Bound
Soldiers of Darkness MC
#3
Copyright © Michelle Betham 2016
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form, or by any means, without the prior permission of the author.
The story, characters and events in this book are a work of the author’s imagination, and are entirely fictional. Any resemblance to any person, place, name or actual event is entirely coincidental.
Main cover image – iStock.
Table of Contents
Also by the Author
Playlist
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Epilogue
About the Author
Contact the Author
Also by Michelle Betham
Titles published through HarperImpulse (A division of HarperCollins Publishers)
Striker – The Striker Trilogy Book #1
Extra Time – The Striker Trilogy Book #2
Final Score – The Striker Trilogy Book #3
The First Christmas Without You
Shirley Valentine Goes to Vegas
Self-Published titles
No Matter What (All that Glitters… Book #1)
Illusions of Love (All that Glitters… Book #2)
See You At The Show (A rock star romance)
Unbreakable
Revolution – The Lone Riders M/C Series Book #1
Retribution – The Lone Riders M/C Series Book #2
Resurrection – The Lone Riders M/C Series Book #3
Allure – The Forbidden Series Book #1
Obsession – The Forbidden Series Book #2
Surrender – The Forbidden Series Book #3
Broken – Soldiers of Darkness M/C Series Book #1
Betrayed – Soldiers of Darkness M/C Series Book #2
Lawfully His – A Dirty Business Novel #1 (Coming January 5th, 2017)
Playlist
The Vengeful One - Disturbed
Closer - Nine Inch Nails
Touch, Peel And Stand - Days Of The New
I Stand Alone - Godsmack
Break to Survive - Seasons After
Whore - In This Moment
Low - Foo Fighters
Beggars & Hangers-On - Slash’s Snakepit
Coming Undone - Korn
Moving On Never Felt So Good - Chris Carmack
Boulevard of Broken Dreams - Green Day
Sick And Twisted Affair - My Darkest Days
One Place Too Long - Hayden Panettiere
Broken Again - Another Animal
Sex Type Thing - Stone Temple Pilots
The complete ‘Soldiers of Darkness’ playlist can be found on Spotify
http://spoti.fi/1xaON3D
Dedication
To those amazing readers who continue to support self-published authors like myself.
I am truly grateful to every single person who’s ever took a chance on my books.
I love you all. Without you I’d just be sitting up in my room every day playing make-believe.
Once again, this one’s for you. All of you…
Chapter One
Theo
“You got hold of a cell phone now?”
“Managed to do a deal with one of the guys.”
“And what’s that cost you, huh?”
“It was worth it, OK? Makes this shit so much easier.”
“Any news?”
“Nothing concrete yet. Still waiting on a date. They’re just dragging their feet, that’s all. And it’s not like I can file a complaint or anything. I gotta dance to their tune.”
I sit down on the steps of the clubhouse and look out over the compound. It’s unusually quiet, not many people about, but something’s going on over at Six tonight so that’s where most of the guys’ll be, getting their rocks off drinking whiskey and watching naked girls play with each other. Whether I join them when I’m done here, I don’t know. Not sure if I’m in the mood right now.
“I’m gonna fix this, Dom.” I switch my cell to my other ear and drop my gaze. “I promise.”
“Hey. What’ve you gotta fix, Theo? This was my decision, it’s all on me…”
“It was my fault, Dom. It was all my fault.” I take a long, deep breath and drop my head into my hands because the guilt, that’s never gonna go away, it’s never gonna leave me. That’s why I’ve got to do this; why I’ve got to help my brother. “Dom…”
“You don’t have to go through with this, Theo. You know that, don’t you? You’re risking so fucking much…”
“What am I risking, exactly? What do I have anymore? I lost it all. I lost everything…”
“Leave it, kiddo. Don’t go there, OK?”
I sigh quietly and rake a hand back and forth through my hair. “We’re working on it. This end. Mack he’s – he’s been good to me, he’s making sure this all runs as smoothly as it can. And we’re working with another club for back-up, one the Soldiers have worked with for a good few years now, so Mack tells me. The Black Dogs. You heard of them?”
“I know who they are. Cole Rockwell still in charge of that chapter?”
“Yeah. He is.”
“You don’t sound like you’ve warmed to the guy. But he has connections, Theo. Good ones. He’ll be useful.”
“I just want you to know we’re ready, Dom. We’re just waiting on you to let us know when it’s happening.”
“Hey, I know you’re ready. I trust you, all right? And I told you Mack would come through. He owes me, remember? I’m just glad he’s turned out to be a man of his word. I was afraid now he’s gone got himself married with kids he’d turn soft, tell me he ain’t doing that kinda shit no more.”
“Just keep me updated, OK? As soon as you hear anything, call me.”
“You take care now, Theo, y’hear me?”
I end the call and throw back my head, looking up at the stars as they twinkle and flash like tiny lights in the sky. Warning lights? Like I’d take any notice anyway. It’s a bit too late for that.
