Chapter 17
17
Morse
E ARLY MONDAY MORNING, I was triple-checking all the video feeds, ensuring every camera was fully operational, when someone slipped into the security office and hovered behind my chair. I didn’t have to turn around to know who it was. After the one and only time Rabbit had caught me spying on Amelia, I’d installed a small mirror beside my monitor to watch my back. I now used the mirror to meet his gaze and watch a shit-eating grin stretch across his face.
“Can I help you?” I asked, already annoyed.
Amelia, Morgan, Specks, Prospect, and I were scheduled to hit the road in two hours and would be gone most of the week. It would be the longest stretch of time I’d been away from the club since I’d joined, and I was fucking struggling with the concept. I had a mile-long list of tasks I needed to work through before we could leave, and the last thing I needed was a visit from this meddling fool.
“Actually, I’m here to help you ,” he said, slapping my shoulder. “Couldn’t let my favorite stalker rush off into danger without sharing some of my hard-earned wisdom.”
It was too damn early for this bullshit. “I’m not a stalker. And I’ll pass on the nonsense, thanks.”
“Rude,” he said before spinning around to throw a wave at someone. “Mornin’ Tap.”
Tap gave him a wary nod as he passed. “Rabbit. Hey Morse, you all ready to go?”
“Not quite,” Rabbit answered for me. “In fact, I came to remind him of a task he needs to hand over to you before he leaves.”
“Oh?” Tap focused on me. “What do you need, brother?”
I scoured my brain, trying to figure out what Rabbit was talking about, but came up empty. With him, who knew?
“Morse here doesn’t like to ask for help, so I’m here to do it for him.”
Finished checking the video feeds, I spun in my chair to face him. “For fuck’s sake, spit out whatever insanity you feel compelled to share, and let me get back to work.”
“Fine.” Rabbit huffed. “Don’t forget to have Tap keep an eye on Amelia’s house while you’re gone.”
Tap’s eyebrows shot up. “You got eyes on Amelia’s house?”
Before I could figure out the best way to answer, Rabbit beat me to the punch and sold my ass out.
“He sure does. He’s been watching her since her ol’ man died.”
Betrayal stabbed me in the chest. “What the fuck, Rabbit?”
“Does she know?” Tap asked.
“Nope.” Rabbit stuffed his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels. “The freak’s been watching her without her consent.”
Tap frowned. “That true?”
I glared daggers at Rabbit, mentally plotting out his demise. Fucking nark. “It’s not as big of a deal as this asshole is making it out to be. I couldn’t approach her, but I needed to keep her safe.” Couldn’t approach was a gross understatement for the way I didn’t trust myself to be in her presence, but that was my story, and I was sticking to it.
“You don’t get a free pass to stalk someone just because you can’t deal with your feelings,” Rabbit said. “You need to come clean and admit you’ve been eye-fuckin’ her every time she gardens.”
Fighting the urge to break his jaw, I snapped. “Will you shut the fuck up?”
“No, I sure as hell won’t because you butted your whole ass into my business when I was goin’ through it with Poe.”
Poe was short for Postal, the nickname he’d given to his ol’ lady, Elenore, who was every bit as crazy as that nickname warranted. Then again, she had to be able to handle Rabbit.
He jabbed a finger in my face. “You can be the surliest motherfucker on the planet, but I’ve seen the way you look at her. You got it bad for this woman, and I’m not letting you fuck it up.”
“What? Now that you’ve been in a relationship for a whole minute you suddenly feel qualified to give advice?”
Rabbit cocked his head to the side. “Yes, asshole, because at least I’m in counseling, dealing with my shit. You know what Sage says? The most important thing for you to get through your thick skull is that you and your woman need to wear the same jersey. Not physically, of course, but mentally.”
“First off, Sage is single. And second, what the fuck are you talking about?”
“You’re on the same team, and that’s what teams do. They dress alike and share a playbook.”
I stared at him. “You’re giving me a sports analogy? You’re aware I don’t watch sports, right?”
