Chapter 8
The locket presses against my ribs through the lining of my leather jacket.
I've been carrying it everywhere for four days.
Sleeping with it. Working with it. Avoiding my father around the house while it rests beneath my arm like a secret that could end my life.
Every time it shifts against my side, it reminds me what's at stake.
Holding something of Isabel's this close to my chest makes me more determined than ever to find her, and more terrified that I won't.
What did he do to her?
I wish I didn't have to carry it, but I couldn't leave it in my bedroom. Dad doesn't search my room — not that I know of — but all it would take is one quiet walk down the hallway, one moment of curiosity. Finding this locket would be worse than discovering the runaway cash.
Rio still won't meet with me, the bastard. And somehow that's not even the worst part of today.
Worse than waiting for the meeting we set, so I can show Rio what I found, is the meeting Dad suddenly decided we're having instead.
When I finished work, he was outside Velvet Leash with his bike, a helmet for me in one hand, and one of his men waiting beside him to take Tina home. When I asked where we were going, he didn't answer. He just handed me the helmet and started the engine.
It doesn't take long to figure out where we’re going.
My dad has only come this far out on Highway Fifty once before — and that time ended badly.
By the time we pull up outside Luther Vaughn's house, my anxiety has turned into a rock lodged in my throat. My body is so tight with dread, I almost miss the ground when I swing my leg off the back of Dad's bike.
He's already climbing Luther's steps ahead of me.
I force myself to follow. "Why are we here?"
"I told you." He glances over his shoulder. "It's a surprise."
My dad doesn't believe in surprises. Not the good kind anyway. And nothing about the biker with an FTW patch standing guard on Luther's porch looks like we're on the way to something I'm going to enjoy.
I hate dealing with men like this, and soon enough, I'll never do it again.
The biker shifts as we approach, his shoulders filling the doorway like he was built to block it and keep anything out that doesn't belong here.
His eyes move to my father first. Respectfully.
Then they slide to me. The way his murky gaze settles on my chest makes me sick.
He's taking inventory all right, but between my tits is not where I'd keep a gun.
His gaze drifts lower, over my waist, down my legs, then back up again.
Suddenly, my pulse kicks hard. Men like him don't stand at doors to wave people through. They stand there to make sure nothing gets past them. Isabel's locket suddenly feels heavy against my ribs. If he pats me down —
My mind jumps ahead instantly to an image of his hand sliding along the leather, fingers catching on the metal…
Fuck me. I need Rio to take me seriously and get the hell out of here. But even if he does, am I going to put this necklace back? Every day I've had it, I've been on edge. Every time my father's footsteps move through the hallway, I think they're heading toward me with punishment.
I needed this to show Rio, but I wish I didn't have it.
The biker's gaze meets mine again, and I tip up my chin, treating him to my best don't-fuck-with-me death stare. I remind myself he wouldn't be searching me for jewelry. And even if he did try to pat me down, he wouldn't keep his hands on me long. Not with my father standing right here.
The biker shifts on his feet again. For a second, I think he's about to step forward. Instead, he moves aside and pulls the door open. He gives my dad a short, respectful nod.
The relief of being able to breathe only lasts a moment. Inside the foyer, several more men are standing around. Something about it feels wrong. Why would Luther have this many men here?
I suppose it wasn't long ago that Iron Covenant and Black Ridge were bitter rivals, and until this alliance is complete, Luther and my dad won't feel fully relaxed in each other's company.
Only a couple of months ago, Black Ridge still guarded their territory fiercely, keeping my dad's meth and heroin from creeping onto their turf.
But not long after their president, Ray Vaughn, died, his son Luther set up a meeting with my dad.
It was the talk of the clubhouse that entire week.
I never thought much about Ray before Luther set that meeting, but the fact that Luther was keen to make peace with Iron Covenant told me he wasn't half the man his father was.
Anyone who wanted to be friends with my dad was no friend of mine.
And they aren't friends yet. Not until Black Ridge and Iron Covenant are fully allied, it's safer for Luther to watch his back around my dad. I know my father has killed men.
And he's the type to do it without even worrying about where to bury the body.
One of the bikers steps forward. "Luther's in his office," he says. "I'll take you there."
I already know where Luther's office is. I've been there before. The night I found out about Rio Mendez.
Why the hell won't he meet me sooner?
We follow two broad backs down the dark gray hallway. Maybe today I'll learn more about the alliance, maybe they'll let something slip. They sure as hell won't say anything directly to me. Women are on a need-to-know basis only in this life I live.
But does Luther want in on the drugs only? Does he know about the women?
Luther Vaughn wants more. There's something about him that screams greed.
Maybe it's the blond, pretty-boy haircut.
Maybe it's his perfectly buffed nails that don't look like they'd ever touched a wrench.
Most bikers take care of their own machines and don't wear latex gloves.
Luther looks like a man who prefers the finer things.
Selling weed isn't the business it used to be.
Not when there are bigger profits in harder things. Meth. Pills. Heroin… Human trafficking.
If he knows about the trafficking and wants in, the operation will double in size when they ally. There won't be one more set of girls to meet, but two.
Sadness and fury well up in my chest in equal parts. I can't let them win.
