by Hope Stone
“Of course not,” Moves said. “And I’m with you, it’s just a lot to take in.”
I sighed. “A lot to take in” was the understatement of the year.
“I’m not saying you should take her back or forgive her or whatever,” Moves said. “I’m just saying that giving her the relevant information would be a good way to end this whole shitshow quickly. Then you can move on.”
The idea of moving on seemed so ludicrous to me that I almost laughed aloud. Moves had a point though. If we moved against Las Balas, it wouldn’t be pretty. But if we pushed Claire and her contacts to move against them, those teens actually stood a chance.
“I know she hurt you,” Moves said. “And I hate that you had to go through this, but maybe you need to deal with this first, and then we can get drunk, ok?”
I managed a small laugh at that. Moves always had a plan, even if it was flimsy. “I’ll call her.”
The phone rang out. It wasn’t surprising, but something didn’t sit right. Of course, I had left her furious and crying, so it made sense that she wouldn’t pick up. I told myself that as I typed out a text:
We need to talk about your investigation.
Moves and I are pretty sure we know where the missing kids are.
It was a pretty measly message, considering everything that had gone down. Yet I didn’t know what else to say. I longed to apologize for what I had said earlier, but my pride wouldn’t let me. And no matter what, I couldn’t apologize over text. Moves was right, I had to deal with the most pressing issue first.
Five minutes later, Claire had not responded to the message.
“Something’s off,” I muttered.
“What do you mean?” Moves said. “Give her some time.”
He was lounging in a chair and playing on his own phone. I couldn’t stop walking back and forth. “You don’t understand. Claire – she’s obsessed with this case, she would have responded by now, if just for the information.”
Moves looked up. “She could be in the shower.”
I couldn’t even respond to his weak attempt to come up with an excuse.
“Maybe I should go to her place,” I muttered.
Moves was about to answer when we heard footsteps pounding across the barroom. A moment later, the door swung open to reveal Kim, her helmet under her arm. She was breathing heavy.
“Thank God you’re here,” she said. “I need back-up, Claire’s in trouble.”
My heart stopped. Moves was on his feet and grabbing his helmet and jacket in an instant.
“What happened?” My voice was cold and foreign. It didn’t sound like it belonged to me.
“Not sure, but she’s been on a case, and she went into Las Balas territory tonight,” Kim said. “She told her partner she was headed to Fisherman’s Wharf and left my number just in case, but her partner called me to say Claire hasn’t responded to her texts in almost twenty minutes.”
All in a rush, my heart started pounding again. If Claire had walked into Fisherman’s Wharf, that meant she was a few steps ahead of us. Somehow she had figured out that Las Balas were behind this.
It also meant she was in trouble.
“I told her to stay out of it,” I hissed, even as I grabbed my helmet from Moves and headed for the door.
“Look, I don’t know what went down between you two,” Kim said. “But the way I see it, you just let your woman wander into the lion’s den unprotected.”
We all headed to the door. Kim could lecture me all she wanted, but we knew we were going to move as a unit. We had no choice.
“Hey, Kim, back off,” Moves said. “He’s hurting.”
“Whatever,” Kim snapped. “All I know is Claire had my back, now I need to have hers.”
We jumped onto our bikes and were roaring across town. We had to get to Fisherman’s Wharf before something bad happened. Although if Claire hadn’t texted Veronica back, something bad might have already happened. Claire had explained how she and Veronica had a system during cases. They always told each other where they were and agreed to stay in constant contact.
I revved my engine and urged my bike to go faster. I didn’t know why Claire had gone to Fisherman’s Wharf. She must have been telling the truth when she said that she no longer suspected Outlaw Souls. Then she must have done some more digging and put two and two together. Somehow she had figured out their headquarters. And, of course, she had waltzed right in. Because she was Claire, and she would do whatever it took to solve a case.
