I loosened my hold on her and pulled back. “Baby, let me see your face.”
Slowly, she raised her head and met my eyes. One look at her swollen and bruised face spawned a rage so intense I had to put her down and push her away from me so I didn’t hurt her. I didn’t lose my temper often, but when I did, everything in my path was at risk.
Tiny moved to push Layla behind him as Batta appeared and blocked the doorway. I was about to go at it with Batta and physically move him out of my way when Layla’s words had me freezing mid-stride.
“You!” she shrieked. “What the fuck are you doing here?”
I turned to see her pointing a shaking finger and glaring at Aim. “You know him?”
“He, h-he,” she swallowed and straightened her spine. “The night I escaped from Hastings and Hensley, he was the guard.” She turned her tear-filled eyes to me. “I thought they were all arrested. Why is he here?”
I took a step closer to her, and it killed me when she flinched and took two steps away from me. “No! Don’t come any closer.”
“Tiny, get her out of here, right the fuck now,” Batta yelled with his big hands pushing against my chest.
“Don’t you fucking touch her,” I roared and shoved Batta.
Suddenly, my back was against the wall, and Judge’s forearm was pressing hard against my throat. “She doesn’t need to be in here, Prez, and you know it. I ain’t stopping you from whooping his ass. I’m just not going to let you do it in front of her.”
Aim cleared his throat. When he spoke, his tone was much more authoritative, “Grab a chair and have a seat. I can explain everything.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Copper
Nothing could have shocked me more than the words that came from Aim’s mouth. While I wanted to believe he was lying, I knew he wasn’t. What he said connected all the dots, and he claimed to have the documentation to verify he was telling the truth.
“I don’t know how you want to play this, but it would be best if what was said in this room stays in this room for the time being,” Aim said.
“I can’t let you and Asp walk out of here without giving my brothers an explanation. And quite frankly, I’m not comfortable keeping it from them, especially my officers.”
“I get that, but the more people who know, the greater chance this has of blowing up in all of our faces. I can’t let that happen when I’m this close to the end.”
“About that. What happens when all is said and done?”
Aim shrugged. “I don’t know. It won’t be my decision to make. It’s not important right now anyway. We have more pressing issues to work on.”
I nodded and rubbed my chin with my thumb and forefinger. “Here’s what I’m thinking. You let me tell my officers what’s going on. Then, we agree to let you and Asp go and tell you where the guns are stashed in exchange for a truce and money to repair the damage done to my clubhouse. Oh, and you let us beat on your VP for taking my Old Lady before he receives whatever punishment you’re going to dole out.”
He looked at me skeptically. “You think your brothers will go for that? Seems like a slap on the wrist given the circumstances.”
“That’s why I want my officers to know the truth. They’re the ones who vote on club decisions. The club members have to go along with whatever we decide. They may not like it, but they trust me and my officers to lead them.”
“Okay, I’ll agree to letting your officers know.” He paused and squirmed in his chair. “There’s something else you should know, but only you. If that’s not something you can handle, I’ll keep it to myself for now.”
I didn’t know if I could handle anything else. He’d already dropped a massive bomb on me, and he wanted to add to it. I pinched the bridge of my nose when I felt the twinge of an oncoming headache. “Is whatever you have to say going to affect the safety of my club and its members?” He shook his head. “All right, go ahead.”
“My father died in a freak accident at work when I was seven years old. My mother passed away a few years ago. I was the only family she had, so she left everything to me including a safe deposit box. I went to see what she kept in it and found some documents indicating my biological father was not the man that raised me. So, I started digging for more information, and that’s what ultimately led to me being involved in this whole situation,” he explained as if he had repeatedly rehearsed the conversation.
“What part of that was necessary for me to know?” I asked.
“This part. My biological father’s name was Jimmy Burnett.”
I was on my feet and pacing before he finished the last name. “No. You can’t be serious.”
“I wish I wasn’t. Well, I used to wish that until I found out about Annabelle and Layla,” he said solemnly.
“How long have you known about them?”
“I found out about Annabelle not long after I found out Jimmy was my father. I wanted to approach her first before I confronted Jimmy, but I couldn’t find her. It was like she vanished into thin air. I continued to dig for information about her, and I grew more and more certain something wasn’t right. That’s when I turned my attention to Jimmy. I got in with the club and kept my true identity to myself. Sorry, I’m getting off track. I found out about Layla when Jimmy kidnapped and sold her. At that point, I was in too deep to do anything about it, so I made sure to protect her as best I could. Then, she disappeared. Seems both of my sisters have a knack for vanishing without a trace.”
“And you want me to keep your true identity from my Old Lady? From my club? From the President of the entire club?” I shook my head as I continued to pace. “I’m not sure I can do that, man.”
“If it gets out that Annabelle and Layla are my half sisters and Gnaw’s daughters, Asp will set his sights on them. His fucked-up mind will consider them Disciples by blood. He’ll want them with the Disciples. Fuck man, he’s already kidnapped Layla.”
“Fuckin’ A. I don’t know how much more of this shit I can take,” I mumbled. “Wait. He doesn’t know about them?”
