Chapter Seventeen
Copper
I t’s time.
The Royal Bastards need to know that we’ve been investigating their asses looking for someone seeking refuge within our ranks.
Last night, Filter put down two men who showed up at Koyn’s. Since Filter and Dragon were the only ones we told about Collins and Vidal, the rest of the guys are clueless. Everyone is on edge wondering what the fuck is happening. Koyn may not want to out Dragon for knowing about his past and his name, but we have to get help with this shit and can’t keep these guys in the dark any longer. Hence why, today, I’m attending Church, much to my son’s annoyance.
Blake will get over the fact I’m still not a patched in member. I’m family and that’s more than a fucking patch.
As Koyn calls the meeting to order and goes over financials with Bermuda, I glance over at my son. He’s too young to be involved in illegal shit, but I’d much rather him be doing it under my watch or my brother’s than out with someone else. At least we can keep him safe. I’ve watched him grow since he turned eighteen from a little shit into a man. He respects these guys and loves them like brothers. Krista was madder than hell when she found out he joined a motorcycle gang, but she soon realized she either had to get on board or go on down the fucking road. He’ll always be a momma’s boy, which means she supported his choice.
Blake catches me staring and his nostrils flare. Last time he bitched about me being in Church, Koyn ripped him a new one. I know he hates that I’m involved, but it is what it is. One day, when the timing is right, I’ll officially patch in to the Royal Bastards. I’ll give up my good boy federal agent ways and take to living in the lawless way my brother does.
Soon.
The other guys are unusually somber. Bizzy isn’t playful and Gibson is frowning. Katana and Dragon are leaned against the wall, their shoulders nearly touching as they scowl at everyone. Filter is still acting like a little bitch anytime I’m around and won’t look at me. Halo and Payne seem agitated. Bermuda just appears to be tired, probably because Koyn’s been secretly having him hunt down all this financial shit on Collins and Vidal. Koyn, though, is pissed.
“Now that we’ve talked numbers, we need to discuss what the fuck happened last night.” He leans back in his leather boardroom chair, looking like the devil who took over a business meeting. The X carved into his face is a menacing warning that wards off anyone who might think they can fuck with him. “Those men were not the authorities.”
“No shit,” Blake mutters.
Koyn cuts his eyes his way but doesn’t say anything to him. My brother glances at me, my only warning before he speaks, and then clears his throat. “Stormy was investigating Copper and me because she happened upon information about our club.”
The room pulsates with wild energy.
“For whatever reason,” Koyn says slowly, “they’re interested in us. Called up at Copper’s work sticking their noses where they don’t belong and trying to get the Feds on us.”
“Who the fuck are they ?” Payne demands, cracking his knuckles one by one.
“Cypress Collins and Urbano Vidal,” I answer with a grunt. “We think they’re trafficking women.”
No one flinches at the name. No spark. No recognition. Nothing.
“And they’re interested in us because why?” Payne drawls out, his eyes narrowing. “What the fuck do we have to do with trafficking women?”
“It goes beyond that. They’re looking for someone they think is hiding here,” Filter barks back. “One of you.”
Dragon flicks out his blade. “We can do this the easy way or the hard way. Start talking.” He points his blade at Bizzy. “Who the fuck knows these assholes? You?”
“What? Fuck no.” Bizzy’s eyes grow huge and he glances at Gibson.
“Don’t look at me,” Gibson snaps. “I don’t know either.”
Koyn gives me a slight shake to the head. I grit my teeth in frustration but keep my mouth shut.
“It doesn’t matter,” Koyn grunts out. “If someone’s hiding here, they have good reason. But here’s what we do know. Vidal and Collins are ghosts. They appear when they want to recruit and disappear once they’ve grabbed what they’re looking for. I’ve spent months looking into them and keep coming up short.”
“Next time one of their men show up, instead of putting a bullet through their brains,” Dragon snarls, glaring at Filter, “let me at them. I’ll find out who they’re after and then I’ll find them.” His evil grin promises bloody violence. Such a far cry from sixteen-year-old rich boy Chase Thomas. “Most likely to be famous.”
Koyn and I exchange a look. He may be hiding, but he doesn’t appear to be hiding from Vidal and Collins. No one’s that good of an actor. He doesn’t know them. Doesn’t mean shit, though. They could be working under aliases or his crazy ass blocked that shit out of his head.
“I want everyone on this,” Koyn says with a heavy sigh. “We’ll find out where those bastards are and draw them out. Start researching all their known hideouts.”
“Starting with Memphis,” I state, watching Dragon’s expression carefully.
He blinks once and then again before lifting his bright green eyes to me. His expression flashes from annoyed to confused to furious. Katana tenses beside him, in tune with his friend’s change in demeanor.
Koyn continues to explain everything I’