And I had only pushed her in that direction when I accused her of being bad at her job. When I had refused to listen to her. I should have at least listened. She had hurt me, and I knew what she had done was wrong, but I hadn’t been faking anything. My feelings for her were real, and I couldn’t stop caring about her. So I should have made sure she was ok.
But now I could pay the ultimate price.
Las Balas were unpredictable. They were led by Wreck, a biker with a dark past and a cruel sense of humor. If they somehow figured out who Claire was, they would be ruthless.
They must have figured it out. That was the only explanation for why she had not responded to Veronica’s messages.
I ground my teeth underneath my helmet as we sped closer and closer to Fisherman’s Wharf. I didn’t have the time to dwell over what had happened this morning. I could only think about one thing, and it was making sure Claire was safe.
And if she wasn’t, I was going to tear Las Balas limb from limb until she was.
Twenty-Six
Claire
“I wanna make a deal,” I said.
Wreck had returned to the back room after about twenty minutes. I didn’t know what he had been doing, but I prayed he hadn’t reached out to Pin yet.
Pin was good. Too good for me, that was for sure. No matter how much Pin hated me, he wouldn’t stand by if he knew Las Balas had me. He would do the honorable thing, no matter the cost. I couldn’t live with that. So I had to negotiate myself out of this before Pin was sucked into the mess.
Wreck raised his brow and looked down at where I sat, arms and legs crossed. “Honey, you don’t exactly have a winning hand right now.”
I bit back a retort. If he called me “honey” or “sweetheart” one more time, I was going to whip out my mace. “I have information on Outlaw Souls. And you’re more likely to get it from me than from Pin.”
Wreck paused. He grabbed a chair and dragged it across the floor until it was right across from me. He had three other bikers in the room, all men. Grace Vasquez had vanished.
Wreck sat down and leaned forward, his knees almost touching mine. I kept eye contact with him. I didn’t need him to bite on this deal. I just needed him to listen long enough for Veronica to call in the cavalry. It had been long enough, she would be concerned. I just hoped she didn’t show up alone. This situation required back-up.
“Pin pretty much hates me,” I said with a shrug. “He figured out I was using him, although he doesn’t know the details of the case.”
“That’s a funny turn of events,” Wreck said. “Because I heard from my sources that he was positively smitten with you.”
I frowned. How much did Wreck know? What had he seen? And who were his sources? If I got out of this, I would have to let Outlaw Souls know they had a mole.
Instead of letting my questions show on my face, I gave Wreck a wry smile. “After barely a week? I’m good, but I’m not that good.”
Wreck tipped back his head and laughed. The sound made my stomach curdle, but I had to play along. I had to make him believe that I didn’t care about Pin or the Outlaw Souls at all. I was just out for myself.
“So tell me, sweetheart,” Wreck said. “What exactly did you have in mind?”
I shrugged and studied my fingernails. I needed to take my time with this discussion, but not dilly-dally so much as to make Wreck suspicious. He had my phone after all. Texts from Veronica wouldn’t show on my lock screen, but if he decided to make me log in so he could do
uble-check, I was in trouble. He could make me text a fake message saying I was fine.
“I give you what I got on Outlaw Souls,” I said. “You let me go, and I’ll go find more for you. Pin wasn’t the only biker I got along with.”
Wreck snorted. I cringed on the inside at the way he assessed me. Let him think I was a slut who would sleep with anything to get what I wanted. He needed to think that.
“And how will I know you won’t go running to your PI friends or even back to Pin?” he asked.
“You don’t,” I said. “But I can give you enough dirt on Outlaw Souls here and now that the risk is worth it. Trust me.”
My mind was scrambling to come up with something juicy. I wish I knew more about the rivalry between the two clubs so I could at least think up an enticing lie.
Moves, I thought. Moves had to be one of their biggest enemies. I could tell them where he lived. A fake address since I didn’t have the real one. It was pretty messed up, but worth a try. Or I could tell them something about the accounting. I had never even glimpsed at Pin’s books, but I could make something up, surely.
