by L. Wilder
“Fuck,” I growled.
“This information doesn’t change anything, brother,” Crow started. “We end this shit tonight. I put a tracker on Rick’s phone, hoping to get a ping on the guy’s location that he’s working for. I’ll get him. One way or another, Olivia and those kids will have their life back.”
“You got that right. Have you told Gus about this?”
“Yeah. I talked to him just before you got here. He’s planning to go over everything with the guys in church. I’ll have the name of your guy before you leave tonight. You have my word on that.”
“Thanks, man,” I told him as I stood to leave. “I owe you one.”
“Hold on. I’ve got something else you might wanna see,” he told me as he started sifting through the stack of papers on his desk. “Gus asked me to look into your buddy Sam. He wanted to see if there was something we might be able to do to help him out.”
“And?”
“Did you know he was in the service?”
“Yeah, he mentioned something about it to Olivia a few months back. Said he was in the Navy or something.”
Crow handed me a picture of a man in a full Navy service uniform with a variety of ribbons stretching across his left breast pocket and said, “That’s Samuel Bennet. He was in the service for over twenty years until he was wounded in the USS Cole bombing. Seventeen sailors were killed and over thirty-nine were injured. Turns out, Sam was wounded while he was rescuing members of his crew. Even after he was hurt, he kept at it. Ended up being awarded a Bronze Star for saving six of his men from the fire.”
I looked at the picture again as I asked, “This is our Sam?”
“The one and only.”
“And now he’s out choosing to live on the streets. That’s fucked up, man.”
He nodded in agreement as he said, “Yeah it is, but his life on the streets is done whether he likes it or not. Gus is going to make sure of it.”
“Olivia will be relieved to hear that. Thanks for telling me,” I told him as I headed for the door. Just before I left, I turned to him and said, “Funny how quickly things can change. Sam deserves a better life. I really hope he gets it.”
Shortly after I finished up with Crow, the brothers met for church. Gus went over everything Crow had uncovered and we strategized our plans for tonight. Gus told us in church he’d talked to Cotton and assured him that there was no need to send any brothers from back home, because whoever was fucking with Olivia and the kids would be dead before they’d even have the time to get here. It felt good, knowing these brothers had my back. It didn’t matter that they were our charter club; we were all Satan’s Fury.
After we were done, Gus and I followed Bic and Crow to the warehouse. It was time for Rick to make another call to the fuckhead he was working for. Bic unlocked the door and we stepped inside. The small room reminded me of a jail cell. There was a cot in one corner and a sink and urinal in the other, and it reeked of piss and body odor. Rick was sitting at the end of the cot in his shirt soaked through with blood. His hair was greasy with sweat and grime, and he could barely keep his eyes open. Gus walked over to the sink and filled a glass with water, then poured it over Rick’s head.
Rick sputtered and coughed as he pulled himself from his stupor, and when he looked like he actually knew we were standing there, Gus told him, “It’s time to make another call.”
“I think I’m dying,” Rick muttered.
“You’re not dying, asshole, but you will be if you fuck this up,” Bic growled.
Gus stepped closer as he handed Rick his cell phone and said, “Make the call. Our man is tracking the call, so keep him on the line as long as you can. Do exactly what we’ve told you and I’ll see about getting those wounds looked at.”
“Okay,” Rick mumbled as he took the phone in his hand.
“Fuck it up and I’ll end you,” Bic warned.
Rick dialed the number and waited for it to start ringing. He cleared his throat and then, several seconds later, he said, “Hey, man. What’s your status?” He paused for a moment and then said, “Yeah. It’s cool. I just checked. She’s at the diner and the kids are upstairs in the apartment. They should all be home by the time you arrive.” He nodded silently before saying, “Yeah, got it. It’ll be a few hours before you get here, so I’ll keep an eye on ‘em and let you know if they make a move.” He paused, trying to buy Crow a little more time, and then said, “Okay. Where? … Fine. I was just wondering how long it will take you to get to her place. I doubt they’ll go anywhere, but I will let you know if they do. Just give me a call when you get close and I’ll let you know where they are.” After another brief pause, he ended the call and handed the phone to Gus.
