The Black Shamrocks were founded by a group of returned Vietnam vets in the early seventies, all first-generation Irish Australian. My grandfather, Quinn Blake, and Mad Dog’s Pop, Amos Kennedy, being two of them. Maddi’s maternal grandfather was also part of the group.
“Enough!” Mad Dog reaches over and slams the gavel down, silencing the room. “We’ll debate this shit when it’s time. Right fucking now, we need to find out what happened.”
Pointing the gavel at Beast, he orders him to continue, displeasure in his voice. I’m on edge, ready to flip. Mad Dog doesn’t look far behind. Every time I think it can’t get worse, it does.
“As far as I knew, it went to plan. Not a trace left. Until Wizard sent me the Taylor fucker’s bloodstained shirt. To my fucking house, with a message to meet him.”
What the fuck?
“I tracked down Benji first. Turns out he didn’t take the body and the clothes back to the farm. Didn’t feed him to the pigs. He buried him in one of the National Parks on the way back home with the clothes and the gun.”
Jumping to his feet with a shout, his seat tipping over and hitting the floor behind him, Mad Dog explodes. “The fucking idiot. That’s Lainey’s fucking gun. Did you dig it up? Get rid of it properly?”
For the first time since we walked him down to the bunker last night and set this all in motion, Beast drops his mask. All of the worry, the stress, and the sorrow that he’s been shouldering for the past six months appears.
He ages before our eyes.
I’m almost sympathetic.
“He can’t remember where he buried him.” Dropping his head into his hands, his shoulders shake.
“What about the guys with him?” Mad Dog spits the question from between his teeth, hopelessness in his voice. A blind man can see where this is heading.
“He sent them home. Handled it himself.”
“Dickhead was high, wasn’t he?”
“He swears he wasn’t.” At Mad Dog’s question, Beast defends Benji straightaway. It’s a reflex reaction for him at this point. “I don’t know. Said he got lost. I’ve looked everywhere he’s pointed me, can’t find a fucking thing.”
There are at least three National Parks between Brisbane and Emerald, more depending on the route Benji travelled. It’s like trying to pinpoint a needle in a fucking haystack.
The drug-fucked idiot has fucked up epically, leaving Maddi in the line of fire once again.
“How did the Mavericks find his shirt then?” I ask.
There’s more to this story. None of this explains why Beast didn’t bring the problem to the table.
“From what Wizard told me, they followed him. When the showdown at the Emerald Clubhouse didn’t happen, they hightailed it back to the fucking city. Must have arrived after us and recognized the van as he left.”
“So they know where he buried the body?”
“They say they do. They must. They have the shirt.” Tired eyes meeting mine, he shakes his head. “That’s not all of it.”
Mad Dog’s pacing, fists pulling his hair, curses erupting every time Beast drops a new bomb on us. Our remaining brothers are watching me and Beast like we’re part of a TV sitcom.
A fucked-up, incomprehensible drama.
A drama that’s going to have lethal consequences.
“Brendan Taylor’s father’s in with the Mavericks. He knows his son’s dead. He knows we had a hand in it. That’s why I made the deal. To get the proof before he did. To save the Club. The Mavericks wanted back into the fold more than they wanted his money. It was the only way.”
Kicking his fallen chair into the wall, Mad Dog loses his shit. Grabbing Beast, he snarls in his face, “You gave my woman to them because you wanted to save your ego! Because you didn’t want to admit that your golden boy’s a fuck-up. That you fucked-up by bringing him into Club business. Don’t try and use saving the fucking Club as an excuse.”
His eyes are black, spit flying from his mouth as he opens and closes his fist. He wants to hit him, to release his anger, but he has just enough sense left to know there’s still more to come.
Beast doesn’t defend himself. He denies nothing, letting Mad Dog shake him without resistance. Closing the distance, I wrap my arms around my best friend’s waist and drag him away.
“I should put a bullet in your brain right fucking now!”
Depositing Mad Dog next to his father as he threatens Beast, I grab his head. Forcing him to look in my eyes, I’m left breathless at the intensity of the misery in their bleak depths.