I’m a good guy. Or at least, I used to be. I used to be a lot of things. But now – now all I have to do is listen, and keep my head down, just like Mack told me to do. I haven’t been here, in this Soldiers of Darkness chapter, in any chapter; in this world, this life for all that long. And if I wasn’t desperate for the kind of help I need right now I wouldn’t be here at all. But Mack Slayer, he’s giving me that help. He’s offered that help. One quick meeting in a bar, a quiet chat, and all of a sudden things were happening. Because Dom’s right, Mack owes him. My brother took the fall for Mack Slayer a long time ago; did time, for Mack Slayer. And Mack told Dom he’d repay him, one day. That day’s here now. And he’s kept his word.
I’m a good guy. Really, I am. And I don’t belong here, but I am here; part of the Soldiers of Darkness. But I’m here for a reason. And I don’t intend to stick around for too long, either. Once I’m done; once this job is finished I’ll be leaving. I’ll have to leave. I’ll have no other choice but to get out o
f here. No other choice…
Gabriel
“How old is she?” I already know the answers to these questions I’m asking, I just want to make sure everyone else involved is up to speed. And as I wait for the reply I keep my gaze fixed on the blonde haired woman sitting at the table in the room on the other side of the two-way mirror.
“Thirty-two.”
“Looks younger.” I turn my head slightly and glance over at the sallow-faced agent leaning back against the wall, puffing away on an e-cigarette. “Lived within the biker community all her life, huh?”
“Born and brought up.”
“You’d think she’d be a lot smarter than this then, wouldn’t you?” I turn back to face the woman, whose head’s now bowed, her long blonde hair obscuring her face as she absent-mindedly scrapes her fingernails across the tabletop. “Getting caught and all. You’d have thought she’d know how to avoid that happening.”
“She was set up. Framed.”
“So you say.” I drag a hand through my hair. “Still did the crime, though, didn’t she?”
“And we were all ready to charge her pretty ass, until you turned up.”
“Yeah, well, that pretty ass may still be facing a not-so-pretty prison sentence if she isn’t suitable. But if she is…” I narrow my eyes as I watch the woman slowly raise her head and look straight into the mirror, “then she’s coming back to New Mexico, with me.” She drops her gaze again and I turn around so my back’s to the mirror. “I’ll go talk to her. Get this thing moving.”
The agent just nods and takes another draw on his electronic cigarette. “Knock yourself out.”
I’ve waited a long time for a break like this. For someone, like this, to come along and give me that chance I need to bring the Soldiers of Darkness down. To bring Cole Rockwell and the Black Dogs down. I’ve been watching those two clubs, it’s been my job for the past couple of years, to watch those clubs. And I know this front they put up, this community presence they push forward, I know that’s bullshit; nothing but a smokescreen. I know those clubs and the men who run them, they’re bad news, they’re dangerous. Ever since the Soldiers of Darkness arrived in New Mexico it’s been my job to keep a very close eye on them. Mack Slayer is the son of Sam Wheeler, a dangerous criminal, a murderer who may have done his time but he’s still considered a man we’re not comfortable having out there on the streets. And Mack Slayer may be back as president of the Soldiers now, but it’s Sam pulling the strings, working with Cole Rockwell to pull off something more than just a weapons drop or a drugs haul. Something’s going on, and I need to know what that is, exactly, because at the minute all we have are rumors and hearsay, we’ve got nothing concrete. But whatever it is, I need to prove it’s happening. I need to know when it’s happening. And I need to catch these men in the process of carrying out whatever the hell it is they’re planning. And as long as this woman listens to me; as long as she’s willing to take a risk, this could be the breakthrough we’ve been looking for. I just need her on side first. And I think that’s actually gonna be an easy call, because she really only has two choices here – take the deal I’m about to offer her, or she’s going to jail. Set up or no set up, it’s her ass on the line.
I need her.
She needs me more.
End of fucking story.
Skye
I look up as the door opens and a tall man with a stony expression walks into the room, hands in his pockets, his stance sending out a definite ‘I’m taking no shit’ message. He’s dressed a bit more casually than the other assorted cops and agents I’ve seen since I was brought here, and by that I mean his tie’s slightly looser around his neck and his jacket’s a little creased, and he’s wearing jeans, not a full suit.
I keep my eyes on him as he circles the table before he finally sits down opposite me, and I lean forward, resting my chin in my hand as he sits back in his chair and looks straight at me.
“You’re new,” I say, eyeing him slightly warily. He isn’t bad looking, to be fair. Certainly better looking than most of the detectives and FBI agents I’ve had visits from over the past few days. With his slightly square jaw line covered by a short, dark brown beard, deep dark eyes and hair that’s just on the casual side of perfect, he really isn’t half bad to look at. He’s still an FBI agent, though. And a new one at that, one I haven’t seen around here before so he could be the hottest guy on the planet and I still wouldn’t trust him. I’m trusting no one right now.
“Hello, Skye. I’m Special Agent Franks.”
“Well, I’d like to say it’s good to meet you, Special Agent Franks, but I’d be spieling you shit if I said that.”
