"Skidd," roared Chief.

The crowd of Brikken members fell silent. Chief stalked forward, scanning the men. "Someone get outside and watch Johanna. Make sure she doesn't leave your sight." He pushed past his men. "Tell me where Skidd is."

"He went down the hallway about five minutes ago, Chief."

Without missing a step, he turned the corner, and Nene stood, blocking his path. "Where is he?"

Nene put her hands on his chest. "I need to talk to you."

"Not now." He bodily moved her, and she grabbed on to his vest.

"Please." Her face contorted. "You can't go after him."

He marched down the hallway toward the back door and found the meeting room open. Glancing behind him, Nene had left. Stepping inside, he scanned the room looking for Skidd, who didn't have access, and his body tensed at the scene before him.

Broken glass littered the floor. He rushed over to the display case ignoring the shards piercing the soles of his leather boots. The tribute of items collected over the years remained undisturbed.

Anger filled him. There was only one man to blame.

Skidd.

"Chief?" Keeffe slammed to a stop inside the room, took in the situation, and muttered, "Fuck."

"I'm going to kill the son of a bitch." Chief swung his elbow out, shattering the remaining glass hanging from the metal frame.

"Skidd rode out. Shore and Cash opened the gate for him, not knowing you were looking for him. Do you want me to send riders out and bring him back?" Keeffe walked slowly through the debris.

Chief stared at the unprotected picture of the original Brikken founders. Trying to put together what happened, he wondered if the squealer who'd ratted him out and sent him to prison wasn't in Komoon Motorcycle Club, but inside Brikken. A fucking member of his own club.

"Send a crew of six riders, find Skidd, and bring him back. As for the rest of you, we need to make sure Monday's shipment goes through without any problems."

"What the fuck set Skidd off?"

Several reasons came to mind. None of them good enough to save Skidd's life. Chief picked up the framed picture of Rollo and hooked it back on the wall. "Bring Nene to me."

"Will do." Keeffe walked across the broken glass.

"Have Johanna come here, too," he added.

"On it." Keeffe's footsteps faded.

Alone, he fisted his hand and punched through the broken glass clinging to the frame, over and over, until the protective barrier came down. Heaving for breath, he stood back and looked at everything he'd protected. If he hadn't gone to prison, he would've found the man responsible for snitching him out. He'd had four years to figure out who done the deed, and during that time he'd pinned his arrest on Komoon Motorcycle Club. They had the most to lose, and with the cut out of the pot and men in prison, they were barely surviving.

He didn't like to be wrong.

If Skidd was the one trying to bring down Brikken, all hell was going to break loose. He needed to take out the threat before he lost men. He'd make a fucking example of the motherfucker.

"Chief?" said Johanna behind him.

He turned away from the vandalism and Johanna gasped, hurrying forward. He strode through the glass on the floor and stopped her before she entered the mess.

"Stay back," he said.

"Your hand." She picked up his arm. "Keep it up in the air. I'll grab some towels. I"ll send someone to find Doc. You need stitches."

"Sit." He reached out and pulled out a chair.

"We need to stop your hand from bleeding." She stepped back toward the door.

He caught her wrist and tugged her to the chair. "Sit down."

"But, your hand—"

"It's fine." He raised his head when Keeffe and Nene entered the room. Pointing at Nene, he pointed his finger at the table. "You, sit."

Keeffe left the room. One of the women knew what the fuck was going on.

"Someone tell me where Skidd is staying?" he asked.

Nene stared him in the eyes. "As far as I know, the clubhouse."

He looked at Johanna. She sat on the edge of the chair, working her hands in worry. Her necklace wasn't in the field for four months, and he needed to know why Skidd had the tag.

"Do you know where he stays?" he asked, directing the question at Johanna.

She frowned and shook her head. "You're hurt. Can I please get you something to stop the bleeding?"

Keeffe rushed into the room and tossed him a towel. He wrapped the material around his knuckles and made a fist to keep it in place.

"How long have you been spending time with Skidd?" He looked at Nene. "Did you know about him fucking up the room?"

"I didn't see him do it. He left me in the main room. I only came down the hallway to find him and seen the broken glass. I didn't go in the room because I know it's off-limits unless invited." Nene mouth tightened.

"Are you fucking him?" he asked.

"No. I see him when he's at the club. That's it."

He leaned over and planted his hand on the table, inches from Nene, and said, "I expect you to let me know if he contacts you. If I find out you're seeing him or involved in the shitstorm he started today, I will personally make you regret ever having any association with Rollo, me, and half the members in Brikken. Now, get out of my sight."

Nene jumped from the chair and escaped the room. Johanna remained. The throbbing in his hand shot straight to his chest.

He turned to Keeffe. "Give us a few minutes and shut the door behind you."

He inhaled deeply before he turned around and faced Johanna. She needed spanked until she gave him the truth.

"W-what's going on?" she whispered. "Did you hurt Skidd?"

"Worried about him?"

"What?" She exploded out of her chair. "I'm worried about you. You went after Skidd, and I find you bleeding all over the place, glass covering the room, and you're asking Nene questions."

"Do you know where he is?" he asked.

"No. I was outside with you, and then Keeffe came and got me." She caught the edge of the towel unraveling around his hand and rewrapped it. "You need to see Doc."

He'd had enough injuries over his lifetime to know his hand would heal on its own without getting stitched up. "Where's your necklace?"

She groaned in frustration. "In my pocket. Right now, we're going to get you fixed—"

"Skidd didn't find the necklace in the yard."

She kept her neck bent and applied pressure on his hand. "I don't want you to find out how he came to have my necklace because I don't want you to go back to prison," she whispered.

Betrayal hardened him. He would not repeat Rollo's mistakes.

"I'm not going back to prison today. Answer my question." Barely in control of wanting to call everyone together to ride out and find Skidd, his voice came out deep and rough, getting Johanna's attention.

"Skidd ripped it off my neck." Her watery gaze looked him square in the eyes. "Please, don't go after him until you calm down. I can't lose you again."

"Did he hurt you?" he said through gritted teeth.

She shook her head. "He wanted to take me away from you and make me his...bitch."

"Did he hurt you?" He fisted his hands.

A shudder rolled through her. "He didn't, though he stole my necklace and scared me. You were in prison, so I made sure I was never alone after that."

"Jesus Christ," he muttered, pulling her to his chest. "Where were my men who looked after you?"

She pressed against his chest. "It happened outside the clubhouse at night. It's where I was free to go by myself."

"Why the fuck didn't you tell someone?"

"I didn't want what he'd done to get back to you and be the cause of you not getting released, and now you're home, and I don't want you to do something stupid, because of me, and go back to prison." She held on to his injured hand, putting it between her breasts. "Please, please don't do anything that's going to get you arrested. I've got my necklace back."

He cupped the back of her head with his uninjured hand. "It's more than the necklace, bug. I won't allow anyone to touch what is mine."

Betrayal, within the club, went back to the beginning of Brikken. It killed his mother and finally took out Rollo. He wouldn't allow anyone to take Johanna away from him.