Chapter 21
FARRIS
T he weight of Calypso’s body against mine should be enough to quiet my mind, but it’s not.
She’s curled into me, her breath warm against my chest, her fingers still gripping the shirt she tore off me earlier like she’s afraid I’ll disappear if she lets go.
Even in sleep, she doesn’t surrender completely.
That’s my woman, always fighting, even in her dreams. And fuck, I love her for it.
I press a kiss to the top of her head, inhaling the lingering scent of gunpowder, leather, and something sweet that’s just her. My palm rests over her belly, feeling the slow, steady rise of her breath, knowing that beneath my touch, our child is growing.
I should be soaking this in. I should be letting myself breathe, but I can’t. Because our baby, this life we’re building, is exactly what Reyes is trying to rip away from me.
If Reyes is out, there’s one thing I know about a man like him, he doesn’t let grudges go. He’s not like Train, who threw punches and made threats just to hear his own voice. Reyes plays the long game. He knows how to make a man suffer before pulling the trigger.
And worst of all? He knows exactly how to get to me. Through her.
I grit my teeth, staring at the dark ceiling, my fingers twitching against Calypso’s back. I will not let that happen.
I spent years putting men like Reyes away, dirty cops who thought they were above the law, who thought they could trade loyalty for power.
Reyes was one of the worst. The kind of bastard who didn’t just take bribes, he ran entire goddamn underground operations, selling guns, drugs, and people like they were just numbers in his books.
I took him down. I testified against him, and now, he’s looking to even the score. I know he’s coming. The only question is when and how.
Calypso stirs against me, a soft sigh escaping her lips as she shifts, pressing her face against my throat. My grip tightens instinctively, my need to keep her close overriding everything else.
She’s been through hell and still comes out swinging. Pregnant, sick, carrying the weight of a war we didn’t even start, but she won’t sit this one out.
I should be pushing her away from this fight. I should be making damn sure she stays out of Reyes’s reach, but she’s not the kind of woman you push anywhere, and that scares the hell out of me.
Her voice is rough when she finally speaks, sleepy but sharp. “You’re thinking too loud.”
I let out a rough chuckle. “Yeah?”
She lifts her head, her green eyes locking onto mine, still heavy with sleep but full of fire. “Yeah. So, spill it.”
I exhale, dragging my hand down my face. “I can’t shut my brain off.”
Calypso props herself up on one elbow, her free hand sliding up my chest, fingers tracing the tattoo over my pectoral, a touch that both soothes and brands me. “You’re worried about Reyes.” It’s not a question.
I nod once, my jaw tight. “Yeah.”
She watches me for a long moment, then presses her palm flat against my chest. “We’re not running, Farris. We’re not hiding.”
I cover her hand with mine, squeezing. “I know.”
“Good.” She leans in, brushing her lips over mine. A kiss meant to ground me. To remind me who I’m fighting for. Who I’m protecting. Calypso is not some helpless woman I need to shield from the world. She’s my goddamn equal, and I need to start treating her like it.
My phone chirps from the stand next to my bed. Reaching for it, Calypso’s hand wanders down my chest and grips my shaft, making me forget what I’m doing until my phone goes off again.
I grab it with a growl and give Calypso a pointed stare. She smirks as she moves down my chest, following the path her hand took. Her hot breath ghosts across my skin the further down she goes.
My phone chirps again, reminding me that someone is trying to get ahold of me. I click on the text messages and read one.
PONDER: WE NEED TO MEET. I HAVE INFO YOU’RE GOING TO WANT TO HEAR.
ME: WHEN AND WHERE?
PONDER: I’LL COME TO YOU
ME: I’M AT THE RBMC CLUBHOUSE
PONDER: BE THERE IN TWENTY
I set my phone back on the stand as Calypso’s warm breath skates over my shaft, her warm mouth enveloping me, making me forget what I’m doing. “Fuck, that feels great.” I groan, gripping her hair.
Calypso sucks harder, bobbing her head in rapid movements. I lift my hips in time with her, making her take me deeper into her mouth. My balls tighten when she swallows the head, and it hits the back of her throat.
“Shit.” I moan. I lose all track of thoughts as Calypso brings me to the edge. She doesn’t let up as my toes curl, and I come so hard I see stars.
“Fuck, you’re a little Minx,” I growl when I catch my breath.
Calypso laughs as she kisses her way back up my chest and settles her head on my shoulder. Her growing belly is pressed against my side, and I can feel our baby moving.
