by Amy Cecil
Chapter 22
Caden
Emma and Rebel had only been gone 10 minutes and already I wanted to get on my bike and go after them. I just needed to keep myself busy until Rebel checked in. It was still early, so I decided to head over to Betty’s for some breakfast.
When I got back to the clubhouse, I headed straight to my office. I still hadn’t heard from Rebel and I was getting antsy. I started doing some research of my own on Mark Grayson. I figured the more informed I was, the better off we would be for taking him down and getting Brianne. What I found didn’t surprise me. Gypsy, the president of the Satans MC, had faced a murder rap about a year ago. It was basically an open-and-shut case, but the case was thrown out due to some new evidence that they found. What did surprise me was that Grayson had represented the bastard. Now that I see the connection, my guess is that that’s probably where their relationship started. The article I found didn’t disclose the exact nature of the new evidence, so I decided to keep digging.
About an hour after I had immersed myself in the world of Mark Grayson, I hit the jackpot. Apparently the new evidence was a young female eyewitness in her early twenties, who had claimed that Gypsy was not the murderer. She testified in a deposition that the killer was blond, in his thirties, and of a large build. It was the exact opposite of Gypsy’s description – he was small, had dark brown hair, and was about fifty years old. So they threw the case out. Interesting. The girl looked so damn familiar too, but I couldn’t place where I had seen her before. I needed to find out some more about this girl. I called Dbag on his cell.
He answered on the first ring. “Hey Ice. What’s up?”
“I need you to check something out for me. Look into a girl named Peyton Anderson. She is probably in her early- to mid-twenties, and about a year ago she lived in Waterford. I’m sending over a pic and an article I found online about her. See what you can find.”
“You got it, Prez. I’m on it.” Man, he loved this shit. He totally missed his calling. He should be working for the CIA or the FBI. But I’m glad he’s not and belongs to us. There are days I would be lost without his expertise.
As soon as I got off the phone, I got a text from Rebel.
Thank fuck … so far they are safe. Then it occurred to me, I forgot to remind him about her phone – and I just remembered she took her laptop. Shit. I immediately texted Rebel back.
He texted back.
I knew she was in good hands. I totally trusted Rebel, but not being able to look after her myself was making me crazy. This shit better get straightened out fast so I can get my girl back.
Forty-five minutes later, my phone rang. I glanced down and saw that it was Dbag. Damn he was fast. I answered the call, “Whatcha got?”
“Ice, this shit is fucked up.” I could hear the excitement in his voice and I knew he’d found something good. He continued, “This Peyton chick – she was engaged to Grayson five years ago. I found their engagement announcement, along with a public notice that the wedding was postponed indefinitely and a location where folks could pick up the gifts they sent, if they wanted them back. It was cancelled one week before the wedding.”
“What the hell? What else?”
“I could trace her for about six months after the scheduled wedding; she did a lot of traveling. Then, nothing. Peyton basically disappeared after that. I mean really disappeared. Nothing. No financial transactions, no job, nothing. It was like she never existed. Then, wham, she shows up as a surprise witness in the Gypsy case last year.”
“Shit! Can you find anything on her now?”
“Yeah, she moved back to Waterford. Lives in a small house by herself.” He hesitated for a moment and then added, “Are you sitting down?”
Fuck, this didn’t sound good. “Yeah, I’m sitting. Spill it.”
“She’s one of ours.”
“What?”
“She works at Kandi’s. She’s one of the strippers.”
So that’s why she looked familiar to me. Kandi’s Gentlemen’s Club was one of our clubs. We employed a lot of girls, and I couldn’t possibly remember all their names. “Damn! This is not good, Dbag. Not good at all. I need you to round up Ryder and Hawk for me and get your asses here. We need to make a visit to Ms. Anderson today.”
“You got it! We’ll be there in thirty.” He hung up the phone. I got on my computer and began to scroll through the employee files of Kandi’s. Fucking A, she was right there under our nose all the time. Was she a mole? Had the Satans planted her here? Or could this be coincidence? Hell if I knew, but I was about to find out.
I heard the rumble of bikes and knew it was my boys. I grabbed my keys and headed out. They were getting ready to dismount their bikes when I came out. “Get back on your bikes, boys, we’re leaving now.” I fired up my Harley and we peeled out.
It was late morning and there were only a few cars in Kandi’s parking lot. We parked our bikes and went in. Callie Rae, the manager, was tending bar for a few regulars who had come in for their morning drinks. She didn’t notice us when we walked in, but by the time we got to the bar, Callie asked, “What brings you boys here today?”
I spoke up, “Morning, Callie. You got someone here to watch the bar? We need to talk to you.” She got a worried look on her face, nodded, and then picked up the house phone. I couldn’t hear what she said, but a few seconds later, one of the girls came up. She smiled at us and stepped behind the bar. Callie came out and we followed her to her office.
When we got to the office, she turned to me and said, “What’s going on?”
I tried to reassure her that nothing was wrong, “Nothing is wrong, if that’s what you are thinking.” She breathed a sigh of relief. “I’m looking for Peyton Anderson.”
