Cooper Construction Series Box Set

by Jen Davis

  Her father tsked at her words. “Such language. Your pet thug is back in your life for a couple of weeks, and you already sound like you’re rolling around in the gutter.”

  “The vilest man I’ve ever been with is the one you set me up with, Dad. Only, I guess it doesn’t really matter if the guy can do something for you, right?”

  His lip curled. “You do not want to talk about Nathan with me. The stunt you pulled last night could set back my gubernatorial run for years—if it’s not derailed forever.”

  Like always, his eye was on the prize. “I don’t care about your run for governor. In fact, this state would probably be better off with someone who’s not willing to sell their own child for a networking connection.” She held up her hand to stop whatever he’d been about to say. “But I didn’t come here to talk about your political future. Let’s be real: you and I, there is no relationship left. I only came here to get the video you’ve been holding over my head. Give it to me and we can go our separate ways.”

  He laughed, and menace poured off him. “I should have known. The Hale boy again. Tell me, my recalcitrant daughter, why on earth would I ever give you my ace in the hole?”

  She pulled the small handgun from her purse. Time to bluff. “Because I’m asking you nicely.”

  Her father rolled his eyes. “I’m supposed to be afraid of you? As if you would shoot me if I didn’t cooperate with your demands.”

  She didn’t think it would work; her father never took the easy route. “No. You’re right.” She didn’t turn, but she heard the footsteps enter the room behind her, and her father’s eyes widened in response. “I wouldn’t shoot you, but they would.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  Kane

  Kane stepped up to Mandy’s side, his father and friends filling the space behind him. She’d executed her part of the plan perfectly. Now, seeing the fear in her father’s eyes satisfied him more than he’d imagined.

  Of course, he’d seen Beau Griffin over the years; the man was the mayor. He was on TV all the time, and that wasn’t counting all the billboards and flyers junking up his mailbox. In person, Mandy’s father looked smaller than he remembered. Deep circles shadowed under his eyes, and his usually perfect hair looked like he’d been pulling it in different directions.

  This small man had ruined his life. Stolen his love. Killed his brother.

  He barely recognized the deep, gravelly voice coming from his own mouth. “You think I’m a thug. You can thank yourself for that.” He moved closer, and Beau shrank back. “Thanks to you, I’m a killer. Thanks to you, I have a reason to seek revenge. So, tell me, Mr. Mayor, do you think I’m bluffing?”

  Mandy’s dad swallowed, swept his eyes over the room, then seemed to find his courage. He stood a little taller. “I don’t have it.”

  “Bullshit,” he barked.

  “Check the house if you don’t believe me.” The man sounded all practiced and smooth again. “Look anywhere you want. There’s nothing to find.”

  Malcolm put his hand on Kane’s shoulder. “Take him up on it. Look for hidden safes, especially in his bedroom. I’ll stay here with Mr. Griffin and talk father to father.”

  He wanted to argue, but the truth was, Malcolm hadn’t just lost a brother in all of this; he’d lost a son. If he wanted to have it out with Mandy’s dad, he deserved the chance. “Okay. Mandy, can you show us where to start?”

  She clearly didn’t like it, and she didn’t try to hide it, but she also didn’t argue. “Yeah. I have a couple of ideas, but we really need to go through the computers. Chances are, it’s stored digitally somewhere.” She took his hand. “He has a safe in his room upstairs. I know the combination.”

  ***

  Brick

  From his hidden location in the hollow space behind the study wall, Brick watched Amanda lead Kane and his club buddies out of the room. Only Kane and his girl knew he was here. His job was to watch and record everything he saw, in case they could catch her dad in an unguarded moment they could use against him. Well, if Kane’s father didn’t kill the guy first.

  It would be one way to solve the problem.

  Violence and death had been part of Brick’s world for years, so it wasn’t really a shocking proposition, especially since the man had set up his own daughter to be hurt. Low, even for the worst kind of sleazebag. The problem would be in covering it up. The mayor was a high-profile guy. His disappearance would be very noticeable, and after what happened yesterday, his connection to Kane was a matter of public record. No—there was no way to get rid of him quietly.

