by Jani Kay
“When you fall for a woman, brother, you ain’t gonna want another pussy again. Only hers.”
“You gotta be shitting me—never thought I’d hear those words from the Scorpio Stinger stud Mr. Ryder Knox, who said he’d never get enough of eating pussy.”
I chuckled. “That’s still true. I never will get enough, but it has to be Jade’s.”
“Fuck. You’re a goner.”
“Yeah. Happily so. Now let’s get our asses over to Cobra’s office. I wanna see how this plays out.”
Hammer slipped a T-shirt over his head, covering the big tattoo of a skull on his back. He raked his fingers through his hair and slipped on his jeans and black boots. He rolled the sleeves of his T-shirt so that his muscled biceps with full-color tattoos were on display: guns, roses and thorns with drops of blood.
We swung by the kitchen and grabbed three mugs of steaming coffee before I followed him in silence to Cobra’s office. The door was slightly ajar, so we knocked once and walked in. Cobra was on the phone, and by his tone and angry voice, he was not a happy man.
“It's fucking six days now. Six days. Do you know how long that is in the life of a five-year-old? It's fucking forever!” He yelled into the phone, his eyes nearly bugging out of his head. His forehead was covered in a fine mist of sweat, while the veins in his neck bulged out.
He indicated for us to sit, but both Hammer and I preferred to stand while he paced the carpet like a caged lion. He was dressed in military camouflage pants and a black T-shirt with heavy boots. Cobra was preparing for war. Shit was going to happen if somebody didn’t come up with the whereabouts of Jamie soon.
As soon as his conversation ended, he threw his phone down on the desk, and sank into the chair, despondent. “What can I do for you gentlemen this morning?” he growled, his voice filled with sarcasm and rage. Partly he blamed both me and Hammer for not doing our jobs at the time that his boy was snatched. Hell, if I were him, I’d be angry and blame me too.
“Chill, brother, you’re going to have a fucking heart attack if you don’t calm the fuck down,” I said, really concerned that Cobra was going to completely lose it.
“Shut the fuck up, Ryder. Until you’ve lost a child, you have no fucking idea how it feels to be in this position—”
I sucked in a breath, giving him the death stare. “I have and I do.”
Both Cobra and Hammer looked at me with perplexed expressions. “What do you mean?” Hammer asked as he too sank into a chair.
I leaned over the desk, my fists planted on the wooden top, and glared at Cobra. “Jade . . . was pregnant, but between all the bullshit from you and Summers . . .” I nearly choked on my words. “. . . we lost our baby. So don’t you fucking tell me I don’t understand.” Now that I’d started unpacking, I couldn’t stop the flow of words. “And on top of it all, Ratbag died because of me and Jamie was taken on my watch. My fucking watch. So how the fuck do you think I’m feeling right now?” My voice grew louder and louder until I was yelling, all the frustration and anger finally breaking through. I’d tried so hard to stay calm, to be rational, but now I was the one losing it.
“Jesus Christ. Ryder. I had no idea—” Cobra began before I cut him off.
“Exactly. You had no fucking idea. So stop this fucking pity party and let’s find the kid!”
The silence that fell in the room was heavy and thick. I sat in the chair behind me and let out a long, slow breath while rubbing my temples. It was all my fucking fault. All of it.
I was cracking and I didn’t care who knew.
Chapter Sixty-One — Ryder
A sudden calm came over all three of us as Hammer explained to Cobra everything he’d discovered and told me the night before. But this was even more unnerving, the calm before the storm, because I had no idea how this information would help us in our search for Jamie.
Stunned, Cobra just sat there, blinking rapidly while he absorbed and processed what Hammer was telling him. Every now and then he let out a swear word or punched his desk with his fist. “Fucking Demon. The sly fucker,” he said, shaking his head as if he couldn’t believe it.
“Do you think he faked his own death?” I asked.
Hammer nodded.
“But why?”