“But you get what I’m saying.”
Of course, I did. I wasn’t stupid. Still, I couldn’t pass up the chance to fuck with him, so I laughed. “Rabbit, I don’t understand you most of the time.”
He made a sound of frustration. “Bottom line is you can’t keep important shit from your teammate, or you’ll lose the game, and one of you will get drafted. If you have any hope of making things work with Amelia, you need to come clean. She’ll find out everything eventually, and the longer you wait, the worse it’ll be.”
“I gotta side with Rabbit on this one,” Tap said, chiming in. “I’ll watch her house while you’re gone, but it’s fucked up to monitor someone without their consent. You need to tell her.”
First Thia, now my brothers. Did everyone have a goddamn opinion about this relationship?
“Exactly.” Rabbit now stabbed the air with his finger. “And I’ve been thinking… this trip gives you the perfect opportunity since she’ll be a captive audience and can’t run away screaming. She’ll have to hear you out. Share the fucking playbook.”
I knew he was right, and I couldn’t endure another instant of his failing sports analogy, so I relented. “Fine.”
Dismissing his annoying ass, I headed to the supply closet, where I unhooked my pride and joy from its charger and loaded it into the case.
“Oh shit. You’re taking Smokey?” Rabbit asked from the door.
Smokey, after Smokey and the Bandit , was a heavily modified commercial drone with enhanced thermal imaging, advanced optical zoom, and a hidden feature that made it illegal as hell to own. I’d bought him on the black market and usually kept him docked in a secret compartment in my closet.
“Premeditated,” I said, thumbing my chest.
Rabbit stared at me like I was the crazy one. “Ohh-kay.”
He didn’t get the reference, but Amelia would. Fuck. She and I had inside jokes now.
“Why are you still here?” I asked, weaving around him to set the drone on my desk.
Again, he followed me. “Fine isn’t good enough. I’m not leaving until you promise to tell Amelia everything.”
“Why are you like this?” I asked.
“Because I give a fuck about you.”
“That’s inconvenient.”
He chuckled. “Tell me about it.”
I headed to the supply closet, hoping to lose him, but he kept up.
“What if I tell her, and she never wants to speak to me again?”
Rabbit shrugged. “That’ll suck, but at least you’ll know she can’t handle your crazy and you can move on. But if you don’t tell her, you’re selling her an inauthentic version of yourself. You’re being a fuckin’ poser, man, and you’re better than that.”
God, I hated being called out, but especially by Rabbit. Still, he wasn’t wrong, so I relented.
“Fine. I swear I’ll tell her while we’re in Idaho.”
* * *
I rented a dark gray Kia Telluride for the trip. It was roomy, the passenger seat reclined significantly, and it was the best option available when I made the reservation. Morgan tried to climb in behind her mom, but I had her scoot over to sit behind me. With the girls loaded up and our gear stashed in the back, we left at eight a.m. sharp, as planned, with Specks and Prospect on their bikes behind us. Specks had connections at both colleges and had volunteered to come, while Prospect was tagging along at Link’s insistence. I still didn’t trust the newbie any further than I could throw him, but he was willing to stick his neck out on guard duty, so I didn’t complain.
Specks, Prospect, and I tested our Bluetooth coms, and then I slid behind the wheel. Morgan fired up her tablet before I even shifted the SUV into drive.
“We’ve lost her for the rest of the trip,” Amelia said with a good-natured smile. “I swear, she’s made it her life’s goal to read every book ever written.”
“Not every book,” Morgan argued. “Only the exceptional ones.”
“Glad she likes the iPad,” I replied. At Amelia’s quizzical look, I realized what I said and expanded. “I like mine, too.”
