I bob my head, sipping my coffee to avoid spilling the entire sorry story. Diesel doesn’t know the part where The Sainthood blackmailed me into copying paperwork from my dad’s office and handing it over to them. Or that it went on for years. Or that my father knew about it and was deliberately leaving false intel for me to copy hoping to trip Sinner up, to incriminate him.
I should tell him, but I hate the thought of him thinking less of me. It doesn’t matter much in the overall scheme of things, but what does matter is Diesel’s opinion of me.
“I have their mark on my back,” I admit. “It’s why Dad arranged for the tattoo. He was trying to cover it up and protect me.”
He flops back on the stool. “Jesus Christ.” He runs a hand over his cropped dark hair. “Why is he making a move now?”
I slide onto the stool across from him. “He thinks I have stolen evidence in my possession, and he was using the guys to intimidate me into giving it up. When that didn’t work, he brought me into the fold.” I scoff. “As if that would make any difference. If I had that evidence, the only thing I’d be doing is turning it over to the police.”
Diesel sits up straighter and the vein in his neck visibly throbs. “What evidence?”
I eyeball him, hoping I’m right to trust him with all this. Not that Diesel has ever given me reason to doubt him, but I’m doubting my judgment after tonight.
This happens when you let emotions get in the way, and I’m better than that. Even if Saint hasn’t betrayed me, I have opened myself up too much, and that’s got to stop.
“Evidence that proves The Sainthood kidnapped and murdered Daphne Leydon.”
He jumps up, spilling hot coffee all down the front of his shirt. “You need to leave town. Immediately.”
I eye him curiously. “Why exactly?”
“She was the president’s niece, and he’s pulled out all the stops to find out what happened to her. There are all kinds of rumors circulating about how and why, and when this thing blows up, it will implicate everyone involved. I don’t want you mixed up in that.”
He paces, rubbing a hand across the back of his neck. “I know a guy who can get you out over the border, and I have a few safe places in Europe. I can send you there.”
I walk to him, stopping his frantic pacing. “I appreciate the thought, and I know you want to protect me, but I’m not running, Diesel. I’m already in the thick of it, and I won’t rest until I nail Sinner’s ass to the wall. He killed my dad, but I might not get the evidence to prove it, so if I can pin Daphne Leydon’s murder on him and the other board members of The Sainthood, and they go down for that, at least then justice will be served.”
“Justice will be served, Lo.” He gently cups my face. “You don’t have to carry that burden. Let the authorities take them down.”
I examine his face carefully. “Who are you, Diesel? Who do you work for?”
His hand drops away from my face. “I can’t tell you who I work for, Lo.” He has the decency to look apologetic. “But I’m the same person you’ve always known.” He grips my face in his large palms. “I will kill every motherfucker before I let anyone lay a finger on you again.” He rests his forehead against mine. “I’m on your side. I’ve always been on your side.”
I ease back, staring into his handsome face. “So, why can’t you tell me who you work for? Do you work for the government and you’re sworn to secrecy? Is that it?”
“It’s better if you don’t know. Safer for you that way.”
I don’t miss how he hasn’t refuted my claims, but he’s still holding back, and that doesn’t instill faith. “How can I trust you when I don’t know why you’re invested in this?”
He takes my hands in his. “I understand fully why you have a hard time trusting people. And you should trust none of The Sainthood. What Galen did tonight proves they are not trustworthy.”
“I think he acted alone.”
He rubs my hands. “I know why you want to believe that, but these guys have been brought up in this organization, molded by Sinner and other corrupt members to act outside the law. Saint is Sinner’s flesh and blood, Lo.” He gentles his tone. “Why do you think he’d have loyalty to you over his father?”
“Because he hates him! And he knows he’s been lying to him, and…” I stop myself before I blurt about our connection, because that will just make me sound weak and immature.
“Did you ask me here for my advice? Or have you already decided, and you just want me to agree with you?”
I remove my hands from his, crossing my arms around myself. “I asked you here to help me, Diesel. I need to know there is at least one person on my side.”
