Page 24

TATUM

As the last members file out of the chapel, I observe the officers who are seated around the big table still. I keep my shoulders back and chin high, but inside, I’m fraying at the edges. The room falls dead silent as the last member steps out. Every officer seated around the table has eyes on me. Their stares feel like shackles being clamped down on me. I’m fucked. I know they are going to have eyes on me all the time, suffocating me into subservience. The air is still thick with leather, smoke, and suspicion, so heavy I can taste it.

Fuck, this isn’t over.

Switch stands at the head of the table like he owns the gavel instead of Lennox. His green eyes stay locked on me, sharp and unreadable. That same intense stare from the garage and the overlook. It does things to me that I don’t have time to even think about right now.

“Sit,” Lennox says quietly, gesturing to the end of the table.

I stay on my feet. Better to face them standing.

Judge is the first to speak, voice cool and lawyer-sharp. “We heard what you said to the church. You do get to stay, but we need to know a couple more things. Care to set the record straight?”

I meet his gaze, then sweep the room. Fuse looks pissed. Diesel’s jaw is locked. Ledger’s fingers hover over his laptop like he’s ready to fact-check me in real time. “It’s true I was Nicholas’s old lady in Redline Revenant for just three years,” I say, voice steady even though my pulse is hammering. “Not a club girl. Not a side piece. His. I wore his property patch. I lived in his clubhouse. I helped run their security and intel operations.”

A low rumble moves through the room again. I push on. “I erased footage. I scrubbed digital trails. I fed Redline information on rival clubs—including yours. When Redline wanted to expand into Portland territory and disrupt Iron Wraith’s supply lines, I pulled everything I could on your club.” Corbin’s hands flex on the table, and I feel that movement in my chest.

“What exactly did you pull on us?” Judge asks.

“Everything I could access without tipping you off that I was looking. Member rosters. Known business fronts. Delivery schedules for your shops and the not-so-legit ones. I had partial financials on Ledger’s books—enough to know you were clean, but not enough to use against you. I knew Fuse ran the gym as a front for training your enforcers and members. I knew Corbin handled prospect training and had a military background that made him dangerous.” I pause, letting them absorb it. “I passed some of that to Nicholas. Not all of it. I held back when I could. But yes—I spied on you.”

Diesel slams a fist down. “And we’re supposed to trust you now?”

“You don’t have to trust me yet, not ever, if that’s your choice,” I say firmly, not giving them an inch. “But let’s make sure you have all the facts before you play judge, jury, and executioner. While I was feeding them scraps, I was also building a trail for the DEA. Documented every kid they used as a runner. Every woman they trafficked through the clubhouses. Every deal Nicholas made with the cartels. I flagged Eric Evans as the one who was actually double-crossing you.”

The room stills. I glance at my brother who nods for me to continue.

“Eric wasn’t just your rat.” I take a deep breath, keeping my eyes locked on the men that called him their brother. “He was playing both clubs. Feeding Redline real intel on Iron Wraiths, while feeding you just enough to keep his cover. He was the one who made your evidence disappear. He had a backdoor into your systems—I found it and used it against him. The files I sent you? Those were his personal drops, his communications with Nicholas, timestamps proving he was selling you out for months.”

Ledger’s eyes widen slightly as he taps on his laptop. “Son of a bitch…it lines up.”

Fuse leans forward, light bruising litters his face from our fight. “Why? Why flip on your own man?”

“Because Nicholas stopped being the man I thought I loved a long time ago,” I answer, throat tight. “He started using kids. Twelve and thirteen years old, running product across state lines because they’re small and disposable. Then it was women. When I confronted him, he laughed. Said it was business, and I needed to remember my place. That night, I started copying everything. I reached out to the DEA anonymously at first, then gave them the full package when I knew I had to run.” My eyes track back to Corbin. He hasn’t looked away once. “I shut down the perimeter security the night I left. I wiped the last ten minutes of footage and looped the rest. By the time Nicholas woke up alone, the DEA were already inside. I framed the bulk of the digital side on Eric and his soon-to-be ex-wife. In order to make sure her and the kids didn’t get hurt.” I brace myself, standing strong. I know what's about to happen. The rapid-fire questions come, and each question deserves an honest, full answer.

Fuse starts it off, “How do we know you’re not still playing both sides?”

Judge follows, “What does Nicholas know about us?”

Then Diesel chimes in, “Why the fuck should we let you wear our patch after this?”

I answer every single one—the answers are hard truth, but I don’t leave out a single detail. My voice stays even, despite the fact it wants to crack. I tell them about the nights I couldn’t sleep, knowing what Redline was doing. The bruises Nicholas left when I started pushing back. The way I used my position to protect as many people as I could while digging his grave. By the time it’s over, my legs feel shaky, but I don’t let it show.

I cannot be weak. I can fall apart in my room, but not in front of these fuckers.

Lennox finally speaks. “She came to us asking for a chance to earn her place the right way. I backed her because I believe her. But the vote stands, because you—my brothers and members agreed—she continues to prospect, and it's still under Switch’s watch.”

All eyes turn to Corbin. He studies me for a long moment, something dark and heated flickering behind the suspicion. “Church dismissed for now. Tatum, stay. We need clearer rules moving forward.” Everyone steps around us, giving me looks of uncertainty, as they walk out the door. Lennox tries to stay, and Switch shakes his head slowly. “She is under me, this is between me and her.” His voice is lethal. Lennox nods and gets up, leaving the room as well. Once everyone is out, the door closes with a tone of finality.

I let out a slow breath. He’s already moving—long strides eating the distance until he crowds me against the table’s edge. Not touching yet, but close enough that I can smell the leather, motor oil, and the scent that is purely him. The aroma hits my nose, and it lights my body up instantly. “You should’ve told me all of that before the ride,” he says, voice low and rough. “Before I let you lead on that fucking Ninja like you belonged here.”

“I told you what I could without putting myself back into the fire,” I state, tilting my chin up.

God, he’s tall. Broad. The kind of presence that makes the room feel smaller.

“You think I wanted to walk in here and announce I used to be the enemy president’s old lady?” My voice raises.

His gaze drops to my mouth for a split second. “I think you’re good at half-truths, Spitfire.”