Cobra shrugged. “Because my twin brother has always been a loser. He’s evil incarnate. And I should fucking know. I shared a womb with him for nine months. Even then he tried to kill me by strangling me with his umbilical cord.”
“Jesus. Is that even possible?” I gasped.
Cobra let out a bitter laugh. “Probably not, but you don’t understand when somebody has a heart that black, everything they touch turns to shit. It's just the way it is. And for fucking years during our childhood, I thought I was just as cursed as he was. Why do you think everyone calls him Demon, for fuck’s sake?”
“You’re a good man, Cobra. Your intentions and your heart are good. Don’t be so hard on yourself.”
Hammer rubbed his hands together. “Okay, now this is where it really gets interesting. Listen up, boys.”
Hammer had my full attention. My eye started twitching. I just knew this was where the pieces of the puzzle were finally going to come together and make sense.
“The day Jamie was taken, something strange happened that stuck in my mind. I didn’t get it at first, and it was more a suspicion than anything else . . . Summers . . . he acted really strange when Cobra showed up. As if he’d seen a ghost. It puzzled me for a while and then I worked it out. He’d seen the driver.” He made air quotes when he said the word “ghost,” talking rapidly as his excitement grew.
“But how could you possibly know that Demon was alive?”
“I didn’t. I’ve been working on hacking the police files for two years now. But this . . . it was just the motivation I needed to finally get it—”
The light bulb in my head went on. “Jesus. Hammer, are you saying what I think you’re saying? Stop patting yourself on the back at how fucking brilliant you are. We already know that. Just tell us.”
“Yes. What I’m saying is that Demon is the new V.P. of the L.A. Demons, and that he was the one behind the wheel and Jamie’s kidnapping.”
All the blood drained from Cobra’s face. He trembled—all six-foot-plus of him, shaking uncontrollably.
“Fuck. Holy crap. Fuck.” He leaned over and banged his head on the wooden table repeatedly. “We’re fucked. Jamie is fucked. I’m fucked.”
I flew up from my chair and grabbed hold of him. “Stop! Listen to me, we will find a way to get Jamie back. He doesn’t know that we’re aware he is alive. We have the element of surprise on him. You know how his brain works. We can work out a plan, Cobra. Trust me.”
Thank fuck, he stopped banging his head. But I wasn’t prepared for what happened next. He rested his head on his arms and sobbed, wailing like a child. I patted his back, completely at a loss for what to do. This was bad. Really bad. Demon had Jamie, and I knew he intended to never give him back.
But I daren’t have said it out loud. It would kill Cobra and Mia. And that’s exactly why the fucker did it.
Mia. Oh God, Mia. My heart ached for her.
This was Demon’s revenge. He’d probably planned it all along. He’d get retribution in the cruelest way possible.
Cobra was right. We were all fucked, including Jamie. I just prayed that he really believed that Jamie was indeed his child as he claimed, and therefore wouldn’t hurt him. But if he believed that the boy was Cobra’s as we all did . . . for the first time I really feared for Jamie. Demon would find the most horrific way possible to extract revenge and punish Cobra and Mia.
His way. His terms.
It had always been like that.
In four days he hadn’t made a move yet. Was it because he was planning to keep the boy? Or was this all part of some kind of fucked up torture he was plotting?
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
Chapter Sixty-Two — Harrison
I threw myself in to work, putting i
n more hours than ever. Mystified about the man in the van, I’d kept the best part to myself. I hadn’t yet told anyone that the bald man with the tattoo on his scalp was a dead ringer for the president of the Scorpio Stinger MC. I’d been part of the Special Ops team for nearly five years and I’d made it my business to know every damn biker in the country; how was it possible that I didn’t know Cobra’s doppelganger?
I’d checked all the records as far back as I could on the MC. I’d read the files before, so I couldn’t believe that I’d missed this bit of vital information. Obviously I must have thought it to be true at the time when I’d read about the drowning accident of Joshua Demon Malone, twin brother of Jacob Cobra Malone, and son of then president Chopper Malone.
