Chapter 36
THIRTY-SIX
I hang on tight as Alder winds through back roads outside Fredericton. Darkness presses in on us as the headlight highlights the thick trees at every turn, and the ride brings me back to the first time he took me into his world.
But we’re not going to an auction this time. And this feels much different.
His grip on the handlebars is tighter, and he leans into turns with more determination. This time, he isn’t riding towards something that brings him joy and a rush of accomplishment. He’s pushing himself towards something that demands him, even though he’d rather ride the other way.
He shows up for the hard parts, even when he doesn’t want to.
At least one of us does.
Alder eventually slows and turns onto a dirt road, which leads to an old, abandoned quarry.
Gravel crunches under the wheels as he slows, angling us towards a large black van with its headlights on, and three bikes lined up beside it.
As we get closer, I can make out Dom, Trip, Mac, Cory, and Rex standing at the back doors of the van.
Alder pulls up beside the bikes, cuts the engine, and taps my leg. I slide off, and hand him my helmet as an odd feeling settles over me.
This sight should have alarm bells ringing. I should be worried about what’s going to happen here.
And I think I am. But the way my body is humming, and my heart is racing, is drowning it out. I want to know more, and I need to be a part of it. My body is begging me for it, urging me forward instead of stepping back like I know I should.
So when Alder walks towards the van, I don’t hesitate to follow.
Mac nods at me with a small smile in greeting, like this is just a regular weekly get-together in a dark, abandoned quarry with a mysterious van.
“And?” Alder asks, pulling leather gloves from his pocket and sliding them on.
Rex shakes his head. “Said he has nothing to do with the Sons.”
Alder huffs, jerks his chin at the doors, then turns to walk towards the front of the van.
I hesitate for a moment, watching Trip and Rex open the doors and step in, followed by the sound of muffled grunts as they haul someone forward.
I follow Alder to the front of the van, and he turns to face me as Trip and Rex push a man to his knees in the harsh glare of the headlights.
His eyes are wild, his mouth is sealed with tape, and his hands are tied behind his back.
And on his sleeve, perfectly illuminated by the headlights… is the RCMP crest.
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 that he also knew this.”
Henry’s eyes widen, but he quickly tries to school his expression. Though it’s too late, everyone saw it.
“So what makes you think it’s me?” Henry snaps with a bite in his tone as he scrambles for control. “Donnie knows, and obviously your whole club knows. I was doing the job you gave me—”
“Which brings me to my next question,” Alder says firmly. “What job were you doing?”
Henry blinks. “What? I’ve been tracking the gun suppliers. Like you told me to.”
Alder nods in a way that suggests he doesn’t buy it. “Mm-hm.” Then he gives a small nod to Mac.
Mac steps forward and drives his fist straight into the middle of Henry’s face.
I flinch and suck in a breath as Henry’s head jerks back, and blood spills down his chin from his nose. It glistens on his face in the light as Mac steps away again, and Henry groans.
“What job were you doing?” Alder asks again.
Henry spits blood onto the ground as it drips from his face. “The one you fucking asked me to do.”
Rex moves in this time, landing his fist hard into the side of his face. Henry falls to the side, groaning again as he struggles to move upright.
“Fuck!” Henry yells, spitting more blood into the dirt.
“What job were you doing?” Alder repeats calmly, but the demand underneath it is hard to ignore.
I swallow hard, unable to look away. My heart is racing as adrenaline pumps through me so hard my hands are tingling.
I don’t even want to blink in case I miss something.
Alder stands still before him, a presence so strong, overwhelming, and terrifying it’s like he’s gravity in human form…
too strong to fight and too dangerous to ignore.
Henry spits again and lifts his eyes to Alder with a wild, furious glare. But he doesn’t answer.
Alder tilts his head, watching him closely. “I can answer for you, then.”
He pauses for a moment, but Henry just continues to stare up at him, chest heaving, face painted red, and eyes full of fury.
