Pulling onto the Road Warrior lot, I check the faces in the lot, looking for Mercury. The ride hasn’t done a damn thing to calm the urge I have to rip that bastard apart with my bare hands. I want fucking answers. The look on Stone’s face says he is right there with me.

We trusted Mercury and his crew more than anyone we have ever worked with. After everything, all the years we have treated them like brothers, he threw us to the wolves. The rat bastard, turned his back on us for a fucking kick back, and whether he knew it or not, played a part in Huck’s death. Knowing someone we gave that amount of trust to has been involved this whole time, no matter how deep our loyalties have run in the past, is a goddamn betrayal.

That shit doesn’t fly.

Rabbit, Merc’s V.P., shoves the woman off his lap, stands, and heads my way. “Look what the cat dragged in,” he laughs, slapping Stone on the back. “Merc didn’t say you assholes were headin’ down.”

“Passing through,” Stone tells him. “Thought we’d stop and check in. He busy?”

“He’s back in his office,” the old man says with a smile. “I’ll take ya on back myself.”

“Appreciated,” Stone says, following Rabbit.

The Road Warrior Compound is considerably smaller than our own. Instead of having their buildings spread out across their property, things are kept tight. What the place lacks in size it makes up for in man power and security. This is one of the reasons Twisted Mayhem has worked so well with Merc and his crew in the past.

Inside, music is blaring and the alcohol is flowing. People are dancing and laughing, none of them even giving us a second thought. My senses go on high alert, looking over every inch of the room. My focus on finding Merc.

Rabbit takes us down a hallway, stopping at a closed door at the end, he knocks. “Yo!”

Opening the door, Rabbit steps inside the room, moving out of the way to make room for Stone and me. I clench my fists the moment I see Mercury sitting at the old oak desk, his face buried in the tits of the nearly naked blonde sitting in his lap. “Hard at work?” Stone asks, his tone calm.

Pulling back, Merc looks our way, a slow grin spreading across his face. “Wasn’t expectin’ to see you boys for at least a week,” he says, his hand moving to grip the woman’s ass.

“Quick stop. Need to know what Blip dug up,” Stone says, giving Merc rope to hang himself. “We need to move on Hammon.”

“Have a drink and grab yourself some pussy.” Merc waves us off. “I’ll get him in here after I finish with Heidi.”

“No,” Stone says, shaking his head. “You’ll stop feedin’ me bullshit and do what I said. Party’s over, Merc. Put away your toy.”

“Dangerous move, Stone. Walkin’ into a man’s clubhouse, barkin’ orders like your patch means somethin’ here.” Merc’s stare hardens, his grip tightening on the woman, making her yelp. “Best you remember who’s territory you’re in, Brother. Show respect to the ranks.”

“I’ll show respect to any man inside this fence,” Stone grounds out. Stepping forward, he braces his hands on the desk, leaning in as he stares Merc down. “Long as he’s earned it.”

“You’ll wanna watch how you talk to me,” he warns. “You’re burnin’ a significant bridge here, Stone.”

“You set fire to that, motherfucker, not me,” Stone says, raising his voice. “It’s time you feel that heat off that, my friend.”

Sitting up in his chair, his eyes drifting between the two of us. “You heard the man, sweetheart,” he bites out, pushing her off his lap. Scrambling to her feet, she grabs her clothes and bolts around the desk, and out of the room.

Closing the door behind her, I lean back against it, crossing my arms over my chest. Not to intimidate. It is to keep me from storming across the room and beating this son of a bitch to death.

“You lied to me.” Sitting down in the chair opposite the desk, Stone scratches his chin. “You’ve been lying to everyone. Including your club.”

“What the hell’s he talkin’ about?” Rabbit blurts, looking to Merc.

“You’re the goddamn liar, Stone!” he roars, slamming his fist on the desk. “I want you two off my lot!” Standing to his feet, he rounds the desk, heading for Stone. “Now!”

Lunging, I grab him by the throat. Throwing him down on top of the desk, I squeeze until his eyes nearly bug out of his head. “You’re not callin’ the shots here anymore, Freddie,” I bite out, wanting nothing more than to strip every patch from his leather and shove them down his fucking throat.

“Enough!” Rabbit growls, pointing his gun at me. “Let him go or I end you right here.”

“You wanna kill me? Do it,” I challenge, keeping my eyes on Merc. I loosen my fingers, not wanting him to pass out. No, I want him awake and coherent for every fucking second of what I have in store for him. Grabbing onto my hand, he gasps for breath. “Your man is a traitor and a goddamn rat.”

