Chapter Twenty-Nine
Finn picked up at least one state trooper as he sped along the highway, ignoring the flashing lights as he gunned the engine. Traffic was light in the growing daylight, and he stayed in the fast lane until he came to the exit for Whispering Willows, taking it at as high a speed as he could without losing control of the motorcycle.
A red haze of anger formed around the edges of his sight, threatening to obscure his vision. All he could see was Skye and Robby, shot and propped up against the wall of the diner, bleeding to death as the bikers drove off.
The sirens increased behind him, the number of cars doubling then tripling. Finn glanced in the mirror and saw a black SUV pick up the trail.
Mac’s men.
The local police pulled out from a side street to try and catch him but failed, falling into line behind Finn. He laughed. He’d been working alone for the past month, and now he was leading a damned cop parade.
The diner was around the corner. He jammed on the brakes, the smell of burning rubber filling the air as he slowed to take the turn.
The assorted police vehicles behind him had to do the same, the screeching of brakes accompanying him as he sped into the parking lot.
Finn brought the bike to a stop and jumped off, letting it crash to the ground.
The diner appeared as it had the other times he’d visited, the only difference being the Closed sign in the window. As he charged up the steps, preparing to kick in the door, a hand reached out and flipped it to Open.
Finn skidded to a stop.
Skye unlocked the door and stepped out. Her front was stained with blood, and hot terror flashed through his bones until he realized it wasn’t hers.
“Can I take your order?” She nodded to one side. “The morning special is on biker scum. Three of them in here, sunny-side up with a side of whoop ass.”
Finn grabbed at her, twirling her around in his arms before he kissed her.
Skye pulled back, cupping his face in her hands. “Smith?”
Finn smiled. “We got him. All of them.” He watched as the assembled law enforcement personnel began arriving, yelling as the locals faced the troopers who faced the federal agents, each trying to out-shout the other.
“There’s quite a bit of paperwork to figure out, but then we’re going to celebrate.” Finn looked past her to see Robby leaning against the doorframe with Julius helping hold him up. “A lot.”
A few minutes later, Finn sat handcuffed in the back of the Nevada State Trooper’s police car.
Skye sat on the steps of the diner as she cradled Robby, the young man exhausted and limp. An ambulance’s siren split the air, and Finn suspected Robby was about to be readmitted to the hospital.
Mac, their contact in the FBI, was busy standing off to one side waving his hands and talking rapidly to the other officers. It was plain they were discussing who was in charge.
After a few minutes, Mac came over to Finn’s car, gesturing for one of the troopers to open the rear door. He ducked his head inside, sunglasses hiding his eyes.
“We’ll have you out of those cuffs in a second.” He glanced over at the ambulance pulling in. “This turned into one hell of a clusterfuck, didn’t it?”
Finn laughed as he leaned forward for the trooper to undo the cuffs. “You said it, not me.”
“The people upstairs enjoyed their late-night viewing. The recordings from the truck stop are clear, good quality. No exterior microphones, but we’ve picked up the other civilian driver, and he’s singing loud and clear about the deal with Smith, where he went, and what he did, now that he’s not afraid of the Wolf taking him out and shooting him in the back of the head.” Mac looked over at Skye and Robby. “I assume we can count on his testimony as well. We’ll keep you out of the loop if we can, as usual.”
“He’s a fighter.” Finn nodded, rubbing his wrists. “He’ll testify. As will she.”
“So it seems.” Mac smiled. “She’s an interesting woman. Hope you’re noticing.”
Finn laughed as he exited the car. “Hell, yeah.” He hesitated, a more serious question drilling into his heart. “Did you get all the gang members? One of them goes free, decides to take it out on Skye and Robby…”
Mac held up his hand. “We’re sort of used to this thing. According to the records, we’ve got all of them, but I plan to leave an undercover team in place here to keep an eye on the situation for at least a month. See if anyone comes back to the clubhouse and tries to resurrect it, any suspicious characters hanging around Skye and Robby.” He paused. “We could put them in witness protection.”
“That would be up to them.” Finn winced inside. If Skye entered the program, she’d be gone forever, hidden away under a new name and a new life. “But it’s worth talking about.”
Mac stared at him and nodded. “We’ll consider that.”
…
Skye helped Robby onto the stretcher. His shirt and track pants were soaked with sweat and whatever else he’d managed to pick up during the struggle with Jake.
