“And who do we have here? A stalker?” I pinched the bridge of my nose when I heard Johnny’s voice, and stared in shock as Tori edged closer to me. “Do I know you?” It might have sounded like a question, but I knew Johnny well enough to know he was testing her, which begged the question of when had they met?
“I wouldn’t say know me,” Tori hedged. “We may have run into each other once.”
Johnny’s expression didn’t change, telling me he remembered exactly where they’d met, but he didn’t push it. “What have you got there?” His tone changed slightly and I knew he was talking to me.
“Tori brought it to show me,” I answered, opening my hand to reveal the wrinkled little baggie. “It has the club logo.”
“I don’t recognize it,” Johnny said, reaching for it.
“I would hope not,” Tori commented tartly. “It’s a drug bag.”
Johnny hesitated and I wheeled on her. “You’re using?” I couldn’t process the emotion that went through me at the thought, disappointment settling like a lead weight in my gut.
“No, though God knows I’ve been tempted since I ran into you,” she said with an exasperated sigh. “If I was using, why would I bring it to you?”
“Why are you bringing it to him?” Johnny interrupted, some of his earlier anger with me disappearing at this sudden proof I might be right. “Where did you get this?”
“At your strip club,” she said bluntly and I grabbed her arm, suddenly pissed.
“I told you I’d look into it,” I growled and she glared pointedly at my hand on her arm. I didn’t let go, tightening my grip, and her mouth twisted.
“Well, I got there first,” she finally answered. “You were taking your sweet time.”
“It hasn’t been twenty four hours,” I grumbled defensively. “I had business to take care of.”
“Well, so did I,” she retorted, waving her hand at the bag. “Here’s your proof.”
“The Rebels are not selling drugs,” I said forcefully, releasing her arm, as I ran an agitated hand through my hair. “I’ve told you that.”
“And now I believe you,” she said candidly, neatly halting any further argument I might have made. “Even I don’t think you’d be dumb enough to stick your logo on your drugs.” She glanced between us. “I’d say someone is setting you up.”
“And who would that be?” Johnny asked, rubbing the little bag between his fingers. “Who would be stupid enough to implicate the Rebels in drug dealing?”
She shrugged. “The million dollar question and if I had the answer, I wouldn’t be here.” She tilted her head, her back ramrod straight. “This isn’t new. It’s been going on for a while,” she added and Johnny glanced at her through hooded eyes.
“You’re the vigilante,” he mentioned, his gaze flickering to the crowbar and I saw her tighten her grip on it. “The cops want to talk to you.”
“I don’t want to talk to them,” she countered and he dipped his head, hiding a grin. “Seems to me like I’m doing their job for them, but I doubt they want to offer me a pat on the back.”
“More like a ride in the backseat of a car,” I muttered, giving her a sideways glance. “I think you haven’t told me everything.”
“You’re dumber than I thought if you ever considered I had,” she snapped and this time Johnny didn’t hide his snort.
“This won’t go unanswered,” he announced firmly, handing me back the bag. “Find them and bring them to me.”
I lifted my chin, a question in my eyes.
“I’ll reinstate you,” he replied after a moment’s thought. “On a probationary basis.”
“Crew,” I mentioned tightly and he rolled his tongue over his teeth.
“You can attend,” he finally answered and I gave no indication of the sudden relief that coursed through me. “Don’t disappoint me.” He went back inside before I could say anything and Tori relaxed next to me.
“That was a very Godfather moment,” she remarked, and I turned, my expression furious as I held up the baggie.
“Yeah, yeah, I went to the Crazy Horse after you told me not to,” she admitted without a hint of remorse.
“You had to get involved,” I said and she rolled her eyes.
“Newsflash, Cord, I’ve been involved,” she retorted. “You just showed up and got in my way.”
“Where did you get this?” I asked instead of replying, unable to argue her point.
“Somewhere you’d never get to go,” she drawled, her eyes glinting with amusement and I cursed. “The pocket of one of the girl’s outfits,” she relented and my eyebrows dipped. She raised her hand before I could question her, adding, “Don’t ask.”