  Malcolm’s voice broke him out of his thoughts. “You’ve made trouble for my club for years, and I’ve let it go to avoid an all-out war. Harassment from the cops. Permits rejected. Bank loans denied. But this? There is no ignoring this. I should kill you right now and be done with it.”

  Beau scoffed. “You’ll do no such thing. I stuck to our agreement to the letter.”

  “Our agreement,” Malcolm hissed, “never said anything about you getting my son killed.”

  Brick’s jaw dropped open.

  “You and I both wanted our children away from each other. It’s the entire reason you set up the video sting on your own son and sent it to me.”

  From his small peephole, Brick watched Beau pick up the leather chair from the floor and settle into it. “It worked like a charm. Your son joined your gang, and my daughter moved on to run a business. But you and I both know there is no cop to testify to the veracity of the video. It wouldn’t stand up for a second in court. So why are you here? Because of your oldest?”

  Malcolm braced his hands on the arms of the chair and put his face less than an inch in front of Beau’s. “You’re damn right because of my oldest. You’re the reason he’s dead.”

  Beau shrugged. “Not true. He’s dead because your club was foolish enough to cross a Russian syndicate.”

  “You are the one who tipped them off.” Spittle flew from Malcolm’s mouth as he hissed.

  Beau wiped a droplet from his cheek with his thumb. “David Bennett tipped them off. And frankly, even if he hadn’t, it was only a matter of time before they found out. Even you must see it.”

  “You can’t weasel out of this, Beau. You know what you did, and so do I.”

  “But the kids don’t.” Beau’s face broke out in a satisfied smile. “Your son has no idea you orchestrated everything that pushed him into your precious biker gang.”

  “We. We orchestrated it. Don’t act like you’re blameless.”

  The mayor shook his head. “But they already hate me. You can still play the injured party. Unless I tell the truth.”

  “And what does the truth get you? No leverage over your daughter—”

  “That ship has sailed,” he growled.

  Malcolm made a show of cracking his knuckles. “But if you were to just disappear, it would be a win-win. My son would never know the truth. I get justice for Scott’s death, and the whole fucking world would be rid of you.”

  Beau rolled his eyes. “How many witnesses saw you come in here? I’m the goddamn mayor of the city. You think no one would notice if I stopped coming to work one day? You think no one would wonder what a crew of dirty bikers was doing at my home the last time anyone saw me? Even you aren’t so stupid, Mal.”

  “It would be worth it,” Malcolm whispered. “To wipe the smug smile off your face.”

  “You’re not going to kill me,” Beau waved him off. “All we have to do is agree to walk out of here with the same story. I let you take a shot at me—maybe a shiner—for show, and I give you a copy of the video on a flash drive. We say it’s the only copy, and you’ve threatened to kill me if I’m lying. You walk away a hero, and I wash my hands of the whole thing.”

  “And Scott? What about justice for my son?”

  Beau folded his arms. “I guess you forfeited justice when you made a deal with the devil.”

  “I hate you,” Malcolm seethed.

  “Get in line.” Bea
u flipped open his laptop and punched a few buttons. He pulled a flash drive out of a drawer and in minutes handed it over to Malcolm. “Call them back.” He stood and pointed to his cheek. “But first, make it look convincing.” He grinned. “Here’s your big chance.”

  Malcolm didn’t hesitate. Rearing back, he clocked Beau so hard the man stumbled back. Then he pulled out his phone, presumably to call back the cavalry.

  Kane and his girl were the first ones back in the room. Malcolm held up the flash drive. “I’ve got it. Let’s get out of here.”

  Amanda wrinkled her forehead. “Just like that? What if he has another copy?”

  Malcolm snarled. “Then he knows I’ll kill him. Right, Mr. Mayor?”

