CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

After a nice long shower and still no Wolf, Sofia dressed in jeans and a tee shirt he had given her last night. With Property of Wolf printed on the front and Brothers of Mayhem Forever on the back, she felt giddy wearing it. She liked knowing he’d claimed her, that he wanted everyone to know she belonged to him.

What was taking Wolf so long? Giving him a little more time, she put on a little makeup and waited for a few more minutes before wandering down the stairs.

Two male voices caught her attention. Who was Wolf talking to?

As soon as she reached the kitchen doorway, Wolf lifted his chin, signaling to her to walk in.

“Sofia, come meet my brother.” Wolf handed her a cup of coffee.

“Thank you.” She nodded toward the man sitting at the kitchen table. “Hi.”

“Nice to meet you, Sofia.”

Thorn Savalas stood, reaching out his hand. She looked at it for a moment and then placed hers inside of his big one. She rarely had a man offer to shake her hand. His grip was firm, but not knuckle crushing. He quickly examined her, hesitating at the shirt before glancing over to Wolf.

When he released her hand, she pulled out a chair and sat. Her mind refused to think that he visited in any official capacity. Surely, he was worried about his little brother. And about time.

She sipped her coffee as she looked from one man to the other. Thorn and Wolf favored each other as most brothers do. Both had dark brown hair, almost black. They had blue eyes, but Wolf's were a beautiful light blue. He was about an inch taller than his older brother, and probably outweighed him by thirty pounds.

From the way Wolf leaned a hip on the kitchen counter and looked anywhere but at his brother, she was surprised he let Thorn in. Anger radiated from Wolf’s stiff stance.

“Why are you here? You know if anyone sees you, I’ll be out bad for sure and then my life won’t be worth living.” Wolf folded his arms across his massive chest.

She understood what he meant. The club would cut, burn, or ink over his tattoo and then kick him out, if they didn’t also beat him until nothing was left recognizable as Wolf Savalas. Her throat closed, and she blinked several times, holding back the tears and trying to regain her composure. That wasn’t what he needed in front of his long-lost brother. He needed her to stand by him.

“Yeah, and I’ll lose my job if anyone finds out I’m here.” Thorn glanced over at her again before he returned his gaze to Wolf. “Are you sure?”

She caught the slight tilt of his chin. So he was concerned about her keeping her mouth shut. Before Wolf could answer she decided to speak up.

“You don’t have to worry about me. I’ll never do or say anything that would harm Wolf. I love him.”

As soon as she said the last three words, Wolf’s stance relaxed and he stepped over to her and smoothed her hair out of her face. With a tender look in his eyes, he bent down, caressed her cheek, and lightly kissed her.

“Thank you,” he whispered. “I love you too.”

She melted into the chair. Hearing him say it again, and in front of another person, was mind blowing. Unable to tear her gaze away from his face, her heart felt as if it would burst when the corners of his lips lifted. She smiled back.

Thorn cleared his throat.

Straightening, Wolf narrowed his eyes at his brother. “Go ahead and tell me what you want.”

“Did you have a part in killing Toro? Or do you know who did? Was it Easy?”

Sofia was horrified by Thorn’s questions. Did he not know his own brother? Wolf would never kill someone. Though their uncle had asked Wolf to do a lot of bad things, killing another human being was certainly not one of them. Then again, hadn’t she thought the same thing? Who was she to throw the first stone?

From the worried look Wolf shot her way, her face obviously betrayed her thoughts. He clasped her shoulder and squeezed just enough to assure her he forgave her and would handle his brother’s accusations.

“I have no idea.” Wolf shook his head. “You know better than to ask me that shit. Even if I knew, I couldn’t tell you. That is, if it was a Brother. Despite what you feel for Easy—hell—despite what I feel for the bastard, he’s a Brother and my chapter president. Fuck! He’s running for club president what with Speed retiring.”

“How could you stand up for that son of a bitch?” Thorn stood, knuckles on the table, leaning over it, glaring at Wolf.

“I think you need to look at their own people. Ramon has been wanting to move into Toro’s position. For that matter, Jorge too. They should be your prime suspects.”

“Ramon has an alibi.”

“You got to be fucking kidding me. Who? One of his good buddies?”

“Remember Angel Garcia?”

“That’s Sofia’s brother,” he said glancing her way.

“Half brother,” she corrected as dread filled her stomach.

“Yeah. He spotted him in Huntsville that night about eight. There’s no way, unless he flew, he could reach Brook Hill and kill Toro by nine that same evening.”

“Angel’s a part of the Thirty-Second gang. How can you trust a word from him?”

“Because I’m with the ATF,” a deep voice said from the dark hallway. Angel stepped into the kitchen. An overhead light revealed bruises and cuts down one cheek. Whoever had hit him was left handed.

She gasped and pushed out of her chair. Before she took a step toward Angel, Wolf grabbed her arm and pulled her back against him.

A flush of anger washed over his battered face. “Let my sister go.”

