With a shake of my head, I try to clear the thoughts dominating my mind. I have to channel how I’m feeling into today’s visit to the whorehouse. The need to find my father grows with every second of every day that passes. I have a lot to prove to my men. Earning their trust and support, and showing that I was the right choice for the club.
Heading down the stairs, I make my way to the front door, only to stop dead in my tracks. Tara stands at the door, one foot resting back against the wood, her eyes flicker until they meet mine. I zoom in on them, inhaling her intoxicating scent. Not because I didn’t smell it before, but because I can’t help but smell it.
Pulling in the corner of her lip, she bites down on it. “I’m sorry. I don’t want you to leave with bad feelings.”
With a small step closer to her, I wrap my arm around her waist, pulling her into me. “No bad feelings, baby,” I reassure her and I see a change in her eyes. Hope flickers within them and I can’t help but smile.
“What?” she asks as her eyes dart to the smile dressing my lips, then back to my eyes.
“You got this, uh, this look in your eye that kinda gives me hope.”
“Even though I doubt we’re ready, I’m not sure I could ever get rid of this baby. Not knowing it could be yours. I see how important it is to you. I just need time, Nate. Time to wrap my head around the fact that we are having a baby.”
Hugging her tighter, I lift her from the floor, burying my head into her neck, kissing over and over. “We do this at your speed. I won’t rush you.”
“Thank you,” she whispers as I draw back, looking into her eyes once more. Her smile is wide and her eyes glisten with happiness.
“Stay safe today,” I say, lowering her to the floor and parting from her a little. “Keep your cell on you at all times and you call me should anything happen. No matter how small.”
She steps to the side allowing me to drop the lock and open the door.
“Sure will,” she says, her hand skimming the skin on my forearm.
“Fuck,” I grate out, my eyes flicker to outside then back to Tara. “I hate fucking leaving you. Especially when Jeffries is out there somewhere.” Leaning over her I rest my hands against the wall behind her, dipping my head and pressing my lips against hers.
“Go,” she says, swatting my chest playfully. “I’ll be fine. I’m at work with Brax and Izzy all day, then you can come get me.”
“Got it.” I push myself away from the wall and finally step out of the house. Mounting my bike, I rev the engine a little and watch as the beauty that owns my heart stares lovingly at me. Leaning against the frame of the door, her smile is brighter than the morning sunlight.
Giving her one last nod, I pull on my helmet and kick back the stand. Pulling out of the driveway I have a smile on my face and contentment in my heart.
Nate
Taking the short drive to the clubhouse, I arrive in no time. The men are gathered together, sitting on the benches just outside the main entrance. Their chatter and laughter fills the air and I back my bike up into a spot, jump off, and remove my helmet.
“Hey, man,” Zane says, walking toward me. “How’s the new digs?”
“Good, man,” I say offering my hand to him and he takes it, pulling us together and patting me on the back. With a glance past Zane, I look at the rest of the men gathered round. “Any sign on the prospect?”
“Yeah,” Zane replies. “He’s been crashing at Jenny’s house.”
“Our club whore?”
“Yup,” he replies with a lift of his brow.
“Not sure he’s really earning his right to patch in. Ozzie needs to start pulling his weight.”
Leaning into me a little, he lowers his voice. “Don’t trust him. Something’s off about the guy.”
“Agreed. He was friends with Jeffries before he joined the club. I feel his loyalty is misplaced and probably lies with my father.”
Zane’s eyes bug out as though he’s having a moment of realization. “Fuck, that makes sense.” He becomes a little louder and more animated.
“We need to keep him close. If what I think is right, he may be the key to finding my father. I want him watched like a motherfucking hawk, you got it?”
“Yes, boss,” he answers immediately.
“Get the other guys up to speed on Ozzie. I need to grab some things from inside. Everything been okay here?”
“Missed a great party last night. The club whores earned their titles last night.” Laughing, he squeezes my shoulder gently, tilting his head to the side. “Not interested, are ya?”
