Satan’s Fury MC - Memphis

by Wilder, L.

  “Yeah, it was.” Her finger trailed the outline of my Celtic tattoo as she whispered, “This one is new, isn’t it?”

  “It is. I got it last summer when I was down in New Orleans.”

  She smiled. “I like it. I think it might be my new favorite.”

  “Glad you approve.” I chuckled. “What about you? I thought you were going to get one.”

  “I was, but with everything that’s been going on, I just never got around to it.”

  “Been that busy, huh?”

  “Yeah. You could say that. It seems like I never have a free minute.” With a quick jolt, she sat up on the bed and asked, “What time is it?”

  I glanced over at my clock before answering, “It’s almost nine thirty.”

  “Dang it. I didn’t realize it was that late.” She leaned towards me and kissed me on the cheek, and before I had a chance to stop her, she’d gotten out of the bed.

  As she reached for her clothes, I asked, “Where do you think you’re going?”

  “I’m sorry, but I’ve got to get home.”

  Surprised, I sat up in the bed. “Wait. You’re leaving?”

  She rushed into the bathroom and shouted, “I wish I could stay longer, but I really can’t. Not tonight.”

  Realizing that she was serious, I jumped out of bed and grabbed my jeans. I’d just gotten them on when she came out of the bathroom. It was disappointing to see that she was fully dressed. I’d been without her for so long, and now that I had her back, I didn’t want to let her go. Like the first time we were together, I found myself wanting to hold on to her, to keep her close, but this time I wasn’t just going to let her walk out that door without at least saying something. I eased over to her and placed my hands on her hips, then asked, “How do I convince you to stay?”

  “I’m sorry, but you can’t. I really have to go.” She looked up at me with those beautiful blue eyes, and I could tell by the sound of her voice that she was telling the truth when she said, “If it makes you feel better, I’d stay if I could.”

  “What about tomorrow?”

  “I have to work.” She cocked her head to the side as she asked, “Why?”

  “I’d like to take you out on a date.”

  “Oh, really? A date. Well, that would be something new for us.” She teased. “And what are you planning for us to do on this date?”

  “Let’s just say, I’ve got something special in mind. What time works for you?”

  “How about four o’clock?”

  “Sounds great. I need your address, so I can swing by and pick you up.”

  A strange look crossed her face as she stumbled, “I’ll … um … I’ll just meet you here, if that’s okay.”

  “Yeah. That’ll be fine.” After everything that happened the last time we were together, I wasn’t exactly thrilled about the arrangement, but I decided not to push. I pulled her closer and said, “Just so we’re clear, I don’t want you to go.”

  “I know.” She eased up on her tiptoes and kissed me softly. “But I’ll be back.”

  Even though I didn’t like that she was leaving, she wasn’t giving me any other choice. As soon as I put on my boots, I followed her out to the parking lot, and I got an uneasy feeling as we made it over to her car. There were so many unanswered questions where she was concerned—questions that one way or another had to be answered. I had to find out why she’d gone to Jason’s apartment, and more importantly, I needed to know why she’d shown up at the clubhouse tonight. I also needed to know why she didn’t want me coming to her apartment, but those questions would just have to wait until tomorrow. After another long, intense kiss, she got in her car, and just as she was about to close her door, she smiled and said, “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “Good. I’m looking forward to it.”

  “Me too.” She reached into her purse and handed me a card. “If something comes up, just give me a call.”

  As I took the card from her hand, I told her, “You don’t have to worry about that. I’ll be here waiting at four. Oh … and wear jeans and a pair of boots.

  “You got it.” She smiled. “I’ll see you then.”

