When I pull up to the address Angel sent me, every nerve ending is on high alert. I’ve got my piece tucked into the back of my waistband, and I’m scanning the terrain for any sign of danger.

A couple of the brothers are already here, judging from the bikes parked out front, but I don’t see Angel’s yet. As I pull up next to the others and stop the bike, I realize with a shock of recognition where I am.

This is Abe Abbott’s house.

And the front door’s wide open.

As I walk cautiously toward the place, I see it’s been broken into. A couple of the small front windows next to the door are smashed in. When I walk through the front doorway, I see the place has been tossed. Inside, Rock is standing in the living room with Hawk and Skid.

“Looks like a home invasion," Rock says dismissively when he sees I’ve arrived.

“Jesus,” I swear. Tanner Springs doesn’t normally see this kind of shit. Especially not at the mayor’s house. “Does Abe know about this yet?”

“Abe’s gone.”

“What do you mean, gone?” I ask. “Like, left? Or like disappeared?”

Rock shrugs. “Dunno. He’s AWOL. I haven’t talked to him.”

Something feels off to me. Rock and Abe aren’t exactly best buddies, but they’ve been business associates for years. The number of deals they’ve done under the table with each other alone ought to make Rock more concerned about him than he seems to be. I’m not expecting Rock to shed any tears here, exactly, but his indifference makes me suddenly sure something bigger’s going on that I don’t know about.

A few of the other brothers arrive as we’re talking, and wander into the front room with us. “Where’s Angel?” I ask.

“He’s coming. I sent him on a run up north this morning. He should be back here pretty soon.” Rock turns away from me and addresses the others. “Why don’t you men go upstairs and look around. See what you can see. Grab anything interesting and report back. We’re gonna want to get this place cleaned up before the cops show.”

Fucking A. So we’re cleaning up evidence. Goddamn it. My mind goes immediately to Jenna. Her dad is out there somewhere, and it’s looking like he’s in danger. And Rock’s not telling me something.

“How did you find out about this?” I ask him as we watch the brothers walk upstairs.

“Anonymous tip,” he tells me, his tone short. “A friend of the club.”

I can tell just by the way he says it he’s not about to tell me who the ‘friend’ is.

I can’t figure out what to do. It’s like I’m paralyzed, and it’s driving me crazy. I need to know what’s happening, but Rock’s a closed book, and I know better than to push him on it. I want to call Jenna, but I can’t until I at least have some information for her. And I have to talk to Angel, most of all, but he’s not here yet, and until he shows, there’s no way I’m gonna be able to get enough pieces of this puzzle to put it together.

About fifteen minutes later, Angel finally pulls up outside. I’m about to go out and meet him when my phone buzzes. It’s Jenna. I almost shut it off, not wanting to talk to her until I have more information. But then the hairs on the back of my neck begin to prickle: Jenna wouldn’t be calling me right now unless something important was up.

I press answer and step out into the hallway. “Hey.”

“Cas!” Jenna’s voice is frantic on the other end of the line. “Oh my God, Cas. Something’s happened. I need help.”

Shit. “Okay, okay. Calm down. Tell me what’s wrong.”

I listen in disbelief and mounting rage as Jenna tells me her asshole landlord broke into her place when she and Noah were there.

“He had his key,” she says breathlessly, her voice high and strained. “He opened the door before I could do anything to stop him. His nose was broken, and his face was all bandaged up.” Jenna stops talking for a second, and I can hear her take a few deep breaths. I can tell she’s working hard to stay calm. “He… he told me that my dad has a price on his head, Cas! He said he was going to bring me to the Iron Spiders for leverage… but then Noah…” Her voice breaks, and it takes all the control I have to wait for her to continue. Finally she calms down enough to keep going. “Then Noah came out, and he said he was going to take Noah instead!” Jenna starts to cry. “He started to go toward Noah, and… I shot him… Cas, he’s dead! He’s here, lying out there on the living room floor. I don’t know what to do!”

Holy shit.

