CHAPTER NINETEEN

For the last couple of days, Sofia watched Wolf pick at his food and woke to his staring out the bedroom window in the middle of the night. He’d whispered into his cell phone at all hours and then minutes later leave on his motorcycle, no matter the weather or time. Their easy going, open relationship had disappeared. The distance between them drove her crazy. No more mention of going to city hall that week. With everything that was going on, she couldn’t make herself bring it up. It would happen one day, just not with all the craziness around them.

That night, whenever he returned from another mysterious ride, she planned to confront him about his aloofness. No more secrets if they were going to make their relationship work. She stayed out of Hector’s and Ramon’s business, but this was different. She loved Wolf more than her own life. Being a part of everything he did was important to her.

Scooping the coffee grinds into the maker, she pressed the buttons for it to brew. Just as she reached for the cups, the sound of footsteps coming from the living room alerted her. No surprise she had missed hearing the motorcycle roar up. Moments ago, the old, loud dishwasher had turned off from the rinse cycle. The last appliance scheduled to be replaced.

“About time you got here.” She turned around and clutched the Brothers of Mayhem cups to her chest. “Wolf’s out riding. Should be back any second,” she blurted out.

Easy had always given her the creeps, even more so than Trick. For him to be standing in her kitchen and eyeing her in a way most women felt uncomfortable with beyond their boyfriend or husband, she really wished Wolf would walk in at that moment.

He stuck out his bottom lip and his head nodded as his gaze drifted from her to look around the room.

“So where did he say he was going?” Easy’s cold stare came back to her.

“He didn’t. After supper, he goes riding for a little while. When he comes back, we watch TV.” Not completely true, but he didn’t need to know Wolf was often gone for hours and wouldn’t return until she’d gone to bed. Alone.

She jumped when the small beep announced brewing time was over. A flush warmed her face.

The evil chuckle Easy released pissed her off. She could tell he enjoyed the tension in the room. What sick asshole loved to frighten people?

“You want a cup of coffee?” she softly asked.

One blondish-gray eyebrow lifted. “I like the cups, but I’ll take a beer.” At that time, another Mayhem Brother walked in. She didn’t recognize him, but she knew only a few of the Brothers. “He’ll take a beer too.”

The man nodded, his gaze didn’t make her feel as if he planned her death like Easy’s.

With shaking hands, she carefully set down the cups and opened the fridge. The bottles clinked together in the door. She looked over at Easy.

“How about the other men? Beer or maybe coffee?” she asked. Easy rarely went anywhere without a handful of Brothers surrounding him. As cold it was outside, she imagined a hot cup of coffee would be ten times better.

“They’re busy,” he said, without explanation.

Taking her time, she handed each man a beer and then poured a cup of coffee for herself. Please, Wolf, come home soon. With relief, the only clock in the kitchen was a digital one on the stove. If she heard ticking, she’d scream.

The man didn’t sit at the table with Easy, but stared out the kitchen window. She slid into the seat opposite the older man. For the next several minutes, Easy guzzled down two beers while staring at her without saying a word. Relief flooded her when she heard Wolf’s motorcycle.

“That’s him,” she said unnecessarily.

Had she made a mistake by not trying to sneak away long enough to make a call? She hoped with her whole being that Easy hadn’t found out about Wolf’s brother’s visit. Surely, he wouldn’t be acting so relaxed if he intended to kill Wolf. Then again, from everything she’d been told, he lacked normal emotions.

Wolf entered the kitchen with two Brothers at his back. His light blue eyes centered on her. When she lifted the corners of her lips in a brief smile, his shoulders relaxed slightly.

“Hey there, boss. What brought you by unexpectedly?” Wolf nonchalantly strode over to the fridge and pulled out a beer. “You fellows want one? Need another?” He looked around, holding a beer by the neck to each man.

They shook their heads.

“Ask your old lady to leave. We need to talk club business.” Easy took another swig of his beer.

Wolf glanced over to Sofia. She stood and walked to Wolf, kissed his cheek, and left the room. Without wasting time, she quietly ran upstairs to the bedroom. Before Thorn had left the other day, he’d slipped a business card to her without drawing Wolf’s notice. She knew better than to save it. So she had added the number in her phone and destroyed the card. She’d saved his number under the name Uncle Salvador. Her uncle had been dead for ten years, but if anyone looked, they wouldn’t know. Pulling her cell phone out of her pocket, she dialed Wolf’s brother.

To her, calling his brother wasn’t betrayal but survival.

