by Colbie Kay
Gunner, Bear, and I meet with Snake, Storm, and Ace in the chapel of the Cobras' clubhouse. The room is much like ours was, but their long oak table has the cobra emblem embedded into it.
Snake speaks first, "Now that your clubhouse is of no use, have you thought about combining the clubs like I mentioned before?"
I sigh and give him the answer we’d decided on, but it’s not going to be the one he wants, "Yes, and we have decided not to combine, but we want to keep our clubs as allies."
"Hanger, you're my son. We will always be allies, just as our clubs have been for years, but what’re you going to do about your clubhouse? The Sinners are more than welcome to stay here for as long as you need, but do you have a plan?"
I nod and run my hand over my short brown hair. “I’m coming to terms that you’re my father, Snake, but you have to understand that my whole life basically feels like a goddamn lie. The club that was mine since birth isn’t actually owed to me. My brothers could have taken it away from me if the vote went that way. I’ve been talking to Mom, and I’ve forgiven her for keeping all this shit a secret, but I don’t want to combine just because we are blood. Yes, I have a plan,” I grumble and add, “I'm waiting to see the quotes for rebuilding. It's going to set us back, but it needs to be done."
"Are you going to help my club with the cartel situation we have on our hands?"
I stare into the eyes of my father. "Snake, my club can't help right now. You know we have men gone for who knows how fuckin' long. And the rest of us need to focus on getting the compound cleaned up from the explosion. Plus, we have a rat that we need to figure out. Not to mention Deuce."
"That's fucking terrific." Storm laughs in disbelief. "We open our club up to you, we help your club whenever you need, but you can't do the same for your ol' man?"
I stand from my seat and lean closer to the vice president. "Storm." I use a tone demanding that he stand down. "We would help if we were able, but that's not the case, and besides, when Snake brought it to the table to me, he didn't even give specific details. I would need to know exactly what I'm putting my brothers into. And do you really want me to send in a man who’s a traitor? Who knows what would fuckin' happen. We’ve lost men because of the cunt! All of us, including our families, were almost taken out just a few days ago. Do you think this fuckin’ traitor wouldn’t try something again? Maybe with the fuckin’ cartel themselves? He could try to take each one of us out. I'm concerned enough with both clubs together like this. When's the next attack going to happen?"
Bear jumps in, "Hanger's right. We need to figure out who is betraying us. None of us wanted to believe that one of our own would do that, but it's hard to deny after the explosion. Snake, you’re my father-in-law, and I’ll have your back, but it would be fuckin’ stupid to send us in now."
"Do what you gotta do, and I'll handle my own club shit." Snake stands angrily, completely pissed. He leaves the room with his two men flanking him.
"How do we even go about trying to figure out which brother turned on us?" Gunner asks once the door is shut.
I shake my head and sit back down. "I don't know."
Bear growls in frustration. "It'll come to light soon enough. Eventually, a rat gets caught in the trap."
Gunner grumbles. "I gotta get shit smoothed over with Chat. I've never seen her so pissed, and it ain't getting better."
I reply, "I'll talk to her. Fuckin' Romeo. He tried to do the right thing, but it got him once again. Fucker needs to stay the hell away from women."
Bear guffaws. "And yet you put him on Tinsley watch."
I smirk at the irony of it. "Damn it. I know. I knew he'd never let one of the others watch her because you can see it in his eyes, he's in love with her."
Gunner chuckles. "He has a hell of a way of showing her."
I nod in agreement. "That's his past coming back. Giovanna Gremaldi fucked him over. He hasn't let that shit go and brought it on Tinsley." Once again, I stand and knock my fist on the table. "Let's get outta here and head over to the clubhouse to start cleaning up the fuckin' mess." We walk out of the room, and Chatty is standing there holding her and Gunner’s daughter, Destiny. "Hey, Chat, c'mon." She glares but doesn't say a word as she follows me outside. "Don't hold it against Gunner or the rest of us. Romeo did what he thought was right in protecting his club. Any of us would have done the same, but without knowing who the rat is, none of us are very trusting right now."
