CHAPTER EIGHT
B-ry
It was the sound of my phone ringing that pulled me out of my slumber.
Damn.
As I pried my eyelids open, I could tell that I hadn’t been out all that long. Laurel stirred beside me and I realized that I hadn’t meant to spend the night.
Or maybe I had.
Truth was, by the time we finally collapsed I was completely spent. I couldn’t have moved no matter how much I told myself I needed to. By the way she was curled up into my side, I thought that maybe she hadn’t minded all that much.
It wasn’t that I did my best to run right after we fucked, it was that I didn’t want her to feel smothered by me. So I made sure that I didn’t stay every time. Though deep down, I really wanted to.
My phone.
Shit.
I half rolled out of the bed reaching for my crumpled up jeans right there on the floor. As soon as I fished out my phone I answered it.
“Yeah,” I said and there was no hiding the fact that I’d been asleep.
“Got a meeting. Get your ass here,” Iron said and I could hear the seriousness in his tone right away.
Was he pissed that I wasn’t there already? No, it had to be something else.
While I did have a duty to the club, Iron knew that we all had lives beyond that. He didn’t expect for me to be there twenty-four seven. But then again, I hadn’t told him I’d be out. So I was sure he went banging on my door only to receive no answer. That was time wasted in his mind and I cringed that I’d been the one that had done it.
“Axe is riding in,” he said with an edge to his tone that set me on alert. “Something big is going on and I need your ass here now. I’m also calling in Ky and Lake. I think it’s time.”
He didn’t have to elaborate. Those two had been part of the club for a while now. Ky having come up from South Carolina and Lake had been patched in at the mother chapter. They were pretty solid guys for the most part. Iron had this idea of growing the table a little and he wanted to add a few trusted men into the fold. I agreed with him on that.
And we were still down a Vice Prez, though I was pretty sure a vote for Mason to take that spot was coming soon.
Also, Iron had tossed out the idea of adding another Enforcer. That I was very much on board for. This chapter was pretty big. Not only that, but we had to deal with a lot here. Taking in the incoming shipments. Figuring out how to split them up. Keeping the Russians and Irish here in town happy with their loads. And then making sure the rest got to where it was going from here. Yeah, we had a lot to deal with. There were plenty of days that I’d wished there were two of me. So, fuck yes, I was all for adding another Enforcer. Problem was, we didn’t have anyone at the moment that I thought could handle the role.
“Be there in ten,” I said knowing I’d make it in under that.
“Good,” he said and seemed to relax for a second.
He dropped the call before I could.
“No breakfast, I take it,” Laurel said as she rolled over and pulled the sheet up to cover her naked body. Which I fucking hated.
“Gotta get to the club. Sorry, I didn’t mean to pass out,” I said with a little shrug as I slipped out of bed.
“Do you really have to go? We’ve barely gotten any sleep.”
“Yeah, princess, I do.”
“Why?” she asked and there was a hint in her tone that told me that she wasn’t going to let this go.
“Because,” I said pausing to pin her with my eyes, “when Prez calls and says to fucking get somewhere, then I jump and go.”
“What’s going on?” she asked and sat up as a worried expression overtook her face.
“Don’t know,” I answered as I yanked up my jeans.
She opened her mouth to say something else and that was when I knew I was going to have to put my foot down.
“Laurel,” I said and made sure I had her attention. “It’s club business. That means, that even if I did know what the fuck was going on, I wouldn’t talk about it.”
She didn’t look happy about that.
Which confused the hell out of me.
Because we weren’t anything. Or that was how she played it off most of the time. I was her little fuck toy. The man she called when she didn’t want to be alone. The guy that she, for some crazy reason, wanted to have in her bed despite the fact that we clashed more than we meshed.
Though I was focused on getting dressed, I could feel her eyes on me. Only I knew it wasn’t because she was taking me in with a heated gaze. There were questions and demands floating around that I was doing my best to keep quiet.
If she were an old lady she’d have to learn real quick to just deal with the not knowing.
