Chapter 9
Undercover
Motown
The club brothers do what we always do when it’s crunch time: we make it happen.
We worked into the night, using floodlights and coffee to keep us going.
We stopped to eat, barely, and only on the insistence of Etain, Sasha, and Tessa.
I expected Tessa to head off to bed when it got past midnight, but she lasted until we all called it a night at two.
She is lying with her head on the arm of the sofa in the main room, her eyes drooping, almost asleep, with Etain and Sasha sprawled out as well. I lift her in my arms, and she murmurs a sluggish “I can walk,” when she can hardly stand. I carry her up to my room at the compound.
I’m tired, but mostly, I’m concerned about the threat that looms over us.
I saw the look on Hawk’s face when he came back from his chat with Ruth.
Hawk carries the weight of the club on his shoulders.
Although we make decisions together, Hawk is the one who is held accountable for our actions.
He doesn’t like to make mistakes that are going to affect the club in a negative way.
We’ve been down that road, and we swore it wouldn’t happen again.
Trust is huge, and I would entrust my life to any one of my brothers.
But trust is earned in this club. We have plenty of recruits who want to prospect with us; however, Hawk and the club are selective about who gets that chance.
So far, only Lee and Declan have made the cut.
Loyalty is first and foremost with us, and most men are in it for the insignia on their cut or the biker babes who stroke their ego.
The Redemption Riders is about taking care of each other and building a life where we can ride free, live free, and add value to our community.
Dealing drugs and guns is a big part of a lot of clubs.
It’s good money, but it comes with huge risks.
We started off having to either play the game or else get swallowed up by bigger clubs.
Hawk wanted to stay clean, so we struggled to get out of the mix.
It wasn’t until Hawk went back to the man who introduced him to the brotherhood of his club that we were able to break free.
I’ve met Guard and his men many times. They’re good, solid people, and I have a lot of respect for our Pride brothers.
Unfortunately, Bronson is a big problem. He started off as a selfish businessman and found out that peddling drugs to kids is a lucrative side hustle that is turning into his main source of income. Bronson doesn’t care who he hurts as long as he comes out on top.
Hawk called for a meeting first thing in the morning. And I’ve got to get some sleep before I drop. I look at Tessa lying on the comforter and take off her shoes before edging her between the sheets. I take off my clothes and head for the shower. I can’t sleep with the grime on me.
The hot water feels good on my skin, working out the kinks in my muscles. I brace my hands on the wall and let the heat soothe me. When the shower door opens, a naked Tessa quietly steps in, grabs the soap, lathers her hands, and runs them over my back.
“Baby—”
“I want to be with you,” she says in a quiet voice. “Let me take care of you.”
Her eyes plead with me. There’s nothing more I want than to have Tessa’s hands on me. “Have at it, babe,” I say.
Her hands roam my body; her fingers caress my skin like fine silk. She grabs the shampoo bottle, squirting a dollop into her hand.
“Bend down,” Tessa says.
“I have a better idea,” I tell her and lift her into my arms. “Wrap your legs around my waist.” She acquiesces immediately and shampoos my hair, massaging my scalp.
She drops her lips to mine. Her kiss is raw, needy, and hungry.
I return her passion, weaving my fingers through her thick, dark strands, deepening our kiss.
I step back under the water to rinse the soap from us, then back her up against the wall. “I’ve missed you.”
“Me too.” She peppers my face with kisses.
“I think slow is out the window, Tess.” A burning need urges me to come inside her sweet heat, but I resist and say, “You need to tell me to stop now.” I don’t want her to utter those words and pray she doesn’t, but if she does, I’ll stop, because Tessa’s worth waiting for.
She looks down, then plunders my mouth with hers, her fingers etched in my scalp and her body trembling with excitement. “Fuck me,” she murmurs, her lips against mine.
With one hard stroke, I enter her tight pussy. She gasps, her head swaying back against the tiled wall, while her pussy clenches my cock like a vise. I pull out, then come back inside her hard and fast, unable to control my desire, needing to feel our connection and hear her mewls of delight.
God, how I’ve missed those sounds. They’re like an aphrodisiac, each murmur, mewl, and moan pushing us both to mutual euphoria.
“You’ve got to give it to me, babe,” I rumble in her ear.
“Oh my God! So close,” she gasps, and then her eyes grow wide, her legs spasm, and I feel her orgasm run through her.
It’s all I need to allow myself the sweet release my body craves.
Burying my face in her neck, I root myself deep inside her and muffle my groan while filling her sweet pussy with my cum.
Tessa’s head droops onto my shoulder. I slowly pull out of her and set her on her feet, keeping my arm banded around her waist. I wrap a towel around her before getting one for myself.
After toweling off, Tessa stumbles into bed, and I slide in next to her.
She falls asleep as soon as her head hits the pillow.
I move her into my arms, close my eyes, and embrace the quiet of the night.
Five hours isn’t enough sleep, but that’s all I’m getting, apparently, when the rap on the door gets louder.
“Motown, Hawk wants all the guys downstairs, like now!” Declan says in a loud whisper.
“Yeah, man. I hear ya,” I groan, running a hand over my face. “I’ll be down in a minute.”
“Make it a quick minute. He sounds anxious,” I hear from the other side of the door.
Tessa is still asleep, and when I go to move away from her, she purses her lips in a pout.
It’s so fucking cute, and I wish I had the time to wake her up properly, but club business comes first this morning.
I pull on a fresh pair of jeans, drag my tee over my head, and slip on my boots.