She looks away for a moment before her tear-filled eyes land back on me. "I get that, Hanger, but each one of you doubted me. You should know better than to think I would bring someone in to hurt you guys. I know T. I held her secrets. And I'm not angry that you didn't trust her–well, I am–but I'm pissed at the betrayal I feel. I never thought any of you would hurt me, but you did."
Wrapping my arms around her, I pull her and the baby in for a hug. "I’m sorry, Chat. We all trust you, but we're going fuckin' crazy not knowing who turned on us."
Her free arm snakes around my waist. "I know, and I'll get over it, eventually, but right now it's hard. You guys are my family as much as T is."
"And you're our family as well. Go make up with your husband. It's killing him that you're mad."
She pulls away from me and sniffles. "Not until he understands why I'm mad."
"We're men, Chat, not fuckin' mind readers. Go talk to him."
She huffs and rolls her eyes at me. "Fine."
Smirking, I head for my bike. Every time I see the destruction of the clubhouse, my stomach sinks from thoughts of what could have happened. I’m a strong man, but I won’t lie, it brought me to my knees knowing in a matter of minutes I could have lost my Crazy Girl and our three babies. I’ll forever be grateful to Romeo and Drifter for finding that goddamn bomb. I think it’s about time our prospect gets a patch. He’s earned my respect.
My phone pings with a new text. I already know it’s the message I’ve been waiting on from Hacker.
Hacker: Here's what you needed on Samantha Fin. Her work schedule, home address, and photo.
I scroll through the message until the woman’s face appears on my screen. Samantha Far is a woman in her mid-forties. Her dark hair has streaks of gray, making her seem older than she really is, and the bags under her dark eyes show she lacks sleep.
Turning my phone toward Tinsley, I ask, "Tin, is this the woman?" Even though I don't doubt Hacker's skills, I need to make sure we have the correct Samantha Far before we make our move.
Tinsley looks over the photo for a few minutes before nodding. Tears spring forth from her eyes; I'm assuming they are from the memories of this woman delivering her baby and then stealing her daughter. “She’s the one that delivered Hope. She’s the one that told me she was dead.” Tinsley begins to sob, and I pull her close so she can cry into me.
I run my hand up and down her back. “Shh. I’m going to go pay her a visit and see what we find out.”
"Let me put my shoes on." She breaks from my arms and stands.
"No, Tin, I need you to stay here."
She stands firmly with her hands on her hips. “I’m not staying here. I don’t need protection from this woman. I need to kick her ass.” Here we go again, arguing if she is going to stay or go–she’s staying.
"Yes, you are," I fire back. "I don't know what will happen, and I need you to be safe here. We went over this already, Tin. I'll have a prospect on the door, so don't even try leaving."
"Romeo..." she tries, but my hardened stare tells her to drop it.
"I made you a promise, and I'll keep that promise, but I need you to do as your told."
"No, you just want me to stay here and do nothing. Don’t treat me like a petulant child." She pouts and plops down on the bed with her arms crossed.
“If you don’t want to be treated as one, don’t act like one.” I lean down to kiss her forehead, but she moves, letting my lips land in her hair. “I’ll be back. Have your attitude gone.”
“Fuck you!” She snaps.
/> Chuckling, I shake my head and close the door, meeting the guys outside the clubhouse near our bikes and the van. “Pretty Boy, stay on the door. She’s pissed at me so it wouldn’t surprise me if she tries to leave.”
“Trouble in paradise already?” He chuckles and adds, “On it.”
“She wants to go, but I need her to stay here.”
Chayser speaks up, “I get why she wants to go, but she doesn’t need to be a witness to how we get shit done.”
Bam Bam nods. “Agreed. She wants to be a part of this. We all get that, and she’s tough, but how’s she going to handle seeing one of us actually kill someone if we need to?”
Demon’s eyes widen. “If we need to? It’s happening regardless. I didn’t come here to let these cunts walk free. That little bitch deserves to have them to all die.”
