by Quinn Ryder
“Wait until Diego hears about this. Someone new will be watching the door tomorrow.”
“Not likely. You think that you’re hot shit around here, but nobody gives a fuck about you but Diego. If something ever happened to him, you’d be a sitting duck—a sitting dead duck.” He threw the words at me like daggers, and I got his threat loud and clear, and for once I managed to keep my mouth shut. Rodrigo was right, without Diego around, nobody gave a fuck about me. If I couldn’t get into his club without him around, then I would never get the information I needed about Midas.
“Will you at least let him know I was here?”
“Pay the price and I’ll think about it.” He grabbed the front of his jeans.
“You’re gross.”
“And you’re a prude. Get the fuck out of here, Gringa, before you get hurt.”
I stood there staring at him for a long hard minute, but decided it was best to turn around and walk away. The club didn’t officially open until nine and if Diego was out on a run, then he probably would be back by then.
“Fuck you,” I shouted as I turned away from him.
“I offered; you declined,” he reminded me.
I flipped him off and started walking toward my car. I couldn’t believe how crazy everything had gotten in the last few days. Not only was I lusting after some bearded stranger like a virgin sixteen-year-old, but now my brother knew I was fucking the enemy, and I had no idea what that meant for the club. If what Diego was saying was true, then he was working on propositioning my brother for me. Did that make me a prostitute? Would my brother actually make a deal like that? I wanted to think no, but I couldn’t help wondering what Diego could offer that my brother would actually consider handing over his own sister for? All I wanted was answers about Midas’ death, but somehow my undercover mission has lasted for almost five years.
There were times when I started questioning my own motives. Deep down, I found Diego appealing, but I also liked the power that came with being with him. I craved it. Standing up to Angelique and the other bitches that chased Diego’s dick made me feel invincible. Then I had moments like this—moments where I felt weak and vulnerable.
This phony persona I’ve created could come crashing down around me. The truth would come out eventually, and when it did, I would get hurt or even worse dead. Everything was starting to get so overwhelming that all my thoughts jumbled together like a giant ball of yarn.
I needed to get away—away from my brother—away from Diego. Just away.
When I finally got back to my car, I put the key in the ignition, reversed it out of the parking spot I was in and drove to the only place I felt at peace—the spot—our spot.
It took me nearly an hour to get up there.
Midas had found the place purely by accident, but after discovering it, he deemed it our spot. We came up here to clear our heads, have alone time, and be together. It’s the only place in the city where I actually felt close to him.
The drive was a bit bumpy. The mountain’s road usually was, since it wasn’t maintained as well as the highway roads. Our spot was about halfway up the mountain, secluded and out of the way of the public. It was starting to get dark, so it was hard to remember exactly where the turnoff was. After twenty minutes of searching, I realized I passed it, circled back, and found the turnoff pretty easily. Pulling down the familiar road left sad butterflies bouncing around in my stomach. This was the only place I felt close to Midas.
I parked my car near the embankment that was close to the water’s edge. Stepping out into the cool, crisp mountain air, I took a much-needed breath. The water was part of a strange clear blue lake that was nestled in an old crater halfway up the mountain side.
Midas once told me that he had heard a meteorite hit the mountain a long time ago and because of the weird chemical compounds in the meteorite, the water that gathered in the lake came out clearer and more pure than any other lake in town. I guess I shouldn’t really call it a lake, it was more like a large pond, but it was secluded and not many people knew about its existence. It was extremely hard to find, and it was concealed by a grove of tall pine trees that flavored the air with a familiar scent of woodsy pine that reminded me of Midas. Everything about this place reminded me of him.
Midas called this place Hidden Lake. I think it’s actually called. Veiled Lake because it’s named after the Veiled Mountain—the mountain the crater formed in when the meteorite hit it. Stories around town say that Veiled Mountain got its name from the way the peak sits and how when the sun hits it just right, half of the mountain is nothing but shadows and looks like the profile of a woman wearing a veil. I’ve never actually seen the woman in the veil, so Hidden Lake seemed like a more fitting name for our spot.