“I’ll be fine.” Robby squeezed her hand as he lay back and let the paramedics begin treating him. “The important thing is that Smith’s gone.” He raised an eyebrow. “You like this guy. Finn.”
She gave him a soft smile. “We’re close.”
“Good. I’m glad you have someone.”
“I only found him because I wanted help killing Smith,” she confessed.
His eyes widened. “You were planning to kill Mick?”
Skye nodded, fighting to keep the tears back. “I thought you were going to die. I couldn’t imagine a life without you.”
Robby smiled. “I can’t die just yet. I think that nurse’s sweet on me. Maybe I’ll ask her out.”
Skye stepped back as the paramedics finished hooking up an IV before loading the stretcher into the back of the ambulance.
Robby gave her a final wave before the doors closed and the wagon raced off, accompanied by one of the black SUVs that had come in with Finn.
She let out a sigh of relief, knowing Robby would not only be in good hands medically but also safe and guarded.
She turned to see another ambulance dealing with Jake, who was writhing in pain on the stretcher, the steak knife still embedded in his leg. It was obvious the biker wasn’t going anywhere for a good, long time.
The man who had been talking to Finn came over to her. “Miss Harris?” He extended his hand. “I’m Special Agent MacKenzie. I help out Dylan and his friends.”
She noticed he avoided saying “the Brotherhood” out loud.
His handshake was warm and strong. “While we appreciate your enthusiasm in helping take down these drug dealers, I do have to officially note you shouldn’t have been involved.” The twinkle in his eye drew a smile to her face. “Civilians shouldn’t take the law into their hands and try to deliver justice. That’s for trained professionals.”
Skye nodded. “Duly noted.”
“Now that the official warning’s been given, you did a hell of a job here. With Finn’s help, of course.”
“Yes.” She glanced over his shoulder at Finn, now dealing with a female paramedic fussing over his light wounds. “And the others.”
Mac shrugged. “It was mostly you two. We’ve raided the clubhouse and the storage unit—between what we found there, the illegal drugs in the car, and testimony from the bikers looking to make a deal, Mick Smith is going to go away for a long, long time.” He eyed her. “I hope that’s enough justice for you.”
“It is.” She nodded. “For a lifetime. Don’t worry. I’ve got nothing planned other than helping Robby recover and getting my life back to normal.”
“Good.” He patted her shoulder. “I’m going to send over a man to take your statement. You immediately say you’re not talking without a lawyer present. You want to go home, change your clothing, and you’ll meet us with your lawyer at the hospital because you want to be with your brother. He’ll agree, of course. Another man will accompany you to your home and to the hospital for your protection, as one did with Robby.”
Skye played along, sensing the game going on here.
“We’ll talk to you at the hospital. Have a good day.”
Skye drew a deep breath as Mac walked away. For the first time in weeks, she sensed daylight at the end of the long, dark tunnel they’d all been going through—
Only to have the hope replaced by concern and confusion as she spotted Julius being put into the back of one of the SUVs in cuffs.
A car pulled into the parking lot, a familiar one. April flew out of the driver’s seat as soon as the engine died, dashing over to Skye.
“What’s going on?” She hugged Skye before surveying the chaos at the diner. “I heard there was some sort of commotion here.” She wiped her eyes with her sleeve. “I was running late ’cause Harry and I was out after midnight and—” April caught her breath. “What’s Julius doing in the back of that car? Is he in handcuffs?”
“It’s a long story.” Skye took her hands and squeezed. “It’s a long, damned story.”
…
The woman dabbing at Finn’s face clucked her tongue. “I assume the other guy looks worse.”
He flashed back to the memory of Mick Smith face down in the parking lot, blood oozing from his nose as he lay gasping for air.
“A bit.” He pulled away from the paramedic. “I’m good. Thanks for the clean-up.” Finn smiled, letting her turn to her next man, one of the semi-conscious bikers already strapped to a stretcher.
Yet another car pulled into the parking lot, staying outside of the yellow tape one of the policemen was wrapping around everything and anything near the diner. Dylan got out and approached the barrier, hands tucked into his jeans.
The sunglasses covered a bit of bruising on his cheek, but he showed no other ill effects of the recent brawl. Finn walked up to him, careful to stay on his side of the line.
“We’re heading back to the Playground.” Dylan glanced around at the mass of law enforcement personnel swarming over the diner. “Should I put you back on the schedule for next week?”
