She pulled back, panting. Her hands were still cupped around my face. “I know, Ryker. I know this is dangerous, but I have to do the right thing. I can’t let you go to jail for something you didn’t do. And I can’t let the Hell Riders get away with what they’re doing. Someone has to do something, otherwise it’s only going to get worse.”
“Ehem,” Lucifer cleared his throat, staring at the both of us, before pointing to the entrance. “We’ll keep a close eye on you. Remember, ask your questions carefully. If they really are somehow involved with the chief of police, we have to know about it, but not at any cost to you. The minute you feel unsafe, you get out of there, or yell for us. Okay?”
“This isn’t my first undercover operation. You do know that, right?” Anna took a deep breath before she turned and entered the front door.
“Let’s head around back.” I suggested, and Lucifer agreed.
My heart started to beat out of my chest as Lucifer and I made our way around the building to the back entrance. I watched as he took out a key from his pocket and dangled on its red velvet string in front of me. I furrowed my brow. “Where did you get a hold of that?”
“Remember, Francesca used to work here.” He smiled.
“Perks, huh?” I asked.
“It was nice not having to cut through the crowd every night. Though, right now it’s the only thing that’s going to make sure Anna stays out of trouble. If we get spotted by any of those Hell Riders, it’s going to be a shit show in there.” Lucifer warned.
I ran my fingers over the dark stubble on my face, heading inside with him, as I shut the door tightly behind me. The hallway was dark, and I could hear chatter in the distance from one of the dressing rooms. None of the doors were open, and we moved through quietly without alerting anyone to our presence.
Anna, I hope you know what you’re doing.
I was still fuming that she was in this position, and I wished I could scoop her up, take her home with me, and put her in my bed.
But I couldn’t do that. We all needed to know if the chief of police was playing a role in the actions of the Hell Riders. I didn’t want to believe it, but it was the only thing that made sense. I imagined he had been trying to get as many of the Black Souls put away for a long time now. A man like him would take any opportunity he got to achieve his goal. Even if it meant he had to side with a rival biker club like the Hell Riders.
Lucifer and I approached the club entrance. We peeled back the curtain, and the dark hallway was flooded with a blinding red hue. I glanced out at the glistening stage. The lights shone down on the dancers, and tufted velvet loungers took up half the room.
I scanned the area, my eyes unable to rest until they finally landed on Anna. As soon as she sat down at the bar, two bikers approached her. They huddled around her with their backs to me. I couldn’t tell who they were, but the sigil embroidered on the back of their jackets made it clear they were Hell Riders.
Anna was a beautiful woman and this was her first time here. I knew they wouldn’t be able to resist talking to her.
I watched her lips move, but I was too far away to hear anything that was being said. The music blasting through the speakers right over our heads was too loud. I looked at Lucifer, and he held up his hand signifying that I needed to relax. I didn’t want to hear it from him again that everything was going to be fine. He knew perfectly well that if it were Francesca in this situation, he would be sweating like a maniac too. It didn’t matter that Anna was good at her job, I couldn’t stay calm.
She fiddled with something in her pocket, and I caught a glimpse of her phone just before she slid in back in her jacket. I held my breath, hoping that slight movement didn’t cause alarm to the Hell Riders talking to her. But all looked good.
They seemed comfortable with her, too comfortable. It terrified me just how comfortable they became with her. I worried we were the ones being played, not them.
Why did I think I could do this? I couldn’t jump to any conclusions, but I couldn’t help but question the situation. I knew all too well how dangerous these guys were, and if one of them hurt her, I’d be in real trouble.
I had to trust Anna. If there was anyone that knew how to get us out of this mess, it had to be her. But that didn’t mean the Hell Riders didn’t have something up their sleeves waiting for us.
“How much longer is this going to go on, Lucifer? Look at how they’re looking at her! It’s like the first night I saw her all over again. What the fuck are we going to do if they try something?”
“I’m not afraid of a fight, and I have your back. What else is there? Don’t think I haven’t forgotten all of the things you’ve done for me and Fran. You protected her for me when I had to deal with other business. We will protect Anna too. I can see how much you care about her. But you need to remember, if we don’t get some evidence soon, there’s no way we’ll be able to keep you out of prison.” He reminded me.
I nodded, and glanced back to where Anna was standing only to find her gone.
“Where the hell did she go? Where the hell is she?” Panic kicked in, and he tapped me on the shoulder and pointed outside. My heart was racing. I worried they were about to take off with her.
I ran out, bursting through the back door and made my way around the building. Anna was standing next to my bike, waiting for me. There wasn’t a Hell Riders biker in sight.
I sighed in relief, before I grabbed hold of her and kissed her hard and fast. “You’re okay! Thank God.”
She smiled at me, holding up her phone. “I got what we need, Ryker. With this, we just might be able to help your attorney win this case, but I have to put together all the pieces. Let’s head back to my apartment. We can go over this together and make sure we understand it all clearly.”
I looked back to see Lucifer standing there, and he motioned for us to get going. “Call me if you need anything,” he said.