“It’s me. Easy is here with Wolf and acting all serious. I’m worried,” she whispered.

“Can you listen in on their conversation?” Thorn asked.

“I think so if none of the other Brothers are standing guard in the living room.”

“There’s really nothing I can do at this point. Wolf has been a loyal soldier for Easy. There’s no way the prez knows about our visit. As long as he behaves and doesn’t give us away, he’ll be safe. Call me back when you can.”

Just like Thorn, she was aware Wolf would never call and tell him about the conversation. So he didn’t bother asking.

“Okay.” She disconnected the call and headed downstairs.

Every inch inside her body shook. She was amazed to see her steady fingers reach out for the stair railing as she crept down each step. No guard stood outside the kitchen doorway. She slipped around into a short hallway that led to the bathroom and laundry room. In the shadows of the stairwell, she could hear anything said in the kitchen but not be seen by anyone inside.

“You do as I say, or you’re out bad for good,” Easy said in a threatening tone.

“How the fuck would I know where Angel Garcia is? His own sister doesn’t know. He never keeps in touch.” Wolf’s voice sounded barely in control of his temper.

Chair legs scraped on the tile floor. Probably Easy standing as he’d been the only one sitting when she left the room.

“I fucking don’t want to hear any excuses. If you don’t bring me his head by the end of next week, be ready to hand over everything with Mayhem Brother on it.” The sound of glass crashing on the floor reached her ears. “That would be one less thing to worry about.” His evil chuckle drifted to Sofia. “I might let you live, but your life will be hell as I’ll take everything you have. This house and your bitch.”

The sound of scuffling feet and flesh hitting flesh echoed into the hallway. She covered her mouth to keep her scream inside. What were they doing to Wolf? Was he fighting them?

“Don't you ever call her a bitch,” Wolf said, each word spat out in hatred.

Easy laughed. “Okay. Okay. Don’t be so fucking sensitive.” His laughter became louder, and she sank back into the corner, hoping the shadows protected her from Easy’s attention as he walked by.

Please don’t look back, please don’t look back.

“Sofia?”

Her eyes popped open. Wolf stood a couple of feet away. When had she closed her eyes? What an idiot. She’d never make a spy. Closing her eyes certainly proved that.

“What the hell are you doing there? Do you have any idea how dangerous it is listening in? If he’d seen you, I would’ve had to kill him and anyone who tried to stop me, because that’s what he’d try to do to you.” Hands on his hips, with a bruised cheek and mussed hair, he looked as if they got a few punches in during the earlier scuffle. But he was the most beautiful thing in the world to her.

She launched herself at him, her arms circled his waist, her head against his chest, and she squeezed tight. “I know you’ll never leave the Brothers, I—”

He placed two fingers over her mouth. “For you, I would. To keep you safe, I will.”

Her heart stopped. “No. I’ll never ask you to do that.”

“I know. But if we can’t find enough evidence to send Easy away, we’ll have to. I saw the way he looked at you. He wants to gets his hands on you, but you won’t live long. He hates everything Thirty-Second.”

“So why would he help Ramon take over the Thirty-Second?” Her throat clogged. Hector had only been in his late thirties. He should still be the leader of the gang for twenty to forty more years. They didn’t hold elections unless the leader died, unlike the Brothers. Then more times than not, the strongest and most dangerous won.

“I don’t really know. Maybe we will never know. Let’s go to bed and worry about it tomorrow.” He led her up the stairs and kissed her at the bedroom door. “Go on. I’ll lock up and turn off the lights.”

She nodded and watched him saunter down the steps.

Why was he lying to her?

––––––––

Wolf stepped into the clubhouse and nodded toward Cutter. Even before that day, he had come to the conclusion that Cutter would make a perfect president. The man didn’t put up with shit, but willingly listened to suggestions. He had a mean right and knew how to ride the hell out of a bike.

With Thorn pushing him one way and Easy the other, Wolf was running out of time to make a decision of what to do next. No way could he talk with Sofia about all the shit that was going on. She worried about him, and he never wanted her to feel unsafe around the Brothers. At the moment, she was hanging with Cherry and Twofer at the Skull and Bones, waiting for his return.

“Yo, Wolf. You wanted to see me.” Cutter handed over a beer and then took a swig of his, keeping his gaze on the college basketball game playing on the large TV behind the bar.

“Yeah.” He hesitated. Once again his brother had placed him in a no-win situation. Looking around the room, he spotted a couple of Brothers lounging on the couch, staring at the TV too. “Could we go somewhere private? I have something to talk to you about that I don’t want anyone else hearing.”