“No need to eat whore pussy when I have the finest A class at home.” I smirk widely. Zane laughs and hollers as I walk away from him making my way inside the clubhouse. I head upstairs into my room I made sure to keep locked. I quickly unlock the door, head inside and pull out the case from under my bed. I grab my trusty Glock 17 and the ammunition, pushing it into the spare pocket of my shoulder holster. Reaching inside, I grab my knife and holster, wrapping it around my waist. If I’m going in search of my father, I have to be prepared and ready to take down any asshole that stands in my way.
Locking the door, I race to make my way back out to the guys. Stepping outside, I walk over to them, clearing my throat to get their attention. “Right, brothers. Today we’re gonna head to Plaza, the whorehouse located just a few miles away from the Deathseekers’ clubhouse. We need to keep our eyes open, but most importantly, be discreet.”
“You think your father’s there?” Gus asks, confusion etched into his features.
“No,” I reply, digging into my pocket and pulling out a smoke. Chuck’s hand holds a light to the tip the second it’s placed against my lips. I take a drag, tilting my head back and blowing a smoke ring into the sky. “We can’t seem to locate Jeffries, but intel suggests the only fuckers willing to hide him would be the Deathseekers. They had something going on, something this club knew nothing about. And that makes them my prime suspect.”
“So we storm the fucking clubhouse and take the traitors out,” Angelo blurts out and the other guys hum in agreement.
“They have no loyalty to this club,” I add, tensing as I take another drag of my cigarette. “Whatever deal they had with Jeffries was just that. A deal with him, not us. And that’s exactly where his loyalty lies. The young Deathseeker boy is a regular at Plaza and he has a little sweet spot for a whore who works there.”
“Shit,” Davo exclaims, pushing his hand through his hair. “You’re planning on taking on the heir to the Deathseekers? That’s fucking crazy talk.”
I nod, lifting my brow. “Crazy, yes. But we have leverage. The whore is the boy’s weakness. He’s young, inexperienced, and only just joined the club.”
“Boss, with all due respect, he ain’t gonna rat on his father, let alone his club. You know how it works.”
“Only one way to find out,” I say, lifting my hand and pointing to the bikes. “Let’s ride, brothers.”
* * *
We pull up outside Plaza, coming to a stop at the side of the road. We can’t afford to get too close to the entrance and spook them with the sound of the bike engines roaring. Dismounting, I turn toward Zane, standing just behind me. “How do you want this to play out, Prez?” he asks as the other guys gather round.
“Davo and I go inside. Gus, you stay with the bikes, while the rest of you cover the entrance, ready to come in and save our asses if needed. Zane, I want you right outside ready to lead the men in should we need you.”
Nodding in agreement, I address Davo. “We go in there to talk. Not to hurt anyone, but follow my lead. If the boy gets pissy, it could all turn ugly.”
“We got your back, brother,” Zane says.
“Absolutely,” Davo adds and I pat them loudly on the back. Stepping across the walkway, I make my way to the entrance. The sign above the door flickers and I can’t help but notice the bars protecting the windows. Looks like this place has seen its fair share of trouble.
Pushing on
the door, it swings open and I rest my hand on the holster that holds my knife. Music blares and naked women are strewn on top of men with only one thing on their minds. I step through, my eyes alert and searching the area. So far, no sign of any of the Deathseekers.
“Hey, guys,” the petite brunette with tight curly hair calls to me from behind the bar. I flash her a quick smile as I saunter over to the bar directly opposite the entrance.
“Hey, beautiful,” Davo speaks to her, his tongue practically dragging on the floor.
“Yeah, real smooth, man. And original,” I say with a chuckle and his reaction is a snarl in my direction.
Pushing out her chest, she stifles a laugh and her eyes flit between the two of us. “What can I get you guys?” Her gaze falls to the patch on my cut. With wide eyes, she almost gasps. As if caught off guard she steps back and I see the panic in her eyes.
