Archer let out a long whistle, followed quickly by the word, “Fuck.”
I nodded, ashamed that my sister was connected to such a rotten club. “My sister and I have a sign we flash each other when we’re in danger.” I held up my hands, showing him the Murdock’s sign for danger. “When I saw her at the grocery store with them, she flashed me it, and I knew I had to help her. So, I went to their clubhouse, trying to barter for her to be released.”
“The Hell’s Artillery MC doesn’t barter. They lie, steal, and cheat their way through life. They suck the soul out of those who join them and corrupt them to their very core.”
I frowned, thinking about how Joey was suddenly doing drugs and defending them every chance she got. “I realize that now.”
Sucking in a long, deep breath, I continued, knowing the only way I was ever going to relieve all this guilt I held inside was to tell somebody other than Sienna. If it got me shot, then it got me shot. I had to pay for my sins just like every other sinner in this world.
“I staked out their clubhouse for a few days, watching for an opportunity to free Joey, but they captured me and then proceeded to torture me for almost a week, beating me down and breaking any spirit I had left. I thought I was going to die until one of their Ol’ Ladies told me that the only way I was going to leave there alive was to give Beretta something he couldn’t refuse. That everyone had a talent that could prove to be useful.”
My hands were turning red with how much pressure I was putting on them. The fear of telling Archer the truth was a heavy burden to carry, but I knew it had to happen. He was the only one I really trusted in the club. And even then, I wasn’t sure why. There was just something about Archer that felt comforting, like I knew him my whole life and I’d grown to respect the hell out of him since I got here.
“The only talent I had was boosting cars. A trick I learned in the last home I lived in before I was sent to the boys’ home in Austin.”
“I see…” It was like the light was going off in his head, and pieces were starting to connect for him. Now he was just waiting for the conformation that what he was fearing was true.
“I overheard Beretta talking about some bike he wanted, but the guy wouldn’t sell it to him. I offered my services in exchange for my sister to be released as a sweet butt. Beretta agreed, and then I found myself at your rally…” I let my words trail off, knowing that this man could kill me the second I came clean. But it had to happen. The only way I could reprieve the guilt I was feeling inside, was to do whatever I could to get the bike back from Beretta.
“The Artillery was supposed to cause a commotion, and while people were distracted, I was supposed to boost the bike. I had no idea that their plan was to take down the sheriff or that the bike I was boosting belonged to Scorpio and the club.”
“Fuck, Dillon. This is bad.”
“I know. I’m so sorry. If I could go back to that day and change what I did, I would. I wish I would’ve met you guys before I took the bike. Then maybe what happened that day wouldn’t have gone down.” Hesitantly, I continued my story. “I grabbed the bike and took it back to their clubhouse after I stashed it for a day. This was after evading Pollux and Castor, who were on my tail. But I didn’t realize it was them until later, and I’m not sure if they knew it was me or not.”
“How did you evade them?”
“I ducked into an old scrap yard and hid the bike and waited until everything was clear before I returned to the Artillery. When I got there, Beretta took the bike, but he refused to release my sister. Then he had his members take me away, with the intent of killing me so I wouldn’t talk. They beat the shit out of me, and I thought I was going to die until Zodiac and Aries intervened.”
“So, where were you this morning?”
“I slipped my sister my contact information and told her I needed to talk to her. I want to boost the bike back from Beretta and return it to Scorpio… but I’m not sure if I’ll be able to do that anymore.”
“Why?”
“My sister says the bike is at their compound and that the police are in the Artillery’s pocket.”
“Yeah, we already knew that. We’ve spent the better part of two weeks trying to fix the mess that stupid prick Hollender created. We figured out it was him who pulled the trigger on Brooklyn.”
“Really? How? Why?”
“Because he was working for the Italian mob and being paid a hefty fee to work for them. Honestly, the only good cop in that precinct is Sheriff Rooker’s daughter Juliette. But it’s hard to trust any cop right now, knowing how deep those evil roots were seated.”
I was in shock. Archer was sharing club business with me, something I learned the club only did with its members. It made me feel good to know that he trusted me, even though I didn’t know how long it would last.
“Yeah, it’s pretty bad. The worst part is that my sister is acting like there’s nothing wrong with where she’s at. She’s acting like being one of the member’s Ol’ Ladies is a gift—one that she is happy to claim.”
“Sounds like they got more on your sister than just a property claim, Dillon. Sounds like she may be in deeper than you think.”
“Yeah, I think you’re right. Look, Archer. I never meant for any of this to happen. I’m a victim of fucked up circumstances, and those circumstances have come back to bite me in the ass. I really like it here, but I can’t continue working for you guys knowing what I did and holding it in anymore. I know I have to come clean to Scorpio, but I was hoping my sister would help me out by getting me the information about the bike and…”
“And what?”
“Who shot Sheriff Rooker.”
“Shit. Do you think she can get that?”
I weakly nodded. “I think so. But she says getting me that type of information will get me and her killed. I need to save my sister, Archer. I need to get Scorpio’s bike back, too. I just don’t know how to go about doing it.”