“Mik.” I can’t refer to him by his road name right now. We need to be Lucas and Mik at the moment. “Brother, you need to get your shit together. Think about Princess. If you don’t fix this, she’s the one who pays. It’s her gun. Her ex. Her blood they’ll find with him.”
He stares at me, unblinking. I can see every worry, every fear he has—for himself, for the Club, and especially for Maddi—in his eyes. It’s eating him alive as he calculates how to fix everything, and keeps coming up with nothing.
Zip.
Zero.
Zilch.
“We can’t fix this. If it was just the Mavericks, we’d have a chance. Not now. We’re fucked. Lucas, my brother. It’s over.”
Pulling from my grasp, he turns to Beast. “Tell me the rest.”
Beast doesn’t hesitate. “Connor turned rat. Told them every fucking thing he knows. All our trade routes. Our safe houses. Our dealers. Our growers. Private addresses. Every single detail he was privy to. Wizard reckons he told Thomas Taylor first. To hedge his bets in case the Mavericks wouldn’t have him after he ratted on us.”
Un-fucking-believable. Connor didn’t just rat us out to a rival Club—he ratted to a fucking Member of Parliament. The corrupt Minister for Police and Corrective Services, to be exact. The prick who’s had a jones for outlaw Motorcycle Clubs since his rapist son was jailed for assaulting the daughter of an MC President. He’s been on our ass since Brendan went “missing”.
Little wonder Beast’s been losing his shit for the last few months. He knew exactly how bad the situation was.
The fucking universe is out to get us.
No way can so many stars align to fuck one Club up the ass without cosmic assistance.
“That’s it?” I question him, bracing for something else.
“Almost.”
“Fuck me, Beast. Just fucking spit it out,” Lenny, who’s been silent until now listening to his younger brother detail his downfall, finally speaks. “I’m about ready to kill you myself if you don’t get to the fucking point.”
“Wizard said he was gonna fix two problems for me if the deal went through.”
“Problems?” Mad Dog cuts in, calculation shining from his eyes. “Let me fucking guess. He was gonna make sure I didn’t try to fight for Lainey and that Benji became President after you? I was going down for murder?”
Beast stares for a moment before he closes his eyes.
After an instance, one in which every brother comes to the conclusion that Mad Dog’s right, his eyes open. Eyeballing Mad Dog, he nods. “I fucked up. I see that now.”
“Yeah, you can stick your patronizing bullshit up your ass. I’m fucking done with you.”
Turning his back, he addresses the group, “Now we know what the fuck we’re up against, let’s try and fucking fix it.”
Facing Lenny, he continues. “First up, I’m calling lockdown. Lenny, contact everyone. Get Wendy and Mama C to organize food and beds.”
Lenny lifts his chin, leaving the Chapel, already raising his phone to his ear.
“Kid, get your laptop and go over with him where he’s already searched for the body. Map it out for me.” He jerks his thumb over his shoulder toward Beast.
“The rest of you need to get ready to search. Me and Timber’ll be in the bunker having a chat with Cam and Connor.” He’s met with a chorus of confirmations, everyone moving off to do as they were ordered. I follow him to the main doors, nearly running i
nto him when he stops without warning.
“Beast. You should head to the hospital once Kid’s done with you. Lainey put Benji in there this morning. Your golden child, the apple of your fucking eye, tried to kill her while he was off his fucking head today.”
Pushing through the doors, he pauses for a split second when we hear Beast cursing up a storm.
“And keep your fucking mouth shut about today. Lainey doesn’t need to know the full details of exactly how much you’ve let her down.”
JJ
Present Day
“You’re braver than I thought.”
Spinning on my heel, I face Ollie. He’s looking very happy with himself, his smile mocking. Once he’s satisfied he has my attention, he cranes his neck in an attempt to read the chart in my hand. My chart. The chart that notes the high—much higher than expected—level of HCG present in the urine test I just finished taking. I snap it closed, right in front of his face, letting him know I don’t appreciate his snooping.
