Shadow’s Surrender

by Wilder, Chiah

  Scarlett leaned forward and kissed him gently on the lips. “My love for you isn’t conditional. Of course I’ll accept your world, but it doesn’t mean I have to agree with the way the club views women.”

  He put his arm around her and drew her closer. “That’s fair, but it isn’t this constant tug-of-war between the sexes. The men respect their old ladies to the nth degree, and they’d do anything for them. It’s just that the club belongs to the brothers and club business stays inside the club.” He kissed her softly. “That’s the way it is in a nutshell, darlin’.”

  Scarlett let her head rest against his shoulder while she digested everything he’d said.

  A comfortable silence stretched between them as they sat together listening to the rush of the river, the birds singing, and the tree branches rustling.

  “Thank you,” Shadow said, his voice low.

  “For what?” she asked.

  “For helping me out this morning.”

  Scarlett’s heart swelled—not just because of his words, but because she knew how hard it was for him to say them.

  “You’re welcome,” she replied.

  Scarlett took out her phone and sent a message to Kiara telling her she couldn’t make it to dinner that night. Then she nestled against him with a smile, resting her head on his chest and listened to his beating heart.

  And, at that moment, life was perfect.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Three weeks later

  A few stars freckled the inky black night, and Shadow stood in a darkened corner, waiting.

  The alley behind the building was lined with empty crates and dumpsters that reeked of rotting food. Tall weeds and clumps of grass grew from the cracked asphalt of the lot.

  The sound of a door slamming shut and the tapping of heels on pavement drew him out of the shadows and toward the burly man who was walking with his head down across the tarmac. The jangle of keys echoed eerily in the deserted parking lot, and Charlie Bowen, as if sensing Shadow’s presence, paused at his car and looked over his shoulder. Shadow took a few steps back into obscurity, avoiding the only light in the lot: a dim spotlight focused on the alley. From Charlie’s small, jerky movements, Shadow knew fear was creeping up his spine, and just as the private investigator opened his car door, Shadow was beside him.

  Charlie cried out, the keys dropping from his hands with a clunk as he turned around, his eyes widened in fear.

  “How are you, Charlie?” Shadow asked, his voice low.

  “Fuck, you startled me.” A sheen of sweat glistened across his face. “I’m good.”

  “So you decided to come out of hiding?” Shadow wedged himself between the open car door and Charlie.

  “Hiding?” A nervous laugh. “Why would I be hiding? I just took my family on a vacation before the summer ends. We went to Gunnison. It was so much cooler there. Did some fishing, hiking—”

  “Cut the shit—I don’t want your fuckin’ itinerary. I want you to tell me what you know about someone throwing a tire iron at my bike.”

  “Why would I know about that?”

  Shadow laughed dryly. “Because my gut tells me you do.”

  The footage Hawk was able to pull from the security cameras was grainy at best, and the two fuckers had their sweatshirt hoods pulled down low over their faces. The license plate of the two-door Mercedes sports car was illegible, but from the physical characteristics Shadow, Hawk, Banger, and Smokey could see, the guys were not old men, and the car was a convertible.

  “I didn’t do anything.” Charlie ran his hand over his face. “I swear.”

  “Were you asked to?”

  Charlie shuffled a foot across the gravel, eyes darting everywhere, but avoiding any eye contact with Shadow. “I don’t want any trouble.”

  He was on Charlie like a shot, grabbing the front of his shirt, then lifting him on his toes, his face only inches from the private eye’s.

  “This is your only chance to tell me the fuckin’ truth.”

  “Okay … okay. I was asked to do it, but I said no. He offered me a ton of money, but I refused it, then I cut out of town. You can check. The night it happened, I wasn’t here, I was in Gunnison with my family.”

  Shadow pushed Charlie back hard, and the burly man slammed against the opened car door.

  “Did that fucker Mansfield try to pay you to do it?”

  Charlie Bowen’s head shook vigorously. “No, it wasn’t Mansfield. It was Bruce Huntington. He said something about ridding the town of scum like you. He was angry about you screwing something up between his son and Mr. Mansfield’s daughter.”

