Chapter 17
ROOK
“There’s no fucking way, right?” I glanced between King, Dallas, and PD, taking in the expressions on their faces.
Before the accident, I might’ve discerned their feelings and understood what they were thinking, but my brain was hazy at times, and today was one of the bad ones.
My head throbbed and I was launching from irritated to happy and back again.
There was no in-between. My emotions changed faster than a red light.
We were sitting at a new-to-us bar, clearly a place that wasn’t used to bikers, since we kept getting apprehensive glances that made the hair on my arms stand up.
The bar wasn’t anything fancy, with a western theme that included photos of Clint Eastwood and John Wayne plastered across the walls.
The bartenders were all women wearing cowboy hats, Daisy Dukes that barely ended over the curve of their asses, and plaid button-up shirts tied at their midriffs.
The patrons were mostly older guys with mustaches that looked too big on their faces and sweat stains under their pits.
I noticed one guy who eyed up a bartender’s ass while she cleared his table of empty glasses, his hand hovering on his thigh as if he was ready to smack her cheeks.
I tensed, ready to come to her aid. I was in the mood for a fight.
Luckily for him, she moved away too fast for him to do a thing.
“Will?” PD laid a hand on my shoulder, jolting me out of my thoughts. I glanced at him, and he frowned with concern. Clearly, I’d missed a whole conversation.
“What?”
King chuckled as he gulped his beer, and all the while Dallas eyed him with worry.
I was waiting for the argument, where Dallas told King to slow down, but Dallas kept his mouth shut.
He merely sighed, and I felt bad for him.
I understood his predicament. King was like my older brother, and I’d noticed his drinking getting out of control.
It was bad if the info had sunk in and stayed in my head. So many other things didn’t these days.
“We were talking about the chances of the hit being pulled off by cops.” PD squeezed my shoulder and let go again, dropping his elbows on the table.
“Well, we know someone who’s in a relationship with one,” Dallas said, reminding me that he’d been a cop once. Before he’d met King, he was ATF and went undercover at our club. He and King fell in love and the rest was history.
“River,” I said.
Dallas nodded.
River was the club lawyer and one of the best in New Gothenburg. He was dating a cop-slash-private investigator named Jayce, who also happened to be Bishop’s older brother. If there was anything the Kings loved, it was family, and we were well connected.
“Hmm, we could call him. Not sure how much he’ll give us, though.
” King took another swig of beer, and I counted three empty glasses in front of him already.
“He and Paxton don’t talk about work at home, and Paxton doesn’t get involved in club business.
He tries to stick to whatever case he’s working on and ignore assholes at work. ”
“It’s worth a shot.” PD stroked a line down my spine, then settled his palm on my back, and a wave of calm slid through me. My muscles relaxed and a breath escaped between my lips. “And River deals with a lot of the cops. He might know who he is if we show him my drawing.”
“Video call him,” King demanded with a cheer, raising his glass.
PD chuckled and pulled out his phone. I watched over his shoulder as he found River’s name and requested a video call. The phone vibrated as it rang, and it didn’t take River long to answer.
River’s handsome face filled the screen, mouth pursed seriously. He pushed his gold-rimmed glasses up his nose. “Hello, PD. Is everything okay?”
“Mostly. We’ve got an issue, though. It’s a long story and I don’t want to tell you over the phone.”
River huffed and waved his hand. “But you will eventually tell me if it becomes a legal problem.”
“Of course,” PD said.
“Right. Continue.” He rolled his eyes.
Dallas leaned close to King and murmured something to him, and King grunted before downing the rest of his beer. I let them talk with each other as I focused on River’s face on PD’s screen.
“We think we’re dealing with cops. I won’t get into the details, but could you take a look at a sketch I did and tell me if the guy is familiar?”
River nodded sharply. “Show me.”
PD sent River the same photos he’d sent out to the club earlier.
I leaned my shoulder against PD’s, offering him support.
I took in his bruised face. The discoloration and swelling under his left eye had spread, the creaminess of his skin warping into something vicious.
Anger surged in my chest, squeezing my lungs as I resisted the urge to go back to Uhlig and smash his face in.
King was as pissed as me, but he’d made it clear—we couldn’t touch Uhlig. This money outweighed retribution.
For now. Things wouldn’t stay that way forever.
River frowned down at us, but I suspected he was studying the pictures PD had sent. “He doesn’t look familiar, but that isn’t saying much. There are a lot of stations in New Gothenburg. I mostly interact with higher-ups and the DA.”
“Could Jayce take a look?” PD asked.
River’s frown deepened into disapproval. “You know the answer to that. Jayce and I have an agreement. We don’t bring work home with us, and we don’t ask each other questions. It’s the only way our relationship works.”
King stumbled to his feet and made his way behind us, glancing at River over PD’s shoulder.
“We think this guy could be a motorcycle cop. They stole money from Uhlig, but he accused us of it.” He was still in the frame of mind to whisper so no one else could hear us.
We didn’t want the wrong people knowing our business.
There was a deep English voice on the other end of the call, and River turned his head, muttering back to someone who was obviously Jayce.
We let him and Jayce talk it out before Jayce appeared beside River, sitting on their couch.
His bulky muscles made it difficult to get them both in the picture. “Let me see what you’ve got.”
My eyebrows shot up. “I thought you stayed away from our business?”
Any other time we’d asked for Jayce’s opinion, he’d kept his mouth shut, even when his brother had asked. He was adamant about staying away from the Kings when it came to this kind of shit.
