Holy fuck.
“You want to be here, baby?” Alder asks me.
I tear my eyes away from the man kneeling in the dirt and look into Alder’s. He’s watching me closely, searching for any small hint that I want out.
“Because if you don’t, Cory will take you home right now.” He holds my gaze, and the way he’s staring at me, I know he means it.
He’ll understand if I say no, and if I can’t do this. He’s offering me an out.
He brought me here to show me how dirty and real his life can get. To show me the weight he carries and the blood he sheds, and to let me decide if I still want to be a part of the ride.
He’s asking if I see him at his worst… will I stay?
I hold his gaze and nod. “I’m staying.”
A slow smirk pulls at the corner of his lips, and a hand clamps around my arm, pulling me back a step as Alder turns into the headlights.
Cory positions me beside him, just off to the side, as I watch Alder’s silhouette step into the beam so every inch of him is outlined in harsh white light, casting his shadow over the man in the dirt before him.
Alder jerks his chin towards the man, and Mac steps forward to tear the tape from his mouth in one rough pull.
The man grunts. “Fuck!” Then he looks up. “What the fuck, Alder!?”
“What the fuck indeed, Henry,” Alder says coolly, staring down at him. Then he shifts to the side, so the light hits Henry full in the face. Henry squints and blinks hard, trying to focus on the man towering above him.
“You’ve been tracking the gun suppliers,” Alder says, slipping his hands into his pockets.
Henry huffs incredulously. “Like you asked.”
“Hm,” Alder hums. “Care to give a status report?”
Henry glances around, his gaze jumping from Alder to the other men. “And this is how you fucking want it?”
“No,” Alder says, shaking his head. “It’s not. But something interesting happened… so I’m just being a little more cautious now.”
Henry stares up at him, and I swear I see a flicker of fear in his gaze.
My heart thumps as my eyes dart to Alder, and I can tell he saw that too.
He just nods slowly. “Yeah. We met with Frank. Did you know that?”
Henry stiffens. His gaze cuts to Mac, then Dom, then back to Alder. “Why would I know that?”
Alder lifts a shoulder with an easy shrug. “I don’t know. You seem to want to know things you have no business knowing, so, figured I’d fill you in.”
Trip and Rex shift in closer behind Henry as he tenses, adjusting his weight on his knees.
“The fuck are you talking about?” Henry asks slowly.
Alder doesn’t answer right away. He just stares down at him until Henry’s chest starts to rise and fall faster, and sweat beads on his forehead.
“You know I’m against the club running guns,” Alder says in a direct, firm voice that makes it clear this is a statement, and not a question.
And a shiver runs up my spine at his menacing tone that leaves Henry no room to argue.
Henry stills for a moment, then slowly nods. “Donnie told me…”
“You asked him,” Alder corrects. “And that interesting thing that happened… is that Frank shared with us thathealso knew this.”
