Chapter Six
Elise
John’s deep, growly, alpha voice ricocheted through my head.
Stop bein’ so damned cute, and I’ll stop calling you baby.
I closed my eyes, attempting to erase the words from my brain and concentrate on the conversation going on between Brett, Colt, and Pete, but it was easier said than done.
A long time ago, I had to make a conscious decision to accept that John and I were over in every sense of the word. Since then, I hadn’t allowed myself to dream it would ever happen for us.
Our relationship marked me and razed me to the ground.
For a long time, I felt a lot of guilt. Over the years, I’d realized it wasn’t my fault. When Robert took my baby, I was young, inexperienced, lost, and grieving. Mentally, I was incapable of besting him, so I had to capitulate to his demands.
Slowly, I got my head straight and began to fight back in the ways I could. But even then, I walked a fine line between trying to secretly take down my husband while still keeping Constance safe. Living that way made me calculated. Every aspect of my life became premeditated, almost like one big game of chess.
The woman I became was such a far cry from the girl John knew. Wearing my heart on my sleeve equated to weakness, because every time I’d been vulnerable and trusted someone, they’d screwed me over.
I didn’t give any of myself away anymore. The last time was the night I met Tucker, but even then, the universe found a way to fuck me over by taking Agent Sears away.
Allowing myself to be vulnerable wasn’t worth the heartache, so I stopped doing it.
I still cared about the people in my life. Hannigan, Brett, and now Colt meant something to me, but I never let myself get too deep. My demeanor was frosty because my heart had turned to ice a long time ago. Loving people always led to heartbreak.
Except now, Sophie, Belle, and even Atlas had thawed me a little, though I had to admit I was still holding back because life had conditioned me that way. If I’d learned one thing, it was self-preservation.
Then John called me baby and said I was cute. For a split second, I felt the same thrill as I did when I used to settle on the back of Johnny’s bike and press my cheek against his back.
Reliving the love I felt for Stone was beautiful, even liberating.
And dangerous.
Thirty years ago, I lost everything. I had to find a way to come to terms with that and learn how to live a life I hated. The thought of softening filled me with dread, because being soft meant opening up to people again, and I didn’t know if I had it in me.
I’d try for Sophie and Belle, but I couldn’t do it for John, not again. My soul warmed when he called me cute and baby, but I had to shut it down because he’d already shown me how easily he could believe the worst in me, even though he knew me better.
It just wasn’t worth the risk.
The sound of Brett softly calling my name pulled me from my thoughts.
“Elise, You okay?” he asked.
The corners of my mouth hitched wryly. “Yeah. I guess I’m still groggy from the meds. Sorry, what were you saying?”
“We were about to call Hannigan,” Colt explained. “But we can give you a minute if you need it.”
I glanced at the giant screen mounted on the office wall and gave a decisive nod. “I’m good. Make the call.”
Colt’s fingers flew over the keys of his laptop until the screen lit up, and Pete’s face appeared. “Status report,” he barked.
“We’ve filled the club officers in,” Colt told him. “They knew we were involved, so there was no point lying, not if we want to build a relationship with them, and honestly, they’d worked most of it out when I was part of the club. All we did was fill in the blanks.”
Pete nodded along thoughtfully. “We knew it could come to that eventually. Need to give you a heads-up, too. We’ve received an official complaint from Sheriff Dodds. Says you’re obstructing and getting involved in police work that isn’t in your jurisdiction.”
My stomach dropped.
“I’m gonna write a report this afternoon and send it in,” Colt explained. “In this case, I think we need to fight fire with fire. I still say Dodds is the weakest link. If we send Internal Affairs in to question him, he’ll cave.”
“Agreed,” Brett added. “He’s a racist, sexist homophobe. Half his force can’t stand him, and the other half turns a blind eye to his incompetence. Henderson only keeps him on as sheriff because he can control him. Dodds is certainly no mastermind.”
Pete mulled over Colt’s and Brett’s advice. “I’ll call my contact in IA and fill him in. It could be the best way to begin the takedown. Henderson may start getting nervous without the protection of local law enforcement.”
“That’ll work well with the plan we settled on with the Demons,” Brett explained. “We agreed to start taking down the people around Henderson. We’re hopin’ once he’s out there swinging, he’ll panic enough to fuck up.”
“I’ve agreed to deal with Barrington,” Colt added. “If we take away the cash cleaner, Henderson will sweat.”
Pete’s stare rested on Colt, and he cocked an eyebrow. “Do I wanna know how?”