“You’re feeding the Sons information on us,” Alder says. “And tracking the gun suppliers was your way in. I don’t know which came first… but that doesn’t matter now. A rat is a fucking rat.” He reaches into his cut and pulls out his gun.
Henry’s eyes fall to the gun as Alder flicks the safety off. His head shakes fast, and his breath catches. “No, Alder, no, I’m not, I swear, I—”
Alder lowers the barrel to the dirt beside Henry’s knee, his eyes still locked on him. “Swear what?”
Henry stares back at him as he begins trembling, and blood drips onto his collar. But he doesn’t speak.
“You’re at a dead end here, Henry,” Alder says. “You’re the only one this information could have come from.” He lifts the gun and points it directly at Henry’s head. “So you’re going to answer some questions. Right now.”
I instinctively take a step backwards, even though my eyes are glued to the sight before me.
Cory turns to look at me, and I stop, meeting his gaze.
He gestures with a tilt of his head behind the van, giving me an out if I don’t want to see this.
But I shake my head and turn back to Alder and Henry.
“Did the Sons move in on the gun supplier?” Alder asks.
Henry hesitates, and stammers, “I… I don’t know—”
Trip steps forward and lands a blow to the side of his face, sending Henry toppling sideways. Trip then grabs a fistful of his shirt and pulls him upright, forcing him back onto his knees.
Alder doesn’t move, keeping the gun aimed at the centre of Henry’s forehead.
“I’m going to give you one more chance to answer that one,” Alder says.
Henry pulls in a sharp breath. He’s unravelling now as his eyes dart around, and the hostility and defensiveness seems to slip away as he realizes he’s not going to be getting out of this.
“Yes,” he says finally. “The Sons own the guns.”
“Fuck,” Cory mutters beside me, and my eyes flick between the rest of the Kings, seeing their jaws set and fists clench.
Alder keeps the gun pointed at Henry. “What’s their plan?”
Henry furrows his brow and shakes his head. “They don’t tell me shit.”
Alder lifts his chin. “No? That’s funny, considering you cared enough to ask Donnie what we were doing.” He pauses, and somehow his glare turns even more lethal. “So what’s their plan?”
Henry swallows hard, and resignation seems to settle over him. “They’re waiting for you to move on the guns. If you do… they’ll use it to overtake you.”
And before I can process what that even means, a loud bang fills the air, and Henry falls to the dirt.
My ears ring from the deafening sound, and the only thing I can make out is my heartbeat as I stare at Henry’s lifeless body, slumped in the headlights as dust settles around him.
I’m vaguely aware of conversation happening around me, and it takes a few seconds before words start breaking through.
“Let Donnie know it’s done,” Alder says to Dom, as Trip crouches to cut the zip ties from Henry’s wrists. “Tell him an anonymous tip saw a Sons patch headed out this way. I’m sure his sergeant would appreciate a new, bigger target. Especially one that killed a Mountie.”
Cory’s hand lands on my back, and I turn to look at him.
He studies my face for a moment. “You good?”
I nod with an exhale. “Yeah.”
He nods as well, then claps my back before stepping towards the van.
My eyes track Alder as he walks away from Henry’s body with the same authority as always, like none of this cost him a thing.
But I know it did.
Engines start up around us as his gaze finds mine, but I barely hear them. Everything fades away as he steps closer, and I look into his dark eyes that hide the torture somewhere deep inside them.
He stands before me, but doesn’t say anything. He just lets me look at him as he waits to see if I’m going to walk with him, or run away.
My hands lift to slide under his cut, tracing over the leather of his holster and the metal of his gun. Then I lean in and press my lips to his, my heart hammering so hard I feel it in my fingertips.
He grabs my hips and pulls me flush against him, pushing his tongue past my lips in a move that feels like desperation. He holds me tight, as he gives me everything I want, and I offer him everything he needs.
Then he pulls back and pushes me towards his bike.
Engines roar behind us as Alder leads the Kings out of the quarry, and we make our way back to Fredericton, leaving Henry’s body behind in the dirt.
I don’t think I’ve ever felt more alive.