Disbelief brought her head back. “Half sister. Don’t even say another word. I have no idea why I care that someone beat on you. When did you decide to finally be a real big brother? Where were you when Ramon beat on me? Wolf has protected me and more in the last couple months than you have in the last five years.” She looked him up and down, trying to figure out how he could betray his own kind. “ATF? Did Toro know?”

He shook his dark head. “He would’ve killed me.”

“True. How did this happen?”

“They recruited me while I was at Florida State. I wasn’t in Florida all those years.” He stepped a little closer. “I had no idea Ramon was abusing you. I would’ve done something if I had known.”

Wolf released his hold on her and stepped in front of her. “Why are you here? You both know I can’t help you. It’s time you get the fuck out of my house.” The kitchen echoed the last word as the silence grew.

Thorn leaned back in his chair.

“Little brother, I came here to tell you that the last thing Sand County wants is another war between the Thirty-Second and Brothers of Mayhem. Last time it happened, too many people died. We already have two dead and I know you don’t want to see more lives wasted no matter what side they’re on.”

Sofia raised her hand and then blushed, dropping it to her side. Where did she think she was? School?

Thorn and Wolf looked her way. They each had the same smirk on their faces. Blood brothers for sure. Angel’s expression gave nothing away.

“I’m guessing you’re counting my cousin as one. Who is the other?” Her voice quivered. Several names flitted through her mind. Many who would be almost as devastating to her to lose as when Hector’s life had been taken.

“Jorge Ruiz,” Angel said.

Her head snapped around to Wolf.

“Don’t look at me. The asshole deserved to die, but I didn’t have anything to do with it.” His big hand ran down her shoulder and back as if he was trying to soothe her.

“Then who?” Worry seized her chest.

“Easy or someone he ordered to take him out,” Thorn said.

“He’s your father-in-law, yes?” Sofia really wanted to understand what type of family turned on each other.

“Yep. He’s my wife’s father, but he killed her mother and got sick enjoyment in beating his children. He’s not the type of man you should feel sympathetic toward.”

The few times she’d met Easy, he acted like most of the bikers she’d known, self-absorbed and chauvinistic. Wolf was the exception and maybe Cutter and Chicken. Well, maybe she was changing her mind about most of them. Especially after the VP had been kind enough to send over prospects to help Wolf work on the house after the fire. He’d even come over and painted too.

“Besides me, who else would want Jorge dead?” Wolf finally pulled out the last chair and hauled it over to sit next to Sofia.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Angel leaned forward, elbows on his knees.”"Jorge and Ramon wanted Hector’s position. As they say, there can only be one.”

“Ramon killed one of his own?” Her stomach felt queasy.

“We’re not sure. If Ramon killed Jorge or Toro, then the Thirty-Second couldn’t trust him, and he would never be voted in. We believe Jorge killed Toro on Ramon’s orders, and Easy killed Jorge afterwards. Easy is beginning to believe he’s invincible.” Thorn slapped a hand on the table. “If we can get the gun Easy used, we can put him away for a long time. We also need a motive for Easy taking out a Thirty-Second member. I can’t see him helping Ramon for the hell of it.”

Sofia knew of one reason, but would wait to talk to Wolf about it. Knowing how he felt about his brother and law enforcement, she felt it wise to keep her mouth shut for the moment.

––––––––

The next morning, Wolf zoomed through the red traffic light. He didn’t worry about a cop pulling him over. At six-thirty on a Sunday morning, the streets of Marystown were empty. None of the churches rung in services that early. With the threat of snow darkening the day with low, gray clouds, even fewer would be out later. Winter in the south lived for a short time, but easily brought about deadly results with its slippery mixture of snow and ice.

He leaned into his bike, letting the windshield protect him from the cutting wind. Helmet on, bandanna over the lower half of his face, chaps, and thick leather jacket helped only a little against the freezing weather. For the last hour, he’d driven in the hopes the frigid air would clear his head.

Taking out the truck never crossed his mind. A cage only suffocated.

He needed to think about what his brother and Angel had said. Betrayal by the Mayhem Brothers’ Sand County president gripped his throat and messed with his every memory of being a patched member.

After Thorn and Angel had left his house, Sofia had looked at him with such confusion. To her it was so easy, no loyalty was owed to a man who endangered the club. She was probably right about the president’s motive. But there was no firm evidence, no smoking gun to prove that Easy was the culprit. Yet, Wolf had no doubt that Easy was guilty of planning Toro’s death and killing Jorge. The man had made it clear he would do anything necessary to become the top dog. Moving the club back to Brook Hill would guarantee him more votes. He only hoped the old man hadn’t brought down other Mayhem Brothers with his machinations.

Easy had bullied, threatened, and cheated his way into the chapter president’s position, and with the current atmosphere, appeared to have enough votes to move into the club’s top position, club president. Being the Skull offered Easy the power to take Brook Hill back from the Thirty-Second gang. If it took more bloodshed to guarantee his win, the man wouldn’t think twice of doing it.

Would turning against those who stood by him, when he had no one else, be the answer? He couldn’t do it. But he couldn’t betray his own blood brother. Though Thorn had left him behind so many times, proving how little he mattered, Wolf was better than that. He had only one option, and he hoped it didn’t get them all killed.