Guessed it was a good thing she wasn’t close to being one then. Because no matter how deeply I felt for her, I knew my place well. I knew this wasn’t more than a fling that was kept in the dark corners. To think that Laurel would ever show up somewhere with me was the biggest joke in my mind.
And because I wasn’t ready to give her up, I kept digging around on the floor and picking up crumbs.
“Later,” I said after I slipped on my sneakers and stood tall.
For a long moment, we stayed frozen staring at each other.
“Sure,” she said with a hard sigh and turned over giving me her back.
I didn’t have time for this shit. Part of me hated leaving like this but at the same time, I knew by now that it was just the way she could be sometimes. It wasn’t about her being a bitch. Which, I could see how it might be perceived that way. No, it was about Laurel being insecure. Her turning away from me was her way to hide all that. She hated to be vulnerable in front of anyone. Especially given all the shit she’d been through lately.
There were times she let me in. Those were rare and I never pushed, but I made sure to be there for her in those moments. I may have even said they were my favorite because I got a glimpse at the real woman.
I didn’t say anything else as I made my way out of her apartment, making sure the lock was turned before I closed the door behind me.
“You good?” Iron asked me the moment I stepped into the clubhouse.
“Yeah,” I said with a firm nod of my head. I might have been bone tired but I’d been doing this long enough that I knew I’d make it through.
He eyed me for a good long moment and I started to feel the need to squirm under his gaze. I was sure it wasn’t lost on him that I spend a good number of nights away. Most of the time tearing out of here in the middle of the night only to return a few hours later. But he wouldn’t ever ask. He wouldn’t demand to know what I did in my personal time. Not that I really had personal time. He wouldn’t ever bring it up unless it became an issue. Which was something I’d never let happen. Club above all else. I held fast to those words all my life and it wasn’t going to change now.
“Go take a damn shower. You smell like sweet flowers and sex.” He shook his head and as he patted me on the back, I knew he was doing his best not to laugh.
Figuring that I had time until the mother chapter brothers got here, I ran up to my room and took the fastest shower known to man. Then I was back down, waiting in the lounge with all the other officers.
When Axe and Bocca showed up, we did a quick greeting then headed up to get things started.
There was an antsy kind of energy the moment they stepped through the door. I wouldn’t lie, it had me on guard more than normal. This wasn’t just some meeting. This was more. There was something going on and we were about to get filled in on it.
“So something happened a while back,” Axe started and I noticed he was looking around the room taking each and every single one of us in. “I kept it in-house because I didn’t want to set everyone on edge if there was no need for it. You’ve been dealing with a lot here and I think all of you have done a real good job getting this chapter up and running. That said, some things have come to light and I feel that I need as many eyes and ears on this as possible.”
Yep, I had been right. Something was up and by the grim look on Bocca’s face, it was going to be big.
“A few months ago, Bocca got a tip on a human auction. We were a little short-handed with all the new merchandise and runs so he had no choice but to go in on his own.”
Axe paused and I caught him staring at Brand. Brand looked shocked for half a second before schooling his face. Clearly, he hadn’t known about any of this and I felt like it was almost a test from Axe to see if he did. I tried to process why he might but realized it wasn’t the time to let my mind wander off.
I wondered if we had been the first chapter that he’d come to with this. It seemed like he was having a hard time, most likely putting the blame all on himself.
He shook his head and stood strong as he continued.
“He was supposed to go in and gather intel. The plan was to deal with these guys one by one later. Only something happened, and they knew who he was.”
Bocca softly placed a hand on Axe’s shoulder as if telling Axe that he could take over. Axe nodded and took a step back.
“I was made. They drugged me and I was held captive and tortured for days. They knew who I was, well, who I was with really. They knew I was a member of the Steel Paragons. That part still baffles me. I think there is something I’m missing but I haven’t been able to figure it out. Anyway.” He took in a deep breath then carried on. “I managed to escape. I later found out that the men that had taken me were taken out after I’d gotten out. But the leader, Keften Jugovac, had managed to flee before Hunt and Silas were able to get to him.”
Interesting.
