Finally making it to the clubhouse, Aidan had no idea what to expect when he entered the house, but what he saw was definitely not on his list of expectations. As soon as they walked through the door, Piper was engulfed with hugs from Sapphire and another redhead that had to be her other sister, Scarlet.
“What the hell happened?” Sapphire demanded, holding Piper at arm’s length to get a better look at her.
“Someone threw a fire bomb through my window, set my couch on fire, it quickly spread to the curtains, and kept going. Aidan and I got outside, and someone started shooting.”
He listened to Piper explain as if she were talking about the weather. She acted like it was all no big deal, like it was all in a days’ work. Which for her lately, that wasn’t too far from the truth.
“And now I am here, we are here, because I promised if anything else happened that I would come.”
Scarlet gasped at the telling of Piper’s story and Aidan took a moment to get a better look at her. Scarlet had an innocent air about her. He knew she worked as a Social Worker for Harris County, but that was basically it. Piper never really talked about her sisters or the Iron Angels.
“Hey! Looks, it’s Piper!” A tall woman with midnight black hair approached.
“Hey Raven,” Piper gave the older woman a hug. “It’s good to see you, too.”
So that was Raven… he knew her by name because of Magnus, but that was it. She was beautiful, but nothing like Piper.
“And you must be Aidan?” she asked, holding out a hand to him.
“I am,” Aidan replied.
“Magnus has told me…” she paused. “Very little about you, to be honest. So, I look forward to getting to know you better.”
“Likewise.”
“Why don’t we go to my office,” Sapphire said. “Less ears.”
Aidan took a second to look around and realized that every eye in the place was staring at them. And it wasn’t like they were trying to hide it. No, they were full on engrossed in the conversation. He wasn’t sure if he should be annoyed or laugh; so, he chose to just keep quiet.
Following Piper and her sisters down the hallway, Aidan entered the office last, closing the door behind them. Aidan waited for the women to take seats, then leaned against the wall by the door.
“You doing okay, man?” Tank asked, standing next to him.
“Yeah,” Aidan replied. “I’m fine.”
“You sure?” Tank responded. “I know how hard it is to see your woman in danger. Lord knows, Sapphire has taken years from my life.”
“I understand that,” Aidan smiled. “It’s definitely tough to watch.”
“Dude, the stories I could tell you,” Tank chuckled. “That woman over there… she is something else. Hell, all these women are.”
“Today, I had to remind myself a hundred times that Piper can take care of herself.”
“I get that. But also remember, at the end of the day, she is going to need you, too. She might be a strong, independent woman and all that shit, but there will be times when she will need you to step in and take care of things. She will need you to lead.”
“I don’t know about that.” Aidan looked over at Piper as she talked to her sister and Raven. He didn’t think there would ever be a day that she would need him. Want him, yes; but need, he wasn’t convinced.
“Trust me,” Tank grabbed his shoulder. “The day will come.”
Aidan nodded his head and tuned into the conversation between the sisters. He loved Piper’s independence. He loved everything about her. But would she ever really need him to take care of her?
Doubtful.
“Thank you,” Sapphire said to Piper. “Thank you so much for coming home.”
“I promised you that I would,” Piper replied.
“I know. But you’re a grown ass woman. You could have blown me off.”
“Steph,” Piper gave a half smile. “You know better than that. I gave my word. I intended to keep it.”
That was another thing Aidan loved about Piper. When she said something, she meant it. Her word was solid, just like her.
“If mom taught us anything,” Scarlet chimed in. “It was that our word is the only thing we get free in the world. So, make it count.”
“Yep,” both sisters replied in unison.
A knock on the door stopped all conversation. “Want me to get that?” Aidan asked.
“Please,” Sapphire answered.
Opening the door, Aidan wasn’t surprised to see his brother on the other side. “What’s up?” Aidan asked, holding the door open so Rayden could enter the room.
