I learned a long time ago that having courage didn’t mean you weren’t scared. To help Ellie, I was ready to face whatever unknowns lay ahead, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t worried about how things might play out. None of us had any way of knowing how Brady was connected to the Forsaken Saints, or why they’d come looking for him, but Cotton was determined to find out. I wasn’t exactly thrilled that we were taking Ellie with us, but time wasn’t on our side. When I glanced over at Ellie, I could see she was nervous, so I reached for her hand, giving it a light squeeze. As we pulled up to the man who stood at the gate, Cotton rolled his window down and said, “Hey, Dive.”

When he approached the SUV, I noticed he was wearing a Sergeant at Arms patch on his leather jacket. He brushed his long, shaggy hair out of his eyes as he said, “Cotton. Long time no see, brother.”

“Same to you. How you doing these days?”

“Pretty good.” He crossed his arms with an exaggerated shake. “I’d be doing better if it wasn’t so fucking cold.”

“You ain’t lying. I’m ready for a break from all this fucking snow.” Cotton looked towards the clubhouse and asked him, “Is Rip inside?”

“Yeah. He’s been expecting you. Go on in. I’d come with, but I’ve gotta finish setting up this new security camera before Rip comes unglued.”

“Good luck with that.” Cotton laughed as he pulled forward. Once we were parked, I looked at Ellie and leaned over, feeling the tension radiating off of her. “You don’t have to be nervous about going in there. These guys are friends of the club.”

She slowly nodded and followed us inside. Their clubhouse was a lot like ours, rustic and full of character, but it was much smaller. I’d never officially met any of the Saints’ brothers, but I knew we had history with them. Clutch once told me that they’d had our backs when Cotton’s cousin tried to take down our club. It was a long time ago, but their help left a lasting impression with Cotton and the others. I hoped their connection would come to be useful when we questioned them about Brady Blackwell.

I could hear voices coming from the bar, but as soon as we walked in, the room grew quiet. One of the older guys stood from his seat, and his face grew red as he said, “Damn, Cotton. Why the fuck did you bring her here?”

“Easy there, Rip,” Cotton warned. “We’re not looking for trouble.”

“I get that, but … fuck.” He ran his hand roughly through his beard and grumbled something under his breath. It was clear that he wasn’t happy about Ellie being there, and it took him a minute to collect himself. Rip was the president of the Forsaken Saints, and from what I’d heard, he was a decent, but firm, man. His club was small, but he’d led them well and from the looks of it, their club was doing okay for itself. “Why you’d bring her here of all places? Hell, she’s been all over the goddamn news.”

“I’m fully aware of what’s been going on with her, and that’s why we’re here. We were hoping you could tell us something about her husband, Brady Blackwell.”

“What exactly were you wanting to know?”

“Anything you can tell us.”

“I can tell you that he’s a double-crossing piece of shit. What else do you want to know?”

“When was the last time you saw him alive?”

“There a reason you need to know?” Rip asked.

Cotton looked over to Ellie as he said, “You could say that we’ve taken her in as one of our own, and since you’ve seen the news, you know she’s run into some trouble with the cops.”

“Yeah, I know.” He motioned Cotton forward. “Come with me.”

When he started to walk out of the room, Cotton turned to Ellie and said, “Wait here.”

Her eyes widened with trepidation, letting me know that she didn’t like the idea, but she didn’t try to argue. I walked over to her and said, “There’s a table in the back corner. Just wait there, and I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

“Does this mean he’s alive?”

“Not sure what it means, but I’m gonna find out.”

“Okay.”

As much as I hated the thought of leaving her, I knew Cotton wouldn’t ask her to stay behind if he didn’t think she’d be safe. I kissed her on the forehead and watched as she started towards the back of the room. When I went to join the others, the girl from behind the counter called out to me. “She’ll be fine. I’ll keep an eye on her.”

“Thanks. I’d appreciate that.”

By the time I caught up to Cotton and Stitch, they were going out the back door with Rip. I followed them through the parking lot and over to their garage. It was just like any other garage with its tools and old parts laying around along with a couple of older bikes they’d been working on. When Rip got to a door in the back of the room, he turned to Cotton and said, “Before we go in here, I should probably ask … is this guy a friend of yours?”

“Fuck no,” Cotton growled.

“Good to hear.” Rip smirked as he opened the door and started down a short hall. With its dark lighting and putrid smell, it felt ominous to say the least. It didn’t help matters that there wasn’t any heat—it was just cold and damp, yet the others seemed unfazed by their surroundings as they headed forward. I had no idea what we were about to see when Rip finally made it to the last doorway. As he reached for the door handle, he looked back at us and said, “Just a forewarning, this ain’t gonna be pretty.”

Cotton nodded, and we all watched in silence as he eased the door open. The room looked like some prison cell in a third-world country. The walls were made of concrete, and they were stained with dried blood and God knows what else. There were no windows, so it was hard to make out the figure that was sitting over on the dirty, old cot until we stepped inside. When I finally saw him, I felt a sense of gratitude for the Forsaken brothers. Good, old Brady had finally gotten what he deserved. Hell, the guy looked like he was on his last leg. Both eyes were practically swollen shut, and his face looked like it had been used for a punching bag. Along with the bullet wound to his shoulder, he was covered in cuts and bruises, and his clothes were soaked in blood. And the motherfucker smelled like ass. Just being in the same room with him brought bile to my throat. As I stood there staring at him, I thought about everything he’d done to Ellie and had to fight the urge go over and finish him off.

