That alarm wasn’t for this building, but for the club.
Fear gripped him. Melanie’s death still haunted him, even a year later. He knew that her murder wasn’t his fault. Even with all his security measures, Keys wasn’t God. He couldn’t know everything and be everywhere. Melanie had been in the wrong place at the wrong time, and she’d paid the ultimate price. Noteven Keys standing beside her that night could have prevented her death. It was a sad, twisted reality that he’d had to face, though it didn’t stop the guilt.
In the few, precious seconds it took for Keys to make it back inside his computer lab and over to his computer, endless scenarios played out in his head of what had gone wrong, who had gotten hurt, and which of his family he was going to have to bury next. Had he brought this to town? Had Tyson Kennedy or another of Rose’s enemies tracked her to Mount Grove? Was the club paying the price of Keys’ arrogance?
Immediately, his system identified what had happened and where. Holy fuck! The bar. Something had happened atDemons on the Rocks, the club bar that Ghost and Ranger co-managed. It was an inferno. Keys couldn’t make out much inside, but the cameras outside on neighboring buildings and street lamps showed a horrific sight. Half the building had caved in, and the other half was burning brightly against the darkening sky.
It was business hours. People would be inside. His family would be inside! Ghost, Ranger, prospects, maybe even some of his club brothers… Who was alive? Could anyone have even survived that?
Keys needed to stop panicking. Thinking the worst would not solve anything. He had to work the problem. Carlos would need answers, need to know who had been inside at the time of the… A quick rewind of the security tapes showed it had been an explosion. Jesus Christ.
Keys pulled up the emergency broadcast and knew the fire department was on their way. But they still needed to know how many people, including customers, had been inside.
“Oh, my God!” came from behind him.
Fuck! Rose! He’d forgotten about her. “Go get Oscar,” he ordered her, harsher than intended. But he didn’t have time for niceties. “I don’t care if he’s covered in paint. Bring him here,grab headphones and his tablet. We need to keep him occupied while you and I tackle this.” As he spoke, Keys sent out a message to the Riley brothers, ordering them to his lab. Thorne would know to wait until Oscar was secure to come. “Rose,” he snapped when she didn’t move. “I am going to need your help, but we can’t leave Oscar alone. Go get him and then get back here!”
She swallowed hard. “Was this us? Did we do this?” Her voice shook with fear.
Keys felt like a boulder was sitting on his chest as he answered honestly, “I don’t know. But that’s what I need you to find out. My club is going to need me, and I am going to need you here. So go get Oscar.”
Nodding stiffly, Rose left the computer lab. She passed Grimm and Goose on the way out. Both arming themselves as they walked.
“What’s going on, Boss?” Goose asked, his voice grave.
“Rose is going to get Oscar,” he told them without looking behind himself. “I need the three of you to guard the club kids. Until I know exactly what is happening, they are your priority.”
Cursing came from behind him as both brothers saw the images on Keys’ computer screens.
“Are we thinking this was Kennedy?” Grimm asked, holstering his gun at his side.
“I’m not thinking anything until I have more information,” Keys stated, though he wasn’t sure if that was a lie or not. “Ghost might murder me for telling you this, but you need to know.” On the monitor to his left, he pulled up a schematic of the clubhouse. “Under the floorboards of the main room is a hidden cellar. It’s where the club does their…less than nice interrogations. It’s soundproof, and if there is an attack on the club property, it is the safest place for you to bring the ol’ ladies and the club kids. Do you understand me?”
“Yes, Boss,” they both answered. A second later, Thorne came running into the room.
“Coms,” Keys ordered them. “It’s going to be a long night. Be prepared for anything, and should the worst happen, you have my permission to shoot to kill.”
It was several hours later before Rose realized she never input the code to stop her dead man’s message to her sister.
CHAPTER 11
Keys had to silence the alarms. They were too loud, too distracting.
By the time Rose came back with Oscar tucked against her hip and a tablet already in the boy’s hands, Keys felt like he had less information. Not more. The fire department was now on scene, as were a number of cop cruisers and ambulances.
Fear pulled at him like tentacles. Was thishim? Had he and his secrets caused this catastrophe? How had Kennedy found them? It didn’t seem possible, but what other alternative was there? The club had no current enemies, no current fights. What had he done?
On the numerous monitors in front of him, various scenes and angles played at once. His headset was never quiet as he fought to get Bulldog, Carlos, and Captain Hunter as much information as he could. Every club member, ol’ lady, and club kid had a tracker on them. They were to be worn at all times, especially after several kidnappings, and one case of a missing child that had been right under their noses the entire time.
Every shoe a club kid owned had a tracker in the sole. For theinfants, it was their pacifiers and strollers. Keys had spent a fortune on them, but he was taking no chances of losing another member or family. The ol’ ladies who were married had their trackers in their wedding bands, while those who didn’t had a choice between a necklace or pair of earrings. As former military, the club members were used to wearing dog tags, so it was a no-brainer what to make their trackers. On one side of the tag it had theVia Daemonialogo, and on the other was the script:
If you’re close enough to read this, you’re close enough to die.
Ghost and Grumpy were the only ones working at the bar. The rest were scattered around, though most were at their respective homes with their families this time of the evening. Other than one ol’ lady and club kid, who were at the grocery store, and Tessa, who was at work at the hospital, Becks was the only one not on property. But she was with Ranger at his girlfriend’s apartment, so she was safe.
“Where do you need me?”
A quick glance over his shoulder showed Oscar, still covered in paint and now in shorts and a t-shirt, was sitting in a swivel chair with his headphones on and tablet resting on his knees. Rose had also brought him a water bottle with a lid and a straw. Keys quickly set a command to go off every eight minutes to check on him. He couldn’t get such tunnel vision dealing with the outside world that Oscar was forgotten or neglected.
