by Wilder, L.
“I just can’t believe it. Alé is right here in Memphis … My mother won’t know what to think.”
“I’m sure Alex will be glad to see you both. She’s been on her own for a long time. Having her family back is going to mean a lot to her.”
“It’ll mean a lot to me, too.”
I was so shocked about my cousin that I almost forget why I’d brought up the article in the first place. I glanced over at Jackson, and my chest tightened with apprehension. Now that I knew there was an actual connection between Jackson and my uncle, I was even more nervous that he might have had something to with his death—that he truly was the person on the surveillance video. Needing to know for sure, I reached for my purse and as I took out my phone, I said, “I need to show you something.”
“Okay.”
I pulled up the video and once it started playing, I handed him the phone. His face was completely void of expression as he started watching the video. “What is this?”
“Just watch.” I waited for it to finish then asked, “Is that you?”
“Who?”
“The guy in the parking lot.”
His brows furrowed as he asked, “What makes you think that’s me?”
“You didn’t answer my question, Jackson. Is that you?” When he didn’t immediately answer, I knew it would take some pushing to get him to talk. “You know, I can remember the night we met like it was yesterday. I’ve replayed it in my head a million times over the past couple of years. I can remember what you were wearing. The way you wore your hair. Even the scent of your cologne. You were so incredibly handsome. I couldn’t believe you were interested in me, much less that you were actually nervous … then you did this thing with your lighter.”
“Yeah, and?”
I took my phone from him, and after I got it to the place where I’d seen him in the parking lot, I handed it back to him and said, “You kept striking it over and over. I remember you calling it a ‘nervous habit.’”
He silently watched the video for a second time, and once it was done playing he looked over to me and said, “I don’t know what you’re expecting me to say here, Reece. This video doesn’t—”
“I want you to say that it isn’t you on this video! I want you to say that you didn’t kill Rodrigo and tried to cover it up by setting that fire.”
“I didn’t kill Navarro, but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t have if I’d gotten the chance. You were right when you said he was a bad man, and as far as I’m concerned, he got what was coming to him.”
“So, this isn’t you in the video, and you had nothing to do with his death?”
“You’re asking me questions that I can’t answer.”
“It’s a simple question, Jackson.”
“I’ve already said too much when I told you I didn’t kill Navarro. That’s all you need to know,” he barked.
“But—”
“You’re not listening, Reece,” he warned. Jackson ran his hand over his face as he let out a deep, frustrated breath. “You’re walking a fine line with all this, a line that should never be crossed under any circumstances.”
“Does this have something to do with your club? Is that why you can’t tell me what’s going on, because I know something is going on, Jackson. I’m not stupid. If my uncle was coming after Alejandra and she was your friend’s ol’ lady, then he would’ve done something to stop him from hurting her.”
“Leave it, Reece.”
“I can’t just leave it, Jackson. That’s not who I am!” I argued.
“You don’t have a choice with this.”
“Why not? This is my family we’re talking about. I deserve to know the truth.”
“Reece,” he warned again.
“This Shadow guy … He’s the one who killed my uncle, right?” When I saw the look of determination on his face, I knew he wasn’t going to answer. “Just forget it! It’s not like you’d tell me even if he did.”
“You’re right about that.”
I stood up with an aggravated huff and started pacing back and forth. “Well, I guess all those rumors about the men of Satan’s Fury are true.”
“Some of ’em, but not all,” he said, his words clipped.
I threw my hands up in the air as I grumbled, “Well, that’s reassuring.”
“Look, I know it may not be easy, especially since I haven’t given you much reason to, but you’re just gonna have to trust me, Reece.” He reached for my hand and pulled me towards him as he continued, “You’re gonna have to trust that I’m going to be there for you and Tate, to know in your heart that I’ll do whatever it takes to protect you both. I’ll put my life on the line to keep the two of you safe. I give you my word on that, and my brothers will do the same.”
