by Franca Storm
Dad looked incredulous. He stared at Matt for a long time, not moving, not saying anything.
And then he cursed and turned tail, storming out of the dining room.
Matt shook his head to himself, then got up from the table, eyeing me. "Let's go."
"Matt, no. Luke. Both of you, stay," Mom pleaded.
Matt told her sadly, "He's made that impossible."
***
We stood leaning against Matt's car.
"Just the family reunion you were expecting, huh?" he asked.
"Pretty much, yeah."
He sighed. "I'm sorry, Luke."
"It's not your fault. They are who they are."
"It is. It's all on me. I'm the reason you're here. My stubbornness is why you went into that hell tonight, too." He cursed and scrubbed his hand over his face. "Seems like it's not so much her anymore, just him."
"Yeah, I noticed that too. I wonder what changed."
"Who knows? It's too little, too late, as far as I'm concerned."
"Maybe."
He frowned. "You don't think so? Are you saying you could actually forgive her?"
"I'm saying, holding a shitload of resentment is a hell of a weight to carry. Looking at it another way and trying to find some peace might be a better way to go."
"I don't know," he murmured. "Easier said than done, isn't it?"
"Yeah, of course. But, you know, she went out of her way to reach me, to get you help. It's gotta count for something. To put it in perspective, Dad hasn't lifted a finger. He's clearly still a big believer that people should get themselves out of their own messes. A fool's notion, for sure, and really not a quality best suited for a father."
Nodding, he fell quiet, the weight of my words clearly impacting him and hitting him right where he lived.
After a while, he pushed off the car, looked me right in the eye and said, "No more secrets. I'll tell you what you want to know, what you need to know, so we can sort this mess out together."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. I just need a few days to… prepare."
I cocked an eyebrow. Prepare what?
"I'll explain. Soon, all right?"
"All right," I agreed. "Just lay low until then and don't antagonize Walsh in any way."
He smiled and pointed to his face. "Absolutely. This is the money maker. I'm not taking the chance of it being messed-up again."
It was a relief to see the lighthearted, joker part of him surface. He'd seemed so depressed, passive, and downtrodden that night at Wild Creek. It was good to know that he wasn't all out of hope after all.
We exchanged numbers, then we both headed out on our separate ways.
Until next time.
19
~Deviant~
"YOU'RE KIDDING ME?"
"Nah, brother," Spartan answered. "Wish I were."
I started pacing the shithole motel room. Although Sky had offered to let me keep staying in that swanky suite until the mission was done, I couldn't risk it. The place had already been invaded once by the enemy. So, I'd moved to a completely different location in the bad part of town under a fake name. I hadn't pulled any punches to keep that psycho, Walsh, off my tail.
And it was a good thing I hadn't, given what I'd just found out.
Spartan had come through with the intel on Walsh. The new codename of his, Rebel, had really helped with churning out results and details. And now I saw why Matt had been so adamant on keeping me out of it, why Walsh had found it fine to threaten a guy like me with the connections I had, the world I was from.
He was in bed with the Hounds of Fury MC.
And he wasn't the only one.
Apparently, so was Haywire. He'd actually been working under Walsh's orders when he'd gone at Sky. The fact that Haywire had a connection to the Hounds of Fury at all was bad in itself. But the way he was going about it was seriously fucked-up. He was a member of Lone Outlaws MC, a rival club to Hounds of Fury, meaning he was betraying his current club for a bunch of psychos. Spartan had looked deep and found out that Haywire going after Sky hadn't just been a coincidence or the case of a disgruntled ex acting out. It had been planned.
And that was where things got even more complicated, but where all this shit finally tied together as well.
Walsh was so arrogant and fearless, because he'd made a deal with the Fury. They were partners. They kept an eye on our club, just like we did to them. But, apparently, they'd been keeping an even closer eye on Iron Kings lately, ever since Walsh had decided to use my brother to further his own ends. The Fury had ID'd me and found out about my connection to Sky. Walsh had ordered them to shake her up to ensure she wouldn't be anything resembling a threat for what they had planned. And because of Haywire's history with her, they'd chosen him for the job. Apparently, they were using it as a test for him, to see if he was still fit to become a member of their club. His current club, Lone Outlaws, had gone the peaceable route like us, so the Fury were worried he might've gone soft and just been all talk.
"Fuck, Prez, this is bad."
"Ain't gotta tell me that. We just got out of a war with the Rogues, so I really ain't looking to get into another, especially not with those fuckers. Means we gotta tread carefully here."
"I can pull Matt out instead of going after Walsh."
"It's still gonna piss Walsh off and that's gonna leave us with the wrath of the Fury."
"We could bring Lone Outlaws in on it. Fury are their mortal enemies. They have been for years."
"Way too risky. Ain't no guarantee we ain't gonna get caught in the crossfire and your civilian brother too." There was a beat, where he was obviously running options through his head. But being the quick-thinking strategist that he was, he came back quickly with, "We can't get our hands dirty with this. But there's somebody who can. He's gotta be taken out by them."
"You're actually authorizing the kill?"