I wouldn’t have doubted the club called in the Hunter when they felt they had exhausted all their resources to find Bocca. But the Silas thing threw me. Why had they called in a contract killer? It made sense, sure. I wanted those fuckers dead too. But as a club, that wasn’t really how we handled things. We had always been more hands-on and make sure the job got done types. Fuck with one of us, you fuck with us all. And you for damn sure will pay the price for it.
I wanted to ask but decided it was best to bite my tongue for the moment.
Then Bocca broke into his nerd side, going on about Keften Jugovac and how he was a small time skin-trader that seemed to be trying his best to grow.
That last part didn’t surprise me. Sick fuckers always got greedy. It was never enough for them and once they figured out how easy it was to snatch and sell, well, all they had to do was expand their clientele. Made me fucking sick. And to think that all that shit happened to Bocca and none of us fucking knew about it.
I couldn’t tell what I was more pissed off about, the fact that they kept this shit to themselves or that this guy was still out there. Well, clearly it was the latter because that was worse. But I couldn’t deny that my trust had been shaken a bit. Not in my own chapter though.
If I took a step back I would have seen that I was being a hothead and getting pissed off when it was obvious that they were just trying to do what they thought was right. It was true what he’d said about us. We were still new and working on getting our legs under us. We had a lot more to deal with here on the coast and were still currently working that all out. We not only took in the majority of the merchandise that the club traded off, but we held and worked the deals with the other outlaws here in town.
“I want you to look into this too,” Bocca said pinning Cable, our resident nerd, with a hard stare. “Maybe you can find something.” Bocca shook his head like he was at a loss with this whole search thing.
“Yeah, got it,” Cable answered sitting a little straighter. There was something that made him seem like a little puppy that had been thrown a bone at that moment.
“The rest of you,” Axe said stepping up and taking over again, “I want you to be on the lookout. Before, Keften seemed like he kept his business close. His dealings were with local people. But with the huge dent we’ve put in his operation, I wouldn’t doubt it if he turned to other avenues. You have the port here. Keep your eyes open is all I’m sayin’.”
“You got any indication that he’s moved down here?” Iron asked as soon as it seemed like Axe was done talking.
“No,” Axe said. “There have been some tips… or what have you, that Bocca has received from some of his sources. There have been hints that Keften has popped up all over the lower east coast, but nothing concrete. Lucy is on this too and she hasn’t been able to find out much.”
“And not a single clue to how you were made?” Iron asked, his brows pinched together ever so slightly. Not like he was accusing Bocca though, more like he was trying to work it all out in his head.
The man was one that had to have all the information, had to be able to see everything from every possible angle there could have been. He didn’t like surprises and I wouldn’t doubt he was feeling much the same as I was at the moment. A little bit hurt that we’d been left out and a little bit pissed that it had taken this long to find out.
“No,” Bocca said then let out a sad almost frustrated sigh like he was pissed that he didn’t have the first damn clue as to how it had happened. “I keep going over it and over it. I didn’t know anyone there, not personally. And these are the types of people that don’t really pay attention to us low-level biker types. I went in barely looking like a biker anyway. Everything I worked out to get myself in was good, no one could have traced that back to me. The only people that knew were the club and Lucy.”
“Lucy?” Cable raised a brow then realized that he had said that out loud.
“Yeah, she was the one that brought the auction to my attention. She asked if the club could look into it. She didn’t have much and it was right when she was getting ready to take off on her honeymoon. I didn’t tell her that the club was a little shorthanded at the time because I didn’t want her to stay behind. That and I figured I could handle it by myself. I should have been able to…”
None of us said it, that question that lingered in the back of our minds. The one where we wondered if it was Lucy that could have been the slip. And it sucked to think that because she was pretty close to the club. She was also Axe’s old lady’s best friend from what I’d gathered. She was tight with us and I think we all trusted her. I know I did. Cable sure had a high respect for the woman. And it seemed like she and Bocca were super close. So I hated that that thought even flickered in my head.
And as quickly as it was there, I did my best to push it aside, because there was just no fucking way.
“There’s something I’m missing,” Bocca said, capturing my full attention again. “Or someone. I don’t know. But I’m going to figure it out.”
