by K E Osborn
“One day, brother, the kids will be old enough to make up their own minds about where they want to spend their time. Remember that.”
Kevlar weakly smiles.
Finley saunters out and over to us. I widen my eyes in shock. That didn’t take anywhere near as long as I thought it would. I stand as she holds her hand up to halt my barrage of questions. “Before you start, he’s okay. But the Baron has some video evidence against Zero. That’s how he was able to have him arrested.”
I jerk my head back. “What kind of video evidence?”
“Pretty fucking shitty evidence if you ask me. It shows grainy footage of a woman who looks like Rayne at the Dallas Market Center, it’s date and time-stamped the day Zero brought her back to the clubhouse…” She shakes her head. “Anyway, she’s browsing… there’s a guy wearing a hoody, but you can clearly see his hands, they’re tattooed, but you can’t make them out clearly enough to define the lines. It may or may not be Zero, it’s not conclusive. So, the woman who kind of looks like Rayne heads down a side alley and the guy in the hoody grabs hold, putting her into the back of a black van with no plates. Honestly, the whole thing looks so fucking staged, it’s ridiculous.”
I snort out a laugh. “Why the hell do they think it’s Zero and Rayne? They’ve never been to Dallas together.”
“They’re saying Rayne’s credit card was used there on that day. I say that was doctored, too. This whole thing was set up by the Baron. Honestly, if you look close enough, the guy who’s playing Zero isn’t even tall enough to be him. They’re actors playing a part to get him arrested. The Baron wanted Zero tried here in Houston, so he could watch every detail play out. That’s why he didn’t have him charged for taking Rayne in Chicago because he would have had to have been extradited back to Illinois and sent to jail there. The damn fucker orchestrated this whole thing so he could sit back and watch.”
My lip curls up in anger as I let out an angry huff. “Motherfucker. Will he get away with this?”
“We won’t let him. I’ll find a way, Wraith. It will be relatively easy to discredit the footage using specialists in the field. The major hurdle we face is that it depends greatly on how long before we can get it debunked under the law, and how much pull the Baron has in the judiciary system.”
Letting out a long exhale, I run my hand through my hair. “How’s Zero taking all this?”
“He’s more concerned about his girl than anything.”
“Cherry’s being taken care of. I hope you told him that?”
She rolls her eyes. “Of course, I did. My job is to keep him in a good frame of mind while kicking everyone else’s asses. So, yes, I told him Rayne is fine, that you’re taking care of her. I also told him Prinie was rattled, but Phantom was caring for her.”
I tense.
How did she gather from her short time at the clubhouse who’s watching over Prinie?
“And I see by the look in your eye, Wraith, you’re wondering how I know that… well, it’s because I’m damn good at my job, that’s how. I watch. I observe. I take in all the information around me using it to my advantage. I was at the clubhouse for just under an hour being briefed before we came here. During that time, I learned a lot about your club. Trust me… I know plenty about you and the brothers no one could tell me. Intuition, analytical skills, perseverance, good judgment are all important when dealing with the law.”
I let out a huff. She’s smug, that’s for sure, but I like it. Balls like that are what we need to face the Baron. “Okay, so where do we sit?”
She rolls her shoulders. “This won’t be easy… the charges are sticking. Zero is set for arraignment in two days. We can all be at the courthouse to see where it’s going to go, but with anything that has the Baron’s mark on it, it’s going to take some time and a lot of work. It might take more time than we’ve got.”
My face scrunches as I glare at her. “Are you saying this shit is hopeless?”
She’s unfazed by my outburst. “What I’m saying is we need to understand this is a marathon, not a sprint to the finish line. Wraith, I think you and your brothers need to prepare for the fact I might not be able to fix this one before Zero’s locked up.”
Anger ignites inside of me as I throw my hands into the air. “Well, what fucking good are you then?”
Neon moves in beside me placing his hand on my shoulder. “Look, I get we’re all on edge, but Finley is the only attorney in Houston who would take on this case, Wraith. We have no choice but to trust in her judgment.”