"He's already been given a second chance once and he's just gotten worse, not even tried to change his life and go the straight and narrow. Now with the shit he's involved in, he's pushing us into a position to be trapped and I ain't gonna let that happen. Yeah, he's gotta be taken out, Deviant."
"You said them? Who do you mean?"
"The Electi."
"Holy shit. That's a bold move, Prez."
"He's crossed them once, tried to kill one of them, right?"
"Yeah, that's the story."
"Then we point them in his direction. But, Deviant, you're gonna need Sky to do it. Outsiders can't just demand a meet with them. For one, they're virtually impossible to track down. And they kill to protect their secrets and their identities. Sky's the only person we know who's got an in with them."
Fuck. "I don't want her being pulled into their fucked-up world again."
"There ain't much choice. Sky ain't no fool. I woulda never brought her in on the burlesque club job if she were. You gotta believe that she's got this, that she can handle it. You gotta trust her, brother. If you can't, we ain't just fucked here along with your brother. You and her ain't gonna make it neither. Sky ain't never gonna be somebody who's okay with being benched."
"I know, shit," I muttered. "All right, I'll see to it."
"Good. I'm gonna ride on up to Lone Outlaws and give Python a heads up on Haywire. This kinda thing is gonna need a face-to-face meet. Finn's gonna hold the fort at the clubhouse. I'm sending Anarchy down to you as backup."
"Prez–"
"Don't even try to tell me you don't need the help. What if Walsh and the Fury wanna send a message because of what Sky did to Walsh in your suite? How you gonna deal with an onslaught of them alone?"
Goddamn it. "Okay, I hear you."
"You're still handling this, Deviant. If I didn't think you could, I'd be headed down to you right fucking now. I know you feel like you got something to prove, so use this to get that outta your system. I'm counting on you here, the club's counting on you. I know you got this."
"Thanks, Prez."
"Yeah.
"
We said our goodbyes, then hung up.
I tossed my phone onto the bed, then shoved my hands through my hair. "Shit, shit, shit."
This whole mission to help my brother out had become something so fucked-up, so much more than what any of us had seen coming. There was way too much on the line now.
With all my determination and effort to be seen as a leader in my own right, to live up to Spartan's rep with the boys, or at least get close to it, the last thing I needed was being the one responsible for pulling us into a war.
So, as much as I wanted to keep Sky shielded from all of this, I had to pull on the resources available. I had to do what needed to be done. I had to put my own wants and needs second to what was best for the club. It was exactly what a leader would do.
Snatching up my phone again, I dialed Anarchy.
He picked up quickly on the second ring. "Hey, Deviant. I'm just about to ride out now."
"Hold up for a bit. I need you to ping Sky's phone."
He hesitated down the line.
"What?" I pressed.
"Sure you want to do that, rather than just asking her where she is?"
"She wasn't happy about me pulling her off this mission. It's likely she won't want to tell me where she is."
"All right. I'll take care of it."
"Good. Thanks, brother. Text me the address that turns up."
"You want me to meet you there, wherever it turns out to be?"
"Yeah, but hang back. I don't know what I'm going to be walking into. You know Sky."
"She's got the whole shady, cloak and dagger thing going for her, for sure. That mystery's one of the things you like about her, right?"
I sighed. "Yeah." Although, times like this, not so much.
"I'll get on it. Got your back, brother. See you soon."
"Ride safe."
We hung up and I pocketed my phone, then started packing up my things, getting ready to move the moment Anarchy came back to me with an address. I just hoped Sky had headed home or at least gone somewhere safe to continue her vacation. Knowing her as well as I did, though, it was doubtful. I was about to find out either way.
And then I'd deal with it from there.
20
~Skylar~
IT WAS ANOTHER LIFE.
No matter how far you ran, some things were just inescapable.
It was a brutal truth and one I'd been in denial about for too long.
That luxury was over and done with now, though. It was time to step up. It was time to get back into the fight. The man I loved was worth the risk. Even if he didn't seem to think so.
But even though I was prepared to do this, it didn't mean I didn't have reservations about it. The heavy-handed metaphor right in front of me wasn't really helping matters.
Those damned gates.
Wrought iron. Majestic. Intimidating. Ostentatious. Massive. And a hell of a visible deterrent to unwanted visitors. They were like the gates of Hell. Stepping through them would basically mean making a deal with the devil and losing another piece of my soul.
In my peripheral vision, I caught sight of a couple of the many cameras that surrounded the estate pointing toward me. I stepped up to the speaker to announce myself when the gates opened of their own volition.
Well, that wasn't creepy at all.
Fingering the butt of my gun, I took a steadying breath, then stepped on through. The gates creaked, then slammed shut behind me, followed by a firm clang that let me know they'd locked. Keeping others out, or keeping me in? It depended on how well the notorious resident of the colossal ten-acre mansion received my visit. I hadn't exactly gone about arranging this meet the proper, dignified way.
Before I'd even made it up the pathway to the double entrance doors, the person in question strode out, heels clacking on the ground. Decked out in a tailored navy Armani pantsuit, her hair perfectly coiffed in a stylish layered bob, she adjusted a pair of aviators and peered out at me.