“I don’t think I want to know,” I responded, ignoring her indignant chirp as I inspected the little packet. “The logo is messy. Whoever did it was sloppy.” I glanced at her. “This made you believe me?”
“You seemed certain of the club’s innocence,” she said, her jaw working. “I’ve seen two year olds do a better job framing someone than this. It’s a little too much to be believed.”
I opened the baggie, seeing trace amounts of white powder. “What is this?”
“Heroin,” she replied, her voice hoarse as she avoided looking at the open bag. “Which means these guys aren’t just cooking drugs in their backyard,” she licked her lips, focusing on my face, “They’re importing the shit too.”
I sealed the bag, then pocketed it, and saw some of the tension leave her shoulders. “We need to find out who the girl is that had the drugs,” I told her and she grinned.
“Already there. We got lucky. Apparently, the girls swap clothing. In fact, I was trying on the shorts when I found the evidence,” I got distracted by the image of Tori in shorts, missing part of what she said.
“Stay with me,” she said, snapping her fingers in my face and I jerked my head back. “Norah knew who the last girl was to wear them. Someone named Felisha.”
“We find her, we find who she got the drugs from,” I responded and she nodded.
“That’s the plan.”
“I can talk to the manager at the strip club, get her address, and go talk to her,” I decided, throwing in a belated, “Thanks,” afterwards.
“Whoa, hold your horses there, Hayes.” She planted her hand on my chest, flexing her fingers firmly. “This is my lead. Not yours.”
“You heard Johnny. This is club business and I’ll handle it from here on out.”
“Oh, really? Last I checked, you didn’t have the first clue about any of this until you met me.” Her fingers curled, sharp nails biting through the thin material of my shirt. “You’ll handle it with me or –”
I pressed forward, feeling her nails bite deeper, relishing the sting as I interrupted her, “Or what? You’re going to put me in the hospital?”
“You have a dangerous tendency to underestimate me,” she said silkily, her tongue darting out to wet her lips. “It’s gonna cost you one of these days.”
Our gazes locked, neither willing to back down when a shout startled us.
“What did he say?”
I shook my head slightly to dissipate the ringing from Crew yelling directly in my ear, leaning back until Tori’s hand dropped. “I’ll be there,” I answered Crew, still staring at Tori, who had narrowed her eyes in warning. I tilted my head and a glint entered her eyes, causing me a second’s pause.
“Jesus, I practically had to sit on him to keep him from busting in the club when he saw Johnny go in,” Creed told us, coming up behind Crew. “He’s been a pain in the ass all afternoon.”
“Is that really any different than any other day?” I retorted, dodging the light punch Crew threw at me. I laughed as I said, “Kidding. Sort of.”
“You’re gonna be there? Johnny lifted your outcast status?” Crew’s excited questions didn’t escape Tori and I saw her give me a considering glance.
“I’m on probation,” I answered him, turning so my shoulder blocked Tori. She just sidestepped
, keeping herself in my line of sight. I gritted my teeth, but continued. “Johnny wants me to look into some stuff.”
“What stuff?” Creed questioned, his gaze sharpening.
“Hey, cemetery girl,” Crew commented, lifting his chin to Tori, and I did a double take.
“You know each other?” I bristled, not liking the idea, as I waited for an answer.
“We’ve met,” Tori said briefly, giving my brother a tiny grin that only pissed me off more.
“I had a feeling we’d meet again,” Crew said, his grin a little too flirtatious for my liking.
“I’m Creed, this is Clutch,” he introduced, gesturing to himself and Clutch. “What brings you to our club?”
We stood shoulder to shoulder as Tori’s gaze drifted over us until she finally asked, “How many brothers do you have?”
Crew raised his hand, followed by Creed, and with an irritated sigh I raised mine as well. “Satisfied?”
Her gaze lingered on Clutch, but she only gave a curious hum.
“Do you have any brothers?” Crew asked curiously, adroitly dodging my elbow. “Or sisters?”