  I watched as she pulled out of the parking lot, and once she’d made it out onto the main road, I headed back inside. When I walked into my room, Reece’s scent lingered in the air, offering a sense of ease. She was back. I had my second chance, and I wasn’t going to fuck it up. I was determined to do things right this time, but in order to do that, I needed to be able to devote my full attention to Reece. That couldn’t happen until I ended this shit with Navarro once and for all. It had been hours since I’d checked his location, so I went over to my computer and pulled up the tracking link that I’d attached to his phone line. Just as I feared, Josue Navarro was not only in Memphis, he was within thirty miles of the clubhouse. It took me a moment, but I was able to pinpoint his location. I wasn’t surprised to find that he was staying at the Peabody. At just over five hundred bucks a night, it was one of the swankier places in town, and it was always packed full of tourists, making it easy for him to blend in with the crowd.

  He was getting close, and it was only a matter of time before he got even closer. We couldn’t wait any longer. It was time for us to make a move, but I had no clue what that move should be. Gus would have his own thoughts on how the club should proceed, but before I went to discuss it with him, I wanted to go over all the information Big and I had gathered on Josue. Something in my gut told me that there was something in those files that could help us, so I went through each of them, one by one. Over the next hour, there was one name that I found myself going back to—Robert Hamilton, the FBI agent who’d been investigating the Navarro brothers. He’d been the only one who’d managed to get close to taking Josue down, and as crazy as it may have seemed, something told me he was our answer. Following my instincts, I decided to check him out, and what I found surprised even me.

  By the time I was ready to go see Gus, it was almost eleven. I wasn’t surprised to find him sitting at his desk when I walked in because the man never seemed to sleep. He was busy looking over some papers when I asked, “You got a minute?”

  “What’s going on?”

  “He’s in town. Staying over at the Peabody.”

  “Any idea what he’s up to?”

  “No idea, but I’m not liking the fact he’s so close,” I admitted.

  “Right there with you, brother.” He ran his hand over his thick goatee as he directed, “We need to get a plan in motion, which starts with getting some eyes on him.”

  “About that … I had something I wanted to talk to you about.”

  “Whatcha got?”

  As I handed him one of my files, I continued, “Robert Hamilton was the agent investigating Josue in Mexico. He’s the guy Big and I told you and Cotton about. Josue knew he was getting close to taking him down, and that’s why he went underground.”

  “What are you getting at here, Riggs? Please tell me you aren’t suggesting that we team up with the fucking FBI ’cause you know we never get involved with the cops.”

  “Yeah. I’m well aware of that, but just hear me out. This guy could be our answer.”

  “How so?”

  I spent the next half hour going over everything with him. I could tell from the expression on his face that he had his doubts about using Hamilton, but he was at least willing to consider it. As he glanced down at the file one last time, he announced, “I’m calling church first thing in the morning. We’ll go over all this shit then, so bring every bit of intel you’ve got on Navarro.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Get some sleep, brother. Looks like you need it”

  I chuckled under my breath. “Will do.”

  I left his office and went back down to my room, and after a quick shower, I got in the bed. As I lay there, an uneasy feeling washed over me as I thought about everything Gus and I had discussed. Like all my brothers, I was ready for a fucking break. Over the past few months, the club
had been dealing with one battle after the next, but we hadn’t let them define us—and we certainly didn’t let them destroy us. Instead, they’d only strengthened us, making us a force like none other. I closed my eyes and let my mind drift back to Reece. Just thinking about her brought a peace to my mind, and before I even realized what I was doing, I’d reached for my phone.

  Me: Hey. Sorry it’s so late. I just wanted to make sure you made it home okay.

  Reece: Hey. I made it fine. Thanks for checking on me. Sorry I had to rush off like that.

  Me: It wasn’t easy letting you go.

  Reece: Well, you didn’t make it easy to leave.

  Me: I should’ve tried harder to convince you to stay, then I wouldn’t be in this bed alone.

  Reece: I kind of like the idea of being there next to you.

  Me: Good. Because I plan on you being here a lot.

  Reece: Well, there’s always next time.

  Me: Now, that’s something to look forward to.

  Reece: Yes, it is. Until then, I’ll see you in my dreams.

  Me: Those dreams better be doing me justice.

  Reece: Don’t worry. You never disappoint.