“You always have that in me, but I won’t sit here and tell you what you want me to tell you. Those assholes are dangerous, and I want you nowhere near them.”
“I have little choice, Diesel, because I’m not running away. Sinner will hurt my mom if I just up and disappear. She might be on my shit list right now, but I won’t have that on my conscience.”
He sighs, and his shoulders slump in defeat. “What’s your plan, and what do you need me to do?”
I tell him about my deal with Darrow and how I intend to use it to my advantage. “As far as the guys will be aware, I got the upper hand and escaped. Whether or not this was Galen working alone, the guys will owe me. I’ll be calling the shots and using them to further my aims.”
The difference this time is I’ll be keeping my emotions under sturdy lock and key. I’ll use sex to draw them closer, to get them to deliver my plan, but my heart won’t be invested. I can’t afford for it to be especially where all trust is now shattered.
“I’ll feed Darrow some intel, enough to keep him happy, without compromising my position. And I’ll use it to wreak havoc on Sinner’s plans to dominate in Lowell and crush his opposition. It’ll help distract him while I use the guys to help me locate the missing evidence.”
“Why would they do that? It seems unlikely they would turn on the organization for you.”
I let loose a wide grin. “I think you underestimate the power of my seductive abilities.”
He offers me a grin in return. “Having been on the receiving end of it, I assure you I don’t underestimate you.”
My expression turns serious. “The connection between them and Sinner is flimsy. From what I’ve determined, Galen feels indebted to him because of his family situation, Theo is sticking two fingers to his parents, and Saint shares blood. I’m unsure of Caz’s motivations, but he seems committed to the guys before The Sainthood. I’m not detecting true loyalty to Sinner from any of them. It’s weak enough that I can break it. My sense is their loyalty is to the organization or their idea of what they believe it should be. Right now, their faith is shaky because they know Sinner and the board is lying to them. The organization is rotting from the inside, and they need a purge. Moving product is one thing, but kidnapping and murdering females is a whole other ballgame. Letting Sinner and the board take one for the team will enable them to rebuild The Sainthood the way they want it to be.”
He nods. “That’s a good angle, but will they buy it when your intention is to take the organization down too?”
“They won’t know that, and I think they’ll buy into this. They’ve failed me, and this is the best way of making it up to me.”
Well, that and helping me go after The Bulls, because if what Parker said is true, Ruben and his motley crew will be gunning for my ass. The Bulls are a gang who operates out of Fenton. They used to be allies, but they turned up at the warehouse fight with the opposition. Apparently, they know I was the one who killed Luke McKenzie because they somehow got their hands on a recording of the night we blew the drug house to kingdom come. It was self-defense, not that they’ll care about that. They’ve recently moved into sex trafficking, and McKenzie was their contact, or so we’ve been told.
Can’t say I’ve lost any sleep over his death.
“What can I do?” Diesel asks, extracting a s
ilver chain from his pocket.
“Get me everything you can about Daphne Leydon and her kidnapping and subsequent murder. And let me know if there are any leads or new intel as it becomes available.”
“Isn’t there anything I can say to change your mind?” he asks, toying with the chain in his fist.
“C’mon, Diesel. You know what I’m like when I get an idea in my head. I’m doing this. I’ll do Sinner’s stupid training and initiation tasks. I’ll bring the guys in deeper under my spell, using their guilt to work against them. I’ll use Darrow to help distract Sinner while I work to bring him down.”
He brushes my hair to one side and clasps the chain around my neck. “I need you to promise you won’t take risks with your safety.”
“I won’t,” I agree, running my fingers over the heart-shaped locket resting in the hollow at the base of my throat. “Is this some kind of tracker, or you’re declaring undying love?” I tease.
“I’d declare undying love if I thought I stood any chance, but let’s not go there again.” He brushes his fingers along my cheek. “There is a tracker embedded in the silver. Wear this at all times so I know where you are.”
“I can do that.”
He presses in on the locket. “It doubles up as an audio recording device. Press once to activate it, and press again to deactivate it. It’s set to copy to a secure file on the cloud I have access to.”