“Has she done something? I have these girls drug tested regularly, Ice.” She was on the defensive, and I guess I really couldn’t blame her. She’d taken good care of these girls and had never given us a reason to question anything she did. She was a valued employee.
“Nope, it’s not like that. We just need to talk to her. Is she here?”
She calmed down a bit and looked behind her to the schedule on the wall. “She comes in at two.”
“Ok. You are going to need to find a replacement for her. She won’t be working today.” I looked over to Ryder and said, “Ryder, stick around. When she gets here, bring her to the clubhouse. It’s better that we talk to her there.”
“Will do,” he replied. Hawk, Dbag, and I left. We went straight back to the clubhouse to wait for Ryder to get back with Peyton.
Chapter 23
Emma
Rebel and I had been driving for a few hours now. We stopped for breakfast and to buy some things to stock the kitchen at the safe house. We had about an hour to go and I was going stir-crazy. Rebel didn’t talk much, so I decided to engage him in some conversation.
“Rebel? Can I ask you something?”
“Sure, but I may not answer.” Now that was a typical guy response. But really, had I expected any different?
“Is Rebel your real name, or is it a road name?”
He glanced over to me, surprised by my question. “Yes, it is a road name.” No elaboration, just that short answer.
“What is your real name?”
“Balefire.”
“Is that your first name?”
“Yes, O’Byrne is my last name.”
“You’re Irish!”
He smiled and said, “Yes, I am.”
“So am I!” I was so excited that we had something in common. It wasn’t much, but it was a start. If I was going to spend the next few days with this man, I would take anything. “My last name is Baylee!”
He glanced over to me with an odd look on his face and said sarcastically, “That’s great. Makes us kindred spirits or something like that.”
Figures. Guys just don’t get it. We women need to have conversation. Men can sit in silence forever and brood, but women need to
talk. I swear as soon as they figure that out, there will be no mystery between the sexes.
Just then my phone beeped. I glanced down, not familiar with the sounds that this phone made, and saw that it was a text from Caden.
That was odd. I knew he was trying to reassure me, but this whole club life was still new to me. I just didn’t understand the whole family thing. Then I decided, perhaps I could use this time with Rebel to get a little education on “the club.” I quickly texted a response back to Caden.
I waited a minute or two and got no return response. Ok. I could wait. I knew he loved me. I knew he would tell me one day. I just needed to be patient. I put my phone back in my purse. Rebel asked, “Was that Ice?”
“Yes.” I didn’t elaborate.
“Something up?” he asked.
Well, perhaps I should keep him informed. After all, my life is in his hands for the next few days. “He just wanted to let me know that I was safe now; that the club was my family now.” I didn’t think I needed to tell him about the “missing you” part. That was private, between Caden and me.
“He’s right about that. You are family. You are Ice’s old lady now. His queen. You are just as much a part of this club as I am, or Hawk, or any of the brothers.”
I still did not get all this, but this was the perfect opportunity to ask. “Rebel, why are you part of the club? I mean, how did you get involved with them?”
He glanced over to me and I got the feeling that he didn’t want to talk about it, but he surprised me and said, “When I met Ace, there was shit going on in my life; things that I would rather not talk about. But let’s just say Ace and this club saved my life in more ways than one.”
Confused, I asked, “The same Ace that Caden told me about?”
He got a sad look on his face, and then said, “Yeah, the same one. Ace was VP when I joined the club. He is the one who sponsored Ice and nominated him for SAA, then when the Satans killed Red – our president – Ace nominated Ice for VP. When Ace died in a war with the Satans, Ice was voted in as president and took over the club. I believe that Ice looked to Ace as a father figure, especially after losing his own.” Caden had already told me all of that, but I didn’t want to lose the conversation I had going so I just nodded and listened. It’s comforting to know that Cade had someone to turn to and look up to after his parents died. It always made me sad that Caden had never gotten along with his dad, they were so different in so many ways. I remember him always complaining about his dad not understanding or his dad making him make life choices that he had no interest in.
“I see. Was Ice already a member of the club when you joined, or did he join after you?” I asked. I figured the more information I could get out of Rebel, the better for me.
“Yes, he was.” Again, he didn’t elaborate.
“So, do you consider the club your family like Caden – I mean, Ice – does?” I needed to know if it was just Cade who felt that way, or if all of them did.
“Absolutely. I would have no family without the club. You see, Emma, what you don’t understand is that the Knights are just not a motorcycle club or a gang of criminals, as most people think. Every one of us found something we were missing in our lives. For some it was simply a roof over their head, for others it may have been a purpose, for most it was a family.”
“I don’t understand. How could they find family with a bunch of strangers?”
“That’s exactly what you don’t understand. We didn’t come into the club as strangers. We call each other brothers for a reason. We do that because we are brothers – we share a bond stronger than blood. There is a loyalty amongst us that most people can’t even begin to imagine. Every one of my brothers and their ladies has suffered in one way or another. Some have even suffered true horrors, horrors that someone like you could never imagine. Outside the club, they have nothing. But inside the club the brotherhood brings them together and provides safety, protection, and loyalty. Every brother in this club would die for another.”
