Chapter 12

Silk

I hated all this crying shit. I rarely cried, and I certainly never cried in front of others. But I’d bawled all over Eagle twice in the last day! When I finally got my tears under control I pulled back from Eagle and my face flamed with heat. His chest and abs were wet from my tears. I wiped my palms over him, trying to wipe the liquid away. The muscles tightened beneath my touch and a tortured groan emanated from him.

“Baby, you have got to stop doing that. Fucking playing with fire, woman.”

“But I’ve got you all wet.”

He groaned again. “Just stop talking before I throw you up against the wall.”

My lips twitched as I shook my head. Trust Eagle to find a way to distract me with sex.

“Let me go splash some water on my face, then we can go through the rest of the bag.”

I slipped from his arms, and instantly a chill ran over my skin. Rubbing my arms I quickly went and washed my face and dried off. I took a washcloth back to Eagle with a smirk.

“Thought you might appreciate a wipe over. Want me to do it?”

His gaze darkened as he snatched the cloth.

“We’ll never get to those books at this rate. Quit teasing me, woman!”

I watched as he made fast work of wiping down his chest before he turned to throw the cloth into the bathroom. The ripple of the muscles in his arm and chest as he did it made me sigh. And him growl. Again.

“Okay, okay! We’re looking at books.”

I nearly told him if he put a damn shirt on, I wouldn’t be so distracted all the time. But I stayed quiet. I liked how he looked with his bare chest on display. All those perfectly sculptured muscles begging to be licked. And inked. Fuck, but that man needed more ink on his sexy body. He’d been right last night when he’d said I’d have the eagle tatt all planned out in no time. I had a good idea what I wanted to do already. As soon as I finished with this shit, I’d find my sketch book and get to work on it. I could use the distraction. When I drew, I entered another world. All my worries vanished and it was just me and the image.

I pulled the five remaining books free and stacked them in my arms, then reached over to snatch up the envelope that had the copy of the sixth ledger in it.

“Probably easier to look at these out on the table.” I paused to catch Eagle’s gaze. “Can I trust you, Mac and Taz with this? Trust that they won’t rat me out to the club or the cops?”

“Fucking hell, Silk. You know you can trust me. And you can trust Taz and Mac with your life, baby. They have loyalty to the club. We all promised that when we prospected in. But our first loyalty will always be to each other, and you’re mine, so you come before the club. Unless it’s going to put you in immediate danger, they won’t say a word to anyone about what those books contain.”

I held his gaze a moment longer before nodding and heading out toward the kitchen. Like everyone, I’d heard stories about how tight men who went to war together were, and from watching how Mac, Taz and Eagle were with each other, I believed it. The three men were like blood brothers. Actually, I suspected the bond they shared was even stronger than that between biological siblings.

When I got to the kitchen, Taz and Mac were getting themselves coffee.

“I guess you’ve both finished playing MacGyver and rigging up the yard?”

Taz smirked and Mac roared with laughter. “Guess Eagle told you about me then?”

Tilting my head, I frowned over at him “No, he hasn’t said anything about you. Why?”

Mac shoved a hand into his pocket and came out with a well-used Leatherman multi tool. “Mac is short for MacGyver, darlin’. I never leave home without this baby, even before I was Marine.”

Taz interrupted. “And he can do just about anything with that thing, too.”

“Or without it.” Mac shrugged a shoulder. “I’ll use whatever I can get my hands on to do what I need to get done.”

I shook my head with a chuckle. “That must have come in handy on missions. So, can I walk around outside safely? Or, is there like a map of where to avoid to not get blown up?”

There was a sparkle in his eyes as I spoke that lightened the tight bands on my chest. These three men were genuinely good guys. Eagle was the only that made my body come alive with a glance, but Mac and Taz were easy to talk with and I certainly felt well-protected with them surrounding me.

“Nothing will blow you up. I only rigged up some alarms to let me know if we have company coming. Nothing too dramatic–yet. If we get someone sniffing around, or we get word someone is going to be–then I’ll step up my toys.”

I shook my head at him again.

“Well, until that time arrives, if it arrives. I’ve got something to pass the time. I’m not ready to pass this onto the club, or the cops, yet. Not before I go over it all to see what it is. My father left me all these books. Ledgers on various organizations. Including a copy of the one I handed over to Antonio in L.A. yesterday.”

I hadn’t taken my eyes off the men as I’d spoken, and other than Mac briefly flicking his gaze to Eagle, they’d stood before me stony faced and deadly serious.

“You got an idea what they’re about, right?”

