Renascence: Death Dealers MC Book 5

by Alana Sapphire

  There were four men in the van, and now we have them gagged and tied up in the backyard. We haven’t been able to move them yet, so everyone’s been warned to stay inside the clubhouse. I’m sitting in front of them, my bandaged leg resting on a chair. Emily is still asleep, Marisol watching over her and changing her compress.

  “They give you anything?” I ask Prez.

  “Nothing… yet. Haven’t really asked properly.” The men squirm. They’re all in one piece, but that won’t last long. “I sent for the girl. If she can’t give us anything, I’ll do a more thorough interrogation.” He smirks, folding his arms over his chest.

  When the driver got shot last night, he crashed the van into a pole by our gates. That’s when our guys swooped in. Rico and Tyler were tied up in the back, and we still have no idea what was going to happen to them. The van, broken glass, and spent shells were quickly cleaned up, the bent pole the only indication that something happened.

  “Where’s your boss?” I ask. “He’s got to know by now that we have you. I don’t hear a cavalry coming.”

  They all shrug. These situations all start out the same way. They think they’ll keep their mouths shut and we’ll either give up or just kill them. Me? I’ll keep them alive if only to continuously inflict pain. Some people like to think of themselves as walls—solid and unmovable. What they fail to recognize is that people like me are motherfucking wrecking balls.

  Gage checks his phone, then jerks his head toward the clubhouse. I follow him inside, favoring my leg. It hurts like a bitch, but there’s no way I’m sitting this out. Razor’s returned with the girl, leading her to a window that looks out into the backyard.

  “You know those men?” Gage asks.

  “I’ve seen them at the restaurant. They work for Mr. Vitalli.”

  “You know where he does business?”

  “The loans? People normally come to the restaurant. I always assumed he had a safe there or something.”

  “You ever see him moving money around?” I ask.

  “Sometimes his men come and go with duffel bags, but I don’t know where they go.”

  “You’re doing good,” Gage tells her. “You keep talking and you’ll be outta here in no time.”

  “Thank you.”

  Razor takes her away and Gage turns to me. “How’s the leg?”

  “It’s fine.”

  “Emily?”

  “I’m going to check on her now. What did Tek find?”

  “A few accounts. Seems some charities received sizeable anonymous donations last night.” He chuckles, shaking his head. “The men who are protecting Junior will also find their commissaries empty.”

  “Good.” I turn to walk away, but his voice stops me.

  “You give any thought to contacting your old man?”

  “Not really. I don’t see why I need to.”

  “I know your history with them isn’t good, but people change.”

  “Not those two. Didn’t need ’em before, sure as fuck don’t need ’em now.”

  “Okay, brother. Your call. Emily’s bag was still in the van. Gave it to Marisol.”

  He backs away and I hobble to my room. Raven and Ellen are lounging on the bed, but Emily is missing.

  “Where’s Emily?”

  “This is your fault. You know that, right?” Raven rolls, unable to sit up until Ellen helps.

  I take a deep breath, getting ready for the onslaught.

  “If you hadn’t pissed her off and let her leave, this wouldn’t have happened.”

  “I know that.”

  “How are you going to fix it?” Ellen asks.

  The bathroom door opens, granting me a reprieve. Out comes Emily, assisted by Marisol. Our eyes meet, hers dropping to the floor as she limps to the bed. After seeing she’s comfortable, Marisol leaves, telling her to call if she needs anything. The other women head for the door, motioning for me to go to Emily. Once we’re alone, I move to the other side of the bed, snagging the painkillers and a bottle of water from the nightstand. I pop two pills, propping my gimp leg up on the bed as I lean against the headboard.

  “What happened?” comes Emily’s timid voice.

  “Got shot, darlin’.”

  “My God! Are you okay?”

  “I’ll be fine. How do you feel?”

  “I wasn’t shot, Liam.” She moves closer to me. “Your condition is more important than mine right now.”