  Me: You’ve dreamed of me before???

  Reece: I don’t know. Maybe a time or two.

  Me: I think you’re holding out on me.

  Reece: Maybe.

  Me: So, these dreams? I’m guessing they’d be Rated PG, right?

  Reece: Well, of course.

  Me: Yeah. Of course. Good night, beautiful.

  Reece: Night, Jackson.

  With a smile on my face, I dropped my phone beside me and closed my eyes, and it wasn’t long before I drifted off to sleep.

  The next morning, the brothers gathered in the conference room, and Gus caught everyone up to speed on Navarro. Once he was done, he turned the meeting over to me. The guys were already on edge when I shared the information I had on Agent Hamilton, so I wasn’t surprised when they weren’t exactly thrilled about my idea. T-Bone was the first to voice his concern by saying, “The cops? Are you fucking kidding me?”

  “Yeah, but hear me out,” I pushed. “This guy is hungry. He’s been working for the Feds for twenty years, and he’s always failed to get his guy. He’s been after Josue for over three years, but every time Hamilton gets close, the guy slips right through his fingers.”

  “Okay, I get it,” Blaze jumped in. “You’re saying this Hamilton will probably do just about anything to get his hands on Josue.”

  “Exactly.”

  “Yeah, so? This guy wants to get Josue. How does that help us?” Shadow asked with sarcasm.

  “We make sure Hamilton knows where to find Navarro.”

  “And how the fuck are we going to do that?” Gus asked as he reached for one of his cigarettes. “We’ve got no idea where Navarro is headed next.”

  “We will if we bait him. We offer him something he couldn’t possibly resist to lure him out.”

  “Like what?” Murphy, our sergeant-at-arms, asked.

  “I don’t know just yet, but I’m sure we can come up with something.” I could feel the tension in the room crackling around me as I continued, “We just need to provide Hamilton with a specific time and location, and then we can leave the rest up to him.”

  “It could work, but I just don’t like it.” Murphy leaned forward and looked over to me, his voice rough when he added, “There’s too much weighing on us getting Navarro, and I don’t have a good feeling about putting our faith in some fucking cop.”

  “I get what you’re saying, Murph, but this might be our only chance to snag Navarro without a full-on war.”

  “Yeah, but a guy like Navarro isn’t going to stop running his operation just because he’s behind bars.” Gus took a drag off his cigarette, and smoke billowed around him as he added, “So even if Hamilton gets a hold of him, that doesn’t mean this thing over.”

  Grasping at straws, T-Bone turned to me and asked, “Isn’t there some of that computer mumbo-jumbo shit you can do to wipe this fucker out?”

  “Like what? Freeze his assets or incriminate him for a crime he didn’t commit? I don’t think that’s going to help us much here.” As much as I tried to hide it, my frustration was coming through. “There’s only so much I can do here, brother.”

  “Didn’t you say that he was fighting with a rival cartel in Mexico?”

  “Yeah. They’ve been battling it out for years.”

  Murphy’s eyes narrowed as he suggested, “Why can’t we use that to our advantage? You do some of that fancy shit on your computer and make it look like their feud has followed him here. Anything you can do to keep Navarro’s focus off of us … at least until we can take him down.”

  “It’s an option, but the truth is … I’m tired of playing fucking games with this asshole,” Gus complained. “We need to end this fucking thing now while we have him at a disadvantage. He’s distracted with his brother, and he’s on our territory. We know the ins and outs of this city, and if we play it right, he’ll never see us coming.”

  Knowing he was right, I asked, “What do you need us to do?”

  “Right now, we’re waiting on an opportunity to get close to him. So, for the time being, we need to get prepared to make our move.” He stood up and immediately started dishing out orders. “Shadow and Murph, check all artillery. Gunner and T-Bone, get your eyes on Josue. I want you tracking his every move. Riggs, see what you can find out about that rival cartel. If we decide to go with Murphy’s idea, we’re gonna need everything you can find on them.”