“What’s wrong, sweetheart?” Davo asks and I straighten myself, holding my palms up to her.
“I’m not here for trouble,” I say in a hushed voice.
“But you’re not… you’re not the same as the others. I’m holding the fort because the boss isn’t in today. Please...” she starts to plead, fear and sadness growing in her eyes. “I can’t afford to lose this job. You guys start trouble, then I’ll be out.”
“Hey,” I coax, trying to calm her while making my way to the side of the bar. “Whatever happens here, I’ll make sure you’re alright. On that you have my word.”
Her focus flits between me and Davo. “He keeps his word. Prez makes a promise, it’s as good as done, sweetheart,” he adds.
“Where are they?” I blurt out, cutting to the chase. “See, I get you don’t really want us here. But we ain’t going anywhere until I get what I came for.” Reaching inside my cut, I locate the handle of my handgun, drawing it out and resting it against the surface of the bar. I keep my hold of it, looking at her. “You make a scene, call the cops, and my little friend here will have no choice but to take out every single person in here. You get me?” I tilt my head, my eyes on her hard. Tears build in her eyes and she doesn’t speak, but she does nod.
“Good,” I say with a smile. Leaning closer to her trembling body. “You’re going to show me which room the young Deathseeker boy is in.”
“Who, Hunter?”
“We’re not really on first-name terms, darlin’,” Davo says with a laugh.
“It’s the prez’s son. Brewer’s kid,” I inform her, checking over my shoulder as I try to remain discreet.
“Yeah, that’s Hunter. I’ll take you to him.” She steps toward me, standing in the space between the end of the bar and the wall. I straighten up, allowing her to brush past me.
“Thanks,” she murmurs, the look of anger flashing in her eyes. Hiding the gun back inside my cut, I follow her down the hall and wait for her to enter the code into the keypad just beside the door. Unlocking the door, she pushes it open, holding it for us as she indicates for us to walk through.
“Door at the end, on the left. I’ll be out there. Try not to hurt the girl. Precious is one of the best girls we have working here. Whatever is going on between the two clubs has nothing to do with her.”
“A whore is just a whore,” I say with a shrug before walking to the end of the corridor, ready to burst in this goddamn door. I can’t make any promises when it comes to Hunter’s favorite plaything.
Glancing down to the door handle, I notice the “engaged” sign on the door and quickly turn the round handle.
“Locked,” I mouth to Davo. Holding his arm out, he gestures for me to move back. Drawing out his gun he points it to the lock before pulling the trigger. The silencer works to keep the sound of the firearm to a minimum and the door swings open. With the gun in my hand I step inside the room, sounds of squeals and voices blur as one. The naked blonde drops to the floor, scrambling until her back hits the wall.
“Don’t fucking move,” Davo warns, his gun pointing directly at her.
“What the fuck?” Hunter exclaims as his eyes dart to the gun located on the table beside the bed.
“Don’t even think about it or he will blow her brains out.”
“What the fuck do you want?” he growls, hard eyes on me. “Why the fuck would you two burst in here?”
“You’ve been a hard man to track down,” I reply. “I’ve been wanting to talk for a long time.”
Stepping back, I push the door until it’s almost closed. Focusing on Hunter, I reach to the floor, grabbing his boxers and throwing them to him. “Fuck’s sake. Cover up your dick.” Stepping toward the table beside the bed, I grab his gun and knife, handing it to Davo. “Just to be sure…”
“Let her go. She’s not involved here,” Hunter remarks, pulling his boxers on, standing beside the small bed.
“Sit,” I demand.
“I don’t take orders from a fucking Savage,” he spits back.
“Really?” I smirk, lifting my brow a little as I glare at him. “What if my friend here took a knife to the beautiful blonde sitting on the floor? Huh?”
Davo squats in front of her, resting the knife against the skin on her cheek, slowly dragging the tip across her makeup-covered skin. She shrieks, her light whimpers fill the room.
“No. Alright, alright.” He holds his hands up in surrender as he drops down against the bed.