“I had a quick flick through the mob one before I handed it over. Looked like a list of details on various criminal activities. I only had a few minutes alone with the bag, I didn’t want to risk getting caught looking. When Antonio asked me if I’d looked, I’d told him I hadn’t.”

Mac folded his arms across his broad chest. “That would be the real reason you had us collect the bag. You didn’t want the mob to get these other books. Sabella didn’t figure out that you’d taken a peek in his ledger?”

I placed the stack down on the table as heat flashed over my cheeks. “Um, no he didn’t. I was very careful to tie it back up how it was when I found it, and when he asked me if I’d looked I told him I hadn’t. I’m pretty sure he believed me.”

“Well, the very fact he didn’t kill you on the spot would indicate you had him fooled.”

I couldn’t prevent the shudder that ran through me.

“Yeah, he was nothing but polite to me, but I could sense the violence in him. That it wouldn’t take much to push him over that particular edge. I did everything I could to stay on his good side.”

Fury suddenly radiated off Eagle and I turned to look at him before he spoke. “Guess you gave up on that theory at the bank. You do realize, if I’d been even a minute later than I was, you’d currently be in hospital with your skull crushed?”

Or I’d be dead. He didn’t need to say it. My skull tingled as I remembered how that guard had pulled my head back ready to slam against the marble wall.

“There were two boxes at the bank. One that opened with the key that had been in the front of his book, and another one that was under my name and didn’t have a key. Antonio wanted to see what was in my box. I managed to use the bank staff in a way that gave me a few moments alone with my box. But when I left the room to leave the building, Antonio’s thug was waiting for me.”

Mac glared at Eagle when he opened his mouth and he closed it before uttering a word. Mac then turned his gaze back to me.

“What was in your box? What would Antonio have wanted from it?”

“There were several rolls of cash. I haven’t counted it to know how much is there. A handgun, that I only checked to see if the safety was on before stashing it in my bag. I’ve no idea if it’s loaded or if it will work. And finally, a large envelope. There was a note stuck on the front of it saying if anyone from the L.A. mob was with me, that I needed to get away from them as fast as I could. To find a safe place before opening the envelope.”

Mac was nodding in an absent way that made me think he was deep in thought.

“I think it’s all about the money. Antonio said things to me that were fairly vague, but when I put them all together with what I now know about what my father did, I think Dad stole enough money from the mob that it crippled them. They want it all back.”

“How about you go grab those rolls? I think we need to know how much he left you to figure out how much of a hard-on Sabella is going to have to get it back.”

My heart rate picked up at the thought of Antonio or his goons coming after me again. I’d hoped it was all over. Sure, I knew the three men were here with me to protect me against him if he did come back. But I’d thought it was a hypothetical. My uncle and the club playing it safe, not a real threat.

Eagle briefly gripped my shoulder. “I’ll go grab your bag.”

His voice was barely more than a whisper and I nodded as I continued to struggle with the fact that I wasn’t as safe as I’d thought I was.

Suddenly a glass of water appeared in front of me.

“Here, hon. Take a drink and don’t worry so much. You’ve got yourself three marines to make sure nothing ever happens to you. They got you that first time because we didn’t know all the facts. Now we do, we’ll make sure you’re covered twenty-four/seven.”

“Thanks, Taz.”

Taz was a total charmer, always had women trailing him around the club house when he was in. I lifted the glass to take a sip when he continued talking in that Australian accent of his.

“And you know, if you ever get sick of Eagle there, I’ll totally take over the night-time undercover duties.”

I choked on the water and started coughing, my eyes watering. I coughed and wheezed for a bit before I could finally get a full breath in. Before I could get a smartass comment out, Eagle came back. He carefully placed my bag on the table in front of me before he slowly turned toward his friend. Taz’s eyes peeled wide and he stepped away.

“C’mon, mate. I was just mucking around. I know she’s your girl, I wouldn’t really make a move on her.”

A loud crack tore through the room when Eagle landed his fist against Taz’s jaw. The other man didn’t try to avoid the hit. I was pretty sure he could have, if he’d wanted to.

He rubbed his jaw testing the joint. “Fuck, Eagle. Did you have to hit so hard?”

“Just making sure you remember to not hit on my girl, whether it’s pretend or real.”

Not sure what to say to either of them, I took another drink, cleared my throat and began to empty out my bag on the table.

Eagle

Deep down I knew Taz had simply been trying to cheer up Silk. She’d been having a mini panic attack after Mac told her Sabella would most likely chase the money she’d received. I still wasn’t sure about that. Scout, Bulldog and Nitro had stayed behind to, no doubt, deliver a beat down on at least Sabella and whatever guards he had with him at the time. Depending on what was in the box he got from the bank, Sabella may decide it simply wasn’t worth chasing down Silk for the bit of cash of his she potentially had. Then again, what did I know about the mob and their methods? Fuck all.