He’s the absolute last person I want to see today.
Scratch that—the second last person I’d want to see—numero uno being my father.
I left Maddi in Joel’s room so I could come down to the clinic to get one of my friends to take a blood test for me and schedule a dating ultrasound as soon as possible. Smoke trailed down here behind me at Maddi’s insistence, despite my protests. Thankfully, I managed to talk him into staying in the waiting room.
Right now, I’m not so thankful. If he was here, I could get him to get rid of Ollie for me.
“How so?”
Smiling my goodbyes at Abby, who doesn’t like Ollie any more than any of the other women who work at the hospital, I lead him away from my blood samples before he realizes what he’s looking at. I’m not ready for my parents to find out.
“I heard about your little display for Daddy yesterday with your biker boyfriend. I assumed you’d be hiding until he calmed down.” He sneers down at me, grabbing my upper arm and pulling me into a vacant office.
Shocked at his unexpected action, I don’t begin to object to his change of course until after he’s locked the door. Dragging me to one of the chairs, he pushes me into it and leans over me. With one of his hands on each of the arms of the chair, he’s effectively caged me in.
“We have a few things to sort out, JJ.”
Trying my hardest not to show him the fear I’m feeling, I channel as much of Maddi as I can. Ollie’s a tall, lean man, and he has nothing on Lucas size-wise, so I tell myself I can handle him.
Peering into his face through a narrowed gaze, I cross my legs and lean back in the chair.
Examining my nails, I drawl, “And what would they be, Ollie?”
“Let’s not pretend you’ve grown a spine. We both know you’re going to cave the second Daddy tells you to. This rebellion of yours is a splash in the pan. Give it up now, before you lose everything you’ve been given.”
“Been given?” My voice squeaks when I repeat his nasty words. Clearing my throat, I attempt to defend myself again. “I’ve worked my ass off to get where I am.”
When he throws his head back to laugh at my words, I take my chance. Slapping his face, I smack against his chest. He laughs at me, running his hand over the cheek I slapped, before he moves away and lets me stand. I’m surprised by how easily he lets me go.
As I’m making my way to the door, he presses his bulge against my back, pushing me into the door. Trapped between him and the cold wood, I shudder in disgust when he licks the shell of my ear before whispering in it, “I want Daddy’s job. And you’re not getting in the way of what I want. He might think he’s grooming you to take over, but that’s not going to happen. I’m going to have his job and his daughter, even if it is the fake, misfit one they regret buying off a junkie.”
Tears fill my eyes at his words.
My heart hurts.
There’s only one way for him to know my history, and that’s from my parents. For as long as I can remember, it’s been drilled into me not to tell anyone where I came from. Nobody outside of my immediate family knows my parentage because we moved states and started a new life after I was adopted. My family doesn’t speak of it. Ever.
Lucas is the only person I’ve ever told about any of it, and I still don’t understand precisely why I did when I barely knew him at the time.
Pressing his erection against my back one last time, he moves away.
Flipping the lock, he holds his hand against the door so I can’t open it when I turn the handle.
“You’re going to rescind your statement about our little run-in six months ago. Tell them that the bikers threatened you into corroborating their lies. I don’t care what story you come up with, just get it fixed. Once that’s done, you can bring me home with you for a family dinner.”
“That’s not going to happen. I’m with Lucas.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. You’ll be getting rid of him as well.”
Kissing the top of my head, he smooths my hair. “I hold the power here, JJ. If you want the surgical registrar position, then you’ll do as you’re told. Daddy’s name will only get you so far in my department.”
Swallowing hard, I bite back my retort.
He can think what he likes.
At the moment, I have much bigger problems to worry about.
Like juggling impending, unplanned motherhood with my career.
Ignoring him, I pull on the door handle again. He lets it open this time, so I squeeze past him and speed walk down the corridor, my attention channeled on finding Smoke.
I want to go back to the Clubhouse right now.
To tell Lucas about our ultrasound appointment tomorrow.
To tell Lucas that we’ll be meeting our child a bit sooner than we assumed.