  Beau nodded in such apparent misery he deserved an Academy Award.

  Without waiting for anyone to agree, Kane’s father stomped out the door.

  Amanda linked her hand with Kane’s and shot her dad an inscrutable look. “He really will kill you, you know. Kane is the only child he has left. Meanwhile, you have none. We are finished, Beau. Good luck with your run for governor. You’ll understand if you don’t get my vote.”

  ***

  Amanda

  Kane rode back to Amanda’s condo in her car. He’d come in on the back of his friend’s bike. It was a quiet drive; they both had a lot to process.

  When they finally got inside her place, she was all too happy to change into some fresh clothes before offering to make them both lunch.

  Kane flashed her a small smile. “I’m still getting used to the idea you can cook. But let me do it. I need to take care of you.”

  He laid out the roast beef, mayo, and bread on the counter and began assembling their meal.

  “What now?” Her voice didn’t sound quite as casual as she would have liked, but it would have to do.

  “What do you mean?” Carefully, he smeared the bread with a thin layer of mayonnaise, then piled the shaved meat on top.

  “The danger to your club is over. You’ve got your revenge. We’ve got the video. So now what? For us? For you?”

  He put the top layer of bread on the sandwich and handed her a plate.

  She carried it to the table and sat down.

  “You’re asking about the club.” He stayed standing at the counter and took a bite of his food. His shoulders hunched. “The million-dollar question, isn’t it?” He bit into his sandwich again and chewed, a blank expression on his face. “I know how you feel about it. Part of me feels the same way. Even with the shit your dad pulled, he couldn’t have done it if we hadn’t given him the means ourselves.”

  She knew it was risky to ask about club business. It would be so easy to keep filling her mouth with food rather than cross the invisible line into MC territory. But either they were past this or they weren’t. She opened her mouth to ask for more information, but Kane beat her to the punch.

  He sighed. “The club is involved in some bad shit, babe. Guns. Drugs. Hell, we even did a murder for hire once.”

  Her stomach dropped.

  “Not me. I mean, I didn’t kill anyone for money. But I did kill the man who killed my brother. He’s the only one. You need to understand, and you need to be sure it’s something you can live with if we’re going to make this work.”

  She didn’t examine it too closely, but she could understand it.

  After her nod, he continued. “I want to go straight. I want to marry you and be a part of your family.” His cheeks darkened. “I want to have children with you and be the kind of dad our kids can respect and look up to.”

  “I want the same thing,” she whispered.

  “But how can I turn my back on my family right now?” He rubbed his eyes as he took the chair across from her. “My parents have already lost one son. If I patch out, it’s like losing another.”

  Amanda shook her head. The whole line of reasoning was stupid. “Only if they choose to. It’s on them.”

  He lifted one shoulder. “Maybe. I get where you’re coming from. But the code is the code. To them, I’d be the one abandoning them, not the other way around.” Pushing his plate away, he laced his fingers on the table in front of him. “It’s not only my parents, either, it’s also my friends. Cue Ball and Frank have been there for me more times than I can count. Walking away, I’m kicking them when they’re down.”

  She got up to pour two glasses of iced tea, then rejoined Kane at the table. “I don’t have the answers, baby. If those guys took care of you when I wasn’t there, I’m grateful to them. If you love them, I don’t want you to lose them. You know what I think of the club, but I can’t tell you what to do. It has to be your decision.”

  They both started when his phone buzzed on the table. He glanced at the screen. “Brick wants to talk to us. Do you mind if he comes over?”

  Brick. He was a friend she could get on board with. He had a sketchy history too, but by all accounts, he’d turned his life around and got engaged to a school teacher he was crazy about. “It’s fine. He’s always welcome here.”

  She called down to alert the doorman, and within minutes, Brick’s heavy knock sounded at the door.

  Kane ushered him in with a pat on the back. “Thanks again for helping out this morning, especially since you had to stuff yourself in such a tiny space for nothing.” He hadn’t had a chance to speak to his friend at all after Malcolm secured the video.