Colt shrugged. “I can make the evidence of Barrington’s money laundering appear anonymously in your emails. Nobody will work out it’s me.”
“You need clearance?” Pete asked.
Colt grinned. “Last time I checked, Barrington Bank’s security looked like it was set up by a five-year-old. I’m good, boss.”
“Noted.” Pete’s eyes slid toward Stafford. “We need to settle on your cover story.”
“Easy.” Brett glanced at me. “Gonna say the Demons ran me off the road, brought Elise and me in, and kicked the fuck outta me for intel, which isn’t a lie. Hopefully, they can put me on my ass without too much lasting damage.”
“I’ll speak to John and Sophie,” I offered. “I’m sure she’ll monitor Brett’s injuries. Then, John can arrange for his boys to dump Brett back at the house.”
Pete studied Brett. “You sure about this? I’ll happily pull you out of there if you’re not comfortable.”
“As long as I’m convincing, I don’t think it’s a problem,” he declared. “If it works, Henderson will think I took a beating because I wouldn’t talk. Maybe he’ll put more trust in me.”
“You think he’ll pull you in deeper?” I asked Brett.
“Maybe. If we succeed in neutralizing Henderson’s allies, he’ll turn to me for support. If I can go back to him with something that thinks gives him an edge over the Demons, it’ll ramp up the trust for sure.”
“Dagger won’t like that,” Colt muttered.
Hannigan’s eyes caught mine, his expression sheepish. “Even if it’s Elise who talks him around?”
My spine stiffened, and my skin prickled. “I’m not the FBI’s whore, Hannigan,” I said, tone full of indignation.
Pete’s lips twitched. “You are the least whore-like woman I think I’ve ever met, Duchess, but the fact remains that John ‘Dagger’ Stone is sweet on you. Nothing wrong with using it to our advantage, especially if it keeps Agent Stafford safe.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m happy to approach John, but I won’t hide anything.”
“Don’t think Prez’ll care,” Colt murmured to himself.
My eyes narrowed on him.
“Okay, we’re set,” Hannigan announced. “Contact me when you’re set, and report back.”
We said our goodbyes, and Colt tapped on his keyboard to disconnect the call.
Sitting back, he swung his gaze toward me. “I’ll approach Dagger if you’re uncomfortable,” he offered. “What Hannigan doesn’t know won’t hurt him. But I gotta say, he’s right on this one. I’m not John’s favorite person at the moment, so he’s more likely to help you than me.”
My stomach gave a nervous lurch at the prospect of asking John for any kind of favor. “I’ll speak to him, but I meant what I said. No more lies. I’m going to be upfront about it.”
“Be upfront about what?” a voice growled from the doorway.
I craned my neck to see John entering the room with Cash. He turned to me, dipping his chin. “What d’ya need, Leesy?”
I stood up and threw a hand out toward Brett. “We need to get Agent Stafford back undercover. In order to do that successfully, Robert needs to believe he hasn’t talked, so we need to make it look like you’ve tried to beat information from him, but in a way where there’s no long-term damage.”
“You want us to kick his ass?” John asked me.
“In a controlled way, yes.”
John’s hand went to his beard, and he rubbed it thoughtfully. “Bowie was a boxer. He’ll know where to hit.”
“It has to be convincing,” Brett added. “It’ll blow my cover if Henderson suspects something’s off. If he thinks I opened my mouth about his business, I’ll be a dead man.”
“Problem is,” Cash interjected. “You going back will look suspicious. If you were our prisoner, you’d never get out. We certainly wouldn’t hand you back.”
“We could arrange a swap,” John suggested, his stare meeting Cash’s.
“How would you do that?” I asked.
He turned to me. “Have you got anything there with sentimental value?”
“Yeah. My baby pictures of Const—” I stopped myself, “—Sophie. He knows they mean everything to me.”
“It’s a risk,” Cash pointed out.
“Yeah,” John agreed. “We’re banking on the fact Henderson doesn’t know who Sophie is. If he’s aware she’s our girl, he’ll know you’re in contact with her, so the pictures won’t be worth anything, seein’ as you’ve got the real thing standing in front of ya.” His face twisted toward his son. “Call Soph in, Veep. It’s time to get to the bottom of it.”
“On it,” Cash said before he turned and stalked from the room.
I stared at John, marveling at how assured he’d become over the years. When we were together, he was as alpha as they came, but the years had built a confidence in him that he hadn’t had time to develop back then.
“Still bossy,” I murmured, smiling up at him.
John laughed softly, and I suddenly felt my heart bloom inside my chest, warming my blood.