  “Darlin’.” I turn to her and cup her cheek, thumb gently brushing a blue and purple bruise. My blood boils with fury. “I didn’t protect you. This happened because of me. How can you even be concerned about me?”

  “No. You warned me. I’m the one who ran off half-cocked. Maybe you would’ve been at the courthouse with me if I hadn’t left.”

  “The courthouse?”

  “Yes. My divorce is final. I’m free, Liam.”

  CHAPTER 21

  ***Emily***

  “Em….”

  Liam stares at me, no words coming from his lips. I climb onto his lap, burying my face in his neck. “That’s because of you. Thank you.”

  He wraps his arms around me, causing a sigh to pass my lips. I’m finally back where I’m supposed to be.

  “What now?” he poses the question I asked him not long ago.

  “That’s entirely up to you. You know what I want.”

  “Still?”

  “Still.”

  “Emily, how can you say that after what those motherfuckers did to you?”

  I sit up, meeting his troubled gray eyes. “I don’t want to be with those motherfuckers. I want to be with you.”

  “Yeah, but shit like that? That’s what happens when you’re with someone like me.”

  “You’re the numbers man, right? What’s the probability of things like this happening on a regular basis?”

  “Emily….” He shakes his head, expelling a frustrated breath.

  “Low, right? What I know for certain is that you make me happy, Liam. Don’t you like being with me?”

  “There’s no question about that, but I can’t risk you getting hurt.”

  My eyes burn with unshed tears. “Can’t you see you’re the one hurting me?”

  I don’t understand why he’s being like this. His brothers have women, wives. How dangerous can his life be? I move back to the bed, chiding myself. We want different things, and it’s time I accept that.

  “Emily, this isn’t about heartache. I’m trying to keep you alive!”

  I don’t respond, only turning my back to him as I lie down.

  “You said I’m a protector. Well that’s what I’m doing—protecting you. Your name means ‘striving,’ so you’ll get through this, Em. You’ll move on, and one day I’ll just be a memory.”

  Tears slide down my cheeks, wetting the pillow. Liam is strike three. I should accept that a happily ever after is not in the books for me. I’m destined to be alone.

  “I want to know what happened.”

  “Rico and Tyler picked me up at the bar.” I sigh, running through the events in my mind. “Before we even left the parking lot, we were surrounded. They took me to a back room in a restaurant. I didn’t see the guys until we were all back in the van.”

  “Tell me everything,” he forces out the words.

  “Vitalli said he was disappointed in me for not following instructions. One of the men smacked me around a bit, saying it was my punishment.”

  “We have the men who grabbed you. Which one put his hands on you?”

  “And if I tell you? What are you going to do with him?”

  “They hurt you, Emily… used you as bait. Do you really want to know how this is gonna go?”

  “No. I want to call the police.”

  “Em—”

  “You’ve made it abundantly clear that I’m not your woman,” I say, force behind my words. “That means you don’t get to make decisions like that for me. I’m calling the police.”

  “That’s what you want? To do things legit?�
��

  “Yes.”

  I turn to him at the sound of numbers being dialed. His phone is on speaker, and after three rings, a woman picks up.

  “Hughes residence.”

  My mouth drops open. Liam takes a deep breath.

  “It’s me. Liam.”

  There’s a pause before the woman asks, “What do you want?”

  Bitch.

  “Nothing.” Liam grits his teeth.

  “Then why have you called after all this time?”

  “I need to speak to your husband about a case of his that I’ve been dragged into for some reason.”

  “They found you,” she says, voice low and filled with surprise. “I didn’t think they would.”

  “Not hard for someone who’s looking.” His mother doesn’t have a comeback, the line remaining silent. “Your husband?” he prods.

  There’s muttering in the background before his father comes on. “Liam?”

  “William.”

  “What’s this about?”

  “Vitalli. For some reason, he thinks he can get to you by fucking with me.”

  “I already told him I can’t be bought. When he threatened you, we didn’t think much of it because we figured you were somewhere far away.”

