Chapter 26
Gunner
S kye’s betrayal felt like my heart was torn out of my chest. It cemented in my mind all the reasons why I don’t let people in. Someone always gets hurt. Since that day, I’ve withdrawn into myself. I barely speak unless directly asked to by one of the guys. I’ve hardly eaten, and the little sleep I do manage to get is plagued by night terrors once more, worse than they have been in a long time. This is why I don’t know how to feel when Skye’s friends come running in with their story of Skye being kidnapped.
On the one hand, I want to believe them. I want to believe that Skye was the woman we all fell for, that she wasn’t working with Bill. But I don’t know if I could handle the pain of being wrong about her again. When Angel asks me what I think we should do, I don’t hesitate with my answer though. No matter what, I don’t want to imagine a world without Skye in it, even if she isn’t in my world. And we can’t let this slide from the Demon Riders. For all we know, they think Skye is our old lady and still one of us, we can’t let this stand.
As we’re discussing our plan of action, I notice Veronica sidling up to Angel.
“Angel…” she says, tugging on his arm.
He yanks it away abruptly, “Not now Veronica,” he grunts, irritated.
“So, I say we pay Bill Anderson a visit. If he’s behind it, he’ll be the easiest to intimidate into telling us where she is, if not, then he will surely want to help find her. She’s his step-kid after all,” Drifter continues.
“Angel, listen to me,” Veronica says more forcefully this time.
He ignores her, nodding to Drifter, “I agree. But we should send a team to—”
“Angel! It’s about Skye!” Veronica bellows.
“What about Skye?” he snaps, rounding on her like a wild animal.
Buzz chips in adding, “This had better be fucking important and not more meddling and talking shit about Skye. We’ve already decided to find her, and I don’t have time for your stupid games.”
“It is, I promise. But first, you have to promise you won’t punish me for what I’m about to tell you, and that you’ll protect me,” she says, her legs shaking slightly as Angel towers over her.
This piques my interest. I never did trust Veronica’s motives. We didn’t bother to find out how she knew Skye was Bill’s stepdaughter, we were all too busy being mad at Skye to wonder how Veronica had intel none of us knew.
“What have you done?” Drifter says, his face filled with disgust.
“Angel, you’ll want to know what I know. But you have to promise me,” she says beseechingly.
I can tell Angel is hesitating, we’d all like to be rid of Veronica once and for all, but right now, if she does know something useful, she could be our best shot.
“Fine. I promise,” he grunts.
Veronica lets out a deep breath. “Okay. So… the thing is…” she starts shakily.
“Spit it out,” Buzz snaps.
“I’ve been sleeping with Bill Anderson. And Brute…” she says, looking at Angel as though she’s his old lady and admitting cheating on him.
Drifter snorts, “So you’re a whore, that’s no surprise.”
Angel holds up a hand to silence Drifter, looking at Veronica he says, “I take it this means you have been working with the Demon Riders MC and Bill Anderson? Feeding them information about the club?”
Veronica nods forlornly, tears springing to her eyes. “Yes,” she says in a pitiful voice. “I’m so sorry Angel. I was just so mad at you for going off with that whore. I love you, I’ve always loved you, I would never hurt you and lie to you like she did. But Bill promised me lots of money and was always buying me nice things, and Brute always showed me a good time, hekept the drugs coming for free. I was confused when you didn’t want me. When you picked her,” she wails, big fat tears rolling down her cheeks.
“Considering you’ve literally been fucking the enemy I think that stating you wouldn’t lie to him is a little rich,” Drifter says dryly.
Angel shoots Drifter a warning glance to shut up and Drifter holds his hands up in surrender.
“Veronica, why are you telling me this now? Do you know where Skye is?” Angel asks, far more gently than any of us would have. I doubt he feels any sympathy for Veronica, so I can only assume he wants to save Skye more than he’s letting on.
“Because… originally I helped, I just wanted Skye gone cos I thought then maybe you and I could be together…” she says, looking up at him balefully.
Drifter rolls his eyes but knows better than to speak up again.