Seeing him so carefree made me remember the old days when we didn’t have a worry in the world, and laughing came as naturally as breathing. I’d wake up smiling and go to sleep content in the knowledge I was Stone’s, and he was mine, and nothing would ever come between us.
More fool me for believing in something good.
John’s fingertips rested on my wrist, and my lungs seized when tingles began to flutter up my arm. “Baby,” he said huskily. “I gotta speak to you about something. I—”
A piercing shriek sounded from the hallway, making me jump slightly, and a woman’s voice cried, “Mason! What the hell have you done?”
I wrenched my arm away from John’s warm grip.
“What the fuck?” he muttered.
“On your face, Mason? I can’t believe you!” the voice I recognized as Iris yelled from the corridor. “Abe, look what he’s done.”
“Fuck’s sake,” John muttered, his head swiveling toward the door. “What’s he been up to now?”
Colt smirked. “Is he still bein’ an asshole?”
John shook his head frustratedly. “He thinks he’s thirty-five, and he knows everythin’. Abe caught him up the woods with a group of assholes, a packet of smokes, and a six-pack of beer last week.”
“Fuck,” Colt muttered.
“Yeah,” John replied. “Personally, don’t gotta problem with it. I took my first drink young and let my kids drink beer before they were legal. I always found it took the mystery out of it for ‘em. The problem is, he did it behind Abe’s back.”
“Fuck,” Colt repeated, shaking his head.
“He’s the school hotshot,” John added. “Got the kids eatin’ out of his hand. Eighteen, leather jacket, motorcycle. The boys wanna be him, and the girls swoon like he’s the reincarnation of James Dean.”
My mind cast back to John as a twenty-year-old riding through Main Street on his motorcycle and sending all the girls in town under his spell. “Sounds like somebody I used to know,” I murmured pointedly.
The corners of his mouth hitched.
My heart fluttered.
The door flew open, and a young man wearing black jeans and a leather jacket sauntered in.
Immediately, I was struck by how much he looked like a biker in the making. Tall, good-looking, with a confidence far beyond his years oozing from every pore. “Prez,” he called over. “Will ya get Iris off my case?”
John turned to address him. “The minute Iris stops gettin’ on your case is when she stops carin’ about your ass. Be careful what you wish for...” his voice trailed off, and he peered closer. “What the fuck’s that on your face?”
He puffed his chest out. “It’s my new ink.”
My eyes rounded as I looked closer and saw a tiny tattoo of a diamond etched high on his cheekbone.
“What the fuck did you do that for?” John demanded. “No wonder Iris is havin’ a conniption.”
Mason shrugged. “I think it looks cool.”
Another voice called “Yo!” from the doorway.
I turned, just as a young boy—whom I recognized as one of John’s grandchildren—swaggered in wearing jeans and a leather jacket.
He made his way toward us, giving John a chin lift before stating in a surprisingly deep voice, “Mase got it for one of his honeys.”
John cocked an eyebrow at Mason. “Where d’ya meet girls who like face tattoos? Prison?”
“John,” I cried, slapping his shoulder.
Colt began to laugh.
Mason rolled his eyes, folding his arms across his chest in a typical biker pose. “Need to talk to ya about that. Been doin’ some diggin’ and—”
The sound of voices wafted in from the corridor as Iris stomped in the room with Cara. After a beat, Kennedy and Sophie followed, and then Abe came through, slamming the door behind him.
Iris jerked her thumb toward Mason and, with her other hand, grabbed hold of her ol’ man’s shoulder, “Abe, look what he’s done,” she shrieked.
Abe skewered Mason with a glare. “Jesus, boy. Are you simple? How the fuck are you gonna get through life with that thing on your face? Who’s gonna give ya a job? The local drug dealer? Or you gonna aspire to be a cooler at a downgrade titty bar?”
Colt busted out another laugh.
“It’s not funny!” Iris huffed. “People will take one look at him and think he’s a thug!”
Mason shrugged nonchalantly. “Ain’t a thing. I’m gonna prospect.”
John’s entire face lit up.
Abe lost his frown, and instead, he grinned huge. “Oh, right. That’s sorted then.”
“That’s not the point, Mason,” Iris cried, her eyes sliding to me. “Can you believe him?”
I smiled sympathetically.
There was no way I’d contradict her while she was so upset, but I’d been surrounded by thugs for the last thirty years, and not one of them had a face tattoo. It didn’t make Mason a bad person. Other people might judge him—especially in Hambleton—but not me.
