Chapter Five

There were a lot of nasty things Roy had seen over his lifetime, and yet drugs and lying still ranked as his top two pet peeves. The stench of Bobby’s lies through much of the conversation had him worried about his mate’s safety although he knew that wolf Trent would have caught them too. The lingering smell of drugs that clung to Bobby’s dirty leathers didn’t help him trust the man either.

Roy had also lived long enough to appreciate what Clive tried to do in keeping a lid on his temper with him in the room. He had no doubts Bobby would have looked like a badly butchered side of meat if he hadn’t been around. He could almost taste Clive’s anger and the loyalty the man showed to his club. But even in all that, Clive tried to shield Roy from having to make a choice between his job and his newly found mate – which was sweet, and hot, and by gods, Roy wanted to claim his mate.

He had to settle for just one more ball-aching kiss before Clive led him outside. A few people looked his way, but not many. Most of them were too drunk to care who was following their president like a giant shadow. Clive was right about one thing though – there wasn’t a sniff of drugs in the air, although there was a lot of booze. In one corner of the compound a guy was screwing a very willing woman from the sounds of things, over the seat of a bike, egged on by his friends. There were another half a dozen men playing poker using a tin drum as a table. The others, mostly men but there were some women, were still lingering around the grills, reminding Roy he still hadn’t eaten.

Apparently, neither had Clive. “Come on,” he said, leading the way to the grills. “I could murder a steak sandwich. These are two club prospects – Troy and Donny. Boys, this is Roy, a friend of mine.” Roy noticed Clive didn’t mention his last name or his title. “Have you got any steak left?”

“Saved some special.” Troy reached under the grill and pulled out a package. “Just enough here for you and your friend.”

“Good man.” Clive grinned. “You cook that up. Donny grab me and Roy some beer.”

Roy was sure anything Troy came up with he’d consider an appetizer, but he was pleasantly surprised when a giant burger was handed to him on a plastic plate along with an unopened bottle. Nodding his thanks, he followed Clive back up to the porch where Marly and Trent were talking to Harley and Bronson.

“It’s good to see you guys are still here.” Clive sat in the seat clearly reserved for him. Looking around, Roy opted to perch his butt on the porch railing. He nodded to Bronson and Harley and took a huge bite of his burger. The meat was tender, and the salads were crispy fresh, just the way Roy liked it. At least something is going right this evening, he thought as he kept half an ear on the conversation beside him and the other half on the crowd in the compound. Trent was kneeling by Clive’s chair and whispering although any of the shifters would be able to hear him.

“Word has already spread Bobby’s in lock up and that it’s because of your new friend.”

“It’s got nothing to do with Roy and everything to do with the fact Bobby’s blabbing our secrets to our rivals,” Clive hissed back as he took a bite of his meat sandwich.

“Even so, boss, you’ve got to admit with Roy who he is, that’s going to make your position here awkward if you spend a lot of time with him.”

“For fuck’s sake, can’t we have one night…Fucking hell.” Clive dropped his sandwich as blood poured from his mouth and he frantically spat out his mouthful of food. Roy’s bear roared in his head as everyone in the compound turned in their direction. Snatching the sandwich from Clive’s plate, Roy sniffed it and then pulled it apart. Tiny shards of glass sparkled under the overhead lights.

“You were saying?” He said, showing it to Trent.

“I’ll bet you anything you like that was meant for you,” Trent snarled. “Bobby has a big mouth.”

“It’s okay. I’m okay,” Clive panted and took a long swig of his beer and spat it out over the porch. “I didn’t swallow it. Fuck, my tongue’s a mess though. Look, the fireworks are about to start.”

“Fireworks? Are you mad?” Roy turned, looking for Troy and Donny. “Those bastards have already scarpered.”

“We’ll get them… tomorrow.” Clive spat out another mouthful of blood tainted beer before yelling at the crowd. “There’s nothing to see here. Don’t blow yourselves up with those fireworks.”