“No, he doesn’t. From what I gathered, no one in the club knew about any of Gnaw’s children, and they still don’t.”
Damn it. Keeping something from the club went against every one of my principles, but I couldn’t see another way around it. I had to keep Aim’s relation to Annabelle and Layla to myself for the time being. “I’m not in the habit of keeping secrets and lying to my club and my family, but I understand the necessity. How about you and I pretend the last five minutes of this conversation never happened?”
Aim nodded. “Sounds good.”
“I need to secure Asp and get my officers in here so we can vote,” I said and left the storage shed.
After assigning Coal to stay with Layla and the remainder of the Croftridge brothers to guard Asp, my officers followed me into the storage shed.
“New information has been brought to my attention. We need to discuss it and make some decisions. This information is sensitive and cannot be discussed outside of this room.”
“No disrespect, Prez, but why are we discussing sensitive matters in front of him?” Batta asked, nodding toward Aim.
“I’ll explain that. Let me get through it all before you start asking questions.” I took a moment to meet each set of eyes before I continued.
“Aim is not a federal agent, but he is working undercover to take down the Disciples. His focus has been on their involvement in illegal gun trading. Previously, their club dealt with Octavius. Since his disappearance and death, they had to find a new supplier, and they managed to get in deep with a large organized crime ring. Aim and his team are close to taking them down. Having said that, it’s also come to light that Asp was behind the attack on the clubhouse, the envelopes we received, and Layla’s kidnapping. He acted without Aim’s knowledge or approval. So, we have some decisions to make. As I explained to Aim, I can’t let them walk out of here without raising suspicions from all parties involved. However, I’d prefer to
let the agents and officers do the dirty work and keep our hands clean. My suggestion is to establish a ‘truce’ with the Disciples. We’ll give them the location of the guns, and they’ll foot the bill for the repairs to our clubhouse. Oh, and we get to play with Asp for kidnapping my Old Lady. Then, he’ll be punished by the Disciples for disobeying his President and almost causing them a world of trouble since his actions are the sole reason we took their shipment.”
I expected the room to erupt in angry shouts and outbursts. I was prepared for chaos. I was not prepared to be met with wide, blinking eyes and complete silence. “Does your silence mean you guys are ready to vote?”
That’s when they exploded. The shouts of outrage, muttered curses, and statements of disbelief blended into indecipherable noise. Despite the throbbing in my head, I gave them time to unleash their thoughts and emotions.
When several minutes passed and they still hadn’t calmed, I whistled loudly and shouted, “Enough!” The room fell silent.
“I get it, brothers, and I’m right there with you, but we don’t have time to argue this in circles. We’re either on board or we’re not. Time to vote. Yay if you agree with the plan; nay if you don’t,” I barked.
I wasn’t surprised when every officer voted in favor of the plan. Even when it wasn’t what they personally wanted, my officers would always go with what was best for the club. “Thanks, brothers. Now, let’s go have some fun with Asp.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Layla
I was sitting at a table in a rundown bar with my nephew, who I’d just met, with only his t-shirt covering my bra and panties. And, a man who participated in abducting me—not once, but twice—was tied to a chair in a shed behind said rundown bar. Copper had a lot of explaining to do, and the longer he took, the more pissed off I became.
The silence between Coal and I was awkward and beginning to grate on my nerves. I cleared my throat to get his attention. “If I didn’t say it earlier, thank you for finding me and bringing me back.”
He nodded and replied curtly, “Yep, you’re welcome.”
“If I’ve done something to offend you—” I started, but he cut me off.
“Listen, lady, in the last year I’ve met my biological mother, father, twin sister, and half brother. Now an aunt shows up. Excuse the fuck out of me for being tired of unknown family members popping up left and right. Because, more times than not, they bring a fuckload of problems with them,” he spat.
Before I could utter a word, Coal was pulled from the booth by a furious Copper. “Who the fuck you think you’re talking to, boy? Family or not, I’m the President of this club, and she’s my Old Lady. You show her the respect she deserves.”
Coal’s shoulders visibly slumped. “You’re right. I’m sorry, Copper.” He turned to face me. “I’m sorry, Layla. I had no right to snap at you.”
“Go take Edge’s place and send him over here,” Copper ordered.
Coal left immediately. “What was that about?” I asked, shocked by the entire scene.
Copper sighed. “It’s not my story to tell, but the short version is Coal’s immediate family was separated years ago and recently found each other. All of them went through some difficult situations related to their separation, including Coal almost dying when he took three bullets to the gut. It doesn’t excuse his behavior, but his reaction to you, especially given how he found you, is not surprising.”
“He thinks I’m going to put his family in danger.”
“Can’t say for sure without asking him, but that’d be my best guess.”
I slumped back in my seat. Even though I hadn’t met Annabelle yet, I didn’t want to put her or her family in danger, and that’s exactly what I had unknowingly done. Hell, it was her own son who rescued me after a rival motorcycle club kidnapped me in the middle of the night.
“Stop that shit right now.” Copper’s harsh command had my head shooting up. “I know what you’re thinking, and the answer is no. You’re not going anywhere. None of this is your fault.”