“I brought something for Piper that I think she’ll need,” Rayden said, walking over to Piper and handing her a file.
“What is this?” she asked.
“It’s the kidnapping case file,” Rayden answered. “I know you lost everything in the fire and if you are going to solve this case, I figured you’d need the facts.”
“Oh shit!” Piper hugged Rayden. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” Rayden returned the hug. “But you didn’t get any of that from me.”
“Of course not,” Piper replied. “Oh damn, I’m sorry. Everyone this is Rayden. Aidan’s brother, as you can tell.” Piper finished introductions as Rayden came to stand next to Aidan and Tank.
“Can I take a look?” Sapphire asked Piper.
“Sure.” Piper passed the folder over to her sister.
All the women gathered around Sapphire as she flipped through the investigation folder. They commented and whispered back and forth to each other. At one point, Piper mentioned the buttons that Aidan had noticed.
“Buttons?” Sapphire replied. There was something in her voice that caught everyone’s attention. And if Aidan was honest, it put him on edge.
“Yes,” he replied hesitantly.
Sapphire exchanged a looked with Tank, who looked as if he had lost a little color in his face. With a curt head nod, Tank walked over to a shelf and pulled down a small wooden box. Handing it to his wife to be, he slowly returned to stand next to him.
“My sisters know about this,” Sapphire choked out. “But back when I was a kid, I was kidnapped…”
“Fuck,” Piper breathed. “No. No, no, no… please tell me no.”
Sapphire looked at Piper, and Aidan could see the answer. Whatever Sapphire was about to say, would send Piper over the edge.
“Now is the time,” Tank whispered, nudging him towards Piper.
Should he go to her? Would she appreciate it?
The look on her face was all the answer Aidan needed. Quickly, taking four large steps, he put an arm around her waist and pulled her against him. Piper’s arms snaked around him and hugged him close to her.
“I was sent off to a camp, of sorts. It was a human trafficking syndicate. Drugs. Sex. You name it. The guy who was in charge, always left a button in the exact spot the kid was taken from.”
“How could I have not remembered that,” Piper cried.
“Pip, you were only eight,” Sapphire gave a sad smile. “I wouldn’t expect you to remember.”
“Okay, so who was behind your kidnapping?” Rayden asked. “If the buttons are the same now as they were then, then it has to be the same guy.”
“That’s the thing,” Sapphire said, looking through the box Tank had given her. “He’s dead.”
“Are you sure?” Aidan asked.
“I killed him,” Sapphire said matter-of-factly. “So yes, I am very sure. But apparently, someone else has taken over. Someone who knew about the button.”
Aidan watched as Sapphire found what she was looking for. Pulling her hand from the box, she opened it to reveal a button sitting in the middle of her palm.
“This is the button that was found when I was taken,” Sapphire said quietly to no one in particular. “Mom found it. She carried it with her everywhere. In her bra actually.” The sisters smiled, and Raven gave a sad laugh.
“Your ma was a…” Raven searc
hed for the right words, “weird one.”
“Ain’t that the truth,” Scarlet chuckled.
“She carried it with her as a reminder to never lose hope. That she would find me one day.”
“And she did,” Raven chimed in. “I will never forget that day.”
“I’m sure,” Sapphire said. “You have a bullet hole in your side in case you forget.”
“Ehh,” Raven shrugged. “It’s whatever.”
“It’s not whatever,” Sapphire smiled.
Raven just shrugged her shoulders. Aidan was kind of thrown off by the entire conversation. This family had seen battle. And now it seemed to be coming back full force.
“I would like to help in the investigation,” Sapphire said. When Piper looked as if she was going to disagree, Sapphire held up a hand. “Hear me out, please.” Piper nodded and remained quiet.
“You aren’t a cop anymore and now have lost a lot of your connections. However, if you allow me to help, you will gain mine.”
“And mine,” Tank chimed. “The Devils Henchmen are a powerful ally.”
“I would agree,” Piper nodded.