“It’s an interesting proposition,” Wreck said. “But I think I have a better idea.”
I frowned. I got the sense that I didn’t want to know what “better” meant to Wreck.
“I’m just thinking how much I might enjoy spending time with you, Claire,” Wreck said. “You really are a delight.”
He touched my bare knee with the back of his finger, and it took everything in me not to shudder. So that’s how he wanted to play this? He wanted to think I would at least consider the possibility of hopping in bed with him. It made sense that Wreck needed his ego to be stroked.
“And I’m sure it would drive Pin absolutely crazy,” he said. “To see you hanging all over me.”
He was wrong there. Pin would probably think I had found my match. He would think me and Wreck were bottom-feeders who were meant for each other.
“It might.” I glanced up at Wreck from beneath my lashes and gave him a coy smile.
God, I hated this. But if it was my way out, so be it. I just hoped all I had to do was flirt. If Wreck tried to take it any further… I blocked that thought process.
Just survive the next hour. Just survive.
“Alright, sweetheart, tell me,” Wreck said. “What deep dark secret do you have on the Outlaw Souls.”
“You know Moves, right?” I asked. “He wants in on the dealing.”
The words just spilled out. That was good though, it made them sound natural. And I could tell from Wreck’s reaction that I had his attention.
“He’s straight,” one of his buddies grunted from the corner. “As straight as they come.”
“I don’t know him that well, it’s true,” I said with a little shrug. “But I imagine all that time he’s spent chasing your dealers out of Souls territory has made him hungry for a little piece of the pie.”
I hoped Moves would forgive me for maligning him with this hogwash. I could tell I had hit a note with Las Balas. It was because that was how they would think. They were greedy assholes who wanted whatever they could get, and it didn’t matter how they got it.
“I overheard him on the phone at an Outlaw Souls barbecue,” I said. “He was around the corner, but I heard him telling someone it was almost time to move product. Move it into Las Balas turf.”
They were scared of Moves, I could tell. Pin had told me what a threat Moves could be, and he was the last person Las Balas wanted as competition.
“The way I see it, you need to either eradicate him,” I said. “Or get him to join you. He could be your greatest asset or your biggest threat.”
Until that moment, I truly did not know I had the ability to spiel off such nonsense under duress. If I hadn’t been so terrified, I would have been impressed with myself.
Wreck wasn’t convinced, but he was considering it. He gave me a hard look. This time he wasn’t assessing my body in a lecherous way or teasing me. He was trying to gauge my motives. I pressed my lips together and held eye contact. “It’s awfully convenient that you just happened to overhear this information about Moves.”
Wreck was smarter than he looked. That was what made him so dangerous.
“Feel free to ignore it,” I said. “Don’t blame me when Moves takes over your whole track.”
With a snarl, Wreck surged forward until his face was inches from mine. He gripped my chin in his hand, and terror coursed through me. “I don’t like your bitchy tone, sweetheart.”
Then there was shouting from outside. Footsteps pounded on the other side of the door. The bikers in the room were instantly on high alert. I saw one slide a knife from his belt.
Unexpected visitors. Wreck gripped me even tighter, but I had to make a move, it was now or never.
I still had an arm free, and I yanked my mace out of my pocket while kicking Wreck hard in the shins. Then I took aim and sprayed, a direct hit to his eyes.
As Wreck reeled back, three things happened all at once.
First, the door burst open, revealing Pin, Moves, and Kim looking like angels of death, coming to rescue me.
Second, the other Las Balas bikers took action, two facing off against the invaders and one lurching towards me.
And third, Pin saw me.
He saw me caught between a blind but livid Wreck and a hulking Las Balas biker.
He saw me, and in that instant, I knew I was safe. I was going to make it out, and I was going to be alright. Then everything happened very fast.
I turned my mace at the other biker’s face before he could even get a good grip on my arm. Wreck was lunging at me, but Pin bowled into him from behind.