I thanked him before getting onto the back of my bike, and handed Anna her helmet. As soon as her arms tightened around me, I took off and headed for her apartment. It was late, but the determination in her eyes told me she wasn’t ready to call it a night. Not yet.
Whatever she said got them talking. I still wasn’t sure how she was going to handle this, but I trusted her. My life was in her hands.
There were going to be consequences for the both of us, but she had only ever done what she thought was right. She took the job as detective so she could fight the people that were turning Coronado into a circus, and I admired how incredible she was at her job.
But no matter how good she was, I would never stop worrying.
It surprised me she was willing to go to all of these lengths for me, especially because she went into this not trusting any bikers.
The night we first met, she tried to get as much information out of me as possible about what was going on with Lucifer and these other bikers. She was all business at first, but somewhere along the line, she changed.
There was still the part of me that worried we were walking into a trap. With all of the charges I was facing, it was no secret that I had been harboring a considerable amount of doubt. Though, I tried to shove those thoughts from my mind, and believe Anna was here to help me. There would be no other reason that she would go through all of this if it weren’t to help find evidence to clear my name.
I didn’t want to admit it to myself, but after having told her about how much I cared, it was no secret that I wanted to see if there was more to us. I needed her in my life in more ways than one. It wasn’t just about fighting this case. What would happen to us if we didn’t come out on top of this like she believed we would? It pained me too much to think about.
I was getting used to having her around, and she was starting to understand what it was like for us, the community we built, and why we do everything in our power to protect it. The Black Souls to Anna had just been another biker gang at the beginning of all of this, but she was warming up to us. She was starting to see the suppor
tive family we were to each other.
We pulled up outside of her apartment complex, and I parked my bike. I hoped there wouldn’t be any more incidents while I was upstairs with her. I still hadn’t found the time to buy a new bike and this old junker was all I had.
She smiled at me, and stretched out her hand for me. I took it and made our way inside. She opened the apartment door, and I heard a soft giggle. The sweetest voice ran towards the door. I looked down to see little Hope grab a hold of her mother, and squeeze her tightly.
Anna picked her up with a grin. “Why aren’t you in bed sweetie?”
“I wanted to see you.” Hope smiled and eyed me over Anna’s shoulder. “Who’s this?”
“This is Ryker,” she said, softly.
“Ryker?”
“Yes, Ryker.”
“Is Ryker nice, mommy?” she asked.
I thought that was a strange question for a little girl like her to ask. I smiled at Hope, and watched as she buried her head in her mom’s neck, looking absolutely terrified. It made my heart ache.
“Ryker is very nice, Hope. I promise.”
“Not like Daddy. He won’t hurt you, right?” she asked.
And my heart sank into my stomach. Anna and I hadn’t had the chance to talk about what happened with Hope’s father, and with all of the chaos surrounding my case, it hadn’t even crossed my mind to ask. But now I’d never be able to ignore what she had said.
“No, sweetheart. He’s one of the nicest men I’ve ever met.” Anna kissed the top of her daughter’s blond head.
I smiled, but it faded slightly when an older woman approached, staring at me suspiciously. I glanced down at my appearance and understood why. To her I must’ve looked like some rough biker—a hardened criminal that wasn’t worth much. Regardless, she was polite.
“Hello, Ryker. I’m Anna’s Aunt, Fern. It’s nice to meet you,” she said, outstretching her hand, and I shook it.
“Anna, would you like me to stay with you?” she asked, directing the attention away from me, but Anna shook her head.
“No, I’ll be fine, Aunt Fern. Ryker is a good friend of mine. He’ll look out for me,” she said.
“I’m just a call away if you need anything.” Fern smiled and gathered her things before she reluctantly turned to the door. She exchanged a glance with Anna and something in Anna’s eyes must’ve told her it was fine because she left without another word.
I waited patiently on the couch while Anna shuffled Hope toward her room and got her started on getting ready for bed. I didn’t know how to approach the conversation, but I had to ask her about her past even though I had no business prying. Once Hope was out of earshot and busy getting changed, Anna joined me on the couch.
“Anna, I know I shouldn’t even be asking, especially with everything going on, but are you okay?” I was concerned for her in more ways than one. The way her face changed when her daughter said those things made me think she’d faced danger before. I wanted to comfort her, tell her that everything was going to be okay. If there was one thing I knew for sure, it was I wasn’t going to let anything happen to her.
“I’m alright, it’s just hard for me to hear her say those things.”
“We don’t have to talk about it if you’re not comfortable, I just want you to know that I’m here for you.” I took her hand and wrapped it between mine.
She smiled and took a deep breath. Her hand trembled in mine, and I could tell she was dreading this conversation. I regretted bringing it up, but at the same time, I needed to know.
“This isn’t exactly what I wanted to talk about tonight, but if we’re going to be together, you need to know. I don’t exactly know where this is going between us, but I care about you.”
“I care about you too. I want to be here for you, protect you.” I squeezed her hand and she relaxed a bit.
