“Searched for information on your damn phone,” he grumbles and shakes his head. “Woman, you have to realize right fucking now I will be beside you every step of the damn way from now on. I’m done with everyone expecting you to deal with things on your own. And don’t start with saying you’re strong enough to handle everything, because I know you’re more than capable. But...you shouldn’t have to...not at times where it matters anyway. And you will let me, hear what I’m saying?”
“I hear you,” I mutter, a little dazed by how well he knows me. “I’m used to doing things myself so I can’t promise anything.”
His soft chuckle relaxes me. “I know, darlin’. But I’ll even kick Thorn’s ass if I have to. Hell, I’ll face the fucking devil himself if need be; you’re mine and I will make sure everyone knows to treat my Old Lady with respect and those who don’t will feel my wrath. As Gael will soon enough,” he adds on a growl.
Crap. What in the hell have I gotten myself into with this man who doesn’t seem afraid of anything and makes me think he can make everything right? And yet realizing this makes him the perfect man for me, making me feel safe enough to know with him at my side I can truly face everything life throws at us. Even if it’s Gael...I’m sure Casey will kill him with his last breath if need be.
Chapter Seven
***Casey***
“It’s been fucking weeks! He can’t have crawled underneath a damn rock and stayed there,” I growl in frustration since this meeting is almost over.
It’s as if the fucker went underground with his scum buddies. We were able to narrow it down to four other dirtbags who teamed up with Gael, and those fuckers are also missing.
“Believe me when I tell you we’re all frustrated, angry, and want to nail this fucker. We’re working on it,” Calix sighs.
“As are we,” Thorn adds.
“And it’s brought us jackshit,” I mutter to myself, knowing these past few weeks we had a funeral to deal with and also dove into the fact Ryke’s sister, Claudia, is still missing.
Thorn swears Ryke’s clean and never was on Gael’s side but I can’t help but stay suspicious, even more because of his sister. I did some digging and with the club going through a rough patch and switching from illegal shit to legal? They closed down a whore house and Gael’s sister, Kate, was running it together with Claudia.
From the two bikers I talked to who were there when they shut down the whore house for good, they mentioned Kate flipped. I know it’s connected. Gael’s hatred for Curls’ family and the way they handle the MC runs deep and in many ways.
Again, Ryke’s sister missing? Leverage if you ask me. But it seems my hands are tied and I’m sick of this shit. Though having my hands tied by the law is one thing...my Prez doesn’t hold me back but he does have limitations too. All of this makes me even more sure about starting my own company.
I haven’t told anyone—besides Curls—about my plans, but I turned in my resignation the day after Curls was kidnapped. I’ve been talking to a former associate turned friend who I once worked a few cases with. He has his own company where he takes on cold cases. Picks his own jobs and, from what he’s told me, is quite successful. I’m not talking about a solid income but also the personal gratification. To be able to make a change, it’s basically the whole reason I started working in law enforcement.
“Prez?” I get his attention while the wheels in my head start turning and for fuck’s sake why didn’t I think of this sooner? “Can I have a word with just you, Ransom, and C.Rash?”
He gives a tight nod and closes the meeting that’s already come to an end since the flow of information has been less to nothing anyway.
“I want to dive into Ryke’s missing sister’s case,” I state.
Calix nods thoughtfully and a grin slides over his face. Figures. We were in the same line of work, he knows very well I want to dig into the connection while searching for the woman. It’s a new angle while we’re waiting to find Gael, and who knows, maybe I’ll stumble on something to either soothe my suspicion about Ryke working with Gael or clear him from any involvement.
“Let me know if you need me or anyone else to help out,” Calix grunts.
“Will do,” I tell him, and realize, “I would probably need some extra brothers available when I need to head out while my Old Lady is either here or at work. She has to be protected until Gael is found.”
“Done. Ransom, C.Rash, Quillon, and Hunter will be available when you need them. C.Rash, make sure the other two brothers know.” C.Rash and Ransom both nod at Prez’s words as he turns to me. “And I’m here too if you need me.”