She seemed appeased with that answer, but I distracted her anyway by handing over the phone I’d hooked up to the car’s Bluetooth and encouraging her to find us something to listen to. She took the bait and began shuffling through the music she wanted to introduce me to. It reminded me of the old days when I didn’t know shit about music, and she was bound and determined to catch me up on everything I’d missed out on since the only music I’d been exposed to was hymns with organ accompaniment. She’d been the first to open my eyes to what else was out there. Her taste was eclectic, and we sipped coffee and drove in companionable silence, sampling oldies, rock, hip-hop, alternative, rhythm and blues, pop, country, and even metal as we followed I90 all the way to Colfax. There, Specks and Prospect joined us for sandwiches at a downtown bistro with giant storefront windows that allowed us to monitor the vehicles.
“You okay?” I asked, noting Amelia’s slight limp as I opened the café door for her.
The smile she gave me looked forced and tired. “I will be after I stretch my legs.”
She walked laps inside the small bistro as we waited for our food, and then she ate standing up. When we got back into the car, I encouraged her to take a pain pill if necessary, but the stubborn woman insisted she was fine.
“At least lay your seat back,” I said.
“Yeah, Mom,” Morgan chimed in, already refocused on her iPad. “You were awake most of last night. You should try to get some sleep.”
Amelia craned her head back to look at her daughter. “Only if you talk to me.”
Morgan frowned. “About what?”
“Aren’t you even a little excited about these college visits?” Amelia asked.
Morgan shrugged. “I guess.”
“Have you selected a major yet?” I asked.
“Not yet, but I have time, right?”
“Yes,” Amelia assured her. To me, she added, “Morgan has several career paths she’s interested in. The idea of choosing only one makes her a little anxious.”
“Theo has had his career path mapped out forever.” Morgan met my gaze in the rearview mirror. “Did you go to college, Morse?”
“Not a physical college, but I got my degree online while I was in the military.”
“Morse didn’t have the same opportunities you have,” Amelia said.
“Because you grew up in a cult?” Morgan asked.
“Yeah. I didn’t have any money or schooling when I escaped. Your parents helped me get my GED so I could join the military and have some options.”
Morgan was still watching me in the mirror. “That must have been terrifying for you.”
“It was different, for sure. I went from knowing the life story of everyone I saw to being an outsider in a world with rules I’d never learned. But I don’t have a single regret about leaving.”
Her brow furrowed. “You don’t miss your family?”
I considered her question for a moment before answering, “The people I grew up with weren’t family in any way but blood. Family prioritizes your safety. They accept you, no matter how different you are. My parents and brother… they weren’t like that. They wanted me to buy into their contradictory beliefs and turn a blind eye to all the messed-up shit happening within the cult. The Dead Presidents are my family now.”
Amelia grabbed my free hand and squeezed. “I’m glad you found them.”
“Me too.”
The pain in her eyes wasn’t all sympathy, though. I could tell she was hurting. “You should lay back and try to get more comfortable.”
Nodding, she reached for the button and reclined her seat.
A rifle cracked in the distance.
The passenger and back windows shattered.
That was a bullet.
The realization hit me at the same second Morgan screamed for her mother.
What the fuck do I do?
Stopping was out of the question, so I hit the gas and shouted, “Get down!”
Cool, spring air whipped through the car ruffling all the shit in the back. Thankfully, nothing flew out. Glass fragments littered the front seat, covering Amelia. Blood welled in a scratch across her cheek, but it wasn’t deep. Her focus was on her daughter.
“Morgan, you okay?” she asked. More glass fragments flew out the back window.
“Yes. Are you?”
She didn’t sound fine. Glancing in the rearview mirror, I found her huddled down, pressed against the driver’s side door. A large shard of glass protruded from the center of the passenger’s side seat, only inches above Amelia’s head. Morgan was staring at it, and all the color had drained from her face.
“I… I think so, sweetheart.” Amelia’s voice shook with fear. “Just a couple of shallow cuts.”
Thank fuck.
“What happened?” Amelia asked as Specks simultaneously requested a status update in my ear.
Before I could answer either of them, there was another crack.
Something popped, and then the car veered toward the ditch. I hit the brakes, slowing to a more manageable speed as I fought the steering wheel for control. Alarms dinged to life, alerting me that the rear passenger’s tire pressure was dangerously low. I needed a fucking plan. Judging by the two places we’d been hit, I knew where the bullets had come from.