“Why would your brothers care what happens to me or Tate?”
“Because I care what happens to you.” He continued, “These men are my family, Reece. A family that’s joined not by blood, not marriage, but by choice. There’s nothing they wouldn’t do for me. Hell, any one of them would take a bullet for me, and they know I’d do the same for them.”
“This whole club thing is scary, Jackson. I don’t know if I can handle it.”
“You can handle it, Reece. Hell, you can handle anything you put your mind to. I just need you to give this thing a chance.”
“And if I can’t?”
“You can.” He stood up to face me, and as he towered over me, I found myself leaning towards him as he whispered, “Two days. Two days was all it took for me to fall for you and spending the last two years without you was torture. I’m not going through that again. Now that I have you back, I’m not letting you go. I can’t. I’m a selfish bastard, and I just don’t have it in me to walk away, so we’re just gonna have to find a way to handle it together.”
He looked at me with so much emotion and such longing that I could feel it all the way to my bones. I wanted to fight it, but I couldn’t resist the pull towards him. Like Jackson, I wanted to hold on to what we shared. I wasn’t ready to let it go, so I answered, “Okay.”
“Trust your heart, Reece.” His arms snaked around my waist, holding me firmly against him as he leaned forward and briefly kissed me. I could feel the warmth of his breath as he said, “You’re it for me, Reece Winters. You were back then, and you still are today.”
“Call me crazy, but I feel the same way about you.”
Before he had a chance to respond, I rested the palms of my hands on his chest and lifted up on my tiptoes as I pressed my mouth against his, kissing him softly. A light whimper escaped my lips when his grip around my waist tightened. His tongue delved deeper, and what started out as a soft and tender kiss, quickly turned heated. His hands were strong and demanding as they pulled me closer, flooding my entire body with an all-consuming desire. I wanted him more than I thought possible. I was hanging on by a thread, and just as I was about to come completely undone, he pulled back, quickly breaking our embrace. His green eyes danced with lust as they locked on mine. He lifted his hand up to my mouth, gently brushing the pad of his thumb against my bottom lip as he said, “We still have things we need to talk about.”
“We do?”
“Yeah, we do.”
“Okay, then. What do you want to talk about?”
He reached for my hand, and just as we were about to sit down, his cell phone started to ring, stopping him dead in his tracks. He reached into his pocket, and a fierce look crossed his face when he glanced down at the screen. “I’m sorry, but I’ve gotta take this.”
I stood silently as he answered, “Yeah?”
There was a brief pause, and then my heart sank when I heard him reply, “I’m on my way.”
As soon as he hung up the phone, he looked over to me and said, “Damn. I really hate to do this, but something’s come up, and I’ve gotta go.”
“I heard. Is everything okay?”
“No, but it will be.”
“Okay, then.” With a playful smirk, I told him, “I guess you’ll have to
show me how crazy I make you some other time.”
“You can count on that.” He pressed his lips against mine, kissing me tenderly before he said, “I don’t know how long this will take, but I’ll call you as soon as I can. If you need me before then, just give me a shout.”
“Okay.”
“Get some rest.”
He kissed me once more, and then he was gone. For several seconds, I just stood in the living room staring at the closed door as I thought about all the things he said to me. I had no idea how he did it, but he managed to make everything sound so simple, so easy, but deep down, I knew nothing about this was going to be easy, especially when there were so many things he wouldn’t or couldn’t tell me. I wanted to do what he said and just trust him, but I’d never been good at trusting anyone. It was one of the reasons why I was so good at my job. I kept digging until I got the story, the whole story, and I didn’t think I had it in me to just walk away from my article, not when there were still so many unknowns. It was something I would need to really think about, so I decided to go check on Tate and sleep on it. He was still out like a light, so I went to my room and crawled into bed. Just as I was about to turn out the nightstand lamp, I heard my cell phone ringing. Hoping that it might be Jackson, I rushed into the living room to answer it.
