Chapter Nine
Cheshire
I slid into the booth across from Park. He eyed me, suspicious. Smart man. I let him stew a minute while I sipped my black coffee. The diner bustled around us, clanking silverware and sizzling grease. Finally, I leaned in.
“We needed to talk. Sheriff Holmes wasn’t the only rotten apple in this barrel of pigs. Mayor Davis and Robert Lewis -- they were in on it too.” I watched his face, waiting for the info to sink in.
Park blinked. Furrowed his brow. “What? No way. You sure about this?” He gripped his mug tighter, knuckles going white.
I nodded, holding his gaze. “Dead sure. We need to root out the whole infestation before this town turns to total shit.”
Park sat back heavily, processing. I could practically see the gears turning behind those green eyes. Poor bastard, still wanted to believe in the system. Well, time for a wake-up call.
“Sheriff Holmes was just the start,” I pressed on. “We’re talking high-level fuckery here. Real deep. Your precious boys in blue couldn’t handle this. Not to mention, most are looking the other way if not outright helping.”
Park glared at me, jaw clenched. For a second I thought he might take a swing. But then something shifted. A hardness settled over his face.
“All right. I’m in,” he said.
I smiled, cold and sharp. Welcome to the real world, Deputy. Time to get your hands dirty .
“I just… I don’t understand how this can be happening.” He ran his hands through his hair, staring into his cup of coffee like it had all the answers.
He glanced up, his gaze finding mine, almost as if he was hoping I’d tell him it had all been a lie. I wanted to reassure him, tell him everything would be fine. But truthfully, I wasn’t sure how we’d fare this time. Eddie Lewis had been one thing, but this… this was so much bigger.
“Everything I’ve believed in, fought for… it was all a crock of shit. I refuse to stand by and let it happen,” Park said.
I stared at him, waiting for him to confirm he’d join us. If he decided not to, then I’d walk away and pretend we never had this talk.
Park firmed his jaw. “Whatever it takes to clean up this mess. Just point me in the right direction.”
I smiled in answer. I’d hoped he would join our cause. We needed one good man in law enforcement in this place. Once we got rid of the corruption, someone would need to step in as the new sheriff, and I had a feeling Park would fill those shoes nicely. Even though he’d have to run for office and be elected, I had no doubt he’d win, as long as we killed the corruption in town. Hell, I’d help with his campaign if I needed to.
Park drained his coffee and dropped some money on the table. “This one’s on me. Call me when you’re ready for me.”
“Why don’t you come with me?” I asked. “Better to be in on this every step of the way, right?”
“Fine.”
I stood and we went outside. I climbed onto my bike and started her up. As I backed out of the space, I saw Park pulling out in his truck a few spots away. With a wave of my hand, I motioned for him to follow me.
I led Park through the nearly empty streets. The clubhouse loomed ahead, and I pulled through the gates, parking out front. I killed the engine and swung off, my boots hitting the pavement.
Glancing over at Park, I saw the determination etched into his features. Good. He’d need it.
“Fair warning,” I muttered as we approached the door. “The boys might not roll out the welcome mat for you. Hard to know who to trust these days. And since you’re a deputy…”
Park nodded, jaw tight. “I get it. I’ll win them over.”
I snorted. Easier said than done. But hey, maybe he’d surprise me. I’d already given Hatter a heads-up as to what I was doing, so at least the president wouldn’t be surprised.
I shoved open the door and stepped inside. Home, sweet home.
Conversation died as we entered. All eyes locked onto Park, suspicion and hostility radiating from every corner. I felt him tense beside me, but to his credit, he didn’t flinch. Anyone who’d seen him around town in uniform knew he was part of the Warren Sheriff’s Department.
Mock leaned against the bar, arms crossed over his broad chest. “The hell’s this, Cheshire? Since when do we let badges in here?”
I flashed him a grin, all teeth. “Since they started playing for our team. Park’s here to help.”
Tweedle scoffed from his perch on the couch. “Help? We don’t need his kind of help.”
The others muttered their agreement, edging closer. Park stood his ground, chin high. I had to admit, the man had balls.
“Look,” he said, voice steady. “I know you don’t trust me. I get it. But this is my town too. And I’ll be damned if I let it burn while I sit on my ass and watch.”
The brothers exchanged glances, considering. It was a start. It wouldn’t take them long to realize why I’d brought him.