I had my doubts. If this person, as he thought it was, had been kept hidden this long, then it wasn’t like they were going to pop up out of nowhere. I mean, it seemed like they couldn’t even find this Keften Jugovac guy who happened to be the one that ran the thing.
This was all a mess. One that frustrated me but I sure as shit was going to take it seriously.
Axe waited to see if anyone else was going to say or ask anything. After a long silence rang out, he nodded for Iron to end the meeting.
We all headed down to the lounge and shared a few beers. Things weren’t as laid back and joking as they normally were and I could tell that the other brothers knew something was up. We’d fill them in later but now was not the time. I was sure Iron would want to have a meeting with just us before we revealed anything.
“You didn’t know any of this?” I asked Brand once we had a moment alone in the corner.
His eyes got a faraway look to them as his brows pinched tight like he was trying really hard to think. Like maybe there had been some clue that he missed.
“No,” he said in almost a hurt tone.
“You think Lake knew?”
Brand and Lake came from the mother chapter. Though this happened after they had moved here, it still made me wonder if their connection was close to their roots. Not that it would have mattered, we were all essentially one. But this, I could admit that this had started to place a rift within the club as a whole.
I could only imagine how hard it would have been for those two if they did know. Being told something then also having to keep that a secret from your new Prez, well that never went well. I had a good enough sense that Brand wouldn’t have anyway. He was loyal to the club and all, but he was also smart enough to know where his number one priority should have been placed.
“No,” he said with a shake of his head.
Then it was like something went off in his head and his eyes zeroed in on Ky. There was some silent communication there for a split second before Ky came casually sauntering over so not to draw any attention to us.
“Did you know?” Brand asked Ky and as Ky shook his head, there was something that flashed in his eyes. “Why were you called in?”
“I don’t know. Just got the call this morning right when Chris was about to make breakfast.”
“Chris was still back in Moon Hill when this happened, wasn’t he?” I blurted out the question without any thought.
Well, I guess it was really more of a statement because I knew the answer to it. I wasn’t trying to stir shit up, but by the hard look that pulled at Ky’s face, I had.
Ky pulled out his phone but Brand put his hand over it before he could do anything.
“If he knew, he probably was asked not to say anything. Don’t make it harder on him because he knew.” Brand pinned Ky with a hard look. Which couldn’t have been easy. I sure as fuck didn’t want to see these two going up against one another. Brand being the best friend and Ky being the serious boyfriend. Couldn’t deny that Chris was one lucky guy to have these two by his side that tightly.
“Sorry,” I mumbled. I wasn’t one to apologize but I also hated that I’d added to the already thick tension.
“There was a look on his face when I told him that Axe and Bocca were coming in. I thought it was just that he was worried about me. But it was something else. It was this. He knew.” Ky’s words were surprisingly full of hurt and not anger. He pocketed his phone and hung his head. “He knew…”
“I mean it, Ky,” Brand said with an edge to his tone. “Drop this whole thing. Tell him something, give him a chance to talk about it, but don’t punish him. You guys are so good now, don’t you dare mess that up. I am not going to deal with the asshole you again.”
To that, we all let out a chuckle. Thank fuck Ky had figured out his shit and got his head out of his ass.
“I can’t believe they put that on him,” Ky said his deflated anger turning towards the Moon Hill chapter. He shook his head and took in a deep breath. “I guess I get it though. It had to have been a tough call to make.”
“And we do have a lot of shit on our plate. We’re working twice as hard as everyone else,” I added trying to do the Enforcer thing and smooth shit over.
Ky looked at me pointedly then shook his head as though I was being ridiculous.
“I’ve been around long enough that you don’t have to do that shit, brother.”
“What?” I said innocently then flashed him a cocky smirk.
“Your fucking Enforcer tone doesn’t slip by me, man. And you don’t have to worry about me going off. I’m cool.”
Brand snorted which earned him a punch to the shoulder from Ky.
“Talk later,” I said nodding to everyone across the room.
It looked like things were wrapping up and Axe and Bocca were saying their goodbyes. Which meant we needed to be respectful and get our asses over there.
With promises of keeping us updated, they headed off. I wouldn’t doubt that South Carolina was next on their list.