I climbed down a small embankment and made my way over to our tree. It was the only fruit tree within a fifty-mile radius, but it was right on the water’s edge, and when the apples were in season, they seemed to be sweeter than the normal apples you got from the store. Right now, the branches were bare and picked clean.
Midas and I once had a weird conversation about how the apple tree ended up alone on the mountain and why it was planted where it was. Midas suggested aliens or Johnny Appleseed, but I suggested something more practical, that maybe another couple had come up here for a picnic like us, and planted the apple seed themselves. I had evidence to back up my story. The tree was like a marker for any couple that found their way up there.
Our initials weren’t the first carved into the brittle bark. When we arrived, there was already someone’s initials there, etched deep into the brown wood were the letters H and A sitting inside of a heart with arrows. It was a little cliché, but I had to admit when Midas pulled out his knife and started chipping at the wood until a similar heart with our names was carved into the tree, I swooned.
I came here when I needed to clear my head, fingering the letters and remembering everything he and I went through before he died. Sometimes I came up here just to talk to him. It’s usually at night so I could look up at the stars and have a conversation with the twinkling diamonds speckling the sky. It’s probably not the best idea to be alone in the woods by myself, but I’d always felt safe here and had no reason to feel otherwise.
“Hey, Midas. I miss you. It’s been seven years since the day you were taken away from me. I’m sorry I haven’t been up here in a while, but things have been a little bit crazy.”
I stared up at the night sky, smiling when a certain star seemed to twinkle brighter than the others. Then the stars blurred, inner mixing with my tears because I couldn’t hold them back anymore.
“It’s so hard living this life without you, JD. I don’t even know who the hell I am anymore. I thought I was doing this all for you, but the deeper I get into it, the more scared I become. I don’t want to die, but I also don’t want to live if you’re not next to me. Sometimes revenge feels like the best thing in the world, other days it feels like I’m making nothing but mistakes. Jimmy hates me, my dad isn’t getting any better, and today he even called someone else your name. You have no idea how hard that is for me. Hearing your name only makes me want to be with you more. Though, I don’t think it would be any easier on that side of things. Would we even find each other on the other side? Would you recognize me? I’ve done so much bad shit lately that I fear we wouldn’t even end up in the same place.”
The tears flew from my eyes, soaking into the dusty ground beneath the tree. I looked out at the water, watching the slow waves as the light breeze pushed them ashore. The moon wasn’t full, but the reflection in the water sparkled like diamonds.
“I met someone that reminds me of you. He’s nothing like you of course—nobody could be you, JD, but this guy has a protective aura around him that I find really attractive. I haven’t been this attracted to someone in a very long time. I want him, Midas. I want him bad. Every time I think about him my stomach gets filled with giddy butterflies, just like it did when I was near you. I don’t know what’s
happening to me? When I’m around him it’s like I’m around you and I feel at peace again. Am I betraying you for feeling this way? Is it wrong for me to want to move on but still hold you close at the same time? I don’t want to let you go, Midas. Maybe I’m still drunk on our love, because loving you has been the biggest hangover I’ve ever had. I can’t get over it, and I don’t think I ever want to. If you want me to move on you need to show me a sign, JD. Give me something that shows you’re okay with me chasing these strange feelings I’m having for another man. You know what I’m doing with Diego means nothing to me. I’ll bleed him dry and then dance in his blood like I’m jumping through puddles in the middle of a rainstorm. I’ll waltz in his blood for you, Midas. That’s how I’m going to avenge your death—dance in the entrails of our enemy. I owe you at least that for everything you did for me. This other guy is different, though. His name is Specter and even though I don’t know him well, I want to know him more, and that scares me. I feel like he’s good, and good is something I’ve been missing in my life since you died. Why did you have to die, JD? Why?” My voice turned to a wail, and it traveled up the mountain side. It was extremely loud, and the echo was a little eerie when it ricocheted back at me.