Tori’s expression tightened minutely, all but imperceptible to anyone who hadn’t been staring directly at her when the question was asked. Curious despite myself, I was left unsatisfied when she didn’t reply.
“Why are you here?” Creed asked again, his voice a little harder, and she turned that direct stare towards him.
“Ask your brother,” she replied, not dropping her gaze, until finally Creed turned to me with a raised eyebrow.
“We’ve got a drug problem,” I answered, handing him the evidence Tori had given me. “She found it on one of the girls at the Crazy Horse.”
“And what was she doing at the Crazy Horse?” Creed asked sharply.
“I work there,” Tori replied helpfully and I cast her a suspicious look. She gave me a light shrug and I swear Clutch snorted. “That was in the pocket of a pair of shorts.”
“And how do I know it’s not yours?” Creed growled, his gaze sweeping over her.
“Seriously, it’s like there’s an echo around here,” Tori muttered, and gave my brother a longsuffering glance. “Because why would I bring you my empty drug bag?”
“For a refill?” He deadpanned and only because I was watching her did I see the way her lips twitched at his remark.
“I’ve been trying to convince hard head here that the Rebels are tied up in the drug trade in Friendly,” she continued and Creed swelled with fury. “I know!” She raised her voice. “I know, the Rebels don’t do drugs, but someone is trying really hard to make it seem like you do.”
Creed glanced at me and I nodded, as much as I hated to admit it, Tori was on to something. “Overheard a dealer mention the Rebels get a cut. That’s what I was talking to Johnny about,” I said on a heavy exhale.
“You think this has something to do with my mom and Monty?” Crew asked quietly, drawing me and Tori’s attention. “It has to, doesn’t it?”
“What are you talking about?” My question was light, but the weight behind it wasn’t. Creed tugged his lower lip between his teeth and it was Clutch who finally answered.
“Nina got in some trouble. Hooked on meth. Meth Monty sold her,” Clutch explained. “When we found out we sent her to rehab. I brought her there, but the stipulation was she couldn’t come back. Johnny would have –”
“Ostracized her,” I finished, glancing at Crew sympathetically. “So we think its Monty’s club bringing the drugs in.”
“It’s what we thought,” Creed said, his tone making me think there was more. “But he’s in prison and nothing’s changed.”
“I’ve been here nine months and I’d say you have a drug problem in this town,” Tori replied and Creed locked his jaw. “When did he get put away?”
“It’s been over a year,” Crew answered, anger crackling around him.
“There’s more,” Creed said reluctantly, his gaze flickering to Crew like he didn’t want him to hear whatever he was about to say. “Nina wasn’t paying the bills at the house,” he started, then catching my expression, explained. “Crew and Nina lived at the house while I stayed here, at the club. It seemed liked the easiest way to keep an eye on them.” I nodded for him to go on. “Gary called me, said he needed to talk to me.” Crew’s expression grew wary. “When I went there he told me Nina had been stealing, to the tune of two grand.”
“What?” Crew’s shock was unmistakable. “You didn’t tell me that.”
“I didn’t tell anyone that,” Creed replied. “I was trying to protect your mom. I made it right and talked to her. At the time, she told me it was gambling, never mentioned drugs and honestly it slipped my mind after everything went down.”
“So you think she stole money to buy drugs?” I questioned. “From someone at the Crazy Horse and not Monty?”
“It’s possible. If you found that,” Creed nodded to the drugs, “At the Crazy Horse, plus Nina, then maybe we need to look a little closer at what’s going on over there.”
“I never saw anything suspicious when me and Hank were keeping an eye on Nina,” Clutch mentioned and Tori shook her head.
“I doubt you’d ever be able to spot a trade off,” she replied. “Odds are the drugs were slipped into her pocket, and I doubt money traded hands there. She probably has a contact she texts when she wants to buy.”