Cutter glanced over his shoulder. Wolf stared back unsmiling.

“Sure. Let’s walk outside to the back.” Cutter nodded to the door.

In the back of the building was a large concrete pad with two large barbecue grills. Whenever they had parties, someone would light them and slap hamburgers and hotdogs on the fire. On the odd big occasion, even steaks.

The sun topped the trees, giving a little warmth, but they leaned against the brick, hoping it blocked the light, chill wind. Cutter offered a cigarette to Wolf. He shook his head and waved it off.

The VP lit up and took a long draw, crossing his arms as he stared out over the backlot. “What's up?”

Grimacing, Wolf looked away. “I don’t know how to say this, man, but I need some help.”

“Having an old lady can be expensive. How much money do you need?”

Wolf grinned and snorted. “Sofia is tighter with money than my uncle. Nah. That’s not it.”

The cigarette smoke drifted across his face. The smell reminded him of Thorn. “My brother—”

“The cop,” Cutter interjected.

“Yeah.” He nodded, refusing to look at him. “Actually, he’s with the ATF now.”

“He’s investigating Hector’s and Jorge’s death?”

That got his attention. Wolf pushed off the wall and stood straight.

“Yeah.” Wolf wanted to scream. Hell, he hated pulling Cutter into the middle of the fucking mess.

“He wants you to see if Easy had a part in it,” Cutter said in more a statement than a question.

“I didn’t say I would help.”

“It’s hard to say no to someone you grew up admiring.”

“You have an older brother?”

“A younger brother. He died in Afghanistan.”

Everyone knew Cutter had served with the Marines, but not much more than that. He was a private man and mostly talked about club business, current events, and college sports.

“Sorry to hear that.” Wolf downed the last of his beer and tossed it into a nearby trash bin. Cutter flicked his cigarette into the bin.

“Long time ago.” The big man coughed and turned to Wolf. “What’s your brother wanting?” Before Wolf could answer, Cutter added, “I trust you, but I don’t trust cops, feds, anyone to do with law enforcement.”

“I don’t either. But I know if Easy helped Jorge kill Hector and then he killed Jorge on Ramon’s promise that we can move back to Brook Hill, he’s made a decision by himself about Thirty-Second without permission from the club. That’s the same reason he kicked out Storm.”

Wolf took a deep breath and continued. “I have no respect for Easy. Hell, he beat the fuck out of his own son, and we all know he wanted to be president only to move up to the national position. I have no idea why he’s let me stay. Maybe my uncle and our family connections have a part in it.”

The Savalas family was well-known as the largest criminal factor in the Southeast. The club tried to tap into that element before and got fucked bad. Wolf was certain if not for his uncle being best friends with the national president of the MC, Wolf would have been kicked out with Easy’s son, if not before.

Cutter nodded, a thoughtful expression on his face.

“You’re right. If he made that big of a decision without approval, murder or not, he’s stepped beyond what is acceptable. If every president decided to make treaties with every gang in the area, we would be in a hell of a fix. Never knowing who is the enemy and who is the friendlies.” Cutter rubbed his goatee and mustache as he stared down at his feet.

The headache Wolf had been ignoring all week blossomed to near migraine proportions. He had to tell Cutter about Easy’s visit. “One more thing.”

“Fuck. From your tone, it’s not good at all.” Cutter’s dark eyes narrowed.

“Easy came to visit me the other day.”

“And?”

Wolf repeated what was said.

“The son of a bitch.” Cutter shook his head and began to pace in front of Wolf.

“I’m running out of time. I can’t kill Sofia’s brother. He hasn’t done nothing to me and the club. The worse he’s done to Sofia is be a shitty, absentee brother. I know about those.” Damn, why mention that?

“This is all fucked up.” Cutter kicked a few rocks out of his path. “Angel hasn’t done nothing to us that I know of. Shit, we beat the crap out of him earlier in the year and he didn’t retaliate. You can’t turn in a Brother, and killing someone in cold blood is not what I’d recommend for anyone.”

“That’s just it. I know that Easy wants my brother dead. Angel is only an excuse to blame me.”

Cutter lifted his chin and stopped pacing. “Fuck. You’re right. That might work.”

“What? I’m not about to kill Angel or turn in that scumbag Easy.”

Rubbing his temples, Wolf wished his headache would ease.

“I’ve got an idea.” Cutter waved Wolf closer.