“My ex-husband was a bad man. He hurt me. A lot. He had a raging temper, and there were times when he came close to hurting Hope, but he always stopped before he actually did. He was a biker too.” She looked up at me with glassy eyes. Her initial apprehension with me suddenly made so much sense.
“He got into a lot of trouble when we were younger, and that’s one of the reasons why I was so set on becoming a detective. I wanted to hunt down men like him and put them behind bars where they belonged. I had it in my mind that all bikers were bad. And then I met you.” Anna looked up at me.
I pulled her close and wrapped an arm around her. “I’m sorry you had to go through that, Anna. I really am.”
Tears start to form in her eyes. She rested her head on my shoulder, and for a moment we just sat there in silence. I caught Hope glancing around the corner of the hall at us, but as soon as my eyes landed on her, she vanished. I wanted to do whatever I could to protect them, take them out of harm’s way. But now that Anna was so involved in this case, that would be challenging.
“Thank you for being here, Ryker. Ever since you came into my life, I’ve been stronger, happier, and I just want you to know that I’m glad to have you around,” she said.
“I’m glad to be here, Anna. I hate that I brought trouble to your life. If I hadn’t met you, your life wouldn’t be so complicated.” I looked down, unable to meet her eyes.
“That’s ridiculous, and you know it. If I hadn’t met you, I may not even be home with Hope right now. You saved me, and I’m grateful. Now, it’s my turn to save you.”
“Thank you, Anna.” I cupped my hand to her cheek and gave her a gentle kiss.
She gave me a warm smile before she pulled her phone out of her pocket. “Now, let’s talk about what I found out from those Hell Riders.”
She placed the phone on the coffee table and pressed play. I listened, my eyes wide-eyed when they mentioned the chief’s involvement in their actions.
We really did have what we needed to keep me out of jail. I wrapped my arms around her, squeezing her tightly, satisfied by the sound of her soft giggle.
“You did it, Anna.”
“See, and all you’ve done was doubt me.” She teased, but that wasn’t the whole truth.
“I didn’t doubt you, Anna. I was just scared of what this was going to mean for you, and for us. I didn’t want you to get hurt, and I promise you I will continue to keep you safe no matter what it takes. I know what you’re up against here, and it’s not going to be easy, but I have your back, as does the rest of the Black Souls.” I could see the gratitude in her expression, because underneath it all, I knew she was still terrified.
“Thank you, Ryker. I still have to pull together all the pieces and evidence. When your lawyer finally enters that courtroom, it should be smooth sailing. We now have the smoking gun we need to make sure you don’t face any real consequences. Unfortunately, Harold played a role that none of us can ignore. You heard it for yourself, they were all roped into testifying against you, and I can only imagine what else they’re trying to come up with to make sure you, and the other members of the Black Souls, go away for a very long time.”
“Do you really think this is going to work?” I asked.
“I know it will, Ryker. I know it will.”
14
Anna
I spent the evening putting together all of the pieces, trying to find the pattern hidden beneath all of the clues I had collected. I tried to make sense of everything I learned. I searched for clues in the knowledge of a potential mole within the Black Souls, the conversations I had with Harold, and how destructive the Hell Riders had become to Coronado.
I laid everything out on the coffee table—every file, document, and note I left for myself.
The sun was starting to come up, and I sipped on a cup of lukewarm coffee. I didn’t sleep last night and I already had more than my daily dose of caffeine and I still needed more.
I had a sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach, but I couldn’t figure out why. Something was off. Or maybe it was nothing more than the stress of knowing Ryker’s life rested in my hands. If I didn�
�t get all the pieces right, he could go to jail for the rest of his life.
What am I missing?
When the Hell Riders warned a pretty girl like me to stay clear of other bikers, they admitted to having inside information from the Black Souls and their wrongdoings. The only thing we didn’t know was how. They suggested the chief of police was the one behind coercing their cooperation.
Could this all just be one big coincidence? That the chief and the Hell Riders’ motives just happened to align? Something told me this had been in the works for some time, and it had to be because the evidence spanned years of illegal activity. But why blame it on the Black Souls, or more importantly, Ryker.
The falsified evidence painted him as the mastermind behind it all. I was running against the clock, and had to be sure I knew the truth before anything was released to the media.
Once that happened, it would be a nightmare for every Black Souls member, and it would almost guarantee Ryker would go down.
I couldn’t let that happen. I could very well use that same idea to my advantage, though. I retrieved my cell phone and called Elle. It was time to call in a favor.
“Hey, I hope I’m not calling too early.”
“Not at all, I’m just on my way to the office, what’s up?” Elle asked.
I could hear the sound of honking horns and busy streets in the background. “I need your help with something, but you’re not going to like it. Is there any way we could meet sometime tomorrow?” I asked.
“Of course. Anything for you. Brunch?”
“Sounds good. I’ll see you then.” I hung up before she could probe. If I gave her the chance she’d ask me a million questions. This wasn’t a conversation I wanted to have over the phone.
Ryker: MC Romance Page 11