“Who was that?”
“Who was who?” I’m still trying to catch my brain cells after that blowjob from Heaven.
Calypso laughs. “On the phone.”
I shake my head, remembering what I was doing. “Oh, my old partner wants to meet. Says he has information I need.”
“When and where?” Calypso props her head up, staring into my eyes.
“Here in twenty.”
“Do you need me with you?” She has worry lines forming on her forehead, so I smooth them out with my thumbs.
“No, you stay here and rest. Ponder might be nervous and not talk if he feels like he’s being cornered.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive.” I kiss her on the lips, tasting myself. “Besides, you need more rest for another round.”
My lips land hard on Calypso’s, and she moans into my mouth. I swallow the sounds as I devour her. She gives me everything back that I give her. Our hearts, our bodies, our souls.
As Calypso falls asleep against me again, I keep my eyes on the darkness outside the window.
Reyes thinks he’s coming for us, but he has no idea what’s waiting for him. I’m not the same man who took him down before, and this time, I’m not playing by the rules. This time, I’m coming for blood.
I’m sitting outside with a bottle of Crown, waiting for Ponder to get here. The whiskey burns down my throat, but it doesn’t do shit to take the edge off the storm raging inside me.
I stare at the bottle in my hand, my grip tightening.
I should be inside with Calypso, keeping her close, making sure she rests, making sure she and our baby are okay.
Instead, I’m out here, nursing a bad feeling that’s been clawing at my gut ever since Allura told us someone was asking around about her.
I know this game too well. Someone’s setting the board, and if there’s one thing I learned as a detective, it’s that the people pulling the strings always make sure they stay untouchable.
The sound of an engine rolling into the lot has me turning, my muscles coiling tight. It’s a blacked-out sedan, windows tinted, creeping in like it doesn’t belong here because it doesn’t.
The driver’s door opens, and Detective Matthew Ponder steps out. My old partner. The only man in the department I halfway trusted.
He doesn’t wear his badge on his belt anymore. He’s in plain clothes, jeans, and a leather jacket, looking more like one of us than one of them. But his face? That tells me everything I need to know. It’s tight, grim. He’s coming with bad fucking news.
I exhale slowly, setting the bottle down on the wooden table. “You lost, Ponder?”
His gaze flicks around the lot before settling back on me. “We need to talk.”
I nod toward the clubhouse. “Inside.”
He shakes his head. “Somewhere private.”
That has my hackles rising. I tilt my head. “How bad?”
His jaw flexes. “Bad enough that I don’t want to have this conversation where ears can pick it up.”
I don’t like it, not one fucking bit, but I jerk my chin toward the side of the building, leading him away from prying eyes. The second we’re far enough out of earshot, I cross my arms. “Spit it out.”
Ponder exhales, rubbing a hand down his face. “Reyes is out.”
I go still. Every muscle in my body locks up. The world narrows to those three fucking words.
Reyes. Is. Out.
No, that’s not possible. The bastard was put away on federal charges. Arms dealing, conspiracy, and corruption. He should have been rotting behind bars for another twenty years at least.
I take a step closer, my voice low, deadly. “How?”
Ponder shakes his head. “I don’t have all the details yet, but it wasn’t legal. It wasn’t a parole situation or some bureaucratic bullshit. This was an inside job.”
“Who?” My fists clench.
Ponder hesitates for half a second, then exhales sharply. “Senator William Grant.”
I freeze. I know that name. Everyone in law enforcement knows that name. Grant’s been a big shot in California politics for years, but before that, he was LAPD brass. Chief of Police before he made the jump to the political game, and he’s dirty as hell.
I inhale sharply, piecing it together. “Reyes worked for him.”
Ponder nods. “And he was a liability. When you took him down, you didn’t just take out a dirty cop. You took out a man who had dirt on some very powerful people. Grant made sure Reyes stayed quiet, but now he needs him again.”
It clicks into place like a loaded chamber. Grant doesn’t just want Reyes out, he wants Reyes to clean up loose ends, and I’m the biggest loose end he has.
I laugh, but there’s no humor in it. It’s sharp, bitter, and filled with the kind of rage that only comes when you know the fight has already started.
“How long?” I ask, my voice low.
“A week,” Ponder admits. “I got wind of it three days ago, but I had to confirm it. The prison logs were wiped clean. Officially, Reyes was transferred. Unofficially? The bastard walked out the front door.”
I shake my head, running a hand through my hair. “And you’re just telling me now?”