“Allow us to help,” Sapphire repeated. “This organization is… I’m not even sure. It’s complicated. It’s intricate. It’s been around for years and nobody has been able to stop them. Until now. I believe with all of us on this case, we can and will bring it to the ground.”
Aidan watched as Sapphire stood from her chair and walked around her desk. Taking Piper into her arms, she kissed the side of her head.
“And these mother fuckers made a huge mistake by going after my sister,” Sapphire gritted out. “They will pay for that. But to keep all of us out of prison, we will need government help.”
“And that is where Sledge and the guys come in,” Tank again chimed in.
Piper kissed her sister back and turned towards Aidan. “What do you think?” she asked.
Aidan stood there for a moment. It was the first time that Piper had asked his opinion and it kind of threw him off a bit. Which said a lot, because that never happened. Aidan thought of the possibilities for a moment and gave his honest opinion.
“I think it is actually a pretty good idea,” he answered. “We can’t do this on our own.”
“We?” Piper arched a brow.
“Yes we,” Aidan gave her back the same look. “There is no way in hell I would let my girl go at this case alone.”
“Let me?” Again, he received the same look.
“You know what I mean,” Aidan deadpanned.
“Do I?”
“Piper,” Tank said. “Stop toying with him.”
“But, it’s so much fun,” she grinned.
“I’ll show you fun later,” Aidan grinned. “But for now, take Sapphire up on her offer. And Tank.”
“First of all, that was gross. I don’t want to hear about y’alls toying.” Sapphire shuddered. “Second of all, thank you, Aidan.” Turning to Piper she said, “Please, Pip. Let us help. All of us.”
“Okay,” Piper said finally. “Let’s get to work.”
Aidan breathed a sigh of relief. If this was the same organization that apparently had been kidnapping kids for a very long time, they were going to need all the help they could get. Obviously, this operation ran deep. Deeper than Aidan would have ever thought possible. To stay active for this long, it meant the leaders had connections, powerful connections.
Chapter Fifteen
Piper
Piper looked around the room. So many people. Her family. If what Sapphire was thinking was the actual truth, then this organization had several deep roots. Connections that she never dreamed of. While she hated to put those she cared about in danger, she wasn’t stupid. She knew she would never solve it without help. The Henchmen were a great ally to have in this and so were the Angels.
Devils and Angels… What a combination!
“Tank,” Piper said. “Make the call to Sledge. We’ll need intel that probably only he will have connection to.”
“Umm,” Aidan interrupted. “I may have someone who can also help. A few someone’s actually.”
“Like?” Sapphire asked.
“Aidan,” Rayden warned. “Don’t.”
“What?” Tank asked.
“Rayden,” Aidan sighed. “It’s too late.”
“What are you talking about?” Piper asked.
There was something about the interaction between the two brothers and Rayden’s tense posture that put Piper on edge. Whatever was going on, she didn’t think she was going to like it.
“I told you I would explain everything,” Aidan reminded. “So…”
“No!” Rayden stepped into Aidan personal space. “You are not getting involved in that life again.”
“Stop!” Aidan gritted out between clenched teeth.
“Rayden!” Piper was getting irritated. “Knock your shit off and let him explain.”
Rayden took a deep breath and walked over to the picture window that looked out over the yard. Piper wanted, no needed, answers; and the more tension that came from the brothers, the worse the feel became.
“I used to work under cover,” Aidan announced to the room, but looked at Piper.
“You were a cop?” Tank asked.
“No.” Aidan answered, never taking his eyes off Piper. “I worked under cover for the government.”
“Like a spy?” Raven asked.
“Exactly.”
“That’s cool as shit,” she replied.
“Yeah,” Rayden said sarcastically. “Cool as shit until someone becomes a snitch and a foreign government tries to kill you and you have to go into hiding to stay alive.”
“Oh,” Raven sighed. “I can see the problem.”
Piper just stood there, looking at Aidan. A government spy. That was definitely not what she had thought would come out of his mouth.