I have to show Rio this locket. He won't believe anything I tell him, but I know now from more research that GhostEye has a powerful image search.
Maybe he can find her grandparents with this picture.
Anyone in her family. He can see if they've had any contact with Isabel, which of course they wouldn't have.
If I can get someone, besides me, to tell Rio that Isabel is missing, that will get his ass in gear.
And then I can put it back so I don't risk messing this up.
One of the bikers opens the door to Luther's office for us, and we slide inside the space that smells of musk, leather and mint. Luther doesn't let anyone smoke in here. It says something about him. He controls his men.
There he is waiting for us, elbows on well-polished mahogany, leaning forward with his hands clasped together, anticipation in his cruel gaze.
I'm glad I didn't slip and tell Rio everything about this engagement.
Now, I realize it might be the smartest thing I've done.
Being Luther Vaughn's fiancée changes everything.
The first time we met, I was just Marcus Cross's daughter walking into Rio's office with a wild accusation and a piece of blackmail.
Easy enough to dismiss. Easy enough to sweep under the rug if things went sideways because men like my dad, Rio, Luther — they don't take women seriously.
Now I'm something else. Now I'm tied to the organization that's had Rio under its thumb for years.
I hate that being connected to a man makes me more dangerous.
But this world is built that way. As long as Rio thinks I belong to Luther Vaughn, he has to assume the information I showed him doesn't stop with me.
That there could be copies of that manila folder sitting anywhere inside this operation.
Which means he has to tread carefully.
Rio is being cautious. The problem is, cautious is starting to take too much time.
Luther taps his fingers on the desk — the same desk where I found Rio's name. My mind flashes back to the first night I came in here.
The engagement party was still raging downstairs in his rec room that night. Music, loud voices, glasses clinking. Late in the evening, everyone was sloppy drunk, and the girls had been brought in for entertainment.
I slipped away, looking for somewhere quiet to breathe. Somewhere I could cry without anyone seeing. That's how I ended up in this room.
My gaze flicks to the desk. That's exactly where I found the manila folder, in a secret compartment cut under the desk.
I remember pulling out my phone and snapping pictures of the handsome biker in the folder.
I'm not sure exactly what compelled me, but if the biker had his own file, he had to be important.
At the time, I just wanted to figure out why my father was marrying me off like he was some mafia don. I was terrified someone would catch me.
Luther snaps me out of my daydream. "Hello, Delilah," his voice is like a snake's.
I imagine that tone saying I do and feel faint.
He leans forward and places his hands on the shiny surface in front of him. My hands had been shaking when I put that folder back into the drawer, right in front of Luther's leather vest.
After finding it, I searched for the image of the chiseled, handsome face on Google. When Rio Mendez appeared on my screen, it felt like a miracle. For the first time in my life, there was someone strong enough to bring my father down. I just needed to convince him to help me.
Dad takes a seat in one of the dark oak admiral's chairs opposite Luther. I sit in the second, and I keep my gaze from eyeing the desk again.
I have the one piece of leverage that should make Rio act.
The only problem is that he hasn't been nearly as easy to manipulate as I expected.
A scandal like this surely would cost him his impeccable reputation, big bonuses, and the credibility of his company.
It could change the entire trajectory of his life. But he pushed back. Held his nerve.
I have to admit, it's both irritating and attractive.
Leave it to me to be attracted to a red flag. It's all I've ever known. So much so, I won't ever bother seeing if there's anything else out there.
Men aren't worth it. They're scum.
The air grows thick with invisible shadows. Something dark is about to happen.
I wouldn't need to be here for any club business. They aren't going to explain the alliance to me. Why am I here?
The room is filled with the stillness that settles right before a jump scare.
My father studies me in that particular way he does when he's trying to read me. "You seem uncertain lately, Lila," he says.
My stomach tightens. "Uncertain?" I say the word back like he's mistaken. "Not the word I'd use."
Dad tilts his head slightly, narrowing his eyes to slits. I imagine he can see right through my leather jacket to Isabel's locket, to my heart pounding a million miles per hour.
"I'm your father, Delilah.” His tone is patronizing. "I know you. I know your moods. Your habits." His gaze sharpens. "Your tells."
A cold rush moves through my chest. The room shrinks.
Does he know? Did he see his bedroom light on that night? Why didn't he mention it sooner?
Dad watches me without blinking. In that space, my mind runs ahead of me, straight into the worst version of the future– me trapped in Luther's house with strange men. His rules. My movements watched, controlled. No more Velvet Leash.
No chance to reach Rio again and find Beatriz and Isabel.
Finally, Dad exhales and shakes his head slightly. "I know this engagement hasn't been easy for you."
The words take a moment to land. Engagement? Not the locket?
Air slips back into my lungs.
Luther leans back in his chair, smiling like this conversation has gone exactly the way he hoped. "Fortunately for both of us," he says smoothly, "something came up that should make things easier for everyone."
My shoulders tense. "What do you mean?"
"There's been a cancellation at the wedding venue," Luther announces. "Which means we can move the ceremony up."
My fingers tighten against the arms of the chair as the realization spreads through my chest like icicles forming.
"We're getting married this weekend."