Huge booms and lights appeared overhead. It was a pretty display and seemed to go on forever. But all Roy could think was because of Clive’s position he didn’t dare pull his mate into his arms. He couldn’t let his bear out to go tracking those bastards who hurt his mate. He couldn’t do any damn thing about the sleazy woman who sidled up to Clive’s side with a bottle of water and who then wouldn’t leave, clinging to his arm repeatedly no matter how many times Clive shook her off.

Looking longingly at his bike, Roy remembered the promise he’d made Clive – how he would never leave once they were mated.

I haven’t claimed him yet. His bear was fighting for control, demanding they do something to get revenge on those who hurt his mate. But there wasn’t anything Roy could do. Meeting Clive’s eyes just long enough to mouth “later,” Roy stomped off the porch and got on his bike. The roar of the engine was barely heard over the fireworks as he disappeared into the night.

/~/~/~/~/

It was pushing close to midnight when Clive pulled out the bottle of whiskey he kept in his desk and poured two shots. Most of the club members had gone home and the ones that were left were making full use of the back rooms with the partner of their choice. Marly’s eyes had deep shadows underneath them and even his hair looked limp as he curled up on Trent’s lap. It had to be alpha shifter stamina, because Trent still looked as alert as ever.

“Report.” Clive handed Trent his whiskey, before sipping his. His tongue still stung although fortunately there wasn’t as much damage as he’d first thought.

“You need to understand why Roy left,” Marly said quietly. “He probably wouldn’t have done if we weren’t here. We could all see he was ready to shift when you got hurt and when Stephanie came along….”

“Roy and I will work things out in due course.” Clive rubbed his chest where his heart used to be. Damn organ near snapped in two when Roy got on his bike. “I want to know what’s going on with this damn club. How much damage has Bobby done already?”

“It’s the prospects that hang around him like he’s hung the sun and moon,” Trent snarled. “I didn’t hear anything except concern for you among the actual members when I was trying to pick up Troy and Donny’s scent.”

“This didn’t have anything to do with Roy being here,” Clive said as he thought over the events of the evening. “That meat was put aside specifically for me to eat. No one at the club knew Roy was coming.”

Trent shook his head. “The glass could’ve been done in the time you were cloistered in here with Roy. I was guarding the door because I figured you two would be getting hot and heavy. Levi and Saul wouldn’t have known what to look for – they were busy watching the drunks and making sure they didn’t cause any trouble for outsiders.”

“That glass was meant for me. Our food orders were completely different. Roy had a burger. Everyone knows I eat steak sandwiches. You didn’t find anything in Roy’s burger?”

“Nothing but meat, mayonnaise, and salad. Fuck, I bet that bear was hungry when he left here. They have huge appetites.”

Yet another mark against him in the mate department. So much for the promised night of food, booze, and a tangle in the sheets. Clive felt like shit and it had nothing to do with the cuts on his tongue. “I’m going to talk to Bobby. Send a text out first thing tomorrow morning to all members to be on the look out for Troy and Donny. I want them brought in pronto.”

“Chances are, they’re with the Black Skulls. I hear the membership there is real fluid – that asshole Jeff is handing out patches to anyone who wants one.”

“That guy’s an asshole.” Marly shivered. “I’m not trying to tell you what to do or anything, but don’t you think Trent should be with you when you’re talking to Bobby?”

“Nah. You two get on home. It’s been a long fucking night. I’ll see if I can get anything out of our resident traitor, and then I’m heading home too. Text me when Troy and Donny have been found.”

Trent and Marly didn’t look happy and shared a long look. Marly shook his head slightly and then climbed off Trent’s lap to let him up too. Clive didn’t watch them go – he was too busy fuming. Ten years he’d built a club on the foundations of things he believed in. Yes, they lived on the fringes of the law, but Clive never dealt in people or drugs. From the rumors he’d heard about the Black Skulls they did both. It was time to get some answers and for now Bobby would have to do.

Locking his whiskey away, and then his office door, Clive wandered through the empty living area. There were few lights, but he knew the clubhouse like the back of his hand. Which was why he jumped when a shadow in the corner spoke in a deep growly voice.

“You didn’t really think I’d leave you permanently, did you?”