Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
I slipped on my cut and snuck through the hallway. The apartment was quiet except for the hum of the air conditioning and muffled snores from the bedroom.
I snagged a banana from the counter as I tried to remember her name.
Allie? Ellie? Shit. It didn’t matter. I’d never see her again anyway.
She lived in the Woodlands, a bougie planned community with green spaces and little shops.
I’d probably be her first and last walk on the wild side.
She’d become someone’s suburban trophy wife in a few years and regale her mommy group with the story of how she fucked a Maverick.
I was more than happy to oblige with her fantasy for rough sex with a biker, though I’d hesitated when she asked me to choke her. That wasn’t really my thing.
The morning haze promised a scorching day.
I ducked into a coffee shop below her apartment to order a cappuccino that cost more than I’d spent at the bar the night before.
The barista watched me with curiosity, so I shot her a wink, earning a blush and a stammer as she handed me my drink with her phone number written on the sleeve.
With street parking scarce, I’d left my bike a few blocks away.
Between the security cameras and well-lit streets, I’d had little concern about anyone—Jackals included—stealing my bike overnight.
As I cut through the park, I spotted Tyler slouched on a bench, shoulders hunched, staring at his phone.
My hand tightened around the coffee cup. Alarm bells rang through my mind. I couldn’t recall where Tyler lived, but it sure as fuck wasn’t the Woodlands. He worked for Reaper, and that meant sunrise starts on construction sites, not leisurely park strolls in the morning.
I checked my phone for the time. Yeah, this wasn’t right. I moved to the shade, letting a group of joggers pass. Tyler kept glancing around, like he was waiting for someone.
A woman in a navy suit appeared moments later, her stride purposeful as she approached.
She slid onto the bench beside him. My pulse ticked up.
I ducked behind a tree, pretending to check my phone, but my gaze stayed locked on the pair.
Tyler’s hands moved restlessly, rubbing his palms on his jeans, nodding too quickly at whatever she was saying. He kept scanning the park.
Something was off. Way fucking off.
I waited until the woman stood and snapped a photo of her face as she turned my way, zooming in to capture a close-up of her sharp features. Tyler stayed put for five minutes, checking his phone and fiddling with his wallet before standing.
I’d waited, hoping it was just his doppelganger. But it was Tyler.
I shot a group text to Thane, Reaper, Merrick, Linc, and Fuse.
Me:
Where’s Tyler supposed to be this morning?
Reaper:
Coming in late. Dentist appt. Why?
Me:
Looks more like a meeting with his handler.
I attached a few photos, one with the woman’s face clear enough for a search.
Reaper:
Fuck me. Linc, see if you can find out who she is.
Me:
I’ll grab the fucker and bring him in.
Merrick:
Stand down. Let’s meet at the clubhouse first. We need to handle this right.
Fucking Merrick.
I rolled up to the clubhouse. Inside, Merrick, Thane, and Reaper waited. Tension crackled between them like a live wire.
“He’s a rat,” Thane muttered, slamming his fist on the bar. “I knew something was off about him. He wasn’t the same kid I knew after he got back from college.”
Merrick just shook his head. “We don’t know that yet. Linc will find out.”
As if on cue, Linc walked in. He slid a file across the bar to Thane. “She’s FBI. Safe Streets and Gang Unit. Tyler’s meeting with a fucking fed.”
“Shit,” Merrick muttered. “We need to find out what he knows. What he’s told her. Because of his dad, I’m sure we’ve all shared more than we would with any other prospect.”
“I’ll text him,” Reaper said. “I can ask him to swing by and grab something from Thane after his ‘dentist appointment.’”
“He won’t need to worry about the dentist when I’m done with him,” Merrick growled.
The bait was set. We waited, the air thick with anticipation. Then we heard two vehicles pull up—a bike and a car. My stomach tightened. Who else would drop by the clubhouse this early in the morning? We pulled our weapons, ready to snatch Tyler.
The door swung open, and in walked Kenna with Tyler trailing behind her.
The tension ratcheted up another notch. Tyler took one look at us—guns drawn, faces grim—and knew he was made.
Before anyone could move, he grabbed Kenna by the throat, squeezing hard enough that her lips parted as she gasped for air.
He reached behind and pulled a gun from his waistband, pressing it to her head as she clawed at his wrist. She looked between us with a panicked expression, silently begging to be saved.
“Let me leave or I fucking kill her.” His wild eyes darted between the weapons trained on his frantic movements as he used Kenna as a human shield.
Kenna’s eyes met mine, wide with fear but still sharp. I wanted to shoot the bastard, but one wrong move and she was dead. His fingers dug into her throat, rough enough that they’d leave a hand mark for weeks.
Merrick’s icy voice cut through the room. “You hurt her, you die. And it won’t be quick.”