The second Crow gave me the nod that he’d gotten the information he needed, I asked Rick, “Where is he?”
“He’s just leaving his house. He got a direct flight to Memphis and should be here by 7:00 pm. He said he’s gotta make a stop somewhere and then he’s heading straight to the apartment.”
“What kind of stop?”
“He didn’t say. I tried asking him, but he just said he had to make a stop,” Rick repeated.
Gus looked over at Rick. “Hold tight. I’ll get Mack in here to stitch you up.”
“I’d appreciate it,” Rick told him. There was hope in his voice as he asked, “Are you going to let me out of here?”
“That depends on you, Rick,” Gus told him. “You do what we tell ya, and you’ll be free to go when this is over. If not, then Bic gets to have a little fun with you.”
As promised, Gus sent Mack in to tend to Rick’s wounds while Crow worked his magic on finding our guy’s exact location. Murph and I headed to the back to help Bic inspect all the artillery. Once all the weapons and ammo were checked, we loaded everything into the SUV. We were set to go. I had no idea how the night would play out, but I knew I had my brothers behind me and Olivia waiting for me back at home—and that’s all I really needed to know.
I’d gone over everything Clutch had told me about his brothers and the club a hundred times in my head, but as soon as I walked through the front door, my mind went blank from sensory overload. I was completely overwhelmed and couldn’t think straight. Before Maverick went to check in with his ol’ lady, he gave me a quick tour of the clubhouse. Nothing was like I’d imagined it would be. The place was huge with a bar attached to the side and a maze of hallways that lead to different rooms throughout the clubhouse. There was no way I’d find my way around the place without help, but luckily I didn’t have to look far; there were plenty of people around to ask. I tried to remember everyone’s names as they greeted me, but there were just so many of them. While the men all had the look of badass bikers, they were all very kind and welcomed me and the kids like they’d known us forever.
When Guardrail showed us where we would be staying, I was surprised to find that they had prepared two adjoining rooms for us. Charlie would have a place of his own, but he’d still be close enough for me to keep an eye on him. After an hour or so, we were all unpacked and settling in. Even though it was still pretty early, the kids were exhausted, so they stretched out on my bed and turned on the TV. They’d just found a movie to watch when Cassidy stopped in to check on us. She chatted with the kids a minute, introducing herself as she unloaded a huge bag ironically full of all their favorite snacks and drinks. She even had a four-pack of my beloved banana split yogurt and an assortment of our favorite must-have fruits. Cassidy handed Charlie a programmed burner phone, explaining the contacts as she loaded the mini-fridge. It took some convincing, but she was persistent, and after assuring me the kids would be fine and could call if they needed anything, she managed to get me to come have a drink and visit with the ol’ ladies.
We’d been sitting at the bar talking for almost an hour while I was listening to Allison explain how she met Guardrail. I overheard Wren turn to Henley and say, “She’s really tall.”
“Well, Clutch is, like, nine feet tall. A guy like him
needs a tall girl at his side,” Henley chuckled.
“True. I guess it will help balance him out,” Wren said and laughed. “Have you looked at her hair? I just love it. It’s the perfect mix of red and brown. It really brings out her eyes.”
“Yeah, her eyes are so mystical, they look magical. Every time I look at them, they are a different color. Once minute they look green, and then all of a sudden they look brown.” During the drive here, I’d gotten a chance to talk to Maverick, and he’d tried to warn me that his ol’ lady Henley was a bit of a nut. He was right, but I liked her. Even though she was gorgeous, she had a smile that set me at ease.
Wren smiled and said, “I wish I had her skin. It’s flawless. Since the pregnancy, mine has been a hot mess.”
Wren was a little older than Henley, but she was also beautiful. When she mentioned my complexion, I had no idea what she was talking about. Even with her pregnancy, her skin looked absolutely perfect and seemed to glow. Glancing at Alison, who’d gone silent listening to Wren and Henley, I gave her a wink as I took a drink of my water, audibly cleared my throat, and then pointed to myself as I teasingly asked, “You do know I’m sitting right here?”