“Calm down, brother,” I reply to Demon. “We need to keep them alive until we have answers. No one dies until I give the say so. Let’s ride.” Taking the lead, I straddle my Harley and head to the hospital.
The security guard gives us an inquisitive stare as we enter the hospital. "Can I help you?"
"No," Demon growls as we continue to walk past.
"You have to check-in," He yells after us, but we keep going.
We enter the elevator, and I push the button for the fifth floor. When we exit, the nurses’ station is right there, but Samantha's not.
I glance down both halls. "Break up and search rooms. If you find her, take her into an empty room and call."
"Aye," They all agree.
Demon and I go right while Bam Bam goes left, and Chayser stays at the nurses’ station flirting with the nurses to keep them occupied.
I begin entering each room with no luck, and when I'm close to the end of the hall, my phone rings. Checking the caller id, it's Bam Bam. "Yeah?"
"I got her in room 516."
"We’re coming." Rushing down the hall, we find the room, and Bam is standing in front of the nurse as she sits on the edge of the empty hospital bed.
She glances at the three of us now surrounding her. "What do you want?" Her voice wobbles, most likely from fear.
I cross my arms over my chest. "I want to know how a nurse got involved with baby stealing."
Her head snaps up. Her eyes meet mine. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Hmm. I think you do. I see it in your eyes, Samantha."
Demon steps closer to my side. "I smell her fear." He takes a big whiff and groans. He pulls out his blade, which is smaller than the machete he likes to kill with, and runs it along her cheek. She jerks away from him, but Bam Bam and I reach forward to hold her arms, making her unable to move.
My tone is colder when I speak, "I'll give you one more chance to tell me how you got involved with stealing babies."
"I needed money." She cries and begins to beg, "Please, let me go."
"No can do. Not until we get the information we need," I explain while Demon traces her skin down her neck and along the neckline of her scrub top with his blade. "Needed money for what? Who brought you into it?"
A tear trails down her cheek, and her eyes drift to the ceiling. "My son was sick, and I was going through nursing school. I didn't have insurance to cover his medical expenses. There was an ad on the internet for a midwife. I had already trained to deliver babies in emergency situations; therefore, I figured I would give it a shot. I got a call for an interview, and they told me when and where to meet."
"And who did you meet?" I push further.
"Richie. He's only a small-time person in this ring. He's the one that's supposed to find pregnant girls and make them fall for him to get them to sign the papers, giving away their babies. Or he gets girls pregnant, and ultimately, does the same."
A raging fury I’ve never felt before bubbles inside of me. Oh, how I can’t wait to meet Richie. "The girl two years ago. She didn't want to give her baby away, but you held her hostage, took the baby, and told her it was stillborn. Was the baby alive?"
Her head drops, but she nods. I blow out a deep breath. "Where's the baby?"
"I don't know." She shakes her head and cries harder. "Tinsley?" Her head lifts, and her sad eyes meet mine. "That's who you're talking about. She agreed until the end, but Richie wanted the money. He came up with the plan."
Again, I ask a little less patient this time. "Where's the baby?"
"Honestly, I don't know. I don't know where the babies go after I hand them off."
"Who do you hand them off to?"
"I don't know his name, but he's important. I could always tell by the suits he would wear. I've told you everything. If you want more information, go to Richie."
"You don't breathe a word about us coming here. Understood?"
She cries and nods frantically. “Yes."
Placing my finger under her chin, I lift her head to look at me, then I squeeze her cheeks between my fingers. "If you do, we will come after you. We will kill your son and make you watch as we rip his body apart, understood?"
Her eyes fill with more tears, and she nods in my grasp. "I understand."
Demon places the pointed edge into her throat just enough for her to feel the pressure. "You better hope we find this baby. If we don't..." His voice is taunting, and an evil grin appears on his lips. Demon never smiles unless blood is involved. "I'm coming back for you, and in one...two...three...you won't have a head," He sing-songs.
Tears cascade down her cheeks and her sobs are loud. "I swear I won't say a word. Please just let me go."