“Hello?”
“Reece? Is everything okay?”
“Hi, Myles,” I answered, trying to hide my disappointment. “Yes, everything’s fine. Why?”
“You said that you would call to set up our next meeting, so I got concerned when I didn’t hear anything from you today.”
“Oh, I’m sorry about that. Things got a little hectic around here today, and I lost track of time.”
“I definitely know how that can be.” He paused for a minute, then said, “I’ve been thinking about something.”
“Yeah? What about?”
“I think we should go back to see that Jason guy tomorrow,” he suggested. “I think he knows more than he’s letting on, and with a little push, we might be able to get him to talk.”
“I think that’s a great idea. When do you want to go?”
“Why don’t we meet over there in the morning … say around seven?”
“Sure, I can do that.”
“Great. I’ll see you then.”
After I hung up the phone, I went back to my room and started to feel a little apprehensive as I got back into bed. I couldn’t stop thinking about what Jackson had said about me putting myself in danger. I could tell that he was concerned, especially about Tate’s and my safety, and I felt certain that he wouldn’t approve of my decision to move forward with my article. Yet somehow, I managed to convince myself that he was most likely over-worrying, and that I would proceed with the utmost vigilance. Unfortunately, I was wrong. My decision to go back to Jason’s apartment would set my life on a course of destruction, changing my life in ways I couldn’t begin to fathom. Had I known what was coming, I might’ve listened more carefully to Jackson’s warning.
CHAPTER 13
Riggs
I learned a long time ago that being on top comes at a price. A fool might think that it’s a position easy to maintain, and they couldn’t be more wrong. When you stand at the top of the mountain, there’s always someone who wants to bring you down, rip you apart limb from limb, and devour you whole. To maintain your position, you have to stand tall, have eyes in the back of your head, and always be ready to face your enemies head on. When they try to take you out, give them a fight they’ll never fucking forget. Over the years, Satan’s Fury had encountered many adversaries. Some have been bigger than others, but we’d dealt with all of them the same way. We were fucking one percenters, and when it was all said and done, we didn’t just remain standing—we towered above all others. The city of Memphis was Satan’s Fury’s territory, and nobody, not even someone as powerful as Josue Navarro, was going to take that away from us. We’d face him with the same relentless drive and unflinching determination that we’d used to destroy all those before him and make him regret that he’d ever stepped foot on our turf. After my conversation with Reece, I was looking forward to bringing Navarro to his knees, so much so, that I didn’t complain when I had to leave her apartment in order to meet up with Blaze and Murph.
As instructed, Gunner and T-Bone had been keeping eyes on Navarro and his crew, and when they spotted them heading down towards their SUVs, they called Gus to let him know that they were on the move. Gus had one of his gut feelings and ordered Blaze and me to meet up with them at Navarro’s hotel. I wasn’t exactly thrilled about leaving Reece in the middle of our conversation, but if it meant getting that much closer to Navarro, it would be worth it. I was ready to end this shit with him and was willing to do just about anything to make that happen. It was after eleven when I came up on T-Bone’s SUV at the rear entrance of the Peabody. I pulled up next to them, and as soon as I was parked, I went over and got in the backseat with Blaze. “Any word?”
“Navarro just got in the limo to your left. He’s got three men with him, and two more parked behind him in the black BMW.”
“Any idea where they’re headed?”
“Not a clue.” When he noticed the limo pulling out of the parking lot, Blaze nodded his head forward and said, “But we’re about to find out.”
Once both vehicles made their way to the end of the street, T-Bone eased out onto the road and followed behind them, making sure to keep a safe distance between us. After we crossed several blocks, T-Bone announced, “Looks like they’re headed to the industrial part of town.”
