Chapter 22
22
ETHAN
Stretching out on the bed, I listened to the shower water running and tried to think about anything besides Mila naked in the bathroom. We left the bar last night more than aware that something was going on in that place but unable to go further because Jenny and Carl never showed up. We waited a while, but after another hour, it was obvious they weren’t coming, and Samson had disappeared. After we left, Mila told me what happened in the hallway, and it only confirmed our suspicions, but we had no way of getting behind that closed door. We both realized that was where Samson had gone, and there wasn’t a chance in hell we’d lay eyes on him again before we left.
Lifting my hands, I rubbed my palms over my face and sighed. We’d gotten up this morning and checked out of the hotel we’d been in only to drive fifteen minutes and check in to a new one. The only advantage was this room had two double beds, one of which I was currently lying on and enjoying. We’d decided to go to the motorcycle rally after we got settled just to see if Samson showed, but the only familiar face was that of the bartender, Steve. I talked to him for about an hour while Mila wandered around, but we left disappointed. We were so close and had the lead we needed, but we couldn’t do anything about it.
My phone vibrated, and I leaned to the left to dig it out of my pocket. Not surprised to see Brody’s name, I sighed. I wanted to have more to tell him and felt like we were letting him down, but it wasn’t due to lack of effort.
Brody: Any luck at the rally?
Lifting my phone, I typed out an answer : Negative. Saw the bartender from last night, but he only wanted to talk about bikes.
Brody: You made a connection. That’s something.
Me: Not enough.
Brody: You going to the rally tonight?
We’d put in a call this morning and shared our story from last night on speaker with Brody, Jax, and Kyle. They agreed there was more to find in that bar, but their only suggestion was to keep our eyes on Samson. He would eventually lead us right where we needed to be. Luckily, he hadn’t been back to New Hope since Skinner was killed, but we knew his mission wasn’t over. He wanted something that Beth had, and there wasn’t a doubt in our minds that he wouldn’t stop until he got it.
Me: Yeah. Got no reason not to.
Brody: Samson on the move?
Me: Nope. We waited in the car last night until he left the club, but he went straight home and hasn’t left since.
Brody: What the fuck was he doing there until four in the morning?
Brody was only wondering aloud because he knew I had no idea.
Me: We need to find out.
My phone chimed, and I pushed to sit with my back against the headboard. I’d given my number to Steve but didn’t expect him to text me.
Me: Brody, hang on. I think the bartender, Steve, is texting me.
Tapping on the message from Steve, I swung my legs over the side of the bed and sat on the edge while I read.
Steve: Hey man, bar’s having a party tonight if you and your girl are interested.
Without hesitating, I replied: We’re in. What time?
Steve: Ten.
Me: Thanks for the invite.
When I didn’t get an answer, I switched back to the messages with Brody.
Me: Just got invited to a party at the bar tonight.
Brody: Don’t know what you did, but you’re in. Keep in touch tonight. Don’t do anything impulsive. If something feels off, it probably is. Get out if that happens and call it in. We’ll go from there.
Me: Got it.
Brody: Good luck.
Tapping my phone on my thigh, I stood and made my way toward the bathroom, where I knocked on the door with my knuckles.
“Yeah?”
I heard the shower curtain slide along the rod and imagined Mila, hair dripping, water sluicing over her skin, looking toward the door, and I groaned. We needed to get into that fucking bar, find Samson, and get the hell out of here before I lost my mind.
“Ethan…” she called out.
I cleared my throat. “Steve texted me.”
I heard the water stop. “And…”
“He invited us to a party at the bar tonight.”
“Are you kidding?” she squealed, and I couldn’t help but grin at her excitement. “Tell me you’re not kidding.”
“I’m not kidding,” I answered. “When you’re done, I’ll grab a shower. Party starts at ten.”
“This could be the break we’ve been waiting for.”
“Yeah,” I agreed before moving away from the door. I needed a minute to clear my mind before she came out. Moving across the room, I looked out of the sliding glass doors to the courtyard below, which was once again filled with tourists, but most were wearing leather vests. I don’t think Kyle realized the hotel he set us up in for this week was right in the heart of the festivities for the motorcycle rally. Bikes and bikers were everywhere, and everyone checked out Mila today. I wasn’t surprised, and she didn’t seem bothered, although I couldn’t tell if that was just an act. She didn’t like talking about her last assignment, but she was obviously comfortable around bikers. She knew what to expect and knew how to dress so she would blend in. I was surprised she talked about the Black Widows last night, but I knew it was a smart move after I saw Steve's reaction. Her history was opening doors for us that wouldn’t have opened otherwise.
I just wasn’t sure we were prepared for what we might find on the other side.