Releasing her, I turn to Demon and give him a nod to release her.
We walk out of the hospital and march right past the security guard, who tried to stop us before, as if nothing ever happened. Once we're back at our bikes, I pull my phone out to call Hacker. "Yeah?"
"We paid Samantha a friendly little visit, but we need info on Richie." I hop back on my bike, waiting until I end the call before starting her up.
"Let me do some digging, and I'll send it over in a few."
"Great." I hang up, and we wait for the text to come through.
We pull into the parking lot of the apartment complex and stroll up to the entrance. Looking over all the apartment call buttons, I press the one for apartment two twenty-four.
"Hello?"
Hearing his voice makes me seethe with anger, but I remain calm. "Is this Richie Warren?"
"Yes?" He sounds as if he is asking a question instead of answering one.
"I have a delivery for you."
"Okay, come on up. You can leave it in front of the door." I roll my eyes at the fucking cunt. He buzzes us in, and my lips lift into a shit-eating grin. Such a fucking idiot.
We enter the building and find a staircase that leads to the second floor. When we reach the right floor, it doesn't take long to find the apartment. I bang on the door with one of my Berettas. “Open up, Richie Rich.”
"I told you to leave it in front of the door." He flings the door open, and his eyes widen when the barrel of my gun meets his forehead. "Here's your package, Richie Warren." I shove my gun further into his skin, pushing him back as we enter, and the door slams shut behind us. He’ll have a mark. Losing his footing, Richie falls to the ground. He tries to quickly scoot away, but his back hits the wall. His eyes shift between the four of us, and he is staring at us wide-eyed. "You guys are the Satan's Sinners," He acknowledges.
I nod with a grin. "Yep, I believe you paid us a visit not too long ago, and now it's our turn to come to you."
His eyes narrow. "What do you want?"
I cut right to the point of our visit. "We want to know where Tinsley's baby is."
"The baby died."
"Now see, Richie, it's not good idea to lie to us.” I tsk at him and call on our psycho brother, “Demon."
Demon steps up and bends down, getting closer to Richie and pulls his blade out once again.
"What are you doing?" Richie questions Demon as his eyes grow wide, and they snap to me. "What's he doing?
"
"He's getting ready, just in case you lie to us again. We don't want the loud bang from our guns when we kill you to alert your neighbors…just in case they’re home. Demon will be more than happy to cut you up. I'll ask you one more time, where is Tinsley's baby?"
"I don't know." Demon pushes his blade into Richie’s leg, and the cunt screams out in pain. Blood seeps into the material of his khaki pants. What the hell did Tinsley see in this fucktwat? "Honest! I don't know!" His breaths come out short and quick, and he screws his eyes shut. Demon inches his blade out inch by inch. "All I know is, I get the women, and whatever happens to the babies after, they don't tell me."
"Why did you take her baby and let Samantha tell her the baby was dead?"
He pants breathlessly. "She already agreed to give away the baby. She just got cold feet."
"Cold feet?" I grit through my teeth. "She wanted her baby! It's not cold fucking feet!"
His head goes back against the wall. "We were already guaranteed the percentage of money from the sale of the baby. Not delivering the goods would have gotten me killed."
"Gotten you killed?" I laugh. "Looks like it's getting you killed anyway. Why did you come back for her?"
"Because I knew if I could see her, she would come back, and I could get her pregnant again."
Jesus Christ, he makes me fucking sick!
His eyes bore into mine. “Did she tell you she messaged me first? She wanted me to come and get her.” He grins through the pain.
I launch for him, but Bam Bam catches me. “You lying fuck!”
Chayser takes over while Bam tries to get me under control. "Who takes the babies?"
"His name is Roland Pierce. That's all I know."
Chayser asks the next question. "Where can we find this Roland?"
"I don't know. I only see him after the babies are born, and he takes them. Where they go, I don't know, and I don't know what happens to them."
Chayser explains, "Listen very carefully. We’re going to let you live for now, but you say one fucking word to anyone about us being here, we'll come back and pay you another visit. Got it?"