As I slip out the door, I look back and see Tessa snuggling with my pillow; the sheets have slid down to her waist, exposing the curve of her back.
My cock stirs, but I ignore him and gently shut the door.
Shooter and I come in together and see that Declan and Lee are in the room as well. That’s new! Prospects aren’t allowed in club meetings. Then again, these guys have been through plenty of rough patches from the start and, in my opinion, deserve to be here.
“We’re all here, so let’s get to it,” Hawk says, then looks over at our prospects.
“Lee and Declan have been with the club for two years, and it’s time to decide on whether they stay or go.
This means we vote. I would rather have done this at a different time, but we have a bigger battle ahead of us, and I want it done now.
Any objections?” He looks around the room, then declares, “Right. Let’s get on with it.
” He points to Declan and motions for him to step forward.
“We’ll go around the room. We start with you, Drifter. ”
“Yes,” Drifter replies firmly. “I have Raven’s vote, and he votes yes.”
Shooter, Flex, and Decker give a resounding “Yes.”
I’m up next. “Yes,” I state firmly.
All eyes move back to Hawk. “I have Phantom’s vote, and he agrees with me. We both say yes.”
Declan’s face lights up, and his chest puffs out like a peacock. I remember when I was brought into the club. It was a little different because I was one of the founding members, but trust still needed to be earned, and if any one of us wasn’t feeling it, then I would have been out.
“From this day forward, your road name is Roar. You speak your mind and roar like a raging lion when you protect the club. Welcome, brother,” Hawk says and hands him his new black leather jacket with his new name stitched into the back and the full Redemption Rider insignia on his chest. He takes it from Hawk and steps back, then shrugs off his old prospect jacket and dons his new one with pride.
Hawk nods to Lee. “Step forward.” Lee moves up and looks directly into Hawk’s eyes. “Ready for our vote, Lee?”
“Yes, sir,” Lee replies with his head held high. Lee has been harder to get to know. He holds a lot in and speaks only when he has something to say. He’s not a big talker, but his actions say it all. He’s fiercely loyal and isn’t afraid to do what it takes to protect his brothers and the club.
Hawk nods to Drifter. “Yes, for both my vote and Raven’s,” Drifter says.
“Shooter?” Hawk prompts.
“Yes,” Shooter answers.
“Yes.” Flex jumps in before being asked, and Decker adds his ”Yes” immediately following.
“Motown?” Hawk looks to me for my response.
“It’s a yes for me,” I say, but I turn my gaze to Lee, who I can see wants to be part of this club more than anything and is so close with two votes remaining.
“I guess it’s up to me and Phantom,” Hawk says with a sigh.
“I know that you belong with the Redemption Riders. It’s good that you shared your story with me, and the rule for this club is that you share what you’re comfortable with in your own time.
I think it says a lot about the men who voted for you to stay, because most of them don’t know what I know.
That’s called trust.” Hawk takes a step forward and places a hand on his shoulder.
“Phantom left his vote to me, and I vote for you to ride with us. Welcome, brother.”
You can feel the tension ease from Lee’s body, and a glimmer of a smile crosses his face. “I won’t let you down,” Lee says, looking around the room. “You can count on me.”
“From this moment on, you are called Tacitus. It means a man with a quiet nature. I think it suits you best.” Hawk hands him his new jacket.
“Can I say something?” Tacitus asks.
Hawk waves his hand in a gesture to go ahead.
Tacitus clears his throat and speaks up.
“I stopped believing in good people. Junkie parents, shitty foster care homes, too many kids with nowhere to go. I wanted to be their hero, and I couldn’t save them all.
My gut still aches when I think of the ugly shit I’ve seen and couldn’t change.
I haven’t shared too much because it still hurts”—he places a hand over his heart—“here. But I will, I promise.”
Hawk slaps his shoulder, and Tacitus steps back next to his friend and brother, Roar.
“We’ll have to save the celebration for later.
Dealing with Bronson is a priority. You know how I hate involving others in our business, but I don’t think we have much of a choice.
Too many of our members are away at the moment.
Some are still serving in the army, and others are finishing business with other clubs.
We can’t wage a war and win. I want to call in Satan’s Pride, with the understanding that we decide how to move forward in our attack against Bronson Sunderland.
Guard’s the only man I trust to have our backs. But we all need to agree,” Hawk says.
“The Pride are solid brothers and think the way we do. I’m in,” Drifter says. “I also think we need a man undercover. Someone to infiltrate Bronson’s circle and feed us information. He’s been one step ahead of us, and that needs to stop.”
“It can’t be any of us,” I say. “He knows our faces.”
“I might have the answer,” Decker says. “I know a guy, and he’d be perfect. I was going to ask for him to be brought in as a prospect, but this might be the right time to see if he’s meant to be a Rider.”
“Undercover is dangerous, Deck,” Hawk responds, clearly unsure of the option put forward.
“This isn’t a kid. He’s experienced and isn’t new to this sort of thing,” Decker says.
“How do you know him?” Drifter asks.
“He saved my life, and it’s my turn to give him purpose and save his,” Decker says.
“Bring him in. I want to meet him,” Hawk tells him.
“Time to make my call. For now, get these cars back to their owners. Motown, you’re with Tessa and Sasha at Tessa’s shop, with Tacitus.
Roar is with Drifter and Flex on getting information on Bronson’s dealers.
Shooter, you’re managing the shop today while Decker gets hold of his guy. We’ve got shit to do. Let’s get to it.”