I suddenly felt very, very vulnerable.
I swear I heard a branch snap nearby, and when I whipped my head around to look in the sound's direction, I swear I saw a shadow step behind a tree in the distance. My heart sped up a little. There were a lot of wild animals in these woods, and right now I was a sitting duck out here all alone. Anything or anyone could creep up on me and I wouldn’t even know they were there until it was too late. A cold chill swept down the mountain side and over my skin, and an overwhelming feeling like I wasn’t alone anymore made me feel uneasy.
“I should probably go, JD, before I get murdered by some backwoods maniac. Just know that I love you and don’t forget what I said . . . I need a sign; I need to know you’re okay with all of this.”
I stood up and wiped the dirt off my back. The bark of the tree bit into the flimsy fabric of my shirt and held on, as if it was begging me to stay. Before I left, I placed my palm against our initials on the apple tree and held it there for a few seconds with my eyes closed, remembering everything I could about Midas’ smile and all the wonderful things we used to do together. It was almost like I could feel his big, cuddly arms wrapping around me, telling me everything was going to be okay.
When I opened my eyes, there was my sign.
A tiny firefly was sitting on the back of my hand, its blinking light flickered off and on as if it were speaking to me in Morse code. I was in awe of it because the only time I ever saw fireflies was when I was with JD. When the firefly took off, I followed it with my eyes, stunned by what I saw next. The entire lake was lit up like a Christmas tree. Thousands of fireflies danced across the water, playing with the moon’s reflections like fairy lights in a garden. Mysteriously appearing out of nowhere.
Midas is here and he heard me!
This was the sign I asked for! JD wanted me to keep going on without him.
Deep down, I knew that I needed to move on, and I planned to eventually, but right now I had way too much on my plate, and adding a relationship to the never-ending buffet of stress and problems I carried around with me didn’t seem like a good idea. Once I got rid of Diego, I would finally open my heart to someone else. Until then, I’d leave only enough room for JD to stay in and a few thousand wild fireflies to come and go as they pleased.
Chapter Eighteen
Specter
When Scythe put me on Faith detail, I never thought it would go into effect so soon. Within a few hours of getting back to the compound, Scythe came running outside and told me to trail his sister. He was frantic, and I could see the worry creasing through his brow. Something happened, and due to Switchblade hovering overhead, he wouldn’t give me any information other than to follow her and watch her.
“What the fuck, Scythe? Why the hell are you sending him out when I have him doing shit around the boneyard? He hasn’t even been in the club for two months and you’re already having him trail people. What the hell is wrong with you?”
“Nothing, Switchblade. Calm the fuck down. I trust him to get this done. Besides, he needs to prove himself.”
Switchblade sneered. “This fuck up won’t prove anything to me other than not belonging.” He turned to Scythe. “Why don’t you send Obi or one of the more seasoned prospects like Jagger or what’s his face, Rex, the guy who can’t hear out of his left ear. Hell, send fucking Goonie to do it. He ain’t part of the club, but he’d do a hell of a lot better than this jackass.”
“Obi, is too busy trying to woo that chick that works at the video store. Jagger and Rex aren’t even patched in yet, I don’t trust them for shit, and Goonie got off an hour ago.”
“But you trust this piece of shit? Why didn’t you ask me? I’m the one who told you what she was up to in the first place.”
“Because if my sister found you following her, she’d call the cops on you for stalking.”
Switchblade threw up his hands. “Your sister needs to grow the hell up. I’m the best guy for her in this club. She needs to be someone’s Old Lady and I’ve paid my dues.”
I glared at Switchblade. “Too bad you’re not the only one around anymore.”
“Fuck you, I’m the only one around that matters.”
“Switchblade, shut the hell up. I put Specter on Faith’s detail; you’re just going to have to live with it.”