“Shooter in the old barn. South side of the road.”
“Copy,” Specks said back. “Can you keep going?”
We were still within sniper range. The car continued to shimmy and quake as the flattened tire flapped against the road. We needed to stop and take care of it, but not here. “I can make it around the bend.”
“Want me to call the cops?”
“No. We’ll all be dead before they get here. I can handle this.” Belatedly, I glanced at Amelia, wishing I could take the words back because the sheer terror in her eyes made me want to swallow my goddamn tongue.
“Without killing anyone?” Specks asked, reminding me of my leash.
I was now a civilian. I wasn’t under anyone’s orders, so I’d be held accountable by the club, in addition to the law, for any fucked-up shit I did. But he didn’t understand the severity of the situation.
If Amelia hadn’t chosen that exact moment to recline her seat, she’d likely be dead.
Seething hatred like I’d never dreamed existed took root in my chest. “As long as they don’t force my hand.”
“I can live with that.”
Once I’d limped out of sight of the old barn, I flicked on my flashers and crawled to a stop on the shoulder.
Amelia’s fear was so damn palpable I could barely breathe, so I patted her leg and looked her in the eyes.
“I’ve got this.” The blood trickling down her cheek made me want to lose the tenuous lock-down I had on my rage, but that would accomplish nothing, and I had shit to do. “Stay down. Everything will be okay.”
I climbed out of the car and addressed my brothers, taking charge. “Prospect, you know how to change a tire?”
“Yessir.”
He and Specks had gotten off their bikes and were hurrying toward me. Specks had his hand on the Glock hidden beneath his cut, head on a swivel.
Gesturing Prospect forward, I opened the back of the car and shoved all the luggage forward, gaining access to the cargo compartment where I’d hidden Smokey. Prospect caught up as I grabbed the case.
“Tools in here.” I patted the side compartment before pointing to the spare tire access cover. “Tire’s there.”
“We got this,” Specks said, his attention dipping to the case in my hands. “Do what you gotta do.”
Maybe he did understand how deep in the shit we were. I dropped to my ass in the dirt, setting the case beside me to open it, then I powered up the drone and snatched up the controller. The system came online, and I got to work, sending it about ten feet in the air and toward the barn, monitoring progress through the controller screen.
A car slowed as it approached, but Specks waved them by.
Smokey approached the barn as a vehicle behind it revved to life. I swerved around the barn as the passenger slammed his door shut.
Gotchu motherfuckers.
Before they could take off, I zipped in, dipping down to snap close-ups of the men. Startled faces stared back at me through the screen. The driver barked orders, and the passenger rolled down his window, stuck his head out, and leveled a pistol at Smokey.
He fired.
I swerved, engaging the drone’s weapon to return fire. Fucker thought he would shoot my drone, did he? I shot him in the arm.
He yelped and dove back into the car, rolling up the window like that could save his sorry ass from me. The driver must have decided that this shit was above his pay grade because the car took off down the bumpy dirt road. They only got two potholes away before I stole a page from their playbook and took out a tire. But I’m more thorough, so I circled around the vehicle and popped all four. Everything in me wanted to kill them, but that wouldn’t necessarily end the threat to Amelia’s life since these weren’t the only shady bastards looking to make a buck. However, I could make damn sure these two wouldn’t ever try again.
I backed Smokey up but stayed close enough to keep an eye on the hitmen. Specks and Prospect talked in low voices. I wanted to look over and see how they were doing, but my training kicked in, and I didn’t dare take my attention from the screen. As I watched, the passenger rose first to grab something from the back seat. A first aid kit. I didn’t just graze his arm, I’d hit my mark dead center.
“How’s the tire coming?” I asked.
“Donut’s going on right now,” Specks said. “You got eyes on the shooter?”
“Sure do. Two in a black sedan, and they’re not going anywhere.”
“Do I want to know why?” He’d heard the shots, and as the club’s secretary, he was responsible for keeping me in check.