I’m glad Calix dismisses us right after, my hands are itching to work. I checked into Claudia’s missing person’s case the day after Curls was taken but didn’t find anything relevant to be linked with Gael or the fact she’s missing.
But knowing about the whore house and Gael’s sister and Claudia working together? Add the fact Curls is Thorn’s sister? I get a feeling this is all about sisters and fucking payback. Three sisters of guys within one MC involved is too much of a coincidence not to be connected somehow.
I’d like nothing more than to stay with Curls. She seems to have bounced back pretty quickly the last few weeks. Even with the huge emotional load, she’s damn strong. But I have to head out and check into things.
I’m glad Calix assigned the VP and even himself along with a few other brothers and not prospects. Even if the few prospects we have around here are solid, I need my mind at ease when I head out and leave Curls’ side.
My mind couldn’t handle her being taken when she wasn’t even mine. Then afterwards hearing she was pregnant at the time? I shove the thought deep down because I still can’t handle it.
Even if I’ve always lived for my job, I never realized how fast my life would switch when I found the right woman. And now that I’ve found her...I ain’t ever letting go. Nor do I want the risk of having her taken from me. I need to make sure she’s safe, and she isn’t as long as Gael is still out there.
“Ransom, you’re with me. C.Rash, can you check in on the girls a few times until we’re back?” I ask and he gives me a nod as he takes a spot at a table in the main room, giving him a clear view of the hallway where Curls and Hedwig are spending time together in Ransom’s room.
We’ve been on semi lockdown ever since Curls was taken. We’re not risking any of the other Old Ladies either. So, it’s semi lockdown until we’ve found and killed Gael. Not to mention there are four others who chose his side and they need to be taken care of too. Since Hedwig has a few more weeks to go in her pregnancy, Ransom and Hedwig have created two nurseries. One in Hedwig’s house and one here at the club.
Anyway, it’s a good thing the girls have something to focus on and being this far in the pregnancy Hedwig doesn’t have the energy to be very active so lounging around with Curls is just what they both need.
Though Curls is strong, I can see how the miscarriage pains her. It’s in the little things flashing through her eyes only I seem to notice. Even with her body healed it’s something that’s left a scar on both our souls. The only thing we can do is move forward together.
Every night we end up wrapped in each other. Even with life as fucked-up as it is, the exquisiteness of having her in my arms—consuming and comforting each other—is what makes it all worth it.
“Bike or cage?” Ransom’s question rips me out of my thoughts.
“Bike,” I tell him. “Thought you never wanted to sit in a cage again, unless you need to go somewhere with your Old Lady.”
It’s true, the fucker worked his ass off to regain all the strength back in his arm that was injured months ago. Once he was finally able to get on his bike, he swore he would never crawl into a cage when he could ride.
“Yeah, but I gotta escort your pansy ass,” my brother chuckles.
Fucker. “I was riding a fucking bike before you could so much as point at one, asswipe. Hell, if it wasn’t for me you wouldn’t even b
e wearing a patch in the first place.”
“Oh, do tell,” Quillon quips from behind me.
“No, he fucking won’t,” Ransom growls, grabs my cut, and drags me out front where our bikes are parked.
“You gotta admit, it’s a nice damn story,” I snicker and straddle my bike.
“No one needs to know how I fell over every damn time and how you laughed your fucking ass off not even trying to pull the heavy bike off me,” Ransom grumbles, making me laugh harder at the mere reminder.
Damn. The both of us have been through bad times growing up but there are also a lot of highlights and even more when we were both placed at the home Ransom lives in now, the one we inherited but we both decided it was his to live in.
With both Hedwig and him owning a house next to each other, our Old Ladies being best friends, a thought hits me and I turn off the bike to relay my thoughts to Ransom. He sees the look on my face and turns off his bike too.
“What’s up, brother?” he questions.