  Rage swirled inside him like a tornado, and he clenched his scarred hands into fists as he tried to control his emotions.

  “Did he say anything else?”

  Charlie looked away, a pained expression spreading across his face.

  “Spill it—tell me what the fuck he said.”

  Bowen’s shoulders slumped, and stress showed on his face from the frown lines between his brows to the flat line of his lips.

  “He mentioned your … uh … mother.” He said the last word so low Shadow could barely hear him.

  “My mother?” The rage turned white hot and burned through every nerve in his body.

  “Yeah. He said he knew her and she …” his voice trailed off, and his gaze caught Shadow’s. “I don’t want any trouble. I didn’t say this shit. I’m just repeating what he told me. I just do family problems like cheating spouses and—”

  “What the fuck did he say?” He struggled to keep his tone steady and calm as liquid fury rushed through his veins.

  “That she deserved exactly what she got,” Charlie whispered. “I don’t believe that at all. What happened to your mother was—”

  Shadow stepped back from the car, his head throbbing as thoughts twirled in his brain like a spinning top. The sonofabitch knew my mom. He was her sugar daddy. He fuckin’ killed her.

  “What’s the fucker’s address?”

  “He lives in Pinewood Estates. I don’t know his exact address. I swear. He came to my office.”

  “If I find out you’re double-crossing me—you’re fuckin’ dead.”

  “I’m not. Please don’t tell him you got the information from me. I just want to go back to my ordinary life and easy cases and—”

  Shadow glared at him. “Shut the fuck up about that. If you’re telling me the truth, you won’t have any trouble with me or the Insurgents.”

  “I am telling you the truth—I swear it. I wouldn’t fuck you over. Do you think I’m stupid or something?”

  Shadow stared hard at Charlie, who was sweating profusely, and looked like he was ready to pass out. “Get the fuck outta here,” he growled, and the private investigator quickly slid into the driver’s seat and slammed the door. Shadow heard the click of the automatic locks before the engine started and Charlie Bowen sped out of the lot.

  For a long while Shadow stood rooted to the spot, staring into the darkness. A red tabby cat leapt up on the dumpster and rummaged through it, then, it looked over in Shadow’s direction, froze for a second until it jumped off the edge and ran away, vanishing into the darkness. He let out a breath he didn’t even know he’d been holding and took out his phone. His first thought was to call Scarlett and ask for the address of Bruce fucking Huntington, but he didn’t want to involve her in this, so he called Smokey instead.

  “I found out who tried to kill me—the same fucker who killed my mom.” His jaw tightened along with his chest.

  “What the fuck, bro? Who?”

  “Huntington—but there’s no damn way that old man was the one in the video camera. It must’ve been his pussy son and a friend. The fucker was my mom’s sugar daddy. Fuck!” He hated how his voice hitched, and he bit his inner cheek hard, hoping the pain would push away his emotions. He had to be clear and level-headed; otherwise, he’d fuck up and that’s the last thing he wanted to do. Killing Huntington and his fuckin’ son had to be done with calculated precis
ion. No bodies or evidence would ever be found—the Insurgents would make sure of that.

  “Where are you? I’m coming now. Don’t do anything stupid, man. We gotta take care of this in the right way.”

  “I know, but I wanna kill the bastard with the same mercy he gave my mom. Fuck, this is hard. I’ve waited all these years and the sonofabitch was under my nose the whole time. Fuck!”

  “Cool down, bro. I know this is difficult, but we gotta be smart. I’m gonna call Hawk and Banger. I’m walking outta the clubhouse now. Are you at Scarlett’s?”

  “Nah—I’m in the lot behind the First Union Building.”

  “Stay tight.”

  Shadow leaned back on his boots and tried to put a shield between his thoughts and what needed to be done, but threads of memories kept weaving through his mind. Shadow’s cell phone rang out from inside his jeans pocket, and he hurried to retrieve it. He glanced at the screen and saw it was Hawk.

  “Yo,” he said.