Lost in my thoughts, I’m on autopilot as I barrel into the waiting room, walking with unseeing eyes. Glancing around for Smoke, my heart backflips in my chest when I spy my father standing with him. Two security officers surround them. They’re directing Smoke to leave the premises, and he’s making a fuss, refusing to leave without Maddi and myself.
“Your kind is not welcome on the premises. A blanket ban has been instituted for your club. If you do not leave right away, I’ll be forced to call the police and have you escorted.”
“Listen here, I said I’ll leave.” Smoke sits down, crossing his arms over his chest, his expression daring them to touch him. “Once my friends get down here.”
They’re gaining an audience. I know my father. Direct defiance only makes him worse. I don’t want to—logic tells me not to get involved—but I walk over to them. Coming to a halt near my father, I speak to him, lying my hand on his arm gently.
“Daddy. This is my friend. He’s just waiting for us. We’ll leave in a moment.”
Smoke’s lips twitch when I address my father as “Daddy”, his eyebrows pulling together with skepticism. It never bothered me until recently, yet now it makes me feel physically ill. Everyone has the same reaction; weirded out by a nearly thirty-year-old woman using such a juvenile title with a straight face. I understand now that is why my father demanded it. A way to keep me in what he deemed was my place—subservient and kowtowing to him.
“Juliette. You’re not going anywhere. We have things to discuss. Right now.”
Smoke pulls his phone from his pocket and types out a message. When it buzzes moments later, he reads the message, nodding to himself. Slipping the phone back into his pocket, he looks at me. “Maddi’ll be down in a minute. You’re coming with us. Mad Dog will sort this bullshit out.”
I know that Smoke won’t leave without me. He was directed to look after Maddi and me today until the all clear to head back to the Club was given. I agreed to the plan. Lucas won’t be happy if I change my mind now.
“She’s staying.” My father dismisses Smoke’s statement. Smoke smirks, nonplussed.
Our motley assembly falls into silence, the security guards wait for direction on how to pr
oceed from my father, while Smoke sits without a care in the world as he toys with his lighter, flipping it back and forth over his knuckles. I alternate between looking at my father through lowered lashes, unsure how to answer his decree, and being mesmerized by Smoke’s relaxed movements. I don’t know how they do it, but the Shamrocks legitimately don’t care when other people are upset with them.
I need one of them to teach me the secret.
Dragging in a deep breath, I decide it’s now or never.
“Daddy.” My tone is placating, my demeanor respectful, I use every tactic I possess against the temperamental man who raised me. “I’ll be back tomorrow afternoon. We can meet then.”
Lips thinning with displeasure, his eyes bore into mine. Meeting them, I smile as if I’m blasé to the warning in them, all the while hoping against hope that he’s not going to rip me apart in front of the people in the waiting room for defying him.
“All righty, people.” Maddi slings her arm over my shoulder, her air of cheeriness breaking the tension gripping our group. The woman is like a panther, constantly sneaking up on me. “Joel’s good. Real good. Benji’s sedated. Let’s get out of here. I need a decent coffee.”
Pushing to his feet, Smoke towers over my father as he stretches his arms over his head, bending from side to side.
“It was nice to meet you, Sir. Someone will be in contact regarding this ban you’ve mentioned. I doubt it’ll be standing afterwards.” Mimicking my father’s refined manner of speaking, he salutes the security guards, before looking at me and Maddi with expectation.
“What ban?” Maddi asks, turning her attention to my father as she steps away from me, the jovial expression on her face from her successful visit with Joel is replaced by her professional mask. I think we’re about to meet Maddi the lawyer. Having received a taste of her when we were being held by the Mavericks, part of me thinks my father might have bitten off more than he can chew right now.
Paying no notice to her question, he runs his eyes over her tiny, denim-short-clad legs and then up her singlet-clad body, taking in the tattoos peeking out her top and her blonde hair. He dismisses her as someone unworthy of his attention with a cursory flick of his eyes.
Making Choices (Black Shamrocks MC Book 2) Page 23