after the club’s meeting, in case they voted to kick me to the curb. Besides, I was dead on my feet. Too much adrenaline and too many flights had done me in. Tugging off my shoes, I didn’t even bother to undress before scooting up to make myself comfortable. I was out the instant my head hit the pillow.
The next morning, Levi stopped by my room to invite me to join him for breakfast. I’d already taken a shower in the communal women’s bathroom and had gotten dressed, and I was starving. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d eaten anything more substantial than a package of trail mix from an airport vending machine.
“Thank you,” I said, closing and locking my room door behind us. God, my gratitude was beginning to sound like a broken record. Fun fact I’d learned while researching the Indian culture was that it was considered too formal to say thank you while you were a guest. Instead, I had to learn other ways of thanking Rishi, like complimenting his kindness.
Rishi.
Thoughts of him blindsided me. His laugh. Strong, dark fingers against my skin. The silly songs he used to sing in the shower when he thought I was asleep. He’d been so full of life, and now he was dead. I’d seen his corpse… his corpse, but his death still didn’t feel real. Like it was part of some nightmare I was trapped in, and as soon as I figured out how to wake myself up, he’d be alive again. Then I’d be home, working, waiting for Polly to stop by and tell me about some new heated lube she found.
For a person who avoided attachments, I felt like I’d lost so much in such a short period of time.
“You okay?” Levi asked, bringing me back to the present.
This was no dream. My best friend and first ever client were both dead, and their killer was possibly after me. Reality was giving me one hell of a wakeup call, but I lied, “Yeah.”
Concern scrunched up Levi’s eyebrows and pinched his lips, but he didn’t call bullshit on my lie.
Needing to focus on something other than my current messed up situation, I made a show of checking out his strange outfit. It provided just the distraction I needed. “I’m fine, but I can’t say the same for you. What’s with the get-up?”
Yesterday, my cousin had been in his nerdy little element, wearing khakis, a button-down shirt, and well-worn loafers. Today, he was dressed in jeans, a white T-shirt, a leather vest, and black steel-toed boots. It must have been some kind of uniform since Havoc, Bull, and the handful of other bikers I saw yesterday had been wearing the same thing. But they all had beards, tats, and rougher exteriors. Levi wore glasses and kept himself clean-cut. He looked like an actor cast in the wrong role. “You have this whole metro-biker vibe going on. It’s making me strangely uncomfortable. I don’t know whether to hide my purse or ask you to do my taxes.”
He cracked a smile at my joke. “We have a club ride today. We’re heading up to BC.”
“As in British Columbia?” I asked, trying to decide how I felt about that. I’d gotten my first good night’s sleep since Polly’s death, and was looking forward to more rest and relaxation while I waited for news from Detective Monte. “Is this just a day trip?”
Levi draped an arm over my shoulders and steered me toward the stairs. “Not quite. One of Link’s friends runs a club up in Vancouver, and he’s getting married this evening. We’ve been invited to the wedding and reception and none of us will be in any condition to drive home afterwards. These parties get wild like you’ve never seen, Meals.”
I chuckled at the insinuation I didn’t know wild. “Do tell.”
He eyed me. “Right. I forgot about your side hustle. You’ve no doubt been to wild and back a few times.”
“Just a few.”
“Well, I’d like to stay behind and work on your situation, but I can’t. The club up north is a client of mine. I’ve recently revamped their website and helped them out with some internet security issues, and they specifically invited me. It’d be rude not to go. Besides, their treasurer is some sort of high-ranking detective and might be willing to share details about your case if I get him drunk enough. I hear he’s a Crown man, so I’m taking him a bottle.”
“Aww, you’d do that for me?” I asked, touched but mocking him, nonetheless.
“Abso-fuckin’-lutely, but I draw the line at bangin’ him for intel. I love you, cuz, but not enough to play hide the salami with another man.”
I gave him my best shocked and hurt look. “I can’t believe you won’t take it in the ass for me.”
He gave me a lopsided smile that wasn’t even the least bit apologetic. “Yeah? Well, I hate to be the one to break it to you, but life’s full of disappointment. I mean, just look at your face.”
“Hey!” I tried to jab him with my elbow, but he jumped out of the way laughing. “Asshole.”
“I kid, I kid. Damn, you don’t have to get so violent. Fuckin’ savage. Seriously, though, how’s the room working out for you? You get unpacked yet?” He’d texted me last night to let me know the club had voted, and I was welcome to stay as long as I wanted.
“Not completely,” I admitted. “Jet lag and stress are still kicking my ass.” And crossing back over into Canada on a motorcycle held no appeal to me whatsoever. But, Levi had said the club would keep me safe, and I was kind of excited about the prospect of my continued existence. Beggars couldn’t be choosers and all that. “Do I have to come along on this wedding shindig?” I asked.
“I’d prefer you did in case there are any new developments, but it’s not necessary. Just keep your phone on so I can call you if I find anything out or have more questions for you. A few of the brothers, the old guard, some ol’ ladies, kids, and a couple prospects always stay behind to keep the place up and running. Our security system is top-notch, and you’ll be safe here, even if I’m not with you.”
Relieved to hear that, I tried to tone down my smile. We’d just reconnected, and I didn’t want to seem like I was brushing him off already. “I’d like to get settled in.” I stepped off the stairs and onto the ground floor. “Unpack, catch up on my rest.”
He didn’t look happy about my response, but he nodded. “I don’t want you going anywhere alone. Hound—the guy you met in my office—is staying behind. If you leave the fire station, take him or one of the other prospects with you.”
“I’ll have a bodyguard? People will think I’m royalty.”
He chuckled. “Biker royalty. It’s actually a thing, Meals.”
“It is?” I asked, intrigued.
“Yeah, you should see how protective these guys get over their women. Hell, Bull spent h
is entire time as a prospect guarding Link’s ol’ lady. Stocks took a bullet for Havoc’s.”
“Weird, but strangely romantic. And I thought you said I’d be safe here. Why are guards and bullets necessary?”
Brushing my question off with a wave of his hand, he replied, “None of that happened at the fire station. It’s a big, bad world out there, Meals. Which is exactly why you need to take Hound if you go anywhere.”
Reminding myself that he was concerned about my safety and trying to help me, I fought the urge to tell him to get bent. We wove our way through the common area and toward the sounds of conversations coming from the kitchen. “We’re a long way from Ontario.”
He grabbed my arm and stopped, pulling me to a halt beside him. “This guy is hiding from me and Tap. You don’t know enough about us to understand how unusual that is. We find our guys, and it bugs the shit out of me we haven’t found this one yet. He’s got resources, and he knows his shit. Until we catch him, I don’t want to take any chances. You came to me because you knew I’d keep you safe, and I damn well intend to do that, Meals. Do me a favor and make it easy on me.”
His tone raised my hackles. “I’m not stupid or reckless.”
“Never said you were, but I take security very seriously. This is what I do, and I’m fuckin’ good at it. With your help, I can guarantee your safety. Without it… we’ll be leaving a lot of shit up to chance. You know I’m not much for gambling.”
Gambling? The asshole could count cards. It was one of the many things he’d gotten in trouble for on the compound. When the reverend allowed us kids to play with cards, he mentioned games like go fish and solitaire. Although he never revealed his source, Levi had somehow learned how to play blackjack, and taught several of us kids. We didn’t have many things of value, but Levi won everything we could give when he learned how to count cards, claiming it was math, not gambling. He ran quite the racket until someone snitched and the reverend got involved. “I remember. Freakin’ cheater.”