I chuckled to myself. My instincts were spot on, and my well-trained eye didn’t let me down. It had only been a split second when I saw his face, and most people wouldn’t have even made the connection, because it's not what they’d expect to see. The brain was funny like that; it could easily be conditioned to see what it wanted to and ignore what it deemed rubbish.
Savage whistled over my shoulder as he scrutinized the computer screen.
“I'm impressed, Summers. How did you know to dig for this info?”
I was used to getting this reaction from him. He knew about my special training on instant recognition tactics, yet it never failed to make an impression on him. “Ever thought of buying a new car? Well, if it’s a brand you’ve never considered before, you may not have noticed them on the road. But as soon as you become interested in that model, you start seeing them everywhere.”
“Hell yeah, that’s happened to me before. Suddenly that thing that I was obsessing about was all over the place, when I’d hardly noticed it before.”
“Exactly. So I’ve trained my brain to look for the obvious where things may not seem apparent. Make sense?” Savage was smart; he caught on quickly.
“So how is this going to help us? Are we going to go get the kid?” Okay, he wasn’t that smart.
I laughed. “No way. These biker fuckers have played nicely into our hands. All we have to do is sit back and let them kill one another. Saves us the effort. Because as soon as they work out that Demon is alive and he has joined their rival club . . . and that he’s the one who snatched the kid, full-on war is eminent. Then when they are done wiping each other out, we can round up the survivors and throw them in jail where they can rot, for all I care.”
“How are they going to know Demon is alive?”
Good question. I grinned, patting myself on the back. “This is where I deserve a promotion. I let the MC guys break into police records. The ones I wanted them to find. Took them damn long enough.”
Savage sucked in a breath. He quirked an eyebrow, a puzzled look on his face. “What do you mean? That’s fucking illegal.”
I took a deep breath, calming my racing heart. “Look, we know they’ve been trying to hack the system for fucking years. One of their boys—I think his name is Hammer—is an I.T. expert. They've never succeeded because we've always had the best anti-hacking software. But now, it’s in our best interest to give them access.”
“Fuck. That’s genius, partner. Evil genius.”
“Callahan gave me the go-ahead yesterday after I explained my plan to him. So it's all good. He cleared it with the Senator. Walker wants these fuckers dead as much as we do. It was part of his election promise to make our cities safer.”
“I thought you had it in for the Senator?”
“Oh, I do. If this operation goes south, he will be the one to blame, not me. So it's win-win all round. If the bikers kill one another . . . it's a win for cleaning up the streets. If they don’t and things go wrong, well, then the Senator will be in trouble for exposing us and it's the end of his fucking career.”
“Christ, I am glad I’m on your team. These people don’t know who they’re fucking with, partner. You’ve outsmarted them all.”
Elbows on the desk, I steepled my fingers in front of my face. “Finally. Finally, my fucking nightmares can stop. I can find peace and get on with my life.”
“Revenge has never been this sweet, has it? After all these years . . .” Savage didn’t sound as convinced as he always did. Or was I imagining it?
We both fell silent, lost in our own thoughts. This would never bring Amy or the others back, but it would make me sleep better at night, knowing I did something to make the world a better place.
Then why did I have this burning in my gut? I didn’t like the idea of Jamie being collateral in this screwed up adult game, but some things couldn’t be helped. I prayed that he would get out of it alive. That he would survive against all odds.
Chapter Sixty-Three — Harrison
Since Eva had walked out that morning, she hadn’t called. At first I wanted her to come crawling back to me, telling me she’d made a mistake. That she wanted me.
Days passed by and I immersed myself in every activity imaginable to stay busy, my anxiety kicking up a few notches. Her silence was worse than her anger and disappointment.
Then I tried calling her, but I’d hang up after a few rings. What would I say? Nothing had changed. She’d made her thoughts clear and I wouldn’t be able to bluff my way through with her. She was way too smart for that.