  “How’re you doing? Smokey told me what’s going on. Finding out about your mom must be fuckin’ rough.”

  The support of his brothers cocooned around him like a warm blanket. “It is, but I’m dealing with it. Thanks.”

  “Yeah, you gotta get your head on straight with this one, even though it’s harder than shit. Emotions have no place when exacting revenge. If you don’t think you can keep it in check, we’ll take care of the asshole for you.”

  “I’ll be okay.”

  “I located the fucker’s address, and I also called Banger. He’s calling an emergency church tomorrow so we can decide how we’re gonna proceed. There’s no fuckin’ way this asshole’s getting away with what he’s done to you or your mom.”

  “I’ll finally give my mom the justice she deserves. Those fuckin’ badges have had all these years and manpower to find this sonofabitch, and they’re still clueless.”

  “Maybe they were getting paid off. I don’t trust the damn Establishment,” Hawk said.

  The sound of loud cams had Shadow walking over to the alley and looking down it. He saw a single headlight approaching.

  “Smokey’s here,” he said.

  “I’ll let you go. I’ll see you at church tomorrow. Stay strong, bro.”

  Shadow jammed the phone back in his pocket and lifted his chin at Smokey when he turned into the lot.

  “I called Hawk,” Smokey said, straddling his bike.

  “I know—I just talked to him. Banger’s calling an emergency church tomorrow.”

  “How’re you holding up?”

  Shadow shrugged. “Okay. I’m trying to push the past to the dark corners of my mind and just focus on what needs to be done. Right now it’s running about fifty-fifty.”

  “You need to smoke some weed, get fuckin’ drunk, and let Tania give you one of her stellar blowjobs, dude,” Smokey said.

  “I’ll go along with the weed and getting wasted, but the only chick I want near my cock is my woman.”

  “Are you gonna stay with her tonight?”

  “I don’t want to involve her in this, and she’ll know I’m upset. It’s best if I go back to the clubhouse tonight.”

  “Let’s get going. Where’s your bike?”

  “I parked it in the next lot.”

  “I’ll wait, then we can ride back together,” Smokey said.

  Shadow crossed the lot, then went on to the one next door, and a few minutes later, he and Smokey were riding side by side on the old highway toward the Insurgent’s clubhouse.

  The loud rock music, the bear hugs from the members when Shadow walked in, the soft looks the club women threw his way, and the nonstop shots of whiskey were exactly what he needed that night. His brothers were there for him, offering him support, loyalty, and camaraderie, and Shadow would’ve done the exact same thing if one of the other members was hurting. The brotherhood was surrounded by a circle so strong that each member could confidently depend on it.

  At some point—Shadow had no idea when—he’d managed to stagger up the stairs to his room. He flopped down on the bed and his head sank into the pillow. The room spun around, and he kept his eyes open until dark oblivion finally arrived.

  * * *

  Shadow sat on the metal chair, his elbows propped on the wooden table, holding his throbbing head between his hands. Animal slid a bottle of water in front of him, and Shadow just looked at it, then groaned inwardly. It was like a damn freight train was running right through the middle of his head.

  The gavel hit the wood block and vibrated through his bones, sparking his nerves and settling behind his aching lids.

  “Church is in order,” Banger said. “By now, you all know why I called this emergency church. Our brother here”—he pointed to Shadow, who nodded feebly—“needs us to help get justice, which the fuckin’ badges haven’t been able to do. He’s been waiting fifteen years to exact vengeance on the fucker who killed his mama and that day has come.”

  The roar of the members was like nails pounding into his head. Shadow forced himself to lean back in the chair and lift his fist in the air.

  “As a bonus, we know who tried to kill our brother here, and it turns out it was the same fucker.”

  “His pussy son,” Shadow grunted. His throat was dry as sand, and his damn head felt like jackhammers were drilling into it.

  “A family who stays together, dies together,” Helm said, and the members busted out laughing.

  “When are we gonna string these fuckers up?” Smokey asked.