“Wait,” Kennedy interjected, glaring at Mason. “What do you mean you’ve decided to prospect? You told me you wanted to go to law school.”
Mason shot her a wink. “Just said it as an excuse to get in there. Wanted to chat you up.”
Kai looked up at him and glowered.
Cara pointed a finger at Mason. “You told me you wanted to be an artist,” she said accusingly.
Mason smirked.
“Told me he wanted to tap your ass,” Kai ratted.
Kennedy busted out laughing.
Cara let out a loud harrumph .
“Better not let Cash hear you say that,” Abe warned.
“Jesus help me,” Iris murmured, emulating the sign of the holy cross over her chest.
Sophie stepped toward Mason and ran her fingertips over the tattoo. “Hope you went to a clean place to get this done, Mase. You can get nasty infections from dirty tattoo shops.”
Mason ducked his head, obviously embarrassed by all the fuss. “Got it done over in Mapletree. They did my back piece, too. The shop there’s gotta good rep.”
Iris’s body locked. “Back piece? Oh my God. Abe, what are you gonna do about this?”
Abe tagged her waist and pulled her into him. “He’s eighteen. Not much I can do, Rissy.”
Iris pulled back. Her hands clenched into fists, she leaned up toward Abe, her body taut, and screeched, “You’re his dad. He’ll listen to you.”
“Too late now,” he responded nonchalantly. “Can’t exactly tell him to go wash the fucker off.”
Iris’s shocked stare turned back to Mason. “I can’t believe you,” she shrieked. “You’re grounded!”
Mason rolled his eyes.
The door flew open, and Atlas strolled in, followed by John’s son, Bowie. “What’s all the shoutin’ about? I could hear you from the bar,” he demanded. “And who’s grounded?”
John jerked his chin toward Mason. “This simpleton got a face tattoo. Iris is losing her damned mind.”
Atlas’s gaze traveled over Mason’s face, and he froze. “Fuck me, it’s Post Malone’s scrawny little sidekick.” He leaned closer. “Nice work. Who did it? The dude in Mapletree I told you about? The tattooist who did your back piece?”
“Oh my God,” Iris cried, her eyes filling with horror. Her shocked stare slashed toward Atlas, and she snarled, “I will never cook for you again.”
Abe took one look at her, saw her upset, and his face hardened. “Right, Mason, get your ass to the house. You heard your mom; you’re grounded. Except for when you’re on cleaning duty at the auto shop. Don’t make any plans with your honeys for the next two weeks.” He turned to Atlas. “As for you, gonna remember this shit. When Belle’s eighteen, gonna take her to the tattoo parlor and pay for her first one, see how you fuckin’ like it. I’ll be encouraging her to get a full sleeve and a few piercings.”
Atlas’s face paled.
Sophie huffed, glaring at her husband. “See what you’ve done?”
Atlas’s stare hit his boots.
I bit down on my lip to hide my smile.
“Don’t worry about it, At,” Bowie reasoned. “Sunny will get there first. The way she’s goin’, we’ll have to deal with tattoos, nipple piercings, and partying like it’s nineteen-ninety-nine in a few years. Belle’ll seem like an angel sent from Jesus after my wild girl’s shenanigans.”
John stiffened. “What the fuck are ya talkin’ about? My Sunshine’s a little lady. Total princess.”
“She’s fuckin’ wild,” Bowie deadpanned. “I just left her practicing roundhouse kicks with Billy down in the gym. Headed for the door and heard her start to cackle. Your so-called princess sent the poor fucker down to his knees faster than a whore givin’ head. She caught him in the dick with her heel—on purpose, no doubt.”
John puffed his chest out proudly. “She’s a good girl, listenin’ to her grandpa. I told her to always go for the nuts. Works every time.”
Another bubble of laughter rose up my throat at the pride in John’s tone.
“Poor Billy,” Sophie murmured. “I better go check on him. I remember when Sunny caught Atlas’s penis by accident down in the gym one time. He was in so much pain.”
Kennedy brought a hand up to her mouth and coughed out what sounded like “ coke can .”
Abe busted out laughing.
Atlas’s face hardened, and he slashed an angry hand through the air. “You’re not touchin’ Billy’s dick.”
Sophie’s lips twitched.
“They’re all fuckin’ crazy,” Brett muttered, studying everybody from his seat at the desk.
“Get used to it,” Colt murmured.
“Yo, Stafford,” Bowie called over. “I’m glad you opened your trap. A little bird tells me I get to beat the fuck outta ya. Gotta say, dude, thought all my Christmases and birthdays came at once when Atlas told me. Nearly shot my load in my shorts like a dang schoolboy.”