I press down on it to switch it off, smiling at him. “You’re amazing. You think of everything.”
He shrugs it off, but I can tell my comment pleased him. “And you need to drive the Lexus all the time. Don’t get lifts with those assholes, and don’t take the Gran Turismo out. You’re making enemies left and right, Lo, and you need to take precautions.”
“Agreed, and I’ll be more careful.”
“What’s your next move?”
I chew on the inside of my mouth. I’ve been giving this some thought, and I think this is the only game play. “I’m going to call Theo and ask for a meet.”
CHAPTER 4
Harlow
I PULL INTO the small parking lot at the front entrance of Prestwick Forest the following morning, and although I’m twenty minutes earlier than the scheduled meet, Theo is already there.
He climbs out of his SUV and hurries to my side, yanking my door open and pulling me into his arms. “Oh, thank fuck.” He buries his head in my hair, squeezing me so tight I can scarcely breathe.
“Struggling to breathe here,” I say, attempting to wriggle out of his iron-grip embrace.
He lets me go, scanning me from head to toe. “We’ve been so worried. I thought I’d have to physically chain Saint and Caz to the wall to stop them from going after Knight. They were up all night coming up with creative ways to torture and kill the asshole.” He runs his hands through his long, dirty-blond hair. It’s untied, swaying loose around the nape of his neck.
“I think we’ve got more pressing problems than Darrow Knight,” I coolly reply. “And I took care of him myself.”
Theo pulls me into his arms again, and I think this might be even easier than I imagined. He hugs me tight, and I want to believe it’s genuine, but I don’t trust any of them with good reason. Still, I let him embrace me because I’ve a new role to play.
“We thought as much, but we weren’t sure,” he says, letting me go. I take a step back, needing a little distance. “Saint was getting ready to head to the hospital and beat the truth out of Knight when you called. Whatever your revenge plan is, it better be good.”
I knew the guys would want to retaliate against Darrow, so I’ve had to get creative again. “You doubt me?”
“Never.” His hazel eyes glisten with emotion.
“Where are the others?”
“Waiting for you.” He eyes the decrepit truck I drove here. “I assume you want to ditch that?”
I nod.
“Get in my car.”
I climb into the passenger seat of his SUV, watching as he removes a can of gasoline from the trunk, pours it over the old Chevy, and sets it on fire.
“We’ll dispose of the charred remains later so there’s no way it can be traced back to you,” he says, getting in and starting the engine.
“Thanks.” I stare out the window, contemplating the next few minutes.
“Lo.” His voice is soft.
I turn my head to face him. “What?”
He eyes the bruise at my temple and the scratches on my cheek. “Did he hurt you?”
“Did he cut me, use a blowtorch on my skin, or stub cigarettes out on me? Is that what you mean?” It’s a deliberate reminder of what his beloved Sainthood has done to me in the past. He winces, and I take pity on him. “No, Theo. He didn’t hurt me. He never got the chance.”
I watch with interest as Theo drives us around the outside of the forest for a few miles before stopping at the side of the road in front of thick shrubbery. He jumps out, and my eyes almost bug out of my head when he appears to part some shrubbery with his hands. I lean forward, straining against my seat belt as I inspect the strange sight. “Holy shit,” I murmur to myself when I realize part of the shrubbery is actually a gate disguised to blend into the scenery. He slides back the hidden entrance to reveal a dirt road, bordered by the dark forest on both sides. I stare at him with my jaw hanging open as he drives the SUV through the small gap. His lips twitch at my reaction as he puts the car in neutral and climbs out to close the concealed gate behind us.
“What the hell is this?” I ask when he’s back behind the wheel.
“I’m taking you to our place.”
“It’s like I’ve walked into a Bond or Bourne movie,” I supply, as he drives the SUV forward over uneven terrain.
“Our privacy is important to us.” He glances at me, and his hazel eyes dive into mine.
“What?” I’m instantly on guard.
“I thought you’d be angry.”
I swivel in my seat to stare at him. “Why on Earth would you think I’m not?”