He just looks at me, his expression impassive. OK. This one’s a tougher act than most of the others I’ve had contact with so far.
“When did you move over here, Skye? To the U.S.?”
“You telling me you don’t already know everything about me?”
Agent Franks laughs quietly and briefly drops his gaze, drumming his fingertips on the tabletop. “OK, Skye, listen to me.” He raises his head and locks eyes with mine. “Let’s just cut the bullshit, all right? You’re in a lot of trouble, you know that, don’t you?”
“I was set up.”
“And you also know that means shit. Because I don’t see anybody rushing to your defense, do you?”
I sit back in my chair, but I keep my eyes on him, I’m not breaking that stare.
“And you don’t seem in any kind of hurry to name any names. So, I’d say we’ve reached a bit of an impasse, wouldn’t you?”
I narrow my eyes slightly, but his expression remains stoic, he’s giving nothing away.
“You here for a reason? ‘Cause all I’ve had for days now is a string of suits like you, talking at me, telling me what’s going to happen and yet, no one’s actually charged me with anything. You here to do that? ‘Cause if you are, let’s just get this shit moving, OK?”
“I’m here to give you a way out, Skye.”
I let the corner of my mouth twist up into a smirk but still his expression doesn’t crack, not a flicker. “A way out, huh?”
“You’re not a stupid girl, sweetheart. You just got caught, but you can get yourself out of this mess. That’s why I’m here.”
“Out how, exactly?”
“Immunity. You get your freedom. No charges will be brought against you, you’ll be free. When you’ve finished the job, that is.”
“Job?” I frown. But I’m listening.
“I need you to go undercover for me. As an informant, if you like. I need you to find a way into the Soldiers of Darkness, an MC with chapters all around the country, but the one I need you to infiltrate is a fairly new one that was set up in New Mexico just a couple of years ago.”
My frown deepens as I continue to stare at this man opposite me. But I stay silent. I’m waiting for him to finish. I want to hear everything he has to say first.
“With your help, Skye, there’s a good chance we can bring down Mack Slayer, their president, along with his father Sam Wheeler, and a man named Cole Rockwell – president of a club the Soldiers work very closely with. The Black Dogs. You familiar with either of these clubs?”
I shrug, keeping my gaze steady. “A little, yeah. I’ve heard their names mentioned.”
“And you, you were part of an MC based in New Jersey, right? Before that your father was president of a chapter of the same club back in England, before he came over here to run the New Jersey branch?”
“Look, you already know all this shit or you wouldn’t be here.”
This time Agent Franks allows himself a slight smile. “Those two clubs, the Soldiers of Darkness and the Black Dogs, we think – we know they’re planning something. We just need to find out exactly what that something is, and when it’s happening. We need details. Confirmation. Because all we have right now are rumors and hearsay and we can’t do shit with that. We need you to get us that confirmation; to give us those details. Do you understand what I�
��m saying here, Skye? We need those details so we can catch them in the process of carrying out whatever shit they’re involved in this time. We get them on this, we get them on a whole mess of other shit, too. Shit we couldn’t prove before, everything from racketeering to gun running, and that could just be the tip of the iceberg.”
I remain silent. I’m listening to him, I’m taking it all in, but I’m also weighing up what the consequences could be. For me. Because what he’s asking me to do here, it’s dangerous.
“We need someone to get close enough to these people to get us the information we need to help us end this case, Skye. And we need that to happen pretty much right away because the rumors are that whatever’s going down, it’s happening sooner rather than later. And right now we are working blind.”
“You want me to wear a wire?” An obvious question, and a rhetorical one, because I already know the answer. Of course they want me to wear a wire. Anything I find out is worth jack shit unless they have concrete proof.
“You won’t actually be wearing a wire as such. These days the devices we use are so tiny they can be hidden almost anywhere. You won’t even know it’s there. And neither will anyone else.”
I keep my eyes locked on his as he speaks.
“There’s one club member in particular we’d like you to concentrate on, Skye. A man named Theo Blane. He’s an ex-lawyer who joined the club just a few months back…”
“A lawyer?” Is he fucking kidding me here?
“Yeah. A lawyer. You get many of those in your old club?”
I don’t answer that.
“Something doesn’t feel right about his sudden appearance at the MC, and the fact Mack Slayer took him in without making him go through any of the prospect process first, it’s not sitting right with any of us. We’ve been looking into Blane’s background and we know he has an older brother in a prison a few miles outside of Albuquerque, awaiting trial for the murder of a man who attempted to rape his – Theo’s – girlfriend a few months back. None of it seems to add up, and we believe there’s some kind of link between Dominic Blane and Theo’s sudden appearance at the Soldiers’ compound. We think that whatever’s about to happen over there, it’s connected to the Blane brothers. But we need more than just a theory based on rumors and assumptions. Without proof of anything; without hard facts and concrete intel we can’t do shit.”
Bound (Soldiers of Darkness MC Book 3) Page 1