It's all about the sex. That’s why I’m missing her.
I kept repeating it over and over in my head. More sleepless nights followed, more intense workouts at the gym, and more frenetic living. The pace was relentless. I turned my life up full volume.
But I couldn’t forget what she’d said. All my attempts to tune her out¸ failed. Eva’s words were burned into my mind. Change or lose the chance with her.
It’s up to me.
Up to me.
Me.
My chest swelled with pride whenever I appraised what I had earned in life through sheer hard work and determination. I deserved every part of it—they were my just rewards. I owned my dues like a motherfucker.
But her.
Eva was so much more than I deserved.
With her open mind and caring heart, she had shown me that there were possibilities . . . that I could find love and happiness. I wasn’t doomed to live a loveless life.
She gave me that. If I really wanted it, I could have it.
I wanted it. All of it. And I wanted her.
From the first moment I’d laid my eyes on her, I'd wanted her. Only I'd been too fucking slow to work it out then.
I’d always lived by my gut instincts and I had to do that now. The weight of Atlas lifted off my shoulders. Anger leaked out of my soul, replaced with hope.
My inner monster was evaporating.
My selfish ways no longer served me. I'd been cruel and unkind to those who were undeserving of second chances—including myself. . But now I had to let it go—the anger and revenge I'd thrived on for so long left no space for love or forgiveness.
It was time to change all of that. Because of her, I wanted a second chance.
Could Eva become my new start? Could she save me?
After all we’d been through, would she want to? I had to redeem myself. I had to give it a shot—even if I died trying. She had given me a new reason to live.
But for her, I would be lost. Damned. Broken forever.
But now I had a chance.
If she would have me.
Chapter Sixty-Four — Harrison
Three days later.
I flashed my badge at the dude standing in front of the imposing security gates.
“Special Ops.” I couldn’t hide the pride in my voice when I said those words—my career had sustained me through the worst times of my life.
The security guard had seen me here before only a short while ago, so he just nodded his head with a grunt that was supposed to pass as a greeting and opened the gates.
Driving at walking speed up the long driveway, I lifted my chin at the older man who was trimming the roses that lined the entire path up to the mansion. Next
round I wanted a job like that, pottering about in beautiful gardens all day. But then I thought of all the adventure I'd miss and decided I liked my job just fine. It had certain perks that gave me access to important people I wouldn’t get close to otherwise. Like the Senator.
I left the car idling while I rang the doorbell. A stout woman opened the door. “Ah, Mr. Summers.” She beamed.
I smiled, pleased that she remembered me. The last time I was here for a meeting with my boss, Savage, and the Senator, I'd complimented her on the delicious spice biscuits served with the tea. She’d proudly informed me they were from a Dutch recipe that was passed down from her grandmother. It always paid dividends to treat staff politely for exact situations like these. Back then I hadn’t known about the Senator’s involvement with Eva. I just knew he was engaged and only lived at the mansion partially.
At the time, I’d shaken my head at the sheer waste of taxpayer funds. A mansion like this needed to be filled with family, not a single man who was hardly ever here.
“Hello Angela, you look great today,” I said, turning the charm full-blast. “I've come to pick up the dog for a trim at the parlor. You’d think I'd have more important work to do than running after dogs, huh?” I winked at her.
“Well, I’m glad they sent you. The puppy hasn’t been happy since she’s been here. Maybe she will cheer up when she sees your handsome face.” She pinched my cheek just like my grandmother always used to do.
I followed her to the kitchen where Miu-miu was lying listless in her basket. The dog’s tail wagged as I reached out to stroke her head. She licked my hand, and when I picked her up, also my face, much to Angela’s delight. Little bitch remembers me.
I tucked the dog under my arm and made my way to leave. So far so good, but I wasn’t sticking around to tempt fate.
“Bring her straight back after the parlor, will you?” Angela said. “The Senator comes to see her as soon as he gets home from work.”