Silk had carefully emptied out her bag on the table. There were eight rolls of hundred dollar bills and an older style Glock. Mac grabbed the gun off the table and quickly had it pulled apart.

“Serial number’s been ground off, but it looks good. With a good clean and oil, it should work perfectly.” Mac left the gun in pieces and moved to the cash. “Looks like we’ve got some counting to do.”

“The rolls look the same size.” Silk lined them up, and they did look like they were all the same. “Maybe just counting one will be enough?”

Mac shrugged. “Up to you, darlin’. Counting all of them will be more accurate. But counting one will give us a good idea of how much you’ve got.”

“And really, it’s not like we’re currently pressed for time. Might as well get it done right the first time, yeah?”

Taz was still rubbing his jaw, but he didn’t look like he was gunning for me over the punch.

“Yeah, okay. Let’s get it done.”

Silk tossed a roll to each of us, then took one of her own. Before she took the rubber band off, she reached into her bag and came out with a notepad and pen, which she set in the center of the table.

I took the band off my roll and started counting the notes. They’d been curled in a roll for so long they were a bitch to try to flatten out. In the end I stopped trying. I’d just roll the fuckers back up when I was done.

The room was silent except for the sound of paper shifting against paper as we all counted. As we each finished, we wrote the total on the pad. Silk took the pad when we’d all finished.

“Well, looks like he was consistent. Each roll has a hundred notes.” She paused for a moment and I figured she was doing the same math equations I was. “Fucking hell. I have seventy thousand dollars sitting here in front of me.”

My heart dropped. That was a lot of cash. “He’ll come for it if he knows this much is missing.”

Mac nodded in agreement. “We have to assume with this amount, he’ll realize your dad didn’t give him all of what he stole. Especially if that ledger you gave him details what he took.”

Silk grabbed the envelope and took the contents out. “Guess we go over this and work out exactly what he’s written in here. We might get lucky and he didn’t mention the details of his own dirty deeds.”

Yeah, I doubted we were going to be that lucky.

“All three of us don’t need to help you do that. How about we go over these other books? Who are they each for?”

Mac’s questions had Silk reaching for the pile of bound books.

“There’s one on the Charons. Not sure any of us should even glance at that one’s contents.” She put that one aside and grabbed the next one. “Iron Hammers. This one needs to be read carefully, to see if we can find something to use against them. Scout might just be able to get them to stop trying to take over our town.”

“I’ll take that one and go through it. I can help Scout use anything we find in there.”

Silk gladly handed the book over to Mac and I couldn’t help but smile at the easy way my girl had fallen into synch with my boys. She clearly trusted them–not enough to give us access to the club’s secrets, but enough for now. Willingly letting us help with the other books was a good start.

“Who do you want Taz? I’ve got the N.Y. mob, Ice Riders or Satan’s Cowboys. Any of you ever heard of either of those MC names? I don’t think I have.”

“Satan’s Cowboys are up north of Texas. They’re a huge club and not one you want to get mixed up with. The other one I haven’t heard of. Let me look it up.” I pulled out my phone and pulled up an internet search. “Right. Ice Riders are a club up in Boston. No idea how big they are, it’s not like they’re going to advertise the kinda information we want on their public website. I’m sure Scout would know if they’re a club we need to be careful with.”

“I’m not ready to call in Scout yet. Not until I’ve gone over this book of Antonio’s. The moment the club gets wind of these ledgers, I’ll be cut out from knowing anything about them and this shit is affecting my life. I want to know the details.”

“Give me the Cowboys’ ledger. I’ll sort that one.”

She handed Taz the requested book before turning to me. “Which one do you want?”

“I’ll take the Ice Riders. We need to work out if that club will be coming to look for blood. Whoever finishes first can take on the N.Y. mob one.”

We all sat down with our ledgers and I rolled my shoulders and neck before I pulled the string to release the book I held. Opening the cover, I cursed.

“What?”

I tore open the envelope taped onto the first page. “Another key. Do you all have keys in the front?”

As the others opened their books, I reached for the N.Y. mob one and sprung the string free to check that one.

“Yep.”

Mac and Taz spoke at the same moment I revealed the same envelope in the mob one.

“What the fuck was my father thinking?”

I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and pulled her against me, kissing her head when she rested her face against my chest.

“I have no idea, baby. But we’ll work it out, I promise you that much.” I looked at the page under the envelope. “My key is for a bank up in Boston. What about you boys?”

Mac spoke first. “Mine is down in Galveston.”