“You’re calm.”
“Haven’t you ever heard the saying ‘the calm before the storm’? Because that’s a pretty apt depiction of what it looks like inside my head right now.” I swirl a hand around myself. “Don’t let this exterior fool you. I’m a fucking tornado waiting to happen.”
“That’s fair, but you should know Galen did this on his own. We had no clue.”
“Of course, you’d say that,” I scoff. “I’ve been around you all long enough to know what Saint says is law. Galen wouldn’t risk going against him.”
A pained look washes over Theo’s face. “We knew you’d think that, but it’s not true.”
“I’ll reserve judgment till we meet the others. I want Saint to look me in the eye and tell me he hasn’t betrayed me.”
The dirt track widens a few meters ahead, eventually bringing us to an open clearing housing a massive wooden barn. It’s freshly painted, and the windows look new. The door is open, and Saint and Caz emerge from the inside, stopping alongside Caz’s Eclipse as they wait for Theo to park.
A messy ball of emotion clogs my throat as I lock eyes with Saint through the glass. He’s wearing a fierce expression, holding himself stiffly, with his muscular, inked arms folded across his impressive chest. He’s not giving much away, but that’s not unusual. Caz runs his hands repeatedly through his dark hair, his tongue toying with his lip ring in an obvious tell.
“Lo.” Theo kills the engine and turns to me. “I know you’re pissed, and it has shaken your trust in us, but please hear us out. We’ve been going crazy worrying about you.”
“I’m making no promise, Theo.” I open the door and step out as Caz jogs toward me.
“Lo.” He bundles me into a hug, lifting me up in his strong arms. “Thank fuck.” He places my feet on the ground, clasping my head in his hands. “You’re injured. I’ll kill that motherfucking ass—”
“He didn’t touch me.” I cut across him, stepping back despite how much I crave his clos
eness. “I got the scratches when Parker threw me to the ground, and the bruise happened when I was in Darrow’s trunk.”
“Princess.” Saint’s deep tone reaches a hand inside me, but I swat it away.
I turn around, eyeing him warily. He stares at me, his gaze roaming the length of my body, and tension bleeds into the air. It hasn’t escaped my notice that Galen is nowhere to be seen. They are right to keep him from me, because they’ll have a hard time stopping me from killing him with my bare hands. “What?” I ask, planting my hands on my hips. “Cat got your tongue?”
His lips kick up at the corners, and it pisses me off. “Don’t fucking smirk at me.” I close the gap between us, poking my finger in his chest. Anger rampages through me. “Not after the shit you pulled.”
His gaze whips to Theo for a split second before he refocuses on me. “We didn’t pull any shit. That asshole who shares my DNA lost his goddamned fucking mind.”
“It’s easy to point the finger of blame when he wasn’t the one giving the orders.” I shove at him, pushing him back a couple steps. I stretch my arms out to the side. “You want me dead, take your best shot. I’m unarmed,” I lie. “Or don’t you have the guts to do it yourself? Is that why you wanted Darrow to do your dirty work for you?”
He launches at me so fast I have no time to react. Wrapping his arms around me, he buries his face in my shoulder. His chest heaves, and his body trembles against me.
If he’s role-playing, he’s one hell of an actor.
I don’t attempt to escape his embrace because I know it’s futile, but I don’t return his hug either, standing mute like a statue as he clings to me. After a couple minutes, he lifts his head, piercing me with no barrier between us. “If I wanted you dead, princess, I’d pull the trigger myself. I never shirk my responsibilities.”
And that’s about the only thing he could say that I’d believe. Because that is the Saint I know.
“He’s telling the truth. I acted alone.”
Blood boils in my veins at the sound of his voice. Slowly, I turn around and face a barely recognizable Galen Lennox. I mask my shock behind an impenetrable facial wall. He’s doubled over, clinging to the door frame, his mottled face contorted in pain. His left eye is swollen and a blue-black color. His lip and nose are busted, and bruising covers most of his cheeks and jawline.
The Sainthood : A Dark High School Romance (The Complete Series) Page 32