  Brick rubbed at the back of his neck. “I wouldn’t say it was for nothing. You learn a lot when no one knows you’re listening.” He gestured to the couch. “You’d better sit down, man. This isn’t going to be easy to hear.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  Kane

  Kane hadn’t been inside a hospital since he’d been stabbed all those years ago. Northside hadn’t changed much in the time since. The smell, especially, threatened to take him back to one of the worst nights in his life. A pungent mix of antiseptic and death.

  He’d successfully avoided returning like the plague, but the conversation he needed to have couldn’t wait until his friend was discharged.

  Frank was already in Cue Ball’s room when Kane came in. “I heard everything went smoothly with your old lady’s father yesterday. I’m happy for you.”

  Cue grunted. “You’re really back with Mandy Griffin?” He shook his head. “How the hell did you end up there? She tossed you out like hot garbage.”

  He settled into the seat next to Frank on the left side of the bed. “It wasn’t what it seemed. She thought she was protecting me, but the whole thing was a set-up. One my dad and hers came up with together to keep us apart.”

  Frank frowned. “Your dad? You’re saying Malcolm and the fucking mayor were working together just to make you break up with your girlfriend? You’ve got to know how ridiculous you sound.”

  “I heard them talking about it. My buddy recorded the whole thing. My dad told Scott to bring me along the day everything went down with the apartment fire.” His fingers pressed hard into the wooden arms of the chair. “He fucking set it up so Mandy thought she was protecting me from prosecution for being there.”

  Cue groaned as he adjusted to face him more fully. “Why? Why would he?”

  “Isn’t it obvious?” Frank growled. “It’s the only reason Kane joined the club. He got fucked-up, he lost his girl, and we were there to put him back together again.” His friend faced him. “You were never going to patch in. It was all about college and getting married.” Frank closed his eyes. “Fuck.”

  Cue Ball shook his head. “Her dad is the same guy who brought the Russians to our front door. He’s the reason I’m in here…the reason Scott is dead. And Malcolm was working with him?”

  He nodded. “Before, yeah. And keeping it a secret is why he’s not pushing for revenge now.” He put his hand on Cue’s shoulder. “You know how much you guys mean to me. You’re my brothers. I couldn’t love you more if we were related by blood.”

  Frank sighed. “You’re patching out.”

  Cue scowled. “No, he’s—
Kane?”

  “I am.”

  His friends looked stricken. Tubes stuck in his hands, Cue rubbed tiredly over his bald head. Frank dropped his head into his hands.

  “My father manipulated my entire life to get me into this club. I can’t live with that. I don’t want to sell drugs or guns; I never did, and you guys know it. My future is with Mandy. I want her to be my wife and the mother of my kids. This isn’t the life I want; it never was.”

  “I get it,” Frank said softly and looked up. “What your dad did was all kinds of fucked up. But the rest of us…we never betrayed you. You’d walk away from all of us?”

  “I don’t want to.” He banged his head against the back of the chair. “I want to keep you both in my life. Fuck, my mom, too. But you are the ones who have to decide what the code means to you. I know what my mom’s going to say, and it breaks my heart. Still, I’ve got to try, here, with you. I’m trying to tell you I want you both to be part of my future. But as for the club, as of today, I’m patching out.”

  Cue flinched. “You need to go now, brother.”

  Frank stared at his boots.

  He respected his friend’s wishes. “I’ll always be your brother, man.” His heart in his throat, he walked out of the room. His next stop wouldn’t go any better.

  ***

  The clubhouse had returned to its regular condition when Kane arrived. Someone had replaced the broken window and patched the bullet holes in the walls.

  He found his parents together at the kitchen table, an open box of Papa John’s between them. Mama V greeted him with a watery smile. “Hey, KC. Want to join your daddy and me for some pizza?”

  Wordlessly, he dropped his cut on the table next to the box.