“Not sure.” I pick up. “Mike?”
“Jack, a group of kids pulled up and threw Molotov cocktails through the club’s windows. There was a fire. No one was hurt, but there’s significant damage.”
“Fuck,” I say, swiping a hand down my face.
Jessi mouths, “What?”
I put a finger to Jessi’s lips. “Did the video pick anything up?”
Mike’s quiet for a beat. “Yep. You guys need to get here to positively identify them, but I am guessing Jessi’s stepbrother and his friends didn’t like losing their contracts very much. It’s time for payback.”
CHAPTER 65
JESSI
When we reach the club, red and blue lights flash across the parking lot and the building, or what’s left of it. I follow as Jack searches for Mike. It’s hard to veer off when Jack has a death grip on my hand.
I survey the activity around us, making sure Becky and Sonny stay close. Kade has both of their hands in his as they trail behind.
We head into the bar. Everything’s covered in ash. It looks like something out of an apocalypse movie. Mike doesn’t give us time to dawdle, though. He pops up in the untouched portion of the club and leads us to a back room where dozens of monitors connected to security cameras cast a blue-gray glow over everything.
I whistle. “What a setup.”
Jack smirks. “It cost Mike a fortune.”
“Good thing too,” Mike says as he drops into a swivel chair.
“Hey, man. Run the tape, will you?” Jack sounds like he’s about to panic.
Mike turns it on without another word. There isn’t audio, but we watch as a red car—Austin’s—drives up to the club. David stretches out the passenger side window, his face a mask of hate.As the car rolls to a stop, he lights something and throws it. Austin does the same a few seconds later. He yells something before he slides back in and peels off.
Mike cuts to another screen. This view shows the car from the side of the club, its license plate clear as day.Smooth move, asshole.The bottles they throw burst into flames on impact. I knew Austin was a bad person, but I’m shocked at exactly how evil he is. He could have killed people. Has he always been this awful, or did something set him off and take him down a dark path?
I pat Mike’s shoulder. “That’s definitely Austin and David. I’m so sorry I brought this on your club. I feel horrible.”
Tears well in my eyes, and Jack wraps an arm around me. “Shh. Don’t blame yourself,” he says. “They’re retaliating for what I did.” He places a long kiss on the top of my head. “This isn’t on you; it’s on me.”
“You’re one of us,” Mike says from the chair. “And we protect our own.”
I shake my head.AmI one of them? They see me as a part of their club. But have I proven myself? I’ve never known what it’s like to truly belong to a family, to be accepted unconditionally. It’s amazing and terrifying at the same time.
Kade steers Becky and Sonny to the main area to help clean things up. Mike closes the door. “Can I speak freely?”
Jack keeps me close. “She knows everything.”
Mike grunts and continues, “There’s undeniable proof that these guys messed up big. Now they are going to be locked up. There was no way of avoiding the police from getting involved after this large of a mess, plus we need the incident documented to get our insurance payout.”
I push away from Jack. “Are you sure there’s enough evidence?”
“It’ll be pretty tough to brush this under the rug given what’s on these cameras.”
The thought of Austin and David being in jail, me not having to worry anymore about what they’ll do next, brings me a sense of peace. “I hope you’re right. What if they rat the club out? What if they talk about working for Tim?”
Mike eyes Jack before speaking. “Darlin’, Tim doesn’t let loose ends dangle, especially those who pose a risk. They will be taken care of and won’t snitch.”
Holy shit. So this is the extent that the club goes to for revenge.
I never thought I’d find myself in this situation, but I love Jack, and I trust him. He has protected me and taken care of me throughout everything, even when he didn’t need to. I will do the same and stand by his side no matter what.