“I wanted to make sure it was legit before I came to you,” Ponder says, his tone hard.
“You think I want to be here? You think I want to be talking to an outlaw about shit my department is too fucking scared to handle?” He exhales sharply, pinching the bridge of his nose.
“I know what this means, Dalton. You and I both know Reyes isn’t going to lay low. ”
No. He’s coming for me, for Calypso. For my family.
My stomach twists at the thought of him anywhere near her. Reyes isn’t like Dave Train. He’s not some thug looking for revenge. He’s calculated. He plays the long game. And if he’s working under Grant, that means he’s got money, power, and the law itself protecting him.
I look back at Ponder, my voice like gravel. “You got proof? Something I can use?”
Ponder hesitates. “Not yet. But I’ll get it.”
I scoff. “By the time you get it, he’ll have a bullet in his head.”
Ponder stiffens, his jaw ticking. “Don’t be stupid, Dalton.”
“I’m past stupid,” I growl. “That bastard is walking free because your system is corrupt as hell. If you want him back behind bars, you better hope I don’t find him first.”
Ponder curses under his breath, but he doesn’t argue. We both know how this ends. I take a step back, cracking my knuckles. War just landed on my doorstep. And I’m not waiting for it to come to me.
“Get the hell out of here, Ponder,” I mutter. “And do me a favor. Stay out of my way.”
He watches me for a second, then nods. “Be careful, Dalton.”
I don’t answer. There’s no careful in this game anymore. There’s only kill or be killed.
I watch my old partner drive away and head into the Clubhouse. Capone, Blayze, Tiny, Torch, Derange, Aftermath, Red, and Bones are watching me, waiting for me to tell them what I know.
I sigh and take a seat at the table. The Ol’ Ladies and Club Bunnies are nowhere around. It’s just us, so I tell Capone what Ponder told me.
“That was my old partner, Ponder. He found out some information and wanted to tell me about it in person.”
Capone raises a brow. “And?”
“And a man I locked up a few years ago is out, and he’s seeking revenge on me. He’s trying to get to me through Calypso.”
Tiny speaks up. “Who is it?”
“Michael Reyes. He’s a former LAPD detective and the kind of corrupt bastard that makes other corrupt bastards look like saints.
I arrested him a couple of years ago, caught in the middle of some dirty arms deal that tied back to the Black Market Railroad.
The same Black Market Railroad we just wiped off the goddamn map.
” I slam my fist against the table, making it rattle.
“I’ve locked up plenty of people over the years, but guys like this, they never stay gone for long. ”
“How’d he get out?” Blayze asks.
“Senator William Grant. Grant was a big shot in California politics for years, but before that, he was LAPD brass. Chief of Police before he made the jump to the political game, and he’s dirty as hell.”
I glance at Capone. “Look, this is dangerous and could get people killed. I’ll understand if this isn’t something you want your club to get involved in.”
Capone leans forward, arms resting on the table. His dark gaze holds mine. “Are you a member of this Club?” I nod my head. “Then your problem is ours. We will come up with a plan and take care of this threat to our family.”
I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t this. I’m beyond grateful for this club picking me up when I was lost. Giving me a place to call home and brothers to call family. “Thank you, Capone.”
“Get the fuck out of here and go find your woman. I want you both ready when we have a plan together.”
I leave my brothers and head into my room. Slipping inside, I take off my clothes and slide under the covers. I wrap my arm around Calypso’s waist, pulling her back to my front. Her ass presses against my erection, and she wiggles against it.
Calypso turns so we’re face to face. “What happened?” Her voice is husky with sleep.
“Ponder told me Reyes is out.”
“What are we going to do?”
I inhale deeply, locking eyes with her. “We go after him.”
She arches a brow. “Now you’re speaking my language.”
I shake my head, smirking despite the tension coiling in my gut. “We do this my way.”
Calypso tilts her head, considering, then sighs. “Fine. But you better not try to put me in a goddamn bubble.”
“No promises.”
She glares at me. “Farris.”
I roll us, pinning her beneath me, pressing my lips to hers until she melts into the kiss. “We handle this together,” I murmur against her mouth. “But you let me protect you the way I need to. You let me keep our baby safe.”
Her fingers dig into my arms, her body soft but unbreakable beneath mine. “And you let me fight,” she breathes.
I nod, pressing my forehead to hers. “Always.” Because she’s mine, and nobody, not Reyes, not anyone, is taking her away from me.