Cassidy laughed and said, “Don’t mind them. All those pregnancy hormones have fried their brains.”
There was something different about Cassidy. From the start, I could see that there was a curiosity behind her eyes when she talked to me. I assumed it had something to do with being the president’s ol’ lady, so I did my best to ignore it. I looked over to Henley and noticed that she was six or seven months along while Wren was barely showing, so I asked, “When are you both due?”
Henley answered, “In an eternity from now.”
Cassidy shook her head. “Not an eternity. You just have two and a half more months to go.”
“That’s an eternity! This little twerp keeps kicking my bladder. I’m in the bathroom every five minutes,” Henley groaned. “But it will be worth it in a few months to have a little Maverick running around.”
“Are you sure you can’t do something about that?” Cassidy teased. “One Maverick is enough.”
“I’m so gonna tell him you said that,” Henley growled, and then out of nowhere, she suddenly turned her attention towards me. Her lips curled into a mischievous grin as she said, “So you’ve heard our stories from Clutch. You know I’m with Maverick, and Guardrail is with Allie. You know Wren is Stitch’s ol’ lady and Cassidy is with Cotton.” She waved her hand in the air as she continued, “Their stories are old and boring. We’ve heard them a hundred times. Now we want to know all about you and Clutch. How’d you two hook up?”
I shrugged, suddenly feeling shy with all four sets of their eyes on me. “I don’t know. We met at the diner where I worked. Other than that, I guess there’s not much to say.”
“Somehow, I doubt that,” Henley said. “With Clutch, there is always something to say.”
I glanced at Henley, giving her a small smile. Stalling for a minute, I sat circling the top of my water bottle with a fingertip, trying to find the words. I didn’t know how to explain to these women how deeply I felt for Clutch, how powerful our love felt to me. I didn’t know these women, and they were all his people … his family.
“Well, to tell the truth … we had a bit of a rocky start,” I confessed. “I was just trying to keep my head above water when he showed up. Starting something with anyone was the last thing on my mind at the time. At first, I was kind of ticked at him for being so good-looking … No, I take that back. I was really, really mad at him for being so damn good-looking,” I said with a smile. “From the second I met him, he completely unhinged me. Just his presence alone awakened something uncontrollable inside me. I felt a pull towards him like I’d never felt before. He was so hot, I couldn’t keep my eyes or my mind off of him, and I hated feeling so consumed.”
Their eyes were all on me.
So I continued. “It didn’t help that he was there every time I turned around. He was a distraction that I felt for certain I didn’t need in my life. I was sure he was nothing but hot as hell trouble, and I knew we were a whole different level of trouble he definitely didn’t need. But I was selfish, and he kept pulling me in with that sexy little smile and all the sweet things he’d do. He seemed to understand what we were going through without me even telling him—better than we even understood, truthfully. We all became attached to him pretty fast. He … made us feel like ourselves. His presence awakened what we didn’t even realize we’d lost after my parents’ deaths. He pulled us into the present. I couldn’t help myself. He was just too easy to fall in love with. It was like he was my knight in shining armor, but instead of riding on a big white horse, he was riding a big black iron horse.”
Cassidy gave me a strange look, then said, “You really love him, don’t you?”
“Yeah. I really do.”
“I’m glad to hear that. Clutch is a really good guy. I’m glad he found you.”
“I’m glad he did, too. And he couldn’t have come at a better time. We needed him in more ways than I could ever imagine.”
“Maverick said you’ve been taking care of your brother and sister after your parents were killed. That had to be hard,” Henley told me.
I shrugged and said, “They’re my family. There’s nothing in the world I wouldn’t do for them. And honestly, I wouldn’t have been able to make it through this whole thing without them. Maybe this will all be over soon and we can get back to a normal life.”
“You will. It will just take some time,” Wren assured me.
Just thinking about it made me miss Clutch even more, so I decided to change the subject. “Do you know what you’re having? Have you thought of any names?”