Switchblade turned toward Scythe, eyes narrowed, body language reading he was ready to punch. “What the fuck is wrong with you? Why is this asshole so special? I’ve never seen you treat a prospect like this before. Is he sucking your cock or something? Is that what you two were doing in your office earlier. That’s the only explanation I have for you acting like a complete fucking idiot.”
Ah, so he was listening earlier. Good thing I closed that door when I did.
“This thing you have for my sister is getting old, Switchblade. You know she doesn’t want you.”
“Oh, but she will. I’ll wear her down, and once I do, she’ll be my fucking Old Lady.”
“Over my dead body,” I murmured.
“That could be arranged,” Switchblade smirked.
I wanted to fuck him up. God, I want to punch his smug fucking face so bad, but I held back, biting my tongue as I waited for further instructions from Scythe.
“Do you know where she is now?”
“Heading on over to Diego’s club. Follow her. Don’t let her go in there.”
“Why?”
“I have my reasons.”
“You’re not going to give me any more than that?”
Scythe’s eyes cut through me. “Last I checked you were a fucking prospect, that means you do what I say when I tell you to fucking do it. Get the fuck out of here and find her before it’s too late.” Scythe handed me a burner cell phone. “I got my number programmed in this. You call me if you run into any shit, Prospect.”
I nodded. There was a slight desperation in his eyes, and I couldn’t tell what it meant. “Got it, Prez.”
“You’ve lost your fucking mind, Scythe. I’m not going to stand around and watch this shit happen. You don’t know who the fuck this guy is and you’re already trusting him with details? You’re fucking delusional right now.”
“I trust him, Switchblade, and as my VP, you need to fucking trust my judgment. If I didn’t trust him, he wouldn’t be going.”
“Something is going on here, I can smell it in the air. I swear if you’ve got some side action going on that I don’t know about . . .”
“You know everything I do, so shut the fuck up and let him leave.”
Something had drastically changed from when Scythe and I talked earlier today. My gut was telling me it had to do with the Saints.
Switchblade threw up his hands. “Don’t fuck this up, Prospect, I’m fucking watching you.”
“I won’t fuc
k it up.”
I didn’t wait for Switchblade or Scythe to say anything else. I hopped on my bike and road out of the compound, heading in the direction of Diego’s club. Seven years ago, the club didn’t exist, but since I left, Diego had made a name for himself around Garter County.
He bought an old warehouse with a loft and a bunch of back rooms and turned it into a nightclub. After a fire burned down their previous club residence, the Saints turned the nightclub into their new main compound. Most people didn’t give a shit that it was run by a bunch of bikers. They enjoyed the luxuries of a club ran by outlaws—more booze, more boobs, and the law was less likely to sniff around if shit goes squirrelly. I only knew all this information because Cipher had given me a short rundown before he left my hotel room the first night we met. Somehow, he knew I’d need the information, eventually. That guy was entirely too good at his job.
When I got to the club, I didn’t see Faith or her car anywhere. I waited for ten minutes, and when she still didn’t show up, I grabbed the burner phone, flipped it open to start texting Scythe, and noticed that I already had a message:
Scythe: Got word that some of the Saints aren’t too happy about Faith becoming Diego’s Old Lady. My source says a hit was put out by one of the members to take her down. She has no clue and isn’t talking to me right now because of not taking Dad his lunch. I need you to find her and bring her back to the clubhouse so we can protect her.
Me: Dude, you know this ain’t how shit works. People are going to ask questions as to why you’re giving me this kind of detail being brand new to the club.
Scythe: I know. Trust me, I fucking know how this will look. But you are the only person I trust with Faith’s life. Diego wants to meet with me, and I won’t do it unless I know Faith’s safe.
Me: Are you sure she was coming to Diego’s club tonight?
Scythe: Yeah y?
Me: Cause she ain’t here.
Scythe: Fuck, u gotta find her, Specter.