“That’s where I’m stumped. It’s an offshore account, but the line goes dry after that. Someone built a system designed to look noisy, confusing, and even sloppy, but it’s not. It’s precise. Intentional. Whoever is behind this shit knows exactly how much chaos is required to hide one single thing. They wanted it to look like one thing, when really, it’s something else entirely.”
“So, what do you know, ’cause this sounds like we’re no closer to figuring anything out,” I snap.
“I do know one of the LLCs was connected to the Widowmakers MC, which you blasted off the face of the earth.”
“Deserved,” Rolo coughs into his hand, causing me to snort a laugh.
“Whatever they’re doing, they’ve got money.”
“Can we cut off the accounts?”
“We could, but then the lines would go dry. They’d just start again, and we’d be at ground zero. This way, we can at least monitor the money and hopefully find a crack. Now, are we done here? I need to get eyes on my wife.”
“What is with all you territorial men?” Malice gruffs.
“Get a woman you’d die for and find out.”
Malice salutes him. “I’m on it!”
“Jesus Christ. We’re heading back to Aspen Ridge. It’s been real. I’ll keep working and reach out when I find something.”
Just as Wesleaves the room and the double doors fall shut, my phone starts to go off. Pulling it out, I notice right away that it’s the night club we own, Hell’s Asylum.
“Yeah?”
“You guys need to get down here. There’s trouble.”
“Be there in ten. You can hold down until then?”
“Might wanna make it five,” he says before the line goes dead.
“Fuck. We gotta go, boys! Something’s about to go down at the Asylum!” I yell, jogging out of church to get to my room and grab my gun. Malice starts barking orders behind me, winding up the ones he’s called on to head there with us. It’s pandemonium.
Quickly, I unlock my door, going to the dresser to grab and holster my gun, taking one last longing look at Mr. Bun-Buns. “Daddy will be back, baby boy, don’t worry,” I tell him as I shut the door behind me, locking it and racing back down the hall.
“We ready to roll out?” I ask Malice. He’s an enigma when it comes to his position in the club versus his aloof personality. He may be wild and carefree, coming off as an oddball, but once shit hits the fan, he’s all serious and gets shit done better than the rest of us. There’s a reason he’s our sergeant at arms. I may be Chaos’ right hand, but Malice is his back.
We’re out the door a moment later, my leg swinging over my bike, body settling into the seat. The engine catches with a hard, familiar thump, and then it’s all a sweet, beautiful roarand vibrations. The whole bike pulses beneath me, a heartbeat synced to my own, louder, steadier, a promise of power with just a twist of my wrist.
We take off down the long gravel driveway that leads to our gates, dust rising up behind us. We ride through, and the moment our front tires kiss the open road that stretches in front of our compound, I let her breathe. The throttle rolls under my grip, the pipes explode in a deep, guttural moan, the world blurring at the edge. Wind rips through my cut, flapping against my back, as the asphalt whizzes beneath me.
I’ve got no idea what we’re about to walk into, but fear is a distant companion that I don’t notice anymore. Out here, it’s just me, my bike, my brothers, and the promise of getting there as quickly as we can. The club patch on my back means something to all of us, and when someone calls, we show up.
Every mile we put behind us makes my blood burn hotter, my focus sharpening, thoughts narrowing as I let go of Rhys and slide into Sin, ready to do whatever it takes to protect my family and our territory.
We roll through town as a show of force, ten of us, including some prospects, and the moment the nightclub is in view, a numbness takes over me. We park quickly, knocking down the kickstands in a hurry as we’re off our bikes and rushing to the side doors.
Chaos, Malice, and I visually check in with each other, sharing subtle nods as we brace for whatever shitshow is waiting for us. I turn slightly to my right, pulling my gun from the holster behind my hip and drawing it up and outward, readying myself.
The moment we’re through the door, all hell has broken loose. I check my left at the same time some unsuspecting dumbass throws a haymaker right to my fucking cheek. Pain radiates from the spot, and I know it’s going to leave a nice shiner.Fuck.
“You just made a mistake, asshole,” I grit through clenched teeth, as I recover quickly. I slam the butt of my gun against his temple just as I grab his arm, twisting and snapping it at an unnatural angle. Bloodcurdling screams ricochet off the walls as he hunches forward and pulls his arm toward his stomach. I grab a fistful of his hair, arching him backward. “Not very smart, now you’re going to suffer.” I drag him a few steps toward Noose, who’s waiting with some rope. “Tie him up, keep him alive.”
I look out at the club, the main floor empty due to the time of day. Four men who don’t belong to us already lie dead on the ground, their bodies bleeding out all over our damn floor.
“Well, this was easier than I expected. Where’s JoJo and Donny?” I ask Chaos.
“JoJo is dead, Stitch is treating Donny in the back, stabbed in the gut, but he doesn’t think it’s fatal.”