“So,” I drawled, slinging an arm around Park’s shoulders. He stiffened but didn’t shrug me off. “What do you say, boys? Ready to raise a little hell and take back our streets?”
A beat of silence. Then, slowly, nods all around.
“Fine. But I’ve got my eye on you,” Tweedle said, glaring at Park.
Park met his gaze unflinching. “Likewise.”
I clapped my hands, grin stretching wide. Oh, this is gonna be fun . “All right, then. Let’s get to work.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Jo and Eliza slipping away from the kitchen, heading down the hall. Smart girls, steering clear of the pissing contest.
I turned back to Park, jerking my chin toward the door. “Walk with me.”
We stepped outside, the cool night air a welcome relief from the tension inside. I lit a cigarette, took a deep drag.
“You sure about this, Deputy? Once you cross that line, there’s no going back. What you’ve done so far isn’t as bad as what’s coming. You’ve bent the law. That’s completely different from annihilating it.”
Park’s jaw clenched. “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life. I took an oath to protect and serve, and that’s exactly what I intend to do. Even if it means I have to throw the rulebook out the window. Blindly following someone like Sheriff Holmes isn’t the right thing to do.”
I nodded, blowing out a stream of smoke. “Bending, breaking… it’s all the same in the end. Just don’t lose yourself in the process.”
“I won’t,” he said firmly. “I know what I’m fighting for. A safe town, a place where people can live without fear. That’s worth any price.”
I studied him for a long moment, searching for any hint of doubt or hesitation. There was none. Just steely resolve and a fire in his eyes that matched my own.
“All right, then,” I said, flicking away my cigarette. “Let’s do this. But fair warning, it’s going to get ugly before it gets better.”
Park’s lips quirked in a humorless smile. “I’m counting on it.”
We headed back inside, with Deputy Park ready to face whatever hell awaited us.
Inside the clubhouse, the air was thick with tension. Tweedle and Mock were waiting, arms crossed, suspicion etched into every line of their faces. I didn’t think Park would win them over very quickly, but in time, they’d realize this was the right move. I’d never have brought him here otherwise.
“You two better remember I vouched for him. That should be enough for anyone here. And Hatter gave him permission to be here,” I said.
Mock scoffed, his gaze darting between us. “Vouched for him? What, because he says he wants to help? Words are cheap, man. We need more than that.”
I took a step forward, squaring my shoulders. “We need all the help we can get, and you know it. This isn’t about the club. It’s the entire damn town. Not to mention, Park has already stepped up to lend a hand once. He’s assured me he’s on board no matter the risk.”
Tweedle’s scowl deepened, but I could see a flicker of understanding in his eyes. He knew I was right, even if he didn’t want to admit it.
“Park here is a good deputy. He’s one of the few left in this Godforsaken place. If he says he’s in, then he’s in. End of story. I’m not going to make him sit on the sidelines.” Mock opened his mouth to argue, but I cut him off with a sharp look. “We’re all on the same side here, fighting the same battle. We can’t afford to be divided, not now.”
Silence fell, heavy and tense. I could practically hear the gears turning in their heads, weighing the risks against the potential rewards. I’d meant what I said. If I thought Park would do anything to hurt the club, I’d have never brought him here. It wasn’t like we were running guns or drugs, or doing anything illegal. Although, if I thought the best way to handle Holmes was to put him six feet under, I wouldn’t hesitate.
Finally, Tweedle nodded, a single, sharp jerk of his head. “Fine. But if this goes sideways, just remember I said I didn’t trust him.”
I met his gaze steadily, unflinching. “I’m willing to bet Park will make you eat those words.”
Mock said nothing, but the set of his jaw told me he wasn’t happy about this. Tough shit. We had bigger problems to worry about than his delicate sensibilities.
I turned to Park, clapping him on the shoulder. “Welcome to the fight, Deputy. Let’s hope you’re ready for it. Something tells me this is going to get real ugly.”
He met my gaze, and there was no fear in his eyes. Only determination and a fierce, unshakable resolve.
“I’m ready,” he said simply. “Let’s bring these bastards down.”
And just like that, the deal was sealed. No going back now. God help us all .
“First things first, we need to figure out our next move. Sheriff Holmes isn’t going to go down without a fight.”
