"Okay," I say quietly. "I'll brief you before Church."
"Good." His hand makes one slow pass down my spine. "Now sleep. Tomorrow we plan how to eliminate Kline."
I close my eyes and let exhaustion pull me under. His security systems monitor the perimeter. Weapons rest within reach on the nightstand. His body radiates heat and controlled lethality beside me.
Tomorrow I brief him on everything I learned about Kline, including all the financial information. Tomorrow the Iron Brotherhood votes on whether to hunt.
Tonight, I sleep in the arms of a man who just promised to kill someone. And when he does it, I won't stop him.
12
COLE
Shelby's still warm against me when dawn breaks through the bedroom window. I extract myself carefully, grab my clothes, and head to the kitchen. We're out of time to wait for Kline to make his move.
Mike's truck is parked on the street, second shift running through until morning. Danny's rotation ended before dawn, which means he's home getting sleep.
Coffee brews while I review what we know. Kline sent operatives to grab Shelby in Portland yesterday. Public attempt, coordinated surveillance, professional execution. That level of desperation means his timeline's accelerated. Waiting for federal warrants puts us in a reactive position while he controls the tempo.
Unacceptable.
Church convenes soon. I need Shelby's intel organized, threat assessment complete, options ready to present. Brothers vote on response, then we execute.
Footsteps echo in the hallway. Shelby appears wearing my shirt, hair tangled from sleep and what came before. She's still soft around the edges, federal agent not fully surfaced yet. Possessive heat runs through me. She's mine now.
"Coffee?" I pour before she answers, hand her the mug.
"Thanks." She settles at the kitchen table, watches me pull eggs and bacon from the refrigerator. "You're up early."
"Church soon. Need you to brief me on everything you have so I can present to the Brotherhood." I crack eggs into a bowl, keep my tone operational. "Financial evidence, Kline's background, his network, his resources. Complete threat assessment."
She wants to argue. I can see it in her eyes, federal agent bristling at exclusion. But she's smart enough to recognize MC protocol isn't negotiable.
"Okay," she says. "Give me some time to shower and organize my files."
We eat quickly. Shelby disappears to clean up while I review the evidence she compiled in Portland. Financial records connecting Kline to the same Devils MC network she took down in Nevada. Offshore accounts funding his current operation. Professional layers designed to insulate him from direct exposure, sophisticated enough to make him dangerous.
Shelby returns with her laptop, spreads files across the kitchen table with practiced efficiency. "Alan Kline. Former Special Forces, discharged under other-than-honorable conditions for suspected weapons trafficking while deployed."
I study his service photo. Average height, lean build, operative-level bearing. Cold eyes that recognize violence as tool, not threat.
"After discharge, he connected with the Devils MC in Nevada," Shelby continues. "Used their distribution network to move modified firearms through the Southwest. My UC assignment took that network down, burned his infrastructure, scattered his contacts."
"And he's been rebuilding ever since."
"Yeah. More sophisticated this time. Shell companies, encrypted communications, legitimate businesses as fronts." She pulls up financial records. "He chose the Brotherhood specifically. Veteran-owned, established reputation, trusted in the community. Perfect cover for moving weapons through the gun show circuit."
Sound methodology. Use our legitimacy to hide his operation, frame us if it collapses, eliminate witnesses who get too close. Professional criminal thinking backed by Special Forces training.
"The Portland shooting connects," Shelby says. "Three dead, all part of Kline's network. He's eliminating loose ends before they can talk."
"Closing up shop."
"Or preparing for something final." She meets my eyes. "The Portland grab attempt proves he's desperate. Willing to take risks that expose his operation, which means he's running out of time."
I memorize the details, processing how to present this to Brothers who understand combat but not federal financial investigations. Evidence needs to be clear, actionable, something they can vote on without getting lost in bureaucratic complexity.
"Anything else?"