It wasn’t even ten minutes before Mila came out of the bathroom. When I looked over my shoulder, I saw she was dressed in yoga pants and a sports bra, which seemed to be her go to whenever we were hanging around the room. It wasn’t anything I hadn’t seen her in before. She worked out almost every day at the Elite offices in the same shit, but there I could escape. I wasn’t forced to be alone in a room with her, and if I was, I found a way to get the hell out and avoid the temptation.
I didn’t have that luxury here.
She smiled when she saw me and put her hands on her hips. “What did he say?”
“Just asked if we wanted to come to the party.”
Her eyebrows rose slightly. “That’s all?”
“Yeah.” I turned away from the door to face her directly. “I was texting with Brody when Steve texted me, so Brody already knows about the invite. He said to keep our cool and not get into any situations we can’t control. Just gather information and get the hell out.”
She smirked. “We’re doing more than that if we get past the guards in that place.”
“Mila—”
She held up her palm in my direction. “If we get a chance to get in that room, I’m taking it. You can guard the door if it makes you feel better, but I’m not leaving without something.”
I closed my eyes for a moment before crossing the room toward the bed. Her reaction didn’t surprise me. She wanted in that room last night but agreed when I suggested we leave and regroup. She was always ready for anything, ready to take any door to any room if the information she wanted was on the other side, but I wasn’t as impulsive. Whatever the hell was on the other side of that door was a secret people wanted to keep, and I was worried about how far they’d go to do that. Needing to put some distance between us before I said something I’d regret, I grabbed my shit from my bag and started walking past her toward the bathroom.
She reached out and wrapped her hand around my bicep. “I’m sorry if you don’t agree.”
“It doesn’t matter if I agree, does it?” I shifted my eyes to meet hers. “You’re going to do whatever the fuck you want.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Where the hell is this coming from?”
“You’re already planning to ignore Brody’s orders,” I replied.
She tilted her head to the side. “Don’t you ever just do what feels right, Ethan?”
“Not when it comes to ignoring Elite’s orders,” I answered honestly. “Brody knows what he’s doing.”
“And I don’t.” She dropped her hand and started across the room.
“I didn’t say that, Mila.”
“You didn’t have to, Ethan,” she replied, no longer looking at me.
“I’m not willing to put anyone at risk. Not you and not myself,” I attempted to explain. “I have my sister and niece to protect, and I can’t do that if I do something stupid here and don’t get back to them.”
She spun to face me. “I would never let that happen.”
My voice rose slightly. “You have no idea what we’re walking into tonight, Mila. Samson doesn’t seem to have any problems doing illegal shit. I’m willing to bet that whatever is going on in that bar crosses all kinds of lines that could mean our safety or worse.”
She dropped her head and ran her hand over her still damp hair before facing me again. “I understand that better than you think I do. I’ve spent a lot of time with men like the ones I suspect are in that bar and especially behind that door. I promise not to do anything tonight without discussing it with you first, but I won’t let an opportunity pass us by if it presents itself.”
I studied her closely while she talked. She was passionate about her work, and I trusted her, but the idea of anything happening to her drove me to question her at every turn. I waited, knowing she was about to say more, and I wasn’t wrong.
“I need you to trust me and follow my instincts if what I’m proposing isn’t illegal or a threat to our safety.”
I considered that for a moment. She had good instincts. She’d never led us astray, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t cross lines to get what she wanted. She did that while undercover. I knew she was a part of shit that she couldn’t tell her FBI handler, or she would’ve been pulled from the case immediately. She protected Nick and would never want to be off the case if it meant leaving Nick alone.
She offered me an opportunity to be the voice of reason, and honestly, it was probably the only compromise we could make.
Lifting my head, I met her stare and nodded slowly. “Okay.”
She nodded slightly before moving on. “You know what I was thinking about in the shower?”
My body tightened with the reminder of her being in the shower, but I swallowed and replied, “What?”
“What the hell happened to Jenny and Carl?”
My forehead wrinkled. “I was wondering about that too.”
“It doesn’t make sense that they invited us and then ghosted us, does it?”
“No, but nothing about last night made sense.”
She snorted. “True.”
“Maybe they ended up leaving early or something.”
“I guess,” she replied but didn’t look convinced. “Hey, I forgot to ask you last night, but was that story you told about your motorcycle true?”
I jerked up my chin. “Yeah.”
“You sold something you loved to take care of your sister?”
“It was just a bike,” I answered easily because it was true. When I found out Everly was pregnant, I didn’t even think about it before selling it for the best price I could get.
She smiled and pointed at the bathroom. “Get your shower. We need to get going.”
I frowned. “It’s a little early to leave, isn’t it?”
“We need to make a few stops before we go.” She winked and turned back toward her suitcase, but I noticed the grin never left her lips.
Why the hell did it feel like I just made a deal with the devil?