  “Yeah, well, he found me. My girl’s face is all busted up.”

  “Jesus. Will she testify that it was Vitalli?”

  “It was his men, but it shouldn’t be hard trailing it back to him.”

  “Good. Go to the nearest police station and file a report. Have them contact ADA Nichols. He’s prosecuting.”

  “Yeah, okay.”

  “Liam….”

  His thumb hovers over the End button. “Yeah?”

  “Nothing. Goodbye.”

  He tosses the phone aside, closing his eyes. It’s like the call drained him of all his energy. I lay my hand on his shoulder, sliding it up to stroke the back of his neck.

  “Liam, I’m sorry. You didn’t have to do that for me.”

  “I didn’t do it for you. Well, not entirely. Maybe I just needed to see if they’d changed. Guess not. At least they’re still together. Seems I was the problem after all.” He shrugs me off, getting to his feet. “I gotta go talk to the guys.”

  “Liam.”

  He stops at the door, hand frozen above the knob. I try to speak, but no words come. What the hell would I say? The silence stretches on until he gives up, opening the door and stepping through it. It closes behind him, the finality of the resounding click echoing in my heart.

  ***Venom***

  “She wants to do what?”

  “Go to the cops,” I repeat, meeting Gage’s stare.

  I’m already a little pissed that she doesn’t trust me enough to handle this, but now I have to tell that to my brothers. They won’t say it, but I know it’s what they’re all thinking.

  “And how are we supposed to explain all this?”

  “I don’t know. That’s why I’m bringing it to the table.”

  “I guess it would be easier to let them do the work for once,” Razor weighs in. “This could be the first step toward our legit operation.”

  “What do we do about Vitalli?” Chopper asks. “My contact gave me two locations where he could be keeping his money.”

  “Where?” I give him my full attention.

  “One right outside of ATL and another not far from here. Of course, there’s also his house.”

  “I have an idea,” I announce. “We’d need help, though. Lots of bodies.”

  Gage nods, not even asking me to explain. “I’ll call Jacksonville and SC, see if they can help out.”

  I reach for a map, spreading it on the table and asking Chopper to mark the three locations.

  “We’re going to need three teams, hit them all simultaneously. We take the money, torch the place.”

  “And Vitalli?” Razor raises a brow.

  “I want to ram my fist through his throat, but Em wants this done right. Through the ‘proper channels,’ anyway.”

  “Best way would be to have the cops find the money,” Gage says. “Otherwise all they’d have him on is kidnapping, assault, and trying to bribe a judge.”

  “There’s also the picture. If the girl will testify that he paid her to do it, that is, and if Emily is okay with handing it over to the cops,” Tek adds. “It will show he targeted her before the kidnapping. I’m still working on getting into his email, but we can scrap that so the cops can find it. If we’re going this route, our plans need to be airtight. So far, Vitalli’s been like Teflon when it comes to the law. He tried to access his accounts, too, so he knows that money is gone.”

  Listening to my brothers makes me realize how half-cocked my plan was. I mean, I only thought about it for a few seconds. It’s a good thing I have these men to ground me.

  “So we give the cops everything we have? Except for the fuckers from last night. They’re mine.”

  “Shit.” Chopper shakes his head. “If this isn’t turning over a new leaf, I don’t know what is. Cops?”

  “It’s not how I would do it, but like I said, it’s what Em wants.”

  “Now whose woman’s got whose balls?” Gage asks. Einstein snickers.

  “She’s not my woman.” My voice is loud enough for everyone to hear, the words leaving a bitter taste in my mouth.

  “Yeah, whatever. So we’re agreed we’re letting the law handle this?”

  “Yeah, but they’re getting off too easy. Booker.” I turn to him. “Get a message to your brother. See if he can set up a playdate for Junior.”

  “Sure thing.”

  “So, fellas, we votin’?” Prez asks.

  There are “ayes” around the table, and then Gage turns to me. “There you have it. I’ll call Renley. We’ll give him everything except the men. They’re waiting at the warehouse for you.”