“You know a lot about this,” Creed commented and Tori didn’t even glance at him as she shoved one sleeve up, turning her arm so the light hit the faint scars on the inside of her elbow. The guys sucked in a shocked breath right before I felt their gazes land on me. “You knew,” he accused and my head dipped and came back up. “And you trust her?” We all heard the disbelief in Creed’s voice, and Crew’s gaze turned suspicious when he turned to look at her, but only Clutch’s stare was worried as he studied me.
“No, I don’t trust her,” I answered curtly, forcing myself to ignore her presence. “But it doesn’t mean she’s wrong.”
“I hope you know what you’re doing,” Creed replied, his jaw hard as he glared at me. “After you left we cleaned up the drugs here, made it clear they would never be allowed,” His eyes flickered to Tori for the barest second, “Now, we’re hearing we have a problem.”
“I’m just the messenger,” she retorted, not missing his implication. “I don’t like it any more than you do, but at least I’m doing something about it.” She shifted her grip on the crowbar and Crew tensed, thinking she was threatening Creed. I rested my hand on Cord’s shoulder, glancing at Clutch, who nodded.
Clutch hooked his arm around Crew’s neck, hauling him back. “You’re supposed to help me with that project, remember?” Crew struggled, but he was no match for Clutch’s burly strength.
“Johnny asked me to look into it,” I repeated and Creed lifted his hands, backing down. “I don’t like it, but we can use her.”
“Standing right here,” Tori muttered sourly. “Also, not deaf.”
“You can understand why we might not be gung ho to work with a drug addict,” Creed told her, grimacing.
“Former,” she replied, her smile a caricature. “You can understand my hesitation in working with the same club implicated in selling drugs.” He tilted his head and I stepped between them, my shoulder brushing against Tori but she didn’t step away.
“We need to find Felisha. An address would be helpful,” I reminded them and Creed nodded.
“Gary is who I would call. He’s got all the personnel files.”
“Okay,” I agreed, ready to move. “We can –”
“Not okay,” Tori interjected, staring at us. “One, you seriously have a lot more faith in Gary then you should. Two, I doubt she told him the truth or is even still there.”
“A’ight then, smarty pants, what do you suggest?” Creed asked, his face daring her to come up with a better suggestion.
“Is there a woman around here?” She asked in a sugary sweet tone, and my eyes narrowed, wa
iting for the punchline. “You both have dicks so I’m sure there are. All this testosterone is killing off my brain cells.”
“Implying you had any to start with,” Creed muttered under his breath and gestured to the door. “They’re inside,” he said loudly enough for her to hear. “Not sure how you think they’re going to help though. They don’t know Felisha.”
She gave him a pitying stare, “You don’t really understand women, do you?”
He glared at her, clenching his fist, and I grabbed his shoulder. “We don’t hit women….no matter how tempting it is,” I reminded him.
“Does she even count?” Creed asked scathingly and Tori lifted an eyebrow, waiting for my answer.
My eyes drifted over her slowly, lingering in certain areas, before I replied, “She counts.”
She turned her back to us, going through the door and this time it was Creed who stopped me from following her. “Careful, brother. You don’t want to get tangled up with that again.”
I grasped the hand he used to hold me, my touch light as I warned, “Mind your own business, Creed.” I moved his hand off me and stalked inside, gritting my teeth against the pain in my leg.
Tori was already at the bar, chatting it up with Micah, barely sparing me a glance as I came up beside her. “I was asking about Felisha,” Tori updated me as I sat down on one of the old wooden barstools.
“And like I told her, we don’t just give out information,” Micah answered grimly. “We respect people’s privacy.”
“You can tell her. It’s club business,” I informed her and she shot me a tight smile.
“Is it? I’m not even sure of your status at the moment.”
My jaw clenched at her reply, but I couldn’t fault her loyalty to the club. “I doubt you even have the information we’re looking for,” I mentioned scornfully and she just shrugged, propping her arms on the bar.
“She can find it,” Tori replied knowingly. “Never doubt a woman’s ability to find out dirt on someone.” Micah winked at her and I barely held in a sigh.
“Hey,” Sloan said as she walked up to us, holding a baby. “Who are you?”
Outcast (Southern Rebels MC Book 2) Page 9