When Brady saw us standing there, his shoulders drooped, and he lowered his head like a cowering dog. “I already told you … I don’t know where the fuck it is. I don’t know what else you want from me.”

When Rip motioned his head towards the door, we all followed him back into the hall. Once he’d closed the door behind us, Cotton stepped towards him. “What’s this all about? Why are you keeping him here?”

“The motherfucker is a double-crossing, lying, piece of shit, that’s why,” Rip growled. “The dickhead arrested one of our distributors a couple months back, but he didn’t take him to jail. Turns out, he wasn’t all that interested in finding justice. No. This fuck-wad was looking to make a quick dime. He took our shit and thought he could get away with it. Did some looking into the guy, and he’s made a habit of doing this shit. But this time, he fucked with the wrong people. He’s not leaving that room until my shipment and my cash are back in my hands.”

Without mentioning that we had what they were looking for, Cotton said, “Did you have anything to do with the cleanup back at Ellie’s place?”

“Yeah, but I had no way of knowing it would come back on your girl.” He crossed his arms and he leaned his shoulder against the wall. “Once she left, I figured she was gone for good. Had no way of knowing that she’d grow a fucking conscience and turn herself into the cops.”

“So, you knew she bolted?”

He nodded. “I’d had Link, one of my boys, watching their house. Link had given us the word that Brady was there, and since he didn’t show up at our meet and was dodging my calls, I decided it was time to pay him another visit. When we got there, the two of them were arguing about something. Damn. It was one hell of a fight, too. We only caught the tail end of it, but we heard enough to know that she was done with his shit. We thought it was over until he decided to go after her. Looked like he was about to kill her, and we were about to step in when she shot his sorry ass.” He looked over at Cotton with a heartfelt expression. “I gotta tell ya. After she shot him, it scared the hell out of that poor girl. You should’ve seen the look on her face.”

“From what I’ve seen, the whole thing has hit her pretty hard, but damn. That asshole had it coming. He’d put her through all kinds of hell.”

“Figured that much. Got to be one huge fucking pussy to lay your hands on a woman. I was happy to see her stand up to him, and I couldn’t leave there without helping her out,” he confessed.

“What are you talking about?”

“I didn’t want the cops to come looking for her, especially since the fucker wasn’t dead, so we packed his shit and made it look like he’d left on his own free will.”

“Damn. I never saw that one coming.”

“That’s why I was so surprised when she showed up here,” Rip explained. “Like I said before, when I saw her leave, I thought for sure she wouldn’t be coming back.”

“Things have a way of coming full circle, brother. This thing had to play itself out.” Cotton ran his hand over his goatee as he cocked his eyebrow. “I’m gonna have to ask a favor, brother.”

“Whatever you need.”

“Just a minute to talk to him.”

Rip reached for the door, and as he opened it, he said, “Take all the time you want.”

Stitch and I followed Cotton inside, and when Brady saw us coming towards him, he tried to put on a brave front. “Who the fuck are you?”

“Damn. You really do suck. Figured you would’ve learned something from your old man, but it looks like you didn’t learn shit. Hell, you can’t even ask the right fucking question. What you should be asking is ‘how bad do I want this shit to end?’” Cotton crouched down in front of him and said, “You’ve found yourself in one hell of a mess this time. Fucked with the wrong man, and he’s a determined motherfucker. He’s not gonna stop until he gets what he wants, but things are looking up. Seems that we’ve got the means to make all this shit end, but we’re gonna need you to do something first.”

“And how the hell are you gonna do that?” he grumbled. “Like you said, these motherfuckers aren’t gonna stop until they get what they want, and I don’t have it.”

“Yeah. I got all that.” Cotton snickered. “So, it’s time to ask yourself … how bad do you want this to be over?”

“Pretty fucking bad.”

“In that case, it’s time for you to listen, and if you have any good sense at all, you’ll pay close attention, or these guys are gonna keep pounding away at you until there’s nothing left.”

“Just tell me what you want me to do,” he pleaded.

“Need you to make a call to the chief … convince him to do whatever he’s gotta do to get the charges against Ellie dropped.”

His back stiffened as he barked, “Ellie? What are you talking about? What charges?”

“She’s been charged with your murder.”

“Wait. Let me get this straight.” An evil grin spread across his face as he said, “Ellie has been charged with my murder, and you want me to help her get out of it? You gotta be kidding me? That fucking whore can rot in jail for all I care.”

From the minute I’d laid eyes on the worthless piece of shit, I’d wanted to have my go with him, but out of respect for Cotton, I’d held back. As soon as I heard him call Ellie a whore, I was done. I charged forward and planted my balled fist into the side of his face, flaying his neck backward with a hard jolt. Before he had a chance to recover, I laid into him again and again. Neither Cotton, nor Stitch tried to stop me as I continued to beat the hell out of him. “If you ever disrespect her again, I’ll fucking end you. Hell, I’d kill you right fucking now if I could.”