“Don’t make this ugly, Colt,” Rabbit warns, taking a step toward us. “If that’s true, prove it. Let’s hash this out without a body count”

“Too late for that.” Springing up from the chair, Stone rips the gun from Rabbit’s hand, pinning him against the wall. Rabbit struggles, but gives up the moment Stone presses the gun to his temple. “Don’t want to make you part of the collateral damage. Huck considered you a friend. I do too. Hear me and think before you get yourself killed.” When Rabbit calms and nods slowly, Stone continues. “Every attack made on my club in the last few weeks has been traced back to Merc. I can prove he’s tied to Hammon. Wouldn’t be here if I couldn’t. Huck is dead. Trigger man or not, that blood is on your President’s hands. Now, I’ll share that proof with you and anyone else who needs to see it. But know that we’re here demanding that debt be satisfied once that’s been offered.”

He nods again. “Agreed.”

Releasing him, Stone steps back and tucks the gun into his waistband. Pulling a flash drive from his pocket, he holds it out to him. “It’s all there.”

Yanking Merc up, I shove him into the chair Stone was sitting in, wanting him to have a front row seat while Rabbit gets educated. Shielding himself defensively, Merc coughs and wheezes, fear crystal clear in his eyes while his number two rounds the desk. Pulling up the documents on the drive, Rabbit’s expression turns from defensive, to enraged. “You slimy rat bastard,” he hisses, grabbing the gun off the desk. Standing, he points it at Merc. “What have you done?”

“I did what I had to do!” Merc shouts, trying to shift out of the chair. “What was needed for the survival of this club.”

“Bullshit.” Tired of his excuses, I bust him in the mouth with the butt of my gun.

“Fuck,” he wails, spitting blood and part of a tooth onto his shirt. “Doesn’t matter what you do to me,” Merc chokes out, staring me down. “Killin’ me won’t stop Hammon from gettin’ what he wants.”

Stone turns away from watching Rabbit comb through the files. Arching a brow, he looks to Merc. “And that is?”

“Henley,” I answer. “He wants Henley.”

Stone’s eyes shoot to mine, worry etched across his face. “Where is she?”

“Work,” I answer, checking my watch.

“You put the prospect on her?” I nod. Grabbing the black cell phone from the desk, Stone slaps it against Merc’s chest. “Get Hammon on the phone.”

“Go to hell!” Merc spits, throwing the phone back at him.

Tired of his bullshit, I grab a fistful of Merc’s hair. “I’d try that again,” I warn, pressing the gun to his temple. “Moment you stop being valuable. You’re dead.”

“Silver phone in the top desk drawer,” he blurts, squeezing his eyes shut tightly. “He’s the only contact on it.”

Digging through the drawer with his free hand, Rabbit yanks out a stack of paperwork before tossing Stone the phone. After pressing a few buttons, he puts it on speaker phone, holding it up once it begins to ring. “Hello, Gentlemen,” Hammon says confidently. “You made good time I see.”

“Hammon,” Merc blurts. “You gotta—”

“Quiet, shithead,” I warn, ready to bash his face into the desk if he says another word. “Richie Rich won’t be savin’ your ass.”

“I have no reason to,” Hammon agrees.

“We had a deal!” Merc chokes out. “You can’t do this to me.”

“And it’s run its course.” Hammon’s reply is ice cold and dismissive. “Our arrangement was in exchange for money, Mr. Coleman. Not protection once your associates discovered the paper trail I left for them to find.”

“You son of a bitch!” Merc spits, fighting against me. “You threw me under the bus.”

“I’m afraid it was warranted. I can’t have anything standing between me and Henley. Not when I am so close to getting everything I want.”

“Try it, motherfucker,” I warn, releasing Merc to grab the phone. “You even breathe in Henley’s direction I’ll make you beg to eat a bullet.”

“You know what this means, Merc,” Rabbit says calmly.

Mercury sits up, his eyes widening as he stares down the barrel of his V.P.’s gun. Squeezing the trigger, Rabbit unloads it into Merc’s chest. Tossing the gun down, he rounds the desk. Digging a pocket knife from his jeans, he slices through the threads on the President’s patch, removing it from Merc’s cut. Glaring down at the man, he tucks the patch in his pocket.

“Sorry to cut this short, gentlemen,” Hammon inform me, almost laughing. “I hate to keep a beautiful woman waiting.”

“Hammon, I swear to God—”

The line goes dead and my heart seizes in my chest.