“I have a lot of people I can call to get help,” Aidan said. “One of them happens to be my old handler.”
“No!” Rayden said loudly. “Not a fucking chance.”
“Rayden, stop,” Aidan sighed.
“You know what will happen if you call her,” Rayden replied.
“What will happen?” Piper asked.
“Nothing,” Aidan said, when it looked like Rayden was about to speak.
“We’ll talk later,” Piper replied.
“Yes, ma’am,” Aidan responded.
Piper knew there was something there, something Aidan wasn’t telling her. The thought irritated her. Why hide something from her? She was the easiest person to get along with – if you were truthful. Trust was a huge thing for her. So many times, someone had disappointed her by breaking her trust. It was the reason why her circle of people was so small. Deciding to leave it for now, she turned to Aidan and Tank and told them both to make the calls. This case came first.
Find the kids. Bring the organization down. Then deal with everything else.
She had to prioritize everything. If not, it would just all pile up and nothing would get done. Piper had a bad habit of closing off her feelings and saving them for another day. Today wasn’t any different.
Ignoring the guys while they did their thing, Piper walked over to Sapphire and started looking through the small box.
“What is all of this?” Piper asked.
“It’s everything from my case,” Sapphire answered. “Mom kept it all.”
“I would ask how she got official law enforcement documents, but there’s no point,” Piper smiled.
“Yeah,” Sapphire chuckled. “Mom had her way of getting things that no one else could.”
The girls spent the next fifteen minutes looking over the case file and comparing it to the information Piper’s mother had collected. Pope Kimber would have made a great cop. Her attention to detail didn’t surprise any of them. When their mother wanted something, she went after it. And at that time, she wanted her daughter home.
“The boys will be here tomorrow,” Tank said, walking over to
the desk. “Also, the girls are coming with them. So, we will need to make room for them.”
“Okay,” Sapphire smiled. “I’ll have one of the girls start getting the extra bedrooms set up.”
“I’m on it,” Raven said, heading towards the door.
“No, Raven,” Sapphire called. “You need to be involved in this. I’ll have someone else get them ready.”
“The fuck?” Raven frowned. “I’m not getting them ready. I’ll get some of the other girls on it. The fuck I look like? The housekeeper?”
“Definitely not,” Sapphire laughed.
“Exactly.”
Raven was anything but a housekeeper. The woman was hell on wheels. Standing at five foot six, long black hair, and the greenest eyes Piper had ever seen – Raven was stunning. She was also the Iron Angels VP and her bullshit meter was extremely short, unlike her temper. The woman had more patience than a Saint. Piper adored her, and so did the rest of her sisters; hell, all the Angels did really.
And she’s bisexual, apparently.
That was a thought Piper was still trying to wrap her mind around. All this time, she thought Raven was lesbian. And now, she finds out that the woman that was her mother’s best friend, was also into dudes, too.
Learn something new every day, I guess, Piper smiled to herself.
As Raven went to busy herself setting tasks for some of the girls, Piper and Sapphire continued to look over documents. But Piper was having a hard time staying focused. Her mind kept drifting back to Raven.
“How long have you known that Raven was bisexual?” Piper whispered.
“What?” Sapphire chuckled. “For like, forever.”
“Seriously?” Piper was shocked. “How did I not know?”
“I don’t know,” Sapphire grinned. “How did you miss the women leaving her room in the mornings?”
“I didn’t!” Piper exclaimed. “It’s the dudes that’s throwing me off.”
“Oh!” Sapphire laughed loudly, causing all the heads in the room to look their direction.
“What’s so funny?” Tank asked, a grin on his own face.
“Pip is dumbfounded that Raven is bisexual,” Sapphire laughed.
“Hey!” Piper protested. “In my defense, I just wasn’t expecting it. I mean, all this time I just thought she was into girls.”
Piper: Iron Angels MC, Book Two Page 10