Tyler laughed, but it was hollow. “Pretty sure I’m dead either way. You think I don’t know you’re going to kill me?”
Reaper stepped forward, hands up, voice steady.
“You don’t want to do this. You’re not that guy.
Your father wouldn’t want this. You remember what he stood for—no hurting women, no hurting kids.
He helped build this club on honor. Don’t throw that away.
Don’t betray his legacy more than you already have. ”
Tyler’s eyes flickered at the mention of his dad, his grip loosening just a fraction. Kenna coughed, sucking in a breath of air like she’d been held underwater. For a second, I saw the doubt and the guilt as he remembered the man who’d raised him.
That was all Kenna needed. She twisted suddenly, driving her elbow into Tyler’s ribs in a move Fuse would have been proud of.
She stomped hard on his foot, and he grunted, grip slipping, and Kenna tore herself free.
She bolted straight for me, eyes wide with terror and adrenaline.
I holstered my weapon, trusting the others to keep theirs trained on Tyler, and pulled her into my arms. I held her tight as she sobbed against my chest.
“You did so good,” I murmured. “You’re safe now. You were so brave. I’ve got you.”
She clung to me, her entire body shaking, her breath racking through her in ragged gasps.
Tyler, realizing he was out of options, turned to run.
Merrick didn’t hesitate. He fired a single shot.
Kenna screamed into my shoulder as the gunshot echoed through the space. Tyler went down with a cry, blood pouring between his fingers as he clutched his leg.
The clubhouse erupted into chaos—shouting, cursing, Reaper barking orders. But all I could focus on was Kenna, trembling in my arms.
Merrick strode toward Tyler, his face a mask of fury. He hauled him up by the collar, his fist slamming into Tyler’s jaw with a sickening crack. Tyler’s head snapped back, blood spraying from his mouth. Merrick hit him again, and again, each blow landing with brutal precision.
Kenna let out a squeak. I tightened my hold on her and yelled. “Merrick! Enough! Kenna’s seen enough!”
Merrick barely glanced at me, checking his red-hot rage just enough to clock the fear on her face. His face twisted in a pained expression before he ripped Tyler up from the ground by his neck and dragged him toward the door.
“Reaper, call Eva,” Merrick commanded. “Get her here now to take Kenna home, then meet me at the junkyard.”
The door slammed shut behind them. The clubhouse suddenly seemed too quiet, except for Kenna’s shaky breaths and the distant roar of a truck peeling from the parking lot.
Kenna trembled against me as we listened to Reaper make the call, giving Eva little detail.
“Eva’s fifteen minutes out. Stay with Kenna until she’s here,” Reaper ordered as he followed Merrick.
I nodded once and guided Kenna to one of the corner sofas.
I sat, pulling her into my lap and holding her tight.
She trembled with the aftershocks of the adrenaline rush.
I stroked her hair, murmuring soft reassurances.
Her breath shuddered against my chest, but when she finally pulled back, her eyes blazed—not just with dissipating fear, but also fury.
“What are they going to do to Tyler?”
I hesitated. “Don’t worry about that right now, doll. You did good. Real good.”
“That’s not an answer,” she said, looking up at me. Her eyes were still wide and glassy, but there was a spark of defiance there, too.
I sighed. “It’s not a question you want answered. Not right now.”
She wiped her face with the back of her hand.
“I know you’re trying to protect me, but I’m not stupid.
And I should be horrified about what I’m imagining.
I should beg you all to show mercy. But maybe I’m not that good a person.
Because right now, I want him to hurt. I want him to feel a fraction of the helplessness I just felt. ”
I pulled her close, kissing her forehead. “You didn’t look helpless to me. You defended yourself. But it’s not something you need to worry about. Tyler was already in trouble. His fate is sealed. But after that trick back there? Now we’ll spend every last waking moment making him wish he was dead.”
She looked like she wanted to ask a question, but then she just nodded, leaning into me again. I held her close, listening to her breathing slow.
Eva busted through the door, her face sharp with concern as she searched the room. Kenna stood as their eyes met.
“What happened?” Eva demanded.
I stood, guiding Kenna forward with my hand across her lower back. “Tyler used her as a human shield.”
“Our Tyler? Why the fuck would he do that?”
“I can’t explain right now. Just take her home and stay with her, OK? It’s going to be a late night. Reaper probably won’t be home until morning.”
“Let me guess: club business?” Eva muttered before wrapping an arm around Kenna’s shoulders. “Come on. Let’s get you out of here.”
“Hatchet?” Eva called out to me.
“Yeah?”
Fire danced in her eyes. “Make him fucking pay.”
I gave her a savage grin. “We will,” I promised.
I looked forward to what Merrick had planned for Tyler, and I had a few ideas of my own to make sure he’d regret ever touching Kenna.