Then Taz. “Mine’s up in Dallas.”

Silk flicked up the N.Y. mob envelope. “New York.”

With a finger under her chin, I tilted her face toward mine. “Got seven days till the anniversary. You alright to do some traveling over the next couple days? Go round up all these boxes and see what we end up with?”

“We can’t do that without the club, Eagle. Not when there’s other MCs involved. And I will not go to New York. No way, no how.”

I leaned in and pressed my lips to hers, for a brief kiss.

“I’ll ring Scout after you finish with that book and sort something out.”

With a nod, she turned back to the ledger in front of her and I looked up to Mac and Taz. The FBI would want to know about all of this. But I wasn’t sure I could turn in the ledgers on the MCs, especially not the one on the Charons. Since prospecting in nearly a year ago, I’d grown to really like the club. Enjoyed being a part of it. The MC family was similar to the one we had with our Marine family. I wasn’t sure I wanted to risk ruining that by handing over information to the FBI. Information that was at least fifteen years old and may well be useless to them anyhow.

Once Silk was engrossed, I nodded to Mac and Taz and we slipped into the kitchen, out of earshot, but where we could still see Silk.

“You know they’ll want all of those.”

Trust Mac to say exactly what I’d been thinking.

“I’m not willing to risk our place with the club for this shit. Either of you know exactly how long the statutes of limitations are on these types of crimes? I don’t, but fifteen years is a long fucking time. They probably can’t do shit with them anyway.”

Mac got in my face, going toe to toe with me. “Brother, even if they can’t go after them for the crimes in the ledgers, they can follow the trails and find current crimes. We should hand them over.”

“And then what? We walk away from the club?”

“Away from Silk you mean. You really hooked on this girl, aren’t you?”

I shook my head. “It’s not just her. I mean, yeah, I don’t want to leave her. But it’s the club too. Don’t you guys like being a part of it all? Being surrounded by men that understand us, how we operate. Not only do they accept who and what we are, they welcome us with open fucking arms.”

Taz finally spoke up. “I don’t want to leave either. I like the Charons, and once we patch in, we can start actually participating.”

The man had a sly grin on his face and I rolled my eyes as I stepped back from Mac.

“You participate with any more of the club whores and they’re going to move your bed into the whore room and call it yours.”

“The free pussy sure is nice, but that’s not what I was referring to. You heard about what went down last month? With that fucking senator’s aide from Dallas? That is what I want to be involved with. Would have loved to have been on the crew that beat that fucker into the ground. Fucking asshole.”

They were silent for a few moments. Of course I’d heard about it. A big shot senator and his aide had passed through town last month, and on their way the aide picked up a young girl and brutally raped her. He did enough damage that the poor girl would probably never be able to have kids. Then the bastard pulled some strings and walked away with nothing more than a slap on the wrist. Yeah, the Charons had a reputation for doing bad things for good reasons. The fact the aide wouldn’t be able to ever get hard again meant he couldn’t ever rape another female. Of course, with the level of brain damage he was left with, he probably wouldn’t remember what sex even was.

It was what the fucker deserved.

“Yeah, as much as I know vigilante justice ain’t how it should be done, when the system fails, it’s good to know the club will step up to make sure it’s served.”

Mac sighed. “Guess we’re not going to do our job on this one then?”

“Nope. Maybe we can give them the N.Y. mob one? They don’t need to know about the club ledgers. We’ll just tell them about the two mob ones. Give them a copy of each, they can deal with that shit?”

Mac nodded. “That’ll work. And I don’t want to walk away from the club either. I wasn’t sure I’d like it, but I honestly do. Like you said, it’s a family that truly understands what kind of men we are.”

“Guess now all we need to do is somehow get a copy of those two books without Silk knowing about it.”

Taz stepped forward. “I’ll do it. Tonight while you’re sleeping, I’ll grab them and photograph them with my phone. That should be enough, then I can email it through to our guy. If you could get Silk to leave them out on the table that would handy.

I chuckled. “Yeah, that won’t happen. She’ll lock them in her father’s bag. I watched her unlock it earlier. The code is three-six-eight. And make sure we’re fucking sleeping before you come into the room. You do not need to be seeing my woman naked.”

Taz smirked. “So you want me to make sure you’re fucking before I come in? Or sleeping? Pick one bro!”

With a growl I lunged toward him and with a howl of laughter he ran back to the table out of my reach.

“Fuckin’ Aussie jarhead.”

Mac chuckled as he followed me back to Silk. “Yeah, he is. But at least he keeps things interesting.”

Having been his spotter for twelve years. I knew better than anyone how that man could inject humor into any situation.