Atlas barked a laugh.
Abe chuckled.
John’s stare turned on me, and he sniffed. “He’s a dirty little bastard. I never raised him to talk with a mucky mouth. He must get it from his mother’s side.”
“Doubtful,” I said, my tone filled with sarcasm. “You forget I knew your dad.”
“She’s gotta point.” Abe gave a little chuckle before straightening out his face and glaring at Mason. “Get your ass home, ya little shit. You’ve got work to do.”
Mason rolled his eyes. “Abe, listen, will ya, I gotta talk to Prez. Keep tryin’ to tell you I’ve been diggin’. Got some info on the Sinners.”
The bodies of every person in the room locked—including mine—and a bad feeling washed through me.
The thought of somebody as young as Mason putting himself in situations where he’d find intel on a vile club like the Burning Sinners made my blood run cold. They were trigger-happy lunatics who wouldn’t think twice about shooting him in the head if they caught wind of him gathering information.
Abe must have been thinking the same thing because he growled, “What the fuck?” as his face turned red with fury.
Iris silently shook her head, her turquoise eyes stricken.
My eyes swung to John, who stared at Mason with his mouth open slightly. “Church. Now!” he bellowed, clamping a hand onto the young man’s shoulder and frog-marching him toward the door.
The men glanced at each other before passing John as his feet faltered, and he craned his neck back toward us. “Soph, need to ask you a few questions. Stay close, and I’ll send Atlas out for ya soon.” His eyes came to me and softened slightly. “You okay coming in with her?”
I nodded my reply at the same time as Sophie murmured her agreement.
John, his hand still clasping Mason’s shoulder, gave me a nod before stalking from the room and disappearing down the corridor.
Silence fell as all the women’s gazes remained on the door, all deep in thought about what had just happened.
“I can’t believe that boy,” Iris whispered, voice panic-filled. “If anything happens to him because he’s stuck his nose in places he shouldn’t, I’ll...” her voice trailed off, and she sighed. “He’s too young to get involved with human traffickers. If they find out, they’ll go after him.”
“John will protect him,” Cara assured her. “They all will. Our men won’t let anything happen to Mason.”
Iris bit her lip worriedly before saying something that made my heart wrench. “I’m scared.”
My heart squeezed as every woman—including me—reached out to gather Iris close. Within seconds, we’d made a cocoon around her, murmuring our support.
I looked down at Iris’s stricken face, and my mind went back to when she was kidnapped and brutally assaulted. My heart clenched painfully when I remembered her lying in a hospital bed for days and the impact it had on her, not just physically but mentally, too.
It was no wonder she was triggered by even the thought of Mason being targeted by the same club that hurt her.
The need to comfort my friend and ease her worry overwhelmed me.
After the scene in the parking lot of the old club, when Bandit threatened to shoot me, the majority of the Speed Demons crossed the road when they saw me in the street, but not Iris.
She’d always been kind and respectful, always asked me how I was, and asked after my mom. She was one of the best people I knew, and the thought of her hurting and fretting made my chest tighten.
I caught the sadness in her eyes and smiled at her reassuringly. “If it comes to it, I’ll make Colt take him to Virginia,” I whispered. “Mason will be okay.”
“I’d die if anybody hurt my boy or my girl,” she murmured. “When me and Abe took them in, they became our kids. I couldn’t love them more if I’d birthed them myself.”
“It’ll be okay,” Kennedy soothed. “I’ve got a big house in Vegas and a club there that’ll look out for Sera and Mase. Elise already said they can go to Virginia, and Hendrix is there, too. Either way, they’ll be safe.”
“Maybe we should get down to the gym and have a self-defense refresher,” Sophie suggested. “It will make us stronger mentally if we take some control of the situation. We can start tomorrow morning.”
“I’ll talk to Cash about doing more target practice, too,” Cara announced. “It’s time we all started carrying weapons. It’s not ideal with the kids around us, but isn’t it better to be prepared in case there’s a threat?”
The ladies murmured their agreement.
“It’s a date,” Sophie declared. “Tomorrow, gym, 9 A.M. We’ll train so hard the Sinners will be fools to mess with us.”
“Can the club spare the men to take us through some self-defense?” I asked. “They seem busy.”
Every eye turned to me.
“We don’t need men,” Cara informed me. “We’ve got a secret weapon.”
My eyebrows drew together. “What’s that?”
Kennedy’s eyes slid to Sophie, and she grinned. “You’ll see.”