“No choice? No fucking choice? Maybe there’s a reason she took us on if she can’t help, Neon. ‘Cause she’s working for the fucking Baron!” I turn, heading for the door before my fury reaches a critical level, and my addiction kicks in. I can’t say the need wasn’t starting to rear its ugly head when I saw Finley walk in. Her neck stood out, calling for me to wrap my fingers around it and squeeze. When tensions get high, the urge for me to give into my addiction becomes so much more, I can hardly contain it. I need to find another vice. I have to find a way to control this urge that calls inside me.
I’m broken.
Tarnished by my past.
My fucking mother made me into this void that I am.
How could I ever be good enough for Prinie?
There’s no possible way.
She deserves love, real love, not some stained reason for existence.
My boots thump the pavement as I pace the parking lot of the police station trying to walk off my rage. I’m not sure who I’m angrier at—Finley for not being able to do her job, or me for not being the man I need to be.
“Wraith!” Neon calls out, but I keep pacing with all these racing thoughts pummeling my mind, overwhelming me as anxiety begins to cripple me—this is where Zero usually steps in taming the beast inside me. “Wraith, stop for a second, will you?” Neon reaches out grabbing my arm, halting my steps. I stop, turning to face him, instinctively reaching for my gun and pull it up aiming it directly at his head. He raises his hands in surrender. “Take a damn breath, brother.”
My whole body shudders when I scan over to my brothers who are watching me lose my shit.
Finley’s eyes shoot back to check if any police are heading out, then she calls out, “Stow your damn weapon, Wraith. Now! I don’t need the president and the VP behind bars.”
Exhaling the breath I was holding, I lower my gun, holstering it. I internally berate myself for showing a sign of weakness as Neon grabs me, pulling me aside. “This is a stressful time for us all, but throwing wild accusations won’t help, Zero. She’s not in the Baron’s pocket… for fuck’s sake, trust me on that. I would never have hired her if I thought that.”
“We can’t trust anyone. The Baron has his hand in everything.”
Neon exhales. “Not her.”
“Give me one good reason why I should trust her, Neon.”
He looks over his shoulder. “Let’s just say Finley and the Baron have history. An awful history. Too much to go into detail about right now, but she’s not his biggest fan.”
“You swear to me he hasn’t gotten to her?”
“I swear, Wraith. Finley’s on our side. She wants to watch the Baron burn just as much as we all do.”
“I fucking hope that’s true.”
“If you two are done having your little powwow, some of us have work to do,” Finley calls out from behind us.
I turn, and she’s working furiously on her cell as I storm over to her. “You work your damn ass off for Zero. You do anything you have to, to get him out of this. I want the Baron to know he can’t fuck with Defiance.”
“While you’ve been crying in the corner, I’ve been working on his case for five minutes on my cell. Can we go? I have an arraignment to prep for. I can’t be concerned with your pity party.”
Her fight and fire are enlightening.
She’s calling me on my shit!
Maybe I’m so caught up in the fact this case is so damn difficult, I can’t see sh
e’s actually trying here.
I need to cut her some slack. “Fin…”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks.”
Her eyes widen like she’s truly shocked by my turnaround. Finley smiles genuinely while gesturing toward the cage. “C’mon, let’s go. More work, less talk.”
I signal to my brothers, then we all head toward the cage.
We might not be coming home with Zero, but we’re sure as hell going to keep trying until we do.
PRINIE
It feels like we’ve been waiting for fucking ever since they all went down to the police station to figure this shit out. As I sit with Cherry, Luc, and Phantom at a table in the main room, we make general conversation, but it’s all just small talk to pass the time.
Cherry’s knee agitates so fucking much it keeps hitting the underside of the table. I sit in my own head trying not to contemplate what my world is going to be like without my older brother by my side, and how I’m going to cope with the thought of him living out a long sentence in prison.