  “You got it.”

  “We’re on high alert, boys. Watch your back and keep your families close. A war is approaching, and we need to be ready.”

  CHAPTER 10

  Reece

  I’d been a nervous wreck all day, and rightly so. I was about to take my entire world and turn it completely upside down, destroying everything I’d worked for—again. I knew this. I knew it without a doubt, and yet I didn’t have a choice. It was time to tell Jackson that he had a son. He deserved to know the truth, even if it meant losing him. I had fallen for him years ago, and even after all this time, I was still just as crazy about him. It made my heart ache to think about hurting Jackson. I knew he wouldn’t be able to forgive me, not for something like this, and it filled me with dread as I drove over to the Satan’s Fury clubhouse. I tried to prepare myself for what I would say, but I had no idea how to tell the man I loved that I’d kept his son away from him for the last twenty-one months. There were no right words that could explain something so wrong. Throw in the fact that the father of my child could be a criminal, a murderous criminal, and I was up for a great date night.

  It was right at four when I pulled up to the gate. A man with a Satan’s Fury cut walked over to my car, and when I rolled down the window, he asked, “Can I help you with something?”

  “Yes. I’m here to see Jackson Reed.”

  “Jackson?” he asked, sounding surprised. “You mean Riggs?”

  The man from the night before had asked the same question, so I answered, “Uh …Yes. He’s expecting me.”

  “All right. Pull up to the front, and I’ll let him know you’re here.”

  I nodded as I drove forward, and I’d barely gotten parked when Jackson came out of the front door. As always, he looked smoking hot. His dark hair was still damp from his shower, and he was wearing a pair of faded jeans and his black leather jacket with a fitted, white t-shirt underneath. When I got out of my car, he smiled and said, “Hey there, beautiful. You ready to go?”

  “Yes and no,” I stammered. “There’s something I need to talk to you about.”

  “I’ll tell you what … Let’s get to where we’re going, and you can tell me anything you need to.”

  “But …”

  Ignoring my resistance, he reached for my hand and led me over to his motorcycle. He offered me a helmet, and the next thing I knew, I was on the back of his bike with my arms wrapped around his waist. Damn. I curs
ed myself for not making him listen to me, but he wasn’t exactly making it easy. He smelled so good, felt so good, and just being close to him made it hard to think. By the time I realized what was happening, he already started the engine and was pulling out of the club’s parking lot. Seconds later, I felt the wind whipping around me as we drove down an old country road. I could see why Jackson loved riding like he did. It was a beautiful fall afternoon, and with all the leaves changing colors, it wasn’t long before I’d gotten caught up in the ride myself.

  About thirty minutes later, he pulled up to a long gravel road, and as we drove forward, I noticed a beautiful red barn ahead of us. Behind it were miles of rolling hills lined with trees and a huge log-cabin-style house nestled in the center. “Where are we?”

  “Critten Farms. A friend of mine owns the place.”

  Once we parked, I got off the bike and asked, “So, what are we doing here?”

  After laying his leather jacket across the seat of his bike, he smiled and reached for my hand. “You’ll see.”

  We entered the rustic barn and inside was older man with two beautiful Tennessee walking horses waiting for us. Jackson walked over to shake his hand, and the older man smiled and said, “Good to see you, Jackson. It’s been too long.”

  “Yes, sir, it has. Looks like the place is doing well.”

  “Things are picking up. You know how it is. Fall is always a big time of year for us.” The man looked over to me and smiled, “Who’s the pretty lady?”

  “This is Reece Winters. She’s the one I was telling you about.”

  “You were right, she is beautiful.” He extended his hand as he said, “I’m Ross Richards, an old family friend of Jackson’s.”

  “It’s really nice to meet you, Ross,” I replied and shook his hand.

  “Well, I won’t keep you two.” He handed Jackson the reins to the horses and added, “Y’all have a nice ride.”

  “Thanks, man. We’ll be back in a couple of hours.”