With blood oozing from his nose and mouth, I reared back to hit him again. When he brought his hands up and tried to cover himself, I snarled, “Just look at you. You’re nothing but a fucking pussy. Now you know how it feels. How Ellie felt every time you put your goddamn hands on her.”

I kept wailing into him until I heard Cotton say, “Diesel.”

I wanted nothing more than to keep going, but I held my hands up and I backed away. I looked over to Cotton and was about to apologize for losing my cool, but before I had a chance to speak, he gave me a chin lift, letting me off the hook. I stepped behind him and watched as he eased over to Brady. Cotton grabbed him by the collar, forcing him to look at him as he said, “Now, where were we?”

“I’m not making the call. Don’t care what else you got to say.”

“You know, it’s only a matter of time before these guys step it up a notch, and you’ll feel pain like you’ve never felt before.”

“Maybe so, but I’ll have the satisfaction of knowing that Ellie’s rotting away in jail. That will get me through anything.”

Stitch stepped forward, and with a calm, but eerie voice, he said, “Give me ten minutes.”

“You got it,” Cotton told him as he started for the door. I followed him out into the hall where Rip was still waiting for us.

“Having any luck?” Rip asked.

“Not yet, but we’re giving Stitch a go at it.” Cotton smirked.

He gave Cotton a disgruntled look. “Doubt he’ll get him to budge. Hell, Tank’s been working on him for days now, and he hasn’t gotten anywhere with him.”

“Don’t take offense, but brother, he’s not Stitch.”

We stood by the door and waited to hear screams or pleads for mercy, something, but there was nothing, only silence. We all knew what Stitch was capable of doing. He was known for breaking the strongest of men, so while none of us had any idea what was going on in that room, I felt certain that he’d get the job done. Overcome with curiosity, I leaned towards the door, trying my best to hear anything, but again, only silence. We were still standing around and waiting when the door suddenly opened. With a blank expression, Stitch said, “Need a burner. He’s ready.”

Cotton reached into his back pocket and handed him the phone. Stitch took it, and then walked back over to Brady. “Make the call.”

With his hands trembling, Brady took the phone from Stitch and started to dial the number. Stitch crossed his arms and glared at him with a fierceness that even made me feel uneasy. I had no idea what had transpired between the two of them, but when Brady started speaking, he said everything exactly the way it needed to be said. “Hey, Dad. Yeah, it’s me.” We could all hear his father’s voice when he replied. It was clear that he was surprised, and it took Brady several attempts to calm him down. “I know you have lots of questions, but I need you to listen to me, Dad. It’s important.” He took a deep breath, then continued, “I fucked up. I fucked up bad, and I got myself into something that not even you can get me out of. I’ve had to leave town.” Again, we heard his father’s voice blaring through the other end of the phone. “Dad! Listen to me. I can’t come back. I don’t have a choice in it. This is the way it’s gotta be, but I need you to do something for me.”

His face twisted into a grimace as he forced himself to say, “I need you to help Ellie. You know I haven’t done right by her. You know I’ve done pretty horrible stuff to her … things she didn’t deserve. Dad, you can’t let her go to jail for something she didn’t do. You gotta get the charges dropped. All of them.” He grew silent as he listened to his father’s response. “I don’t care what you have to do. Just make it happen.”

Stitch flicked his wrist, cueing him that his time was up and to end the call. “I need you to do this for me, Dad. Please.” He sighed. “Thank you. I’ve got to go. Don’t worry about me. I’m gonna be okay.” He waited a moment before he said, “You, too, Dad.”

The asshole was on the verge of tears as he hung up the phone and handed it to Stitch. We all watched as Stitch knelt down beside him. Brady’s eyes grew wide with horror as Stitch whispered something to him. Suddenly, my respect for Stitch hit a whole new level, and I found myself smiling as I followed them out into the hall. Just as we were about to head back into the clubhouse, Cotton looked over to Rip and said, “I’ve got something in the SUV that you might be interested in.”

“Really? What’s that?”

“Just come see for yourself.” Cotton led him over to the trunk, and once he opened it, he said, “I think this might belong to you.”

“Well, fuck me rotten. Where did you find it?”

“Ellie had hidden it in the house. Wasn’t sure it was yours until we got here,” Cotton explained.

“Thanks, brother. Looks like we’re officially done with Brady boy.” Rip snickered.

“Can you hold on to him for a few more days … just until we know that call worked in our favor?” Cotton requested.

“You got it, brother. Just give me a heads up when the coast is clear.” Rip looked over to the gate and called out, “Hey, Dive. Come give me a hand with this.”

Once they got everything unloaded, I went back inside to get Ellie. When I walked in, I found her sitting at the back table talking with the girl from behind the bar. As soon as I saw her, the tension I’d been carrying started to subside. I’d heard people talk about finding that person who made them see the world in a completely different way, and how they loved them like no other, but I never truly understood what they were talking about. For me, love was just a word—until Ellie came crashing into my life. I finally got it. With Ellie, I found something I didn’t even know I was missing.