Phantom reaches out grabbing my hand. “It’s gonna all work itself out, Prinie. You’ll see.”
I grimace but love that he’s trying. “Thanks. I just don’t know how.”
Sliding his seat closer to me, the legs squeal on the concrete floor. “The thing I’ve learned from being in this club… Zero’s the fucking strongest, most resilient man I know. If anyone can pull this off, he can. Give him some props, princess. He’s gonna pull a fucking rabbit out of his ass. You’ll see.”
My lips turn up infinitesimally. “You mean out of a hat?”
Phantom raises his brow with that all-too-familiar smirk. “Well, I mean he’s going to prison, so I guess…”
I scowl. “That’s not funny, Phantom.”
He wraps his arm around my shoulder pulling me to him. “Trust me, Zero’s capable of protecting himself. No one’s going near him in there. And if they do, they’re not walking away without getting fucking hurt themselves. He’s strong, Prinie. He’s gonna be fine.”
Koda walks over, his concerned face showing a barrage of emotions as he steps to the side of the table. “Prinie, you need to tell me what’s happening.”
I exhale reaching out for his hand. “Zero’s been taken in for charges he obviously didn’t commit. The Baron’s trying to pin shit on him for what happened to Chuck—”
“But if he didn’t do it, then he’ll be set free… right?”
“It’s not that simple.”
“Why? If he didn’t do it, then won’t the judge or whatever see that?”
Even though everything he’s asking should be the way it should go, it won’t be. “Things don’t always go the way they’re supposed to. The way the legal system is meant to run isn’t always straight down the line.”
“Why the fuck not? He didn’t do it, so he should be home with us.”
“I know, Koda, but the Baron—”
“Fuck the Baron! Prinie, Zero shouldn’t be away from us. Our family has been through enough. We’ve been apart for too long, and now he gets taken away for something he didn’t even do.”
I stand trying to placate him. “I know... it’s just how things run. The Baron has his fingers in a lot of pies, and he pulls all the strings, Koda.”
“This is fucking bullshit! We just got back. I just got him back. And now he’s going to be gone for who knows how long. I missed a year with him because you took him away from me,” he yells right in my face.
The pure anger seeping from him is palpable.
My stomach knots as tears well in my eyes, and I blink them away.
Problem is, he’s right.
I wasted a year of us being together as a family.
That’s on me.
I let out a sob, the emotion of this all too much as I turn, rushing for the back door. I make my way outside, fat tears streaming down my face making it hard to see as I take a seat next to the fire pit. Bringing my feet up on the edge of the chair, I wrap my arms around my legs and press my forehead to my knees.
The crunching of the pebbled ground lets me know someone’s approaching, but I don’t make a move to see who it is. Instead, I try to pull myself together.
Whoever it is moves into the seat next to me.
“He doesn’t mean to lash out, Koda’s hurting and scared. He’s young, he doesn’t understand how to filter his frustrations properly.” Phantom’s calm voice floats through the soft breeze.
Lifting my head, Phantom clouds in my vision as I wipe my wet cheeks. “You think Koda resents me for taking him away?”
Phantom shrugs. “I figure he’s glad to be home. He loves his family, and that’s all that matters, Prinie. You don’t need to worry about the past. Stop dwelling on it and think about the present. That’s more important right now.”
I know he’s right.
“I feel guilty for spending a year away from Zero. Now he could be going away for a long-ass time. I wasted what could have been our last year together… I can’t help but have regrets about that.”
“You can’t dwell on it, either. We have to believe Wraith and Finley will find a way out of this. And you know, while it’s all happening, you have the biggest support system here at the club… in me.”
I turn to face him. “You’re so good to me.”
We stand, and I walk to him, taking him in a tight embrace.
Phantom always has a way of making me feel safe. He’s feels like comfort. It’s easy with him. His hands smooth up and down my back as I let him console me in this moment. I just needed to know I’m not the bad person I feel like I am.
For taking Koda away from Zero.
For always running when shit gets tough.
For not loving the club like I should.