“When all this shit is cleared, I’m thinking me and Curls should move in next door to you guys,” I tell him and watch as his eyes go wide in surprise. “Well, if you don’t mind having us as neighbors.”
“You sure, man? It’s...fuck. It’s perfect. Need to check with Hedwig but I’m sure she’d be okay with me moving in with her and you guys taking the other house, with Curls being her best friend and all. Hell, they’ve been roommates before and living next door will give us babysitters within reach,” Ransom chuckles.
“What makes you so sure me and Curls won’t be needing fucking babysitters?” I growl back, suddenly annoyed.
Ransom just shakes his head and chuckles as if it’s the most insane shit I’ve ever told him. We didn’t mention the miscarriage to anyone. Curls didn’t want to talk about it and knew with Hedwig being pregnant it would be hard for everyone but in this moment, I need for Ransom to understand—to know—how strong my woman is and what we already overcame together. But most of all? To know fucking well I want my woman pregnant again.
I glance around me to double check but we’re completely alone in the parking lot in front of the clubhouse. “She miscarried the day they took her. They fucking beat her so she fucking miscarried, okay? My baby. My kid was in her belly and they ripped it from her. Even though she only knew she was pregnant for one hour before they kidnapped her. They killed our fucking kid before it had any chance to grow. She was on her fucking way to tell Hedwig about it.”
Ransom pales and leans his forearms on his bike while one hand covers his mouth to mute the “Fuck,” slipping from between his lips.
“Yeah,” I sigh. “We all carry heavy burdens and sometimes it feels like stacking shit is waiting for everything to crumble down and drown you in it. I have no clue why I fought the biker life for so long, Ransom. For fuck’s sake this woman had my heart the first time I laid eyes on her when I saw her through your kitchen window. Then we went head to head, the second time we met. Hell...fucked our brains out the third time we met and made a fucking kid right then and there, only to have it ripped from our lives. It’s...fuck. Knowing they took her that day and the mere thought of losing her had me going insane and yet those fuckers took something from us we won’t ever get back. The kind of hatred my body is filled with, Ransom? It’s damn good I turned in my badge the day after Curls told me about the miscarriage, because I can’t live with handing this shit over to the law.”
“Hey,” Ransom’s face morphs into a fierce look. “One thing you’ll never have to do is justify your actions to me. I have your back no matter what, and you know it. Though I know you’re gonna miss catching bad fuckers, even if you’re not gonna be squeaky clean yourself after we’ve handled this shit.”
“I’ve been thinking,” I quip.
Ransom shakes his head muttering, “Well, fuck, here it comes. You sayin’ ‘I’ve been thinking’ always transfers into ‘I’m doing something and I’m now telling you how shit’s going to be.’ Like how you just dropped on me that you turned in your badge weeks ago.”
A smile tugs my face, this guy knows me too well. “I’m gonna start up my own business. Gonna handle cold cases. I’m treating Ryke’s missing sister as my first case. Hell, you and I both know I have enough cash saved up I don’t even need to work and could even take on some pro bono shit to soothe my mind every now and then. But I need to do this...I need...”
“You need to do good, Casey. Like you’ve always done. Handle your own piece of doing right in this world. And with what you just mentioned? Fucking perfect. Even makes me think Calix would like to help out every now and then. The man has an itch like you to dive into something that needs to be handled. You should mention it to him or even bring it to the table so all the brothers can handle cases from time to time if need be.”
I nod as I take in his words. He’s right. “I could use some help from time to time,” I mutter.
“Then with this case, you’ll have me. Future shit? Think it through and run it by Calix. Even if you don’t want the club involved...an ex lawman can give you his input from his side of things.”
I lift my chin and fire up my bike. “Thanks.”
“Don’t mention it,” Ransom barks over the roar of the bikes.
The ride over takes about fifteen minutes. Thorn and Ryke have been here to check on his sister the day Curls was taken. They saw the living room was a mess as if there had been a struggle. A few days later I swung by the place to check it out but everything still looked the same and still there was no trace of her.
