People who have good instincts know the difference between a person being foolish and a person being determined. Rivera clearly sees which one I am right now.
“You really believe this is connected?” he says grudgingly.
“I don’t have a crystal ball. If there is one thing being an investigative reporter has taught me it’s that most leads don’t pan out but you’ll never find the ones that do unless you run them all down.” I meet his gaze, letting him see that I’m not backing down. “Hydro Relief Inc. has an office a couple of hours from here. If they are tied to REACH’s shipments, then we might be able to find answers there. Someone stateside might have ties to the man Slate is hunting. This is the first real chance I’ve had to get answers in a long damn time. Before, I was running for my life with a baby on my hip. Now, my daughter is safe, and I can get back to doing what I do best.”
He shifts his weight and looks towards the gate where the prospects are posted. His fingers drum once on his bicep. “You really want to get back into investigative reporting?”
“It’s my career. I have a degree in journalism,” I tell him, point blank. “The only reason I ever stopped was because I was being stalked.”
Rivera curses under his breath, resigning himself to the fact that I’m doing this whether he likes it or not. He looks down at the notebook again. “We’d best get movin’, then.”
“Thank you for this. I won’t forget it.”
“Yeah, ‘cause I’ll be reminding you regularly. Now, there are some ground rules. No detours or stopping unless I say so. And if anything looks off, we turn around.”
Relief pulses through me, quick and sharp. “I agree to your terms.”
He pushes the front door open, checking the yard before gesturing for me to follow. “Let’s go before I change my mind.”
We step into the cool morning air. Prospects are patrolling the perimeter. A few brothers are near the garage, chatting while they check over their bikes. Although the compound feels guarded, safe, leaving my daughter behind still causes a twinge of anxiety.
Rivera leads me towards a dark SUV parked near the side gate. “We take the cage,” he says. “There is no way in hell Slate would want you on the back of another man’s bike.”
“I don’t mind how we get there,” I say quietly.
I glance back at the clubhouse as Rivera pulls out towards the gate. Another prospect swings it open and gives us a questioning look, but Rivera lifts his hand and shoos them away. The gate slides wider, letting the vehicle roll forward.
I grip the notebook tighter, steeling myself for whatever is to come. The old excitement begins to build in my chest. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t an adrenaline junkie. You have to be in my line of work. I find that I’m feeling more like my old self by the minute.
Chapter 15
Slate
The sun is shining high in the morning sky as we ride to Los Angeles. If I weren’t so tense and eager to get my hands on this crazy fucker, I could almost enjoy the trip. Riding the open road is my favorite thing to do in the entire world.
We’re riding two by two today. Onyx is at my side taking the lead position. Two prospects follow us in a van behind us with Striker and Flint. Jinx and Mica cover the van’s six. We brought the cage because we’re not leaving empty-handed today. If Striker’s intel is solid, we’ll be hauling a grown ass man back to the clubhouse, and I want him to live long enough to talk.
As we enter LA, I shift my focus to the buildings, alleyways, passing cars, and the people loitering around on the street. My mind slips into the same tight discipline I used during the times of war. There is no room for drifting thoughts or being preoccupied with other things, like my flailing relationship with Christina or my innocent little daughter. I need to stay in the moment, maintain an awareness of my surroundings, and mark the positions of my brothers at all times.
Striker’s voice comes through the comm clipped to my ear. “We’re getting close. Neal Summers is registered as a contractor for REACH. The company listed his last confirmed stateside location at the address up ahead.”
I recognize the company name. REACH is short for Rapid Emergency Aid and Community Health. It’s the sameorganization Christina was digging into before everything kicked off in Kabul. The same name that kept coming up in her notes. The fact that Striker found Neal’s name in an employee directory does not surprise me. Men like that always hide in plain sight.
Onyx glances over at me, his expression unreadable behind his sunglasses. My blood brothers are all prior military as is my cousin, Flint. We all retreat into the military mindset drilled into us before our first deployment when we’re expecting conflict.
I lean deeper into a sharp turn as we exit the main road and enter a narrow street lined with old warehouses and mostly closed businesses. The neighborhood looks a bit dystopian with rusted fences, broken windows, and stray dogs with their ribs showing crisscrossing our path. It’s the kind of place men go when they want to disappear ‘cause there ain’t nobody interested in coming to a place like this for fun.
Onyx jerks his chin towards a dilapidated bar sign at the end of the street. The bar itself looks like it should have been condemned years ago. Between the dirty windows, peeling paint, and trash piled along the wall, it doesn’t look safe, much less like a proper establishment. A staircase runs up the side of the building, with a metal railing bent in places.
I pull my bike to a slow stop and kill the engine. The others do the same.
Striker speaks again through the comm. “Power usage indicates someone’s living in the second-floor apartment.”
I swing my leg off the bike and adjust my cut as I gaze up at the apartment. I smile when I see movement at the upstairs window. Our chances of him being not only the occupant but at home right now just increased tenfold.
Neal Summers is the key to understanding all of this. He’s been stalking her off and on for few years, which makes him a persistent fucker if nothing else. I want to know all about the dirty dealings buried beneath REACH’s clean public face, and this asshole is gonna tell me everything I want to know.
Onyx steps up beside me. “You ready?”