The Iron Spiders. They’re involved in this. Some of the missing pieces appear and try to assemble themselves in my mind. The Spiders were the ones behind Charlie Hurt being so scared he was willing to risk anything not to give me their names.

But Hurt was working for Jenna’s dad, too. Wasn’t he?

Or were the bugs in Jenna’s apartment the Spiders’ work, too?

Jesus. This is all much bigger than I could have realized. I think back to what Hurt said when I tried to get information out of him.

“You think it’s Abe I’m scared of? It’s not Abe, man. There’s nothing you can do to me that’s as bad as what they’ll do if I tell you. Nothing.”

On the other end of the line, Jenna continues to sob. “Okay, baby,” I soothe her. “It’s gonna be okay. Trust me, okay? Jen?”

“Okay,” she says in a small, trembling voice.

I try to think. “Tell me, has anyone downstairs at the tattoo parlor come up to investigate the noise?”

“No,” she whispers. “I think they must be closed.”

I breathe a sigh of relief. The guys at Rebel Ink are geniuses as artists, but they’re shitty businessmen. This is the first time I’ve ever been glad they have a tendency to close whenever the mood hits them.

“Okay, Jen, look baby, hold tight,” I tell her. “I’ll be there really soon, with the MC. Just keep Noah away from the body and don’t answer the door until I text you it’s me.”

I get her to agree, and then I hang up the phone. For a second I feel guilty that I didn’t tell her about her dad, but I don’t want to risk pushing her over the edge. Not until I can be there to catch her if she falls.

Angel is just walking in as I slide the phone back into my pocket.

“Brother,” I greet him, giving him a quick embrace and a clap on the back.

“What the fuck is going on here?” he asks, looking around at the devastation.

“Break-in,” I tell him. “Your dad’s gone.”

“Who has him?” Angel demands. Rock walks up in time to hear the question.

“Hard to say,” he answers evenly.

“Angel,” I say, “I think this might have been the Iron Spiders.”

“The Spiders?” Angel repeats, not comprehending. Then his face changes. “Was he in business with them?”

I nod. “I think so.”

I tell him what I know, piecing what I can together and trying to guess at the rest. When I’m finished, Angel is looking at me in amazement.

“God damn,” he says, looking at Rock. “Did you know this?”

Rock snorts. “No, I didn’t fucking know it,” he spits. “Not for sure. Not until now. Goddamn piece of shit is lucky to be alive.”

If he is alive, I think.

“Fuck. We have to find him,” Angel declares, shaking his head.

“No,” Rock barks. “Abe had this coming. Whatever happens to him now is on his own head.”

“Rock. He’s my fucking father.” Angel looks him hard in the eye. “Traitor or not. I have to at least try.”

“Yeah,” Rock growls, his jaw pulsing. “Which is the only reason why I’m not sending out the whole MC to find him and fucking kill him right now.”

He turns away and stomps off upstairs, leaving the two of us here alone.

“I have to go try and find him, Ghost,” Angel says grimly, turning to me. “He’s a piece of shit, but he’s my father. And Jenna’s.”

Fuck! I have to tell him about Jenna. “I know,” I reply. “Look, there’s something else you need to know. Jenna just called me. Her landlord, Charlie Hurt — turns out he was on the take for the Spiders, and maybe your dad. He just broke into Jenna’s place and tried to take her and Noah. Jenna shot him.”

“Jesus fuck!” His eyes narrow in anger. “Is she okay?”

“She is, but he’s not. She killed him.” I let out a breath. “You know I’d come with you to look for your dad, but I’ve got to get to Jenna first, Angel. She’s freaking out. Fucking Hurt’s lying in a pool of blood on her living room floor.”

“No, you’re right.” He’s shaking his head. “You go to her. Take some brothers with you. We don’t know for sure whether the Spiders have my dad yet. I’m gonna go on the assumption he got away in time. Anyway, if he didn’t…” He trails off, looking around the wrecked house.

I nod. “Yeah. I know.”

If he didn’t, we’re probably too late.