“Maybe if you’re a good girl, I’ll tell you.”
“Asshole.”
He laughed again. “Come on, eat up. Your ride will be here in about twenty minutes.”
“My ride?”
Turned out the person driving me to Paterson was Cassie, and Rosa was along for the ride too. Once I’d collected my overnight bag, I stood on the front porch with Hudson, while Rosa talked to Ballistic and Cassie was doing everything within her power to avoid making eye contact with Handlebar.
He was leaning into the hood of a car someone brought in for him to fix. There was steam coming out from the engine and he’d put both palms flat on the side, his triceps were all pumped up the way he’s leaning. If he was aware of Cassie, he wasn’t showing it, but she couldn’tstop her eyes flicking over. Hudson saw me watching and eyed me suspiciously.
“So how long am I being exiled?” I distracted him.
“So dramatic,” he grabbed my bag off the floor. “And just a couple of nights, that is as long as I want you away from me.”
I preened a little at that but didn’t let him see it. “You’ll call?”
He leaned into whisper against my ear. “I’ll keep you posted.”
I arched a brow when he pulled back.
“It’s the best I can do, I might not be able to call. You wouldn’t want to be responsible for blowing the whole thing because I was calling to tell you I’m okay, would you?”
“You’re not funny.”
“I’m fucking hilarious,” he deadpanned. “I’ll call,” he grabbed my neck and pulled me in.
I was tempted to fight but I gave in and let him kiss me long enough that someone started hooting at us. When I turned I saw it was fucking Rosa. Cassie was beside her with her fingers in her mouth like she was going to puke.
“Have fun,” Hudson slapped my ass making me yelp. I grabbed my bag from him and started towards the stairs. “Wave,” he came after me. “Tell Connor I’ll see him soon okay. And I’m sorry I’ve not been able to get in and see him yet.” I nodded. “Tell him I’m gonna knock him on his ass if he doesn’t sort his shit out with War.”
He knew that wouldn’t happen. But I did have my own plans for dealing with that mess. He kissed me again and then headed up to the clubhouse without looking back.
“Guy’s got swagger, I’ll give him that,” Cassie told me, pushing away from the car she was leaning against.
She shoved on her sunglasses, casting one quick, furtive glance at Handlebar, who this time, was looking right at her. She ducked into the driver’s side as Rosa finished up saying goodbye and got into the back of the car, leaving me the passenger seat. I had a perfect view of Handlebar watching the car as we pulled out, never taking his eyes off Cassie, not even when three bike engines roared around us, following us out of the compound.
Fuck keeping things to myself. Something needed to be done about those two. And I’m bored enough to be the one to step up to the plate.
Chapter Twenty-One
How in the fuck had I found myself here? I was still trying to figure that out as I stood in the dark woods just outside of Wantage with a guy who barely tolerated being in my presence, and an insane plan to lure out the men I had called brothers for the last fifteen years. I hadn’t been included in any of the real planning behind what was happening, so didn’t know how they intended to take Nytro down, I only had to play my part.
War came to me with a new phone with my sim card inside, which held all my contact information including the phone number Nytro would recognise when I called. Once I’d put the suggestion of using me as bait in Waverley’s head, they had run with it.
Of course, it had taken them days to tell me that was their plan and I’d gone through hours of questioning, a lot of which was spent with me having a staring contest with whoever was opposite me. I offered them an out with this plan, I didn’t say I was going to bend over and spread my ass cheeks for them. I’d answered with just enough information that they eventually agreed this was the best play.
At the end of the day, I needed to make a choice if I wanted to survive.
Ballistic was blunt in telling me they couldn’t guarantee I was going to make it out of this alive. I wasn’t sure I could trust them, as much as I could see they didn’t trust me, no matter what they said.
King Curtis wasn’t stupid. I’d always known that. But his plan, what little I knew of it, was solid. Nytro would be blinded by his desire to take me out for what he perceived as my betrayal. Itwasa betrayal, of him and the rest of those pricks. Not so much of my moral compass and what I believed was the difference between right and wrong.
Last night and throughout the whole of the day as it got closer to enacting their plan, I’d tried not to be conflicted over what I was doing. What I was about to lead the officers of my club into. It was a fucking ambush.
If it went down, my five officers were about to be murdered in cold blood. It only helped a little knowing I’d suffer the same fate if they got their hands on me. I wasn’t lying when I told Waverley I had a way out. I did have family on the West coast, the kind who weren’t close enough to know my history with the Kingsmen but would offer me support or a place to stay till I got on my feet without asking too many questions.
It said a lot that it was always in the back of my mind, to have somewhere to run to if shit hit the fan. The longer I was here, the more time I had to think over the past few years and just how badly things had turned to shit for my club. I hadn’t seen it being in the thick of it, but being able to take a step back put everything into perspective.