“No names yet, but we found out the other day that we’re having a little girl,” Wren answered, beaming with pride.
“A little girl! That’s awesome, Wren. Why didn’t you tell us sooner?” Henley asked.
“We’ve just had so much going on, and Stitch …” she started, but stopped.
“What about Stitch?” Henley pushed.
“He’s acting a little weird ever since we got the news from the doctor. I think he might be a little disappointed,” Wren explained. As she was talking, Stitch came up behind her.
Before I had a chance to warn her that he was there, Stitch asked, “Disappointed about what?”
Her eyes widened with surprise when she heard his voice, and her face flushed red as she turned around to face him. Her eyes dropped to her hands as she answered, “I was just telling them that I thought you might be a little disappointed that we weren’t having a boy.”
His eyebrows furrowed, but not in anger. He seemed completely surprised by her response. The strong man covered in tattoos and a full beard turned completely soft as he placed his hand on her belly and said, “Darlin’, the minute I saw this little girl on that computer screen, I knew she’d already wrapped me around her little finger … just like her momma. I’m just worried … not sure I’ll ever be able to tell her no, so you’ll have to be the one who does that.”
She looked up at him and smiled. “I think we’ll manage.” She wrapped her hands around his neck. “I love you, Griffin, and you’re going to be an amazing father to our little girl just like you already are with Wyatt.”
He kissed her lightly on the lips and said, “It’s getting late. We need to get Wyatt home so he can get some sleep.”
He took her hand in his, then helped her step down from her stool. She turned to me and said, “It was really nice to meet you, Olivia. I think you’re going to make a great addition to the crew.”
“Thanks, Wren. It was great to meet you, too,” I told her. As soon as they were gone, I stood up. “I guess I better get going. It’s been a really long day and I need to check on the kids.”
“Okay. Try to get some rest,” Cassidy urged me. “There’s plenty of food in the fridge if the kids get hungry. Just help yourself.”
“Thanks. I’ll let them
know,” I told her as I headed for my room.
When I walked in, Hadley was already sound asleep while Charlie was close behind her. He rubbed his eyes and yawned before he said, “How was it?”
“It was fun. They are all really nice,” I answered as I sat down at the foot of the bed.
“Have you heard from Clutch?”
I looked down at my watch and my stomach sank when I realized I hadn’t heard from him in hours. I feigned a smile and said, “He’ll call in a little while.”
“You’re worried. I can tell.”
“Maybe a little, but I’m sure everything will be okay.”
“What do you think they are going to do?” Charlie asked with concern.
“Do about what?”
“You know, with the guys that are after us. What do you think they’ll do to them?”
“I don’t know, Charlie. I just know that Clutch is going to do whatever it takes to make sure we’re safe. That’s all that really matters.”
“I really like him, Livie. He’s a good guy.”
“Yeah, I think so, too.”
Charlie gave me a quick hug before he went next door to his room. I crawled into bed next to Hadley and tried to go to sleep, but it was pointless. There was no way I was going to be able to get any rest until I knew Clutch was okay. I reached for my phone and laid it next to my head, praying that it would ring, but it never did.
Cyrus loaded Rick into the back of the SUV, and I was just about to join him when Gus called out to me. He was talking on the phone and motioned me over to him as he said, “Hold on. The tracker worked. Crow got the son-of-a-bitch.” After several minutes, Gus hung up the phone and said, “It’s Perry’s son, Daniel.”
“Damn it. I knew it was that motherfucker,” I growled.
“Once Crow got the address and tracked it to Daniel, he was able to hack into all of his information and link it to the offshore bank accounts that paid Rick. He also found out that he’d paid a guy named Jonathan Tate a hundred and fifty grand the night Olivia’s parents were killed. Must have been too chicken-shit to commit murder on his own. He just paid the guy another hundred grand yesterday along with a plane ticket to Memphis. Tate isn’t affiliated with any organization, so we won’t have to worry about any blowback from him. According to Crow’s intel, the two met at a shooting range six months ago. Tate’s an alcoholic hermit doomsday prepper,” Gus explained, shaking his head.