They tumbled to the ground in a mess of limbs, but thanks to my solid aim with the mace, Pin ended up on top. I wrenched myself away from the biker and scrambled over to Kim. She grabbed my hand and yanked me towards the door.
Meanwhile, Moves was making short work of the other bikers. He was something to behold. In quick abrupt movements, he dropped the one biker with a well-placed punch to the face, then moved onto the next. Every movement was precise and efficient, as if he had done the same fight over and over, every day for years.
I realized Kim was trying to pull me out of the room, but I held put. I wasn’t leaving Pin.
“Claire, we need to get out now,” Kim said.
“Not without Pin,” I said.
“Pin, enough!” Kim shrieked.
I turned to see that Pin had turned Wreck’s face into a bloody mess, but he showed no sign of slowing down. Some sort of primal rage had come over him. For me, I realized. He was protecting me.
“Pin!” I yelled.
Only then did he turn. He saw me, and the anger receded from his face. He pushed himself off Wreck and crossed the room to grip my head in his hands.
“Are you hurt?” he murmured. “Tell me if you’re hurt.”
“I’m fine,” I said. “But please, let’s leave.”
Pin circled an arm around my waist, and I knew that I never wanted him to let go.
He guided me out of the bar and into the lot. He shoved a helmet on my head, and I got on his bike behind him. Then we were off, the whole violent scene at Fisherman’s Wharf feeling like a fever dream.
I clutched Pin’s chest with everything I had in me, the air chilling my bare legs. He had come for me. Even though I had done nothing to deserve it, he had barged into enemy territory. Because he was a good man, and he did the right thing.
I knew once we were in safety, his obligation would be done. He would go back to hating me. But I couldn’t let him. I knew now that I had to fight for him. I had to try to make him understand that I hadn’t been faking. I had to let him know that I loved him.
The bikers pulled over in another lot. Blue Dog Saloon. Back to where it all started. When I stepped off the bike, my legs were weak. As soon as I took my helmet off, I started apologizing.
“I’m so sorry,” I said. “Pin, Moves, Kim, I didn’t mean
for that to happen – I was just doing recon, but they recognized me somehow.”
Pin tossed my helmet aside and gripped my shoulders. I realized he wasn’t even listening to my apology, he was surveying me for damage. He stiffened as he saw the growing bruise on the side of my face. “Did he hit you?”
I shivered at his voice, low and lethal.
“I’m fine,” I whispered. “Truly, I’m fine.”
“I should have killed him,” Pin said.
“No,” I said. “I don’t want to be responsible for a body. I’ve done enough.”
“Claire, don’t apologize,” Moves said. “We should have told you about Las Balas as soon as we could. We figured they were responsible. If we had told you, you wouldn’t have had to go solo.”
“And it’s all good now,” Kim said. “You can call in back-up to get those missing teens out if you can. I already filled in Veronica.”
“Veronica called you?” I asked.
“Your partner’s a smart woman,” Moves said.
The whole time, Pin didn’t take his eyes off of me.
“Why don’t you guys head inside to talk,” Kim said. “We’ll stay out here and make some calls.”
I threw Kim a grateful look. She must have sensed that I had a lot to say to Pin. He released my shoulders, but kept his hand on my back as he guided me into the back room of the Blue Dog Saloon. The whole time, he didn’t say a word.
My heart couldn’t slow down. I was already dreading the inevitable moment he was going to let go of me. One dramatic rescue couldn’t erase what I had done. But he had to know. I had to tell him how I felt. “Pin, I –”
Before I could finish my sentence, he turned and enclosed me in a massive hug. I nearly sobbed with relief as I pressed my face into his chest and wrapped my arms around him. For several minutes, I just let him hold me.
Like a budding flower, hope began to bloom in my chest. This couldn’t all mean nothing. Maybe there was something to salvage from the mess I had made.