I could only blink. How could he possibly know what I was thinking?
He moved to stand. “I’ve got a few things to wrap up, and then I’ll take you back to the clubhouse.” He turned and motioned for someone to come over. “This is Edge. You okay sitting with him while I finish up?”
“Yes, I’m sure I’ll be fine,” I said softly.
He leaned in to give me a quick kiss on the lips, and then he was gone.
A friendly looking young man took his seat. “Hi, Layla. I’m Edge from the Croftridge chapter of Blackwings.”
For the next hour, I sat with Edge while he did a phenomenal job of making small talk and keeping me distracted.
Finally, Copper came back to the table. “You ready to go, Locks?” he asked as he extended his hand to me.
I felt my cheeks heat. “Uh, I’m not exactly dressed to ride on your bike.”
He smirked, “Know that. We’re taking the cage, and Coal’s going to bring my bike back to the clubhouse. We’ll stop by my house on the way so you can get some clothes.”
After a shower at Copper’s house, I put on a fresh set of clothes and looked around to see if there was anything else I should take with me. My eyes landed on Luke’s business card on the dresser. I grabbed it and shoved it into my pocket before letting Copper know I was ready to go to the clubhouse.
When we entered the common room, all of the guys were on their feet and bombarding me with questions about my well-being. After assuring them I was okay, I excused myself to Copper’s room as I was in desperate need of a nap.
I had just crawled under the covers and gotten comfortable when I heard the door creak open. “You okay, baby?” Copper asked.
“Yeah, I’m just really tired. I think they may have drugged me at some point.”
“I’m going to have Splint come in and check you over.”
I didn’t bother arguing with him. I didn’t have the energy for such a futile endeavor.
Splint came in a few minutes later looking concerned. “We should stop meeting like this,” I joked, trying to lighten the moment.
He grinned. “You got that right.”
He examined my bruised and swollen face, checked my vital signs, and had me follow a series of commands I thought were ridiculous. Finally, he told Copper he thought I would be fine, but I needed to be checked on every hour and woken up every two hours while I slept.
Copper took a seat at the edge of the bed. “Do you need me to get you anything? Something to eat or drink?”
“Why did you have that man tied to a chair in a shed behind a bar?” I finally asked the question that had been eating away at my insides since I was physically removed from the shed.
His face flashed with regret, maybe, before he masked it. “Club business, Locks.”
I bit my tongue and asked my next question, even though I already knew the answer. “Why did that other club take me?”
He visibly grimaced. “Club business.”
I was out of bed and on my feet in a flash. “So, let me see if I have this correct. I was taken from a place I thought was safe by a club that has a problem with you and your club. Then, I’m rescued and brought back to you only to find you in a room with a man tied to a chair who previously played a part in holding me captive and you don’t think any of that is MY BUSINESS?!?”
“Locks, calm down.”
“No. Fuck that and fuck you. This is bullshit, and you know it.”
“I’m sorry, Locks. I really am,” he said, and a part of me really wanted to believe him.
“Just leave,” I said as I crawled back into the bed and turned away from him.
“Baby, I want to tell you, but I can’t, not right now.”
“Then leave me alone until you can.” I kept my back to him and held myself very still until I heard the door open and close. Then, the tears came.
***
Shouting from somewhere in the clubhouse woke me.
“Where is s
he?” a woman demanded.
“Mom, you know you can’t come in here making demands—”
“Jonah Jackson, if you don’t shut your mouth this instant, I’ll slap the taste right out of it. I am your mother, first and foremost. Just tell me where Layla is, and I’ll be out of your hair.”
I slipped out of the room and peeked around the corner to see a very pissed off Leigh standing in the middle of the common room. I cleared my throat and said, “I’m right here.”
Her head whipped around, and she gasped when her eyes landed on me. She came at me with her arms extended. “Oh, sweetheart, are you okay?”
I went to her and gladly accepted her comfort. “Yeah. I’m sore and a bit sleepy, but I think I’m otherwise okay.”
“Thank goodness. I’ve been so worried about you. When I couldn’t find you—” her words broke off as she choked on a sob. She took a deep breath and continued, “I knew something terrible had happened.” Shaking her head, she managed to rein in her emotions. “Come on, honey, let’s get you back in bed, and I’ll make you something to eat.”
Not wanting to be in the presence of the men any longer than I had to, I was quick to take her up on her offer.
Once we were back in Copper’s room, I asked, “What are you doing here?”
“When I realized you were missing, I called Jonah immediately. He told me they knew where you were and were en route to get you. However, he failed to let me know anything after that and didn’t answer his phone when I called fifteen times. So, I picked up my keys and let the girls know I was heading to the clubhouse to find out what was going on for myself. Andrea, in no uncertain terms, told her husband he would accompany me or his dick would only see the inside of his palm for the foreseeable future. He readily agreed, and here we are.”
I smiled. “I’m sorry you were worried, but I’m so glad you came.” I felt tears prick the backs of my eyes as I struggled with my emotions.
Copper (Blackwings MC - Devils Springs Book 1) Page 16