  “Hawk’s working on that with Rock, Jax, Buffalo, and Puck.” Banger turned to the vice president. “You wanna take it from here?”

  Hawk stood up, placed his foot on the chair rung, and leaned forward. “I’ve located the sonofabitch’s house and business. I also got the address of where the pansy-ass son lives and works. We gotta tread real careful with these fuckers because of who they are. These assholes got some clout in the community, but the old man is also on the verge of bankruptcy.” Hawk glanced over to Shadow. “That’s why he was pissed about you stealing the Mansfield woman away from his wimpy son. Anyway, neither of the fuckers is in town right now. It seems that they left right after Shadow went down. We gotta find out who else was with the bastard son when the iron was thrown at our brother.”

  “Maybe it was the old man,” Throttle said.

  Hawk shook his head. “I’ve looked at those images until I can’t see straight, and it looks like the fuckers were younger—definitely not in their early sixties.”

  “So when are we gonna teach them not to mess with an Insurgent?” Blade asked.

  “When they get back. I’m gonna need each of you to sign up for stakeout duty. I want two or three checking on each of the fucker’s residences.”

  “Someone should watch out for Shadow. I don’t trust that the private investigator kept his mouth shut. There’s too much money he can make for selling information,” Animal said.

  “And if this Huntington asshole gets wind that Shadow knows he killed his mom, the fucker will go after him,” Helm added.

  “I don’t need a damn babysitter! What the fuck? I can take care of myself,” Shadow scoffed.

  Several of the brothers voiced their objections to Shadow’s statement, and when he jumped up to his feet, he crumpled just as fast back down on the seat as a wave of nausea hit him.

  Another bang of the gavel against the block.

  “Calm the fuck down! All of you!” Banger yelled. “I’ll decide what’s necessary.” He glared at Shadow.

  “I’m not gonna stand for it,” Shadow mumbled. “I’m not some pussy.”

  “No one’s saying you are. It’s just a precaution. I’d order it for any of the members. You still got your balls—no worries there.” Banger folded his arms over his chest and held Shadow’s stormy gaze.

  “Anyway, we’re just in the talking stages about it,” Hawk said, but Shadow caught the look the vice president and the president exchanged, and Shadow knew he’d be getting a damn babysitter assi
gned to him.

  “So, are we all on this?” Banger asked.

  Shadow’s chest swelled with pride as a resounding “Yea” reverberated around the room.

  “Good. We’ll call another church once the details are ironed out and the fuckers are back in town. They can’t stay away forever,” Banger said.

  “And if they do, we’ll track them down. There’s no way they’re getting away with this.” Throttle tipped his chair back, his nostrils flaring.

  Hawk nodded. “Agreed.”

  “If there’s nothing else, then we’ll call it a wrap.” Banger dropped the gavel down for the third time.

  The scrape of chairs, the thud of boots, and the chatter of voices filled the room as the members filed out and made their way to the main room. Not moving an inch, Shadow fixed his gaze on Hawk and Banger, waiting until the place emptied.

  “I don’t want anyone watching out for me,” he said.

  “Noted,” Hawk replied without looking up from a clipboard.

  “I’m serious.” Shadow pressed his fingers to his temples.

  Hawk glanced up. “I know. You had your say, now shut the fuck up about it.”

  A frustrated sigh escaped from the back of his throat, but Hawk and Banger didn’t look his way. They huddled together talking in low voices. The table groaned when Shadow slammed his fist on it, then stormed out of the room and walked down the hall to the patio. He wanted to be alone, and his stomach twisted at the thought of alcohol. His boots clumped on the grass and then the dirt as he trekked over to the river. Kneeling down at the river’s edge, he cupped his hands and splashed the cool water on his face several times. Shadow sat back on the sun-warmed grass and watched the mists from the river eddying around the banks. A small shoal of minnows darted in the water, their shiny blue scales glittering in the sunlight.

  The sound of his phone’s ringtone startled him and seemed out of place among the stillness of the landscape. Shadow glanced at the screen and the corners of his mouth turned up.

  “Hey, baby,” he said.