“So, you see how it’s going to be, huh? Play along and no one gets hurt.”
“You’re gonna regret this,” he growls, tensing and untensing his fists. But I don’t flinch. I hold the gun, nice and steady toward him.
“Listen, cocksucker, I’m the one pointing the gun. The only person who will regret this meeting between us is the one on the receiving end of the bullet in this little baby.”
“What the fuck do you want?” he snaps.
“I know you know where my father is. I also know you know about the hijacking of our guns and who was responsible.”
“The fuck you want me to say. Even if I knew anything, which I don’t, you really think I’d rat on my own club? If you think that, you’re out of your goddamn mind.”
“Rat? No. Work with me? Yes.”
His face contorts as he shakes his head loosely from side to side. “And why exactly would I want to work with the man pointing a fucking gun at me?”
“Because I see a little of myself in you. You’re not like your father, and neither am I. You can become something better than your legacy.”
I watch as his concerned eyes flicker between me and the whore.
“You care about her, don’t ya?”
“I just don’t want innocents to get hurt,” he scoffs.
Davo rests the knife against the whore’s neck, dragging her to her feet. Hunter is on his feet and darts toward the girl. I step in his way, pressing my hand against his chest and pushing him back toward the bed. He falls back and I close in on him, pressing the tip of the gun to his forehead.
“No more fucking around. I want answers or the girl meets her Savage end.”
“Fuck,” he whisper-yells, slamming his fists against the mattress. His face contorts as if he’s in pain. As if he’s torn.
“Your club is hiding my father. I’m right aren’t I?”
He doesn’t respond verbally. With the smallest of movements, he shakes his head. “You would never rat on your club. Why do you think I’ll rat on mine?”
“I already told you, cocksucker. I’ll hurt the girl and I think we both know you don’t want that.”
His nostrils flare and his eyes flit between me and the girl. “Man, you ain’t got the goddamn balls.”
Motherfucker is calling my bluff. I swallow the lump that forms in my throat at knowing I have to hurt the girl. It’s part of the end game, but doesn’t mean I have to like it.
With a chortle, I make eye contact with Davo, giving him a subtle flick of my head. Without hesitation, he stands drawing his gun on Hunter while I relax my arm that holds the gun, quickly shoving it in the band of my jeans. I draw ou
t my knife, resting the tip against her collarbone. “So what will it be, sweetheart?”
“No, please don’t,” she cries out, her whole body shaking. I scrape the knife roughly against the skin and watch as the blood pours out from the wound.
“Tell me when to stop, Hunter,” I goad, continuing to cut into the girl’s skin. I reach up and grab the girl’s hair, roughly dragging back her head so she can’t see what I’m doing.
“Arrghhh…” he shouts out in anger and his eyes fill with uncertainty as he looks away from the girl.
“You need to shut the fuck up, man,” Davo snarls. “Anyone so much as steps near that door and my finger may just goddamn slip on this trigger of mine.”
Stopping the knife against her nipple, I flick the tip a couple of times and the girl’s sobs increase. “Please, Hunter. Please… just tell them what they want to know.”
Exhaling loudly, he holds up his hands once more. “Alright, alright, I’ll tell you. Just stop hurting her. Please.”
Bending my knees, I crouch beside the girl, reaching my arm up to the table at the side of the bed and grabbing a handful of tissues. I pass them to her and she takes them, holding it to the cut along her collarbone and down to her chest.
“Your father came to the club asking for our help. He knew he was losing power and needed to ‘thin the herd’ as he phrased it. My father has been struggling to make real money with the firearms because of heat from the feds. They hatched a plan together to make it look like Jeffries was buying the guns, but then we would take them back. So we would keep the guns and the money.”
With a snarl, I nod. Knowing that my father was in on the whole guns thing.
“Only, even with our help, it wasn’t enough to stop him losing his power. You took over as president and started a whole chain of events that will be catastrophic to your club.”
The complete scars series: Books one-four Page 70