Park leaned in, his voice low and urgent. “I’ve been thinking about that. If we could get some hard evidence of his involvement in the trafficking ring, something that tied him directly to it… Maybe the Feds would step in?”
“First off, we’ve already found some women who he’d grabbed in order to sell them. Not sure there’s more damning proof than that. But… even if it was enough to take him down, the man has more layers of protection than a fucking onion. I have a feeling he has ties outside of Warren, so going to the FBI or anyone else would be risky.”
Park’s brow furrowed, his green eyes intense. “What about Eliza? His daughter. Is she safe? Should we get her out of there?”
The question caught me off-guard, and for a moment, I wasn’t sure how to respond. I hadn’t expected him to ask about her, not here, not now. What connection did Park have with Eliza? And how the fuck did he know her? I’d thought the sheriff kept her under lock and key.
“She’s as safe as she can be,” I said finally, choosing my words carefully. “We already got her away from the sheriff. How come you don’t know that?”
Park paused. “What do you mean?”
“Is the sheriff not actively searching for her? Has no one noticed she’s missing?” I asked. “Wait… she said something about him telling everyone she’s sick, and she was even homeschooled. So has anyone in town seen her before?”
There was a flicker of something in his eyes that I couldn’t quite read. Concern, maybe. Or something else entirely.
“Um, no. As far as I know, no one has really seen her. Not since she was just a little kid. Once her mom died, everything changed. As for how I know about her, I’ve met her a few times at the sheriff’s house.”
I clenched my hands into fists. “You’ve met her but never thought something was off? Why the hell has she been abused all this time?”
“I never saw signs of him hitting her,” Park said. “If I had… Honestly, I’m not sure I could have done anything. One deputy against the entire Sheriff’s Department? But for what it’s worth, I’m really glad she’s safe.”
An uncomfortable silence stretched between us, heavy with unspoken words and unanswered questions. I cleared my throat, eager to move on. The way he looked when he talked about her… I didn’t like it. I had to wonder if Park had feelings for Eliza.
“We need to be smart about this,” I said, steering the conversation back to the task at hand. “Holmes is a slippery bastard, and he has eyes and ears everywhere. We can’t afford to make any mistakes. After we freed those girls before, he probably locked down his operation pretty tight. It’s what I would do. So getting to him won’t be easy.”
Park nodded, his jaw set with determination. “I’ll do whatever it takes. This ends now.”
“Damn right it does,” I said. “Let’s get to work.”
As Park and I had headed out of the clubhouse, the cool night air hit my face like a slap. I lit up a cigarette, taking a long drag before exhaling slowly.
“I wish I’d known about Eliza’s situation sooner,” Park said suddenly, his voice low and full of regret. “I don’t know how I could’ve helped her or gotten her out of there before things got so bad. Just the same, maybe I could have thought of something. Knowing she’s been suffering all this time… Man, that hurts my heart.”
I narrowed my eyes at him, not liking where this conversation was going. “Eliza isn’t your business, Deputy. You focus on taking down Holmes and let us worry about her.”
Park shook his head, frustration etched into every line of his face. “You don’t understand. The entire town believed him when he said Eliza was too sick to leave the house. He hid her away, and we all bought it like a bunch of fucking idiots.”
I took another drag of my cigarette, considering his words. It wasn’t surprising that Holmes would pull some shit like that, but it still made my blood boil.
“Well, now you know the truth,” I said finally, flicking ash onto the pavement. “And you’re going to help us make that bastard pay for what he’s done.”
Park nodded, his eyes hard with determination. “Damn right, I will.”
We shook hands, a silent agreement passing between us. As I watched him walk away, disappearing into the shadows of the night, I couldn’t help but wonder what Eliza was going to do when all this was over.
Her old man was a piece of shit, but he was still her father. And if the club ended up putting a bullet in his head, that was going to leave a mark no amount of time or therapy could erase.
I sighed heavily, crushing my cigarette beneath the heel of my boot. It was a fucked-up situation, no matter how you sliced it. But at the end of the day, family was family. And the Underland MC took care of its own. Now that Eliza was here with us, she was one of ours too.
And I was starting to hope she’d be mine.
I stuffed my hands in my pockets and had headed off to find Eliza, my mind already racing with plans and possibilities. Once the dust settled and she was free of her father, would she be willing to stay here with me?