  “Thanks, Prez.”

  We leave the chapel and I head right back to my room. Marisol is here, keeping Emily’s company as she eats. In normal circumstances, I’d make a joke about her stealing my girl, but she’s not really mine, is she?

  “Do you want me to stay?” Marisol eyes me briefly before focusing on Emily.

  “No, it’s fine. Thanks for feeding me.”

  “No problem.”

  When she leaves, I perch on the side of the bed, careful not to touch Emily. It’s not that I don’t want to, but I wouldn’t be able to stop if I did.

  “We decided to do things your way. Gage is gonna call the sheriff and you can file a report.”

  “Okay.”

  “You’ll have to leave out the part about me getting shot. Also, we can’t exactly explain away why we kept the men here, so your story is that they shoved you out of the van and drove off.”

  “What’s going to happen to them?” she whispers.

  “We haven’t decided yet. We’re going to hand over the girl who took the picture, too.”

  “She’s here?” She looks up at me, eyes wide.

  “Not at the clubhouse, no. She said Vitalli paid her to take it.”

  “Oh.” She tries to set her tray aside but I take it from her, placing it on the floor. “Thank you for doing this, Liam. I know it’s not what you wanted.”

  “What you want is all that matters.”

  “Except when it comes to us, right?”

  “Emily—”

  “I know. It’s for my own good.”

  “You’ll realize it soon.”

  “Liam, I know I have no right to ask this, but can you… can you hold me?”

  Without hesitation, I crawl in next to her, curling an arm around her shoulder when she lays her head on my chest. I sigh, wishing I could give her what she really wants.

  “It’s going to be okay, darlin’.”

  She sobs, shoulders shaking against me. I haven’t shed a tear since I was a kid, but I swear sometimes Emily makes me want to break down. It’s killing me that she’s hurting because of me. I promised her I’d never hurt her, and what’s wor
se, she trusted me.

  “Liam.” She straddles me, tears running down her bruised cheeks. I want to turn away but I force myself not to. Having this image in my head will remind me why I need to stay away from her. “I know you don’t want a relationship with me and I look like hell right now, but… please. I need you one last time.”

  She presses her lips to mine, pulling back with a hiss and touching her split lip.

  “Em, you’re hurt.”

  She leans forward again and I sink my fingers into her hips. I would have taken everything she’s giving if not for divine intervention.

  Or at least whatever causes the big bang coming from the bar.

  “Stay here.”

  She moves to the bed, pulling her knees to her chest, eyes wide, chewing on her lip. I hop to the door, cursing Vitalli for not being able to function at a hundred percent. I listen carefully, but I can’t make out any of the muffled sounds. Opening the door, I stick my head out.

  “Don’t move. We have a warrant!”

  Fucking hell. Just what we need.

  “It’s the cops,” I tell Emily. “Wait here until I come for you.”

  “Okay.”

  I lock the door behind me, heading to the bar to find an all-out standoff. The cops are on one side, our men on the other, blocking them from going any farther.

  “Move out of my way, Hunter,” Renley growls. “Or don’t. I’ll throw you in jail for obstruction.”

  “If you tell me what you’re looking for, we can make this process easier. I’m not letting you tear up my clubhouse, Renley.”

  “It’s in the warrant,” a man next to Renley says.

  “What if I can’t read?” Gage jokes, turning the warrant upside down.

  “Emily Pierce, or any sign that she’s been here,” the man says, straightening the jacket of his expensive suit.

  “See? How hard was that? Of course Emily is here. She’s Venom’s woman.”

  “I highly doubt that.”

  I step forward, ready to knock the smug look off the motherfucker’s face. “What do you want with Emily?”

  He looks to me, his expression faltering. I guess my pretty-boy prez didn’t seem intimidating enough. Guess he never heard that looks are deceiving.

  “Those two”—he points to Rico and the prospect—“took Emily, and she hasn’t answered my calls.”