I feel like a failure, but hugging Phantom right now, it’s giving me a bit of the comfort I need.
Suddenly, my skin prickles. Goosebumps run down my arms. The hairs stand to attention on the back of my neck. I feel the intensity of someone’s gaze on me. I pull back from Phantom, peering over my shoulder to see Wraith leaning against the doorway, arms crossed over his chest, the expression on his face like he’s just eaten an Atomic Warhead candy, it’s that sour.
I turn back to Phantom, my eyes pleading with him. “I’m sorry, I need to—”
“No… go. Of course. Find out what’s going on.”
I nod without saying anything else and spin, taking off toward Wraith. The closer I get to him, the more anxiety ripples through me. He looks so fucking good, but I can’t let that distract me from everything I need to know right now, and I want to know it all.
“So tell me… how is he? Did you see him? Was he okay? Will they drop the charges? Can Finley get him out—”
Wraith reaches out, grabbing me by my shoulders staring me dead in my eyes, ending my barrage of questions. “Stop! Slow down. Give me time to answer.”
I take a breath as he leads me over to the seats while Phantom heads inside to leave us alone.
“It’s gonna be a while before we’ll get the ball rolling on Zero’s case. He has an arraignment in two days. He’ll be sent into remand to wait out those two days… we expect he won’t get bail… then, he will be sent to county jail until his trial.”
My body goes ice-cold. Numbness takes over from the tips of my toes to the ends of my hair. I can’t comprehend how this is even happening. It takes me a moment before I have more questions. “Why is no one talking to Cherry? If she is the person he’s supposed to have kidnapped, then why aren’t they questioning her?”
“Because the Baron is the one pulling all the damn strings. He’s the one making these false charges stick, somehow forcing people to do shit without asking any questions. He’s obviously interfered with evidence, has people blackmailed, somehow had shit included that shouldn’t be there. Problem is, with his influence and power in this town, it’s fucking ridiculous because no one is willing to challenge the bastard.”
A headache starts to form at the bas
e of my skull. “Then find the Baron, Wraith. Find him and make him pay for doing this to my family.”
Wraith reaches out grabbing my hand. A spark shoots over my skin, but my body is too overwhelmed right now to react to it.
“I will, but I have to get Zero out before we can seek the type of revenge we need to on the Baron, or… we’ll never get Zero out.”
Clenching my eyes shut, this is all so much. I grip onto Wraith’s hand tighter, needing some sort of comfort from him. All I want to do is crawl up in his arms seeking his security, but I know that’s probably not the right thing to do in this moment. Glancing up, I see it in his eyes, the hunger, the way he wants to devour me too.
“Thanks, Wraith. Thanks for doing everything you can to help.”
He stands, pulling me with him. “Of course.” Our eyes lock, our hands still hold together as I take a step closer. The air around us swirls with the rush surging through us both.
I have an ease, a comfort with Phantom, and I want to feel that with Wraith too. So, I inch forward, sliding my arms around his waist. He doesn’t flinch back, or hesitate, his arms pulling me to him in a tight embrace.
I lean my head on his chest—he smells of sandalwood and leather, a fucking perfect combination—but the sensation I was searching for doesn’t come through. I don’t feel just comfort from Wraith, in this moment—I feel like I am home.
His nose slides into my hair, fully embracing the hug. I never thought for a second, we would get to this place again after everything, but damn it feels nice right now. After the day we’ve both had, just knowing we’re both feeling the pain of Zero’s loss, but we can be here for each other is something I think neither of us saw coming.
Regretfully, I pull back from him. My arms still locked around his waist, my eyes engaged with his as the air around us is a vortex, and it’s like being on a spinning-out-of-control carousel. I’m turning, though I’m standing still, and he’s the only thing keeping me upright. Wraith’s my gravitational force pulling me down and to him. I lick my lips, my heart thumping rapidly as my skin prickles in goosebumps. Wraith’s eyes shift to my lips as we inch closer.