Finn frowned. “What?”
Dylan nodded toward the diner. “Your job here is done. You busted the gang. The heroin trade here is gone, at least for the time being, and Skye has her brother back. What else is there?”
Finn rubbed his forehead, wincing as he touched the butterfly bandage. “I…” He shook his head. “I need to clean things up here. Bits and pieces.” He scrambled for words, trying to sort through his thoughts.
Dylan smiled. “I didn’t mean putting you on duty tonight. Take a day or two, finish up your personal business here. It’s time to pack things up and come home.”
Finn glanced at the diner. “Thank the men for me. They really came through.”
Dylan shrugged. “They were doing their jobs. Wyatt’s fine, except he’s going on light duties for the next few weeks, and Ace’s going to have Lisa fawning over him, so that’s a win. And Jessie wanted to show off what she could do with the drones. She’s no Trey, but it’s good to have someone who can run them in case he needs to get out in the field. She understands I don’t want her out with us because I’ll be too worried about her to do anything else. She’s with Ace and Wyatt now, getting ready to drive them back to Vegas.”
“Damned annoying, this love thing,” Finn joked.
“Yep. Damned annoying.” Dylan glanced over to where April and Skye stood, quietly talking to each other. “Took a lot of nerve to come and get us. Took a lot to survive this.”
“Yep.” Finn licked his lips. “I like that. I like her. Mac’s talking about offering them a spot in witness protection when the trial’s over. They’ll be safe forever.”
“They’ll be gone forever.” Dylan tilted his head to one side. “You okay with that?”
“No.” Finn sighed. “But if it keeps her safe…” He turned away to be alone with his thoughts.
…
Skye rubbed her eyes, the adrenaline rush trickling away and leaving her hollowed out and exhausted. The reality slapping her in the face was intense and almost physically painful.
Smith was gone.
Robby was awake.
Finn was going to leave.
She was thrilled about the first two, not about the third.
“Hey.”
Dylan stood in front of her. He handed her a business card. “Here’s your lawyer. He’s already on the road and will meet you at the hospital.” He took her hand in his and gave it a light squeeze. “It’s been a pleasure to meet you. Best of luck to you and Robby.”
“Thank you,” Skye said. “I don’t…” She stopped as Dylan held up his hand.
“Pay it forward when you can.” He smiled. “And when you’re in town, stop on by.”
Dylan headed for his car.
“Come on over and sit down.” April reached out to her. “I’ll drive you to the hospital as soon as I make sure it’s okay for us to leave.” She shot one of the SUV’s a dark look. “Looks like I’m going to be out of work for a bit.”
Skye leaned against the side of the building. “Julius helped us take them down. That’s got to count for something.”
“It will,” April said. “Dumb jerk.” She shook her head. “I spoke to one of the agents. The place is going to be locked up for at least a week, if not two. Bright side, Julius’s agreed to let me run it until he gets out or back on his feet or whatever is going to happen. So, I’ve got myself a promotion.” April sighed. “I can’t believe Julius sent Robby to them.”
Skye gave a shake of her head. “He might have pointed my brother in that direction, but Robby made the final decision. He wanted the easy money.” The words pained her, but they had to be said. “He wanted to give me the world, give me some freedom from working all the time to keep us afloat. It was dangerous, and yet he went for it.” She dug her fingernails into her palms. “He shouldn’t have done it.”
“No. He loved you, and that trumps everything.” April put her hand on Skye’s shoulder. “Don’t be too hard on your brother. These parasites prey on people wanting something just out of reach.”
Skye glanced at Finn. “There’s always something out of reach.”
April followed her gaze. “I’m guessing he’s a part of this whole thing.” She chuckled. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to ask for details. Better I don’t know about it anyway. Keep me clear of this mess.” She let go of Skye’s hand. “Let me check on things, then we’ll blow this joint. I’ll drive you to the hospital as soon as we stop by your place.”
Skye frowned.
April gestured at her blouse, still stained with Jake’s blood. “Seriously. You look like an extra from a horror movie. Let’s get you cleaned up, and we’ll go see Robby.”
Skye looked down. “Oh, God…” She brushed her front. “I do, don’t I?”
April nodded toward the car. “You do. And remind me never to piss you off.” She stared over where Jake was still moaning, waiting for the ambulance to leave. “Never.”