I relaxed a little as a smile graced her lips. "Skylar Wright, as I live and breathe."
"The renowned Talia Ciccone," I returned.
Notorious was a much more apt label for her. She was a shark. A hugely successful one at that. She ran a technological empire. And the aspect of her resume that was particularly important to me right now was that she was a well-respected, senior member of The Electi.
Her gaze dropped to my holster, my fingers still wrapped around the butt of my gun. "You're going to want to release the piece. It's making my security system a little testy." She gestured to two silver orbs positioned over the entrance doors with rapidly flickering red lights.
"Are they… taking aim?"
"Yes," she responded, matter of fact.
I dropped my hand.
"Good decision," she said. "Besides, we are friends here. There's no need to be on guard."
"Is that right?"
She scrutinized me for a few moments. "Ah, you think I am angry with you for the way you set this meeting."
"Aren't you?"
"Given the subject matter, I can overlook the forced nature and lack of notice." She laid her hand on my shoulder, her haughty, know-it-all attitude falling to the wayside for a moment and the real her shining through, as she said, "Let's not forget that you saved my life."
"Yes, I did."
She smiled tightly. It'd been clear at the time and it was just as clear now that she'd been highly uncomfortable that it had come down to that. Not the near-death part. No, people like her, in her illegitimate line of work, with her unholy associations, were more than a little used to that kind of high stakes existence. It was being in someone's debt that unnerved her, owing me one in a big way. And that really boded well for me here.
"So, the part of the protocol that I did follow was not disclosing the subject matter of this meet over the phone. So, I'm here to—"
"It's a good thing you adhered to that at least."
I cocked an eyebrow. What the crap did that mean?
"They are tracking your signal. Or, they were, until you stepped within a two-mile radius of my property and I rendered your phone non-operational until you leave my vicinity."
"Who are you talking about?"
"Iron Kings."
What? D was seeking me out? After pushing me away from his mission, he was now actively tracking me down? An uncomfortable churning started up in my gut. Something must've happened. To call on me now had to mean things had taken a bad turn.
I fought to swallow down the panic that gripped me at the thought of him being in dire straits, in immediate danger. I had to focus on this meet with Talia. She was shrewd and smart. I had to bring the same to the table to hold my own against her.
"It's poetic, really," she went on. "You being involved with the black sheep of the Reilly dynasty, a man who turned his back on suffocating privilege and wealth in favor of a down-to-earth, hard-edged existence. Then, you, a woman who also fled from her suffocating upbringing. But not one of wealth. No, instead, one of abusive, incompetent parents, a down trodden existence, which you traded for wealth and success. Both black sheep. Both having fought tooth and nail to carve out your own path in life." She grinned. "Quite the match, wouldn't you say?"
So, she already knew then, she was well aware why I was here. I'd anticipated as much, given her disturbingly invasive surveillance capabilities which her controversial technological company had developed over the last few years.
"Patrick Walsh has become a problem. To Luke Reilly and to me."
"Rebel," she corrected me.
"Yes."
"He's squandered the second chance you granted him."
"Apparently."
Sighing heavily, she told me in a tone synonymous with a parent reprimanding a child, "I warned you back then that you were making a mistake by sparing him. It takes an extremely unhinged person to blackmail his way into a gathering of The Electi and then, beyond that, to actually launch a murder attempt. It isn't the kind of thing you can simply sta
mp out. He has more than a few screws loose. His desperation to succeed only amplifies that. Basically, he's a walking timebomb. And I assume you are here now, because he is about to detonate."
"He's trying to worm his way into the Reilly dynasty. He's holding Matthew Reilly hostage to do that, blackmailing him."
She started shaking her head. "My dear, the situation is far more complicated than that."
"How?"
"Rebel has an arrangement with the Hounds of Fury Motorcycle Club. They wish to expand their enterprises and they believe he is their conduit."
I couldn't contain my shock. I knew it was all over my face. "I don't understand. It doesn't make sense that they could have crossed paths in the first place. There's no connection. Unless it was purely coincidental."
"There is a connection," she countered. "You."
"Me?"
"Rebel attempted to track you down a couple of years ago and he came across a former flame of yours. Eddie "Haywire" Griffith. He has since become disillusioned with his current club and is vying for membership with the Fury. He brought Rebel's business to them. Haywire has also been tasked with undermining you to prevent your interference in Rebel's plans of worming his way into the Reilly dynasty."
Well, that was… a lot to absorb. Holy shit. It complicated things in a big way too.
"Given this new information, does this change things for you?" Talia asked.
"What?"
"You came here for a favor. Do you wish to escalate it now, knowing the extent of the threat that Rebel actually poses to you and yours?"
"You mean, do I want to go for the kill?"
"You already know my thoughts on that. You were too lenient last time. Only a fool makes the same mistake twice."
"Or someone who's trying their utmost to remain human."
She scoffed. "That's an idealistic notion you cannot afford."
"I want you to do what you do very well and decimate his business, his connections, all of it. Blackball him, or whatever else it takes, so that his threat becomes null and void."