I felt unsettled as I watched the taillights turn down Russell Street, a road that had become all too familiar a couple months back when Josue’s brother sent some of their associates, the Culebras, to Memphis to set up a high-tech meth lab at the old paper mill. They might’ve actually pulled it off if they hadn’t tried to wipe out any and all competitors in the area, including us. They blew up our garage and shot up our diner, killing two of our brothers in the process. Our thirst for revenge was at an all-time high, and after discovering that the Culebras were behind the attack, we set our sights on taking them out. The assholes never saw us coming, and by the time we were done with them, there was nothing left of their gang or their fucking meth lab.
When we noticed that Josue’s limo was slowing down, we killed the lights and pulled back, hiding our vehicle between two large, metal cargo carriers. We all sat in silence as we watched Josue and his men drive past the paper mill and up to what looked to be an abandoned warehouse at the end of the road. Blaze leaned towards the window as he whispered, “What the hell are they doing?”
“Maybe Josue is looking for a new place to set up shop,” T-Bone suggested.
“No.” I shook my head as I replied, “He’s not looking. Check out the front entrance. The motherfucker’s already set up shop.”
“What are you talking about, brother?” Gunner asked. “I don’t see shit.”
I leaned forward, and as I pointed to the new cameras mounted above the front door, I said, “He’s already installed a new security system.”
“Damn.” As he looked closer, he announced, “He’s got the place covered with them.”
“Yep.”
“So, what does that mean?”
“It means he’s planning on being here for a while, but that shit isn’t gonna happen,” I answered.
“What are we gonna do about it?” T-Bone asked.
“For now, we’re gonna keep an eye on them and see what he’s up to.”
I’d barely gotten the words out of my mouth when another black BMW pulled up to the warehouse. Two men stepped out and walked over to the back of the car. None of us spoke as we watched them pull a blindfolded man out of the trunk. His hands were bound behind him, and he was struggling to walk as they led him inside the warehouse. Once they were no longer in view, T-Bone asked, “Who the fuck is that?”
“Hard to tell with the blindfold, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen him
before,” Blaze answered.
T-Bone looked over to me and said, “From the looks of it, he’s in for a rough night.”
“You’re right about that.” Everything was dark, making it impossible to see what was going on inside the warehouse so I said, “We need to get closer.”
“How the hell are we gonna do that? They’ve got the place covered with cameras, and you don’t have your computer to shut them down.”
As much as I hated to admit it, he was right. We had no choice but to sit there and wait. And wait we did. We waited for hours and hours as they did God knows what to the blindfolded stranger. It was almost eight in the morning before they all came barreling out of that warehouse. There was no sign of their guest as Navarro barked out orders to his men. As soon as he was done talking, they piled into their vehicles and pulled out of the parking lot. I patted T-Bone on the shoulder and announced, “They’re on the move. Let’s get ready to roll.”
He gave me a quick nod and cranked the engine. As soon as they were a good distance away, T-Bone pulled out and started following them back towards downtown. He did his best to keep his tail, but it wasn’t easy. We were trying to remain unnoticed by Navarro and his men while following them through fucking rush hour traffic in a city that had a population of over a million people. Even with all of us watching, all barking orders to stay in this lane or turn left at the light, T-Bone wasn’t able to stay on him, and we lost him in the mass of traffic. He slammed his hand against the steering wheel as he shouted, “Goddamn it! We lost them!”
“Just stay on Popular for a little longer. Maybe we’ll run up on them,” Blaze suggested.
After several miles, it was clear that they’d gotten away from us. Knowing we had to track them down fast, I turned to T-Bone and said, “Head over to the clubhouse. I need my fucking laptop.”
“You got it, brother.”
The SUV lurched forward as T-Bone pressed his foot against the accelerator, making us all shift in our seats as he soared through a red light. Horns were blowing, and people were shouting as we held on for dear life. Thankfully, we made it to the clubhouse in one piece, but Gunner was clearly rattled as he muttered, “Damn, brother. I’m pretty sure we were almost hit back there … twice.”