“Yeah, but the bloody motorbike cops are a completely different breed, and not in a good way. There’s a few of them who are trouble, and if they’re part of a robbery, then I want to know.
” Jayce shrugged and his blond hair glinted as he shifted in his seat.
“Bare minimum, I need to know who to stay away from.”
“You’re not going to keep it to yourself if you recognize him, are you?” Suspicion thickened King’s tone as he eyed Jayce carefully.
Jayce sighed. “No, but if anyone asks, this conversation never happened.” He nodded at River. “Show me, Lamb.”
River waited for another nod from King before he messed around with his phone. We couldn’t see what he was doing because we were still on the video call, but the moment Jayce’s face shifted from curiosity to a furrowed brow and irritation, I knew he’d recognized someone in the sketches.
“The big guy. His name is Martin Loubeck. You’re right, he’s a motorbike cop, all right.
” Jayce scratched his chin in obvious annoyance.
“He’s got those shoulders from pumping iron.
He’s a troublemaker over at Lakeside. He’s been reported more than once for how he treats people on the street.
He thinks the badge gives him the right to be judge, jury, and executioner. ”
King pumped his fist. “Fuck yeah!”
Dallas’s mouth flicked up into a smile and he shook his head lovingly. The look in his eyes when he focused on King could’ve melted butter.
“Do you know where we could find him and guys in his crew?” PD sat up straighter, his mouth twitching, trying to hold off a grin.
“I can’t tell you who was in his crew, obviously, but I can tell you where he and his buddies drink.
Once they’re finished on shift, they go to a cop bar.
It’s called the Precinct. It belongs to a former cop and he mans the bar.
He’s also old school, so if you’re looking at walking in there, I’d take backup.
He doesn’t like gangs, as he calls your lot.
” Jayce glanced at River in concern. “If they’re part of the robbery, which wouldn’t surprise me, they’re not going to let you rat them out. ”
King chuffed out a loud laugh, earning a few glances from the patrons at the bar. “You know we’re not rats, Paxton. We’re exterminators.”
“I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that,” Jayce grumbled. “I’m done with this conversation, and I’m going to have a shower now. King, don’t get my brother killed. You’ll deal with me and Destiny, and you won’t appreciate what we do to you.”
King laughed again and gave him a salute. “Sure thing, Officer.”
Jayce rolled his eyes and left the screen, leaving River by himself. River crinkled his nose in thought, then sighed. “Should I be ready to bail you out of jail?”
“Us?” King gasped dramatically. “Never.”
Dallas rose and joined us on our side of the table. He waved at the phone screen. “I’ll take care of them, River. Don’t worry.”
“Please do.” River’s eyes darted to somewhere off camera and his mouth dropped open. He flushed, red bleeding into his cheeks and down his neck. “I, uh, have to go. Call if you need me.”
I snickered. By the expression on his face, someone with a British accent was going to get laid.
“Thanks, River. Tell Jayce thanks, too.” PD ended the call and dropped his phone on the table. “So, now we know who they are.”
“The question is, will we need to bring in the rest of the club?” King hummed thoughtfully.
My abs clenched at the thought of doing this with only the four of us. PD was still hurting from Uhlig, and the last thing I could handle was him injuring himself further. Granted, what we did was dangerous and we’d accepted that a long time ago. But this was different.
My muscles went rigid and pain screamed across my ribs. I winced, rubbing under my pec, and PD noticed immediately.
He pursed his lips and curled an arm around my waist, resting his forehead against my temple. He breathed me in, and I let him, taking comfort in his weight pressed against me. The rich scent of leather flooded my senses, taking away the stench of beer and tobacco surrounding the bar.
“We all good?” King asked gruffly, but with a softness that showed he was concerned.
“Can we have a minute? I’ll take him outside. It’s loud in here.” PD didn’t ask me, and I was grateful when he slid his hand in mine and led me out the front door.
We strode around to the side of the bar, and he laid his palms on my cheeks as he pushed my back against the wall. “You okay?”
“Whatever we do, I need you safe,” I grunted out, my brain brimming with thoughts I couldn’t quite put into speech. The overwhelming surge of anger filled my chest until my hands coiled into fists as Uhlig’s face flashed in my mind. “That fucker doesn’t deserve his money back.”
PD listened, waited, and then finally, he smiled. The shadows cast darkness across his face, and I couldn’t see the bruises as well here. I was both annoyed and grateful.
“No, he doesn’t, but this is the game we play, Will.
The club could use that money, and we could, too.
Imagine what we’d do with the cash. You could start your own business.
Quain is only the beginning. We can open a gallery for you.
A shop where you can paint canvases or paint bikes the way we used to. Don’t you want that?”
Yes, but not at the expense of his life. I exhaled loudly through my nose and leaned into his touch. “You’re more important.”
“We’ve done things like this a million times. Two million. You wanted to be part of the club shit with the Kings again. This is your chance, baby.”
He was right. I knew he was right. So why was my mind such a fucking mess?
My ribs ached and I couldn’t tell what was real or ghost pain.
The doctors said I’d always be damaged—not in those words, but close enough.
I was fragile on the inside, a house of cards ready to collapse.
Was I ready for this? It was what I wanted, but would I risk PD’s life for a chance to redeem myself?
“We’re Kings. This is what we do,” he murmured. “And those cops fucked with us. Fucked with me. Are we gonna allow that?”
I ground my teeth. “Fuck no. Let’s get those motherfuckers.”
PD grinned. “Yeah, baby. Let’s get ’em.”