“Koz?”
“He’s still locked up.”
ChapterTwenty
TALON
Looking back now, I can easily see how Reid completely blindsided us. Gaslighted actually. He was our self-appointed leader and had our trust implicitly. Until in the space of a few hours he fucked us over completely, teaching us in one move that pathological liars come in all shapes and sizes. And it’s no fucking wonder I now have a black and white approach to life.
My white picket fence with Raney vanished in the space of a few hours. And then we were left scrambling with the fallout of her getting attacked.
In no time at all my life was thrown into complete chaos where a series of shocking realities were bitch slapped into me. Growing up we were aware of the pyramid of power; I just didn’t realise Senator Anders was the self-appointed king with loyal subjects. Including my parents.
No shit, Raney was still in hospital and my father started threatening that if I didn’t sever my relationship with Hayes my trust would be locked up. Mom hid her threats behind her sweet way of talking, trying to convince me of all the ways that Raney had poisoned our family. She even blamed Raney for ‘making me gay’.
It’s little wonder I jumped on board with the simplicity of dichotomous decision making. I fucking had to. And yeah, my therapist still has a field day breaking down the thousand or so reasons why I am the way I am. In my opinion, talking about how PTSD was now a part of my life was a complete waste of time.
Coping was one thing, living was another. I learned to make decisions on the fly, based on surviving instead of how Ifelt. Over time, I got pretty good at being able to see past emotions and feelings and look at people and situations for what they were. My monochromatic view on life saved me and Hayes on more than a few occasions. Don’t get me wrong, some days I hate being so decisive. I wish I had the same optimism and emotional capacity as Hayes.
But seeing Raney again has me questioning everything. I always knew seeing her again was a given—it was why we were living here. The ramifications of actually seeing her were not what I thought they’d be. The way she looked at me was one thing. The company she keeps was another. And together they were a barbed knife stabbing in my guts.
She was my measure of good. Her being with Siderno—it doesn’t make sense. I fight every day to keep our society safe from people like him. But she was with him! By fucking choice by the looks too. It was hard to miss how protective of her he was when she climbed out of the car, ownership, and worship, in his cold eyes. And then this morning she barely could look at me as she called me out for the punishment Sharlene got. But to add insult to injury, she was in Puck’s arms. Puck, who's only just legally allowed to drink and is also part of her father’s illegal MC.
The conflict is now infecting all my thoughts. I absolutely fucking detest feeling like this.
“Jeffers, call on line three.”
Snatching the phone to answer, I start pacing. I’m one of those people that needs activity to focus which means I’m storming through the office, looking for a cup of shit station coffee to settle my frayed nerves.
“Hello,” I bark. And the echo I get has me thinking the handset was running out of battery. I start walking towards the charger and get diverted into the empty kitchen when the caller starts speaking.
“We need to get a couple of things straight, Jeffers. I’m not a patient person, and I’m incredibly selfish when it comes to Raney. I also have no issue using people, abusing public positions, spending money on illegal activities to ensure my partner is properly cared for and safe. Do you understand what I’m saying? Actually, Jeffers, I recall how slow you were last time we spoke, and since I am on a timed call, I’ll help you out. You are a method. And I’m using you because I’m stuck here.”
I go to interrupt Siderno, wanting to know exactly what the fuck he thinks I owe him for, and how he got a direct line to my desk, but he keeps talking and I’ve got little choice but to listen.
“Get down to the Wolverines training camp and get Puck,” he demands, each and every word infused with his dominance too. The pompous fuck!
“Who?”
“Colt. Get him. Raney is in trouble, and only he can help.”
“What?”
“Stop talking. King assures me you’d be the person to look after his daughter, but for the sake of further clarification, because you detectives are literally dumb as fuck, I want to remind you of the threat I made on your life earlier.”
I cannot believe the balls on him. I laugh back. “You’re fucking delusional.”
“I beg to differ,” He pauses, like he has all the time in the fucking world. “I am fucking furious though. Are you aware that before Raney was physically dragged out of Deluge, King advised them of her existing injuries and begged for them to be gentle with her? But did they listen? And then those same people you work with refused her medication. It pisses me the fuck off that you wear that same badge as them yet are trying to tell me I’m the delusional one in this conversation. Jeffers, get Puck for her or the first thing I will do when I’m released is hunt you down and gut you like the pigs you work with.”
He hangs up on me.
And it doesn’t take much to figure what it means: Raney went to the meeting with Reid’s lawyers even though she said she cancelled it. If Siderno was talking, it means Reid hurt her in some way.
I take a slow steadying exhale so I don’t have a fucking heart attack on the spot, return to my desk, collect my phones, the keys to my truck, and walk out without a backwards glance.
The afternoon traffic works for me for a change, and it takes me under ten minutes to get to Deluge. I hit the horn and barely a second later, Hayes is climbing in the cab, looking wide eyed and completely freaked out.
“What happened?” He leans over and grabs my hand. Instead of white knuckling the gear shift, I squeeze the fuck out of his hand.