We leave the bikes in the driveway and decide to stalk around back first but fresh footprints in the dirt make me hug the house and swing my arm back to have Ransom press his back to the house too.
I take out my phone and call Thorn while I point at the footprints to show Ransom. “Thorn, Casey. Hey,” I tell him at a low whisper. “Ryke near you? Do you know if he went by his sister’s house in the last few days? ‘Cause I’m there now and I’m seeing fresh fucking footprints and they seem to be from a woman by the size of it.”
“Nah, man. Ryke has been with me for the last few days. We’ve been checking all over this town to follow up some leads we had on the four guys working with Gael but we didn’t find shit. Hang on.” I hear him question Ryke. There are muffled voices until Thorn’s voice comes through loud and clear. “No, he hasn’t been there like I mentioned and we still have no word about or trace on his sister. What are you doing there anyway? I didn’t hear Calix mentioning something to me when we were in church this morning.”
“I asked our Prez if I could take on the case of Ryke’s missing sister. We’re all doing something but getting nowhere. I need to focus on something else in the meantime and maybe Claudia missing is connected so who knows? I’m still working on getting Gael.”
I don’t hear his reply because gunshots ring out, making me end the call and shove the phone away to free my hands. Ransom curses next to me and I can hear him growling into his phone, demanding back up. We both palm our guns and I risk a glance around the corner of the house.
“Pool house,” I grunt. “I think two, maybe three by the sounds of it.”
A bullet lodges into the house right above my fucking head and my body pumps with adrenaline. I need to get through this, need to come back home to my woman. More gunshots ring out and one grazes my knee. I push myself closer against the house but I damn well know I need to confront these fuckers instead of hiding out. We’re sitting ducks if we don’t do something.
“Stay here and glued to the wall, I’m going around,” I grunt to Ransom and don’t wait for a reply but run off and around to the other side of the house.
Checking around the corner I see it’s safe enough. Bullets are still being fired from the backyard in the other direction and I hear Ransom returning fire. Staying low, I risk a quick glance and instantly my blood boils. Gael, his sister, and at least two other guys are standing near a pool house.
I take aim and suck in a deep breat
h. I need the first shot to count because it will give away my location. Kate is standing in front of her brother, blocking a clear shot to take Gael out. Fuck. Gael says something to the others and I see him starting to retreat. Dammit, no time to think.
I fire three rapid shots, one hitting Gael’s sister, one hitting Gael, and the other missing its target. Dashing behind the house, I hear Ransom taking over while there’s only a few shots being fired my way. Then everything goes silent.
There’s a chance I can get my damn head blown off if I check to see if they’re still standing, but not doing anything gives them a chance to slip away, and I can’t let that happen either. Fuck it. Crouching down, I take a quick peek and curse under my breath. Three bodies are down and from the look of it, Gael isn’t one of them.
I hear the rumble of bikes roaring through the air. Backup. Fucking sweet but a little too damn late. Rushing forward with my gun raised I shout, “Better come out, fuckers, you’re dead either way.” Just so Ransom knows I’ll be in his line of fire.
“Well, that’s new,” Ransom chuckles. “Pretty sure your line used to be ‘Freeze, FBI.’”
“Very fucking funny, asshole,” I grunt but there’s a smile tugging my lips and a righteousness in my heart about how I stopped being a fed without a single hint of regret.
Ransom keeps an eye on our surroundings, allowing me to check on the three bodies sprawled out on the ground. Gael’s sister was shot in the chest, the other two have multiple gunshot wounds. One’s still alive though. Knowing it’s one who helped Gael take my woman and kill her father, it only takes one squeeze for me to end his life.
I hear Calix’s voice coming from near the house and I bark out my words, “We’re out here.”
Around twenty guys—all AF MC brothers—come rushing toward us. Calix assesses the situation and connects his gaze with me. “You left one alive, nice.”
AF MC Ohio (Book Two) Page 6