“They seem to be having car trouble, too.”
Specks had served as a pencil pusher in the Army, so he had about as much in-person combat experience as I had as a drone pilot, and it showed. In my peripheral, I caught him finally pulling his hand away from his weapon. “How unfortunate for them.”
“Fuckin’ A.” Raising my voice, I asked, “How you and Morgan doin’ in there, Angel?”
“We’re okay. Everyone good out there?”
“Yeah.” We were all safe. I took a deep breath and watched Amelia’s would-be killers try to figure out what to do. “You and Morgan can get up and move around. Get that glass off you. There’s a first aid kit in the far back seat on the driver’s side. Morgan, get it for your mom and help her. We’ll be back on the road in a minute.”
Prospect and Specks worked. The girls spoke to each other in low voices. A car door opened and closed again. Feet hit the pavement, and seconds later, Amelia appeared at my side.
“I can’t take my eyes away from the screen,” I said.
“Understood. Can you talk?”
“Right now, yes. But that could change at any second.”
“Got it. Say stop, and I will, but I’ve been thinking. This is too dangerous. Morgan could have?—”
She choked up and couldn’t finish her sentence. Had I not been watching two assholes talk on their cell phones, I would have stood and given her a hug. That’s what she needed right now, but it would have to wait. Multitasking kills efficiency, and keeping these murderous sons-of-bitches away from Amelia was the most important task I’d ever had. At any second, they could reach for the sniper rifle in the backseat.
Then I’d have to kill them.
“We need to separate,” Amelia announced. “I don’t want Morgan in danger.”
I nodded my agreement because a plan was forming in my head. “You and I should split off.”
“You can take my bike, brother,” Specks said. “I’ll drive the car, and Prospect can follow me. We’re not far from Pullman. I’ll turn this rental in, square up the damages, and rent another one. Aren’t you glad you took me with you to rent it?”
“Yes.” Especially considering Specks had talked me into buying the insurance. And now he was offering me his bike so I could get Amelia back to the safety of the club. “Thank you, brother. We’ll head back to Seattle immediately.”
“Actually, I need to go to Boise.”
“No.” It wasn’t even an option. “Someone just shot at you. We need to get you somewhere safe. Your parents are the only people who knew you were coming to Idaho. With the exception of Mrs. Landry, they’re also your only contacts with the funds to hire this type of hit.”
“We don’t have the best relationship, but my parents aren’t murderers. They care too much what people think of them. Then again, I am one of the few people who knows who they are beneath the money.”
“Done,” Prospect announced. “Just gotta lower it now.”
“Good.” Watching the shooters via the rear camera, I flew Smokey back and quickly secured it in the case. Smokey should stay with me, but there wasn’t room for it in Specks’ saddlebag, so I slid it back into the cargo compartment with a pointed look at Specks. “Whatever you do, don’t leave Smokey behind. You either, Prospect. You’ll both be held responsible.”
The car lowered, and Prospect stood and joined us. “I’ll guard Smokey and Morgan with my life.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “The second one goes without saying. And make sure you keep your hands—and other body parts—off her.”
He dipped me a nod, his gaze unwavering. “Yessir.”
That would have to do, because we were running out of time. “Thank you.”
Ever prepared, I dug out the helmets, gear, and go bag I’d prepared just in case, handing Amelia her helmet, bulletproof vest, and rain gear. But not her cut. It was against club policy to ride without one, but I’d called Link, and he’d agreed that this was an exception since the shooters had called somebody. Likely reinforcements. Or a boss. Either way, we needed to get the hell out of there before somebody else showed up. We’d put the cuts on once we put some distance between us and the snipers.
My phone’s catastrophic event tone blared for the second time ever, slapping a neon exclamation point to the thought. Ice shot up my spine. Retrieving my cell, I stared at the message, unable to believe my eyes.
The blood must have drained from my face because Amelia’s voice dripped with dread when she asked, “What’s wrong?”
“They just doubled your bounty.”