He was so passionate and profound. I still didn’t fully understand, most likely because I had never experienced the type of family he was describing. Don’t get me wrong, I loved my parents and I knew they loved me, but the passion these men had for each other was overwhelming. It was unlike anything I had ever known. “So, how do I fit in to all of this? Why would I receive the same ‘loyalty’, as you put it, as, say, you would? You guys don’t know me or anything about me, except for what Ice may have told you.”
“Emma, listen and listen carefully. Ice’s family is my family. My family is this club, just like every other brother in the club. So, if Ice says you’re family, then you are family. It’s just that simple. And this isn’t because Ice specifically said you are family. It would be the same thing if a prospect introduced his old lady to the club. She would be welcomed as part of the family too.”
It was finally starting to sink in. This life was unlike anything I had ever known, and although there were parts that scared the hell out of me, I’d been witness to what he was saying. I’d seen the brotherhood on numerous occasions. “Rebel, thank you. I appreciate you explaining all this to me. I’m starting to get it now.”
He glanced over to me and asked, “But do you want it?”
Did I want it? Without it, there would be no Cade in my life. He had made that perfectly clear – he was part of the club and the club was a part of him. It was all or nothing. I thought to myself for minute. Am I wanting this because without it, I lose Cade? The more I thought about it, I realized that no, that wasn’t it. I felt like I belonged with these guys. All my life, I’d always felt that I was one step short of everything around me. But with the Knights, I didn’t. Confidently, I replied, “Yes, I do.” And I meant it.
We drove for another ten or fifteen minutes and then turned off the main two-lane road we were driving on onto a very narrow dirt road. We drove for several minutes up the side of a small mountain until we came to a clearing. We turned down a driveway and as we turned the bend, I saw the most charming cabin I had ever seen. I swear I’d expected a shack, but this place was absolutely adorable.
The outside had a huge front porch, with four large rocking chairs like the ones you see at Cracker Barrel. I loved those chairs. Suddenly, I was excited to be here.
Chapter 24
Caden
About an hour after I texted Emma, I received a text from Rebel that they had arrived at the cabin. Finally, I could relax. Now, if I could just get through the next few days, I’d be ok.
Around 2:30, Ryder arrived with Peyton. I had been so worried about Emma that I had almost forgotten that she was coming. Good, now that I know that Emma is safe, I could talk with this girl with a clear head. I instructed Ryder to take her to my office and told them to wait for me. I rounded up Hawk, got myself a drink, and headed to the office.
“Afternoon, Ms. Anderson. I’m Ice, President of the MC. Ultimately, I am your employer. I had Ryder bring you here ‘cause I wanted to ask you a few questions. You up for that?”
“Sure,” she replied, cracking her gum. Damn, I hated when people did that. It grated on my nerves like fingernails on a chalkboard. I walked over to my desk and picked up an ashtray and took it over to her.
“Thanks, but I don’t smoke.”
Shaking my head, I replied, “It’s not for you to have a smoke. It’s for you to throw your gum away.”
“Oh, why didn’t you say so?” She quickly removed her gum and threw it away in the ashtray.
“Peyton – it is ok if I call you Peyton?” I asked. She nodded and I continued, “How long have you been working at Kandi’s?”
“I guess about a year and a half.” She looked around nervously and then added, “Hey, am I in some kind of trouble?”
“Not at the moment. We just need to get some information from you. If you cooperate, then you have nothing to worry about.”
“Ok?” she replied hesitantly. I knew she was scared. I tried t
o reassure her, but I needed answers and being Mr. Nice Guy was not on my agenda at the moment. Lives were at stake and this chick was the key to saving them.
I looked over to Hawk and he nodded. He was thinking the same thing that I was: let’s just cut the small talk and get to the point. “Peyton, I want you to tell me what you know about Mark Grayson.”
The look that came across her face was not what I was expecting. What I had expected to see was indifference. But what I saw before me was a woman who was terrified just by the mere mention of his name. Damn, this guy must be a real piece of work. She fidgeted in her chair and finally spoke. “Oh God, did he send you after me? I swear, I never told a soul. I swear on my son!” Holy shit, she has a kid.
Hawk chimed in, “Peyton, calm down, sweetheart. Grayson did not send us after you.” Hawk glanced over to me and I nodded, encouraging him to go on. “We are after Grayson.”
Surprised, she looked up to Hawk. “You’re after him? I thought you guys were that motorcycle club that protects him. You know, Knights of Satan, or something like that.”
I turned around and showed her the patch on the back of my cut. Hawk said, “Do you see anything on there that refers to Satan?”
“No,” she whispered.
Hawk continued, “That’s because we are the Knights of Silence. The club you are referring to is the Satans Rebels, and they are very different from us. And yes, we know they are protecting Grayson. That’s why we need your help.” He paused for a moment then continued. “You see, we have found a connection between you and Grayson. We know about the trial and we know what you did. What we don’t know is why. That is where you come in. You tell us the whole story, the club will offer you and your son our full protection.”