“But then the last time I was with Bill and Brute, we were having a party just us and another girl, you know, doing blow and fucking. Anyway, me and Candy were a bit out of it, so I think they thought we’d be too high to care or remember it. I overheard them chatting about taking Skye. The plan is to rough her up and scare her into signing over the land she’s inheriting from Brewer. But then Bill said… he said that a missing daughter would be better for his campaign than a slut involved with bikers. He told Brute to get her to sign the documents, but he also said that if she didn’t agree to disappear, then they’d make her. He doesn’t think she’ll keep quiet about all this. He wants her out of the picture, for good,” she explains.
“They’re going to kill Skye?” I ask, my chest tight as panic sets in.
What if we’re already too late?
Veronica nods, “Yes. I think so. Bill has dreams of becoming a senator, maybe even president one day. There’s a lot of money riding on this deal and he’ll stop at nothing to get it. Even killing his stepdaughter.
“Do you know where she is?” Angel asks his eyes wild and frantic.
Veronica shakes her head sadly, “No. But I think I could find out. When they noticed I was listening in they threatened to kill me too. I swore that I was loyal that I hate Skye and would help them. I think they trust me, especially Brute. He thinks I’m his old lady. I could contact Brute andget him to tell me where they are.”
“Why should we trust you? You could be luring us into their trap. You’ve already admitted to betraying us and feeding information to the enemy,” Buzz points out.
Still never taking her eyes off Angel, Veronica replies, “Because, as much as I dislike Skye, she doesn’t deserve to die. And I’m not lying when I say I love you. I know if she died that would hurt you. I wouldn’t want that,” she admits sadly.
Angel studies her for a moment. “I believe you.”
Veronica lets out a deep breath, “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me yet. I promise you will have the full protection of the Angels of Havoc if you help us get Skye back and take down Anderson and the Demon Riders. There will be no punishment from us, but you will, of course, no longer be welcome on any of our premises,” Angel says.
Veronica nods sadly, “I understand. I was thinking maybe I should move back home, sort myself out, andget clean. My momma’s got my two babies with her… I should never have left them…”
“Thank you, Veronica. We won’t forget that you did the right thing in the end,” Angel says his voice low and calming.
“So, can you call Brute?” Drifter says impatiently.
Veronica nods, wiping her tears and jutting her jaw out determinedly. “Right yes. I’ll put it on speaker so y’all can hear.”
The phone rings for what feels like an eternity, and I start to panic that he’s not going to pick up. That we’re too late. But then, finally, Brute answers.
“Sup baby girl,” he drawls, sounding like a man out enjoying some beers with his buds rather than one who’s kidnapped a girl and intends to kill her.
I won’t allow myself to think that he’s already done it.
“Hey, baby. Did everything go alright? You get the girl okay?” she asks, her eyes darting to us nervously as we anxiously await his response.
“Sure did, doll. Dunno what those Angels of Havoc pussies saw in her. Timid as a mouse, not like my little wildcat,” he drawls flirtatiously.
“So it’s done? You… got rid of the problem?” she asks, her knuckles white on the cell phone as she grips it tightly.
“Nah. Not yet. She’s refusing to sign it, demanding to see old Bill. Might get the slimy fucker to come down here anddo some of his own dirty work for a change. Told her I’d make her sign it one way or another, figured we could let the boys have some fun with her first. Shame to let a perfectly good pussy go to waste before we get rid,” he states casually.
I clench my fists trying to keep calm and hold back the rage that’s rising in me. When I get a hold of this bastard, I’ll kill him myself. If he’s touched Skye, I’ll make sure he suffers an even worse fate.
Veronica laughs, managing to play the part perfectly. “Where you at baby? I’d love to come join the fun and show that bitch she messed with the wrong bitch.”
“Sure, why not, the more the merrier. We’re at the old safe house, the one I took you to on our first date. I know you love to watch me fuck a bitch when you’re high and I’ll fuck this one real good for you,” he says making my blood boil.
“Okay baby, I’ll see you there real soon,” Veronica replies.
“Oh, and Veronica babe? Swing by the pharmacy on the way, will ya? I think this bitch might be pregnant. Figure if she is we can keep a hold of her. The baby’s bound to be worth money to Bill or whichever of the Angels of Havoc got the whore knocked up,” he adds.
I don’t hear Veronica’s response. Everything seems to shut down all at once. Skye might be pregnant with one of our kids.
Fuck.
Things just got a whole lot more serious.
If it’s true and we’re going to have a child, nothing is going to stand in the way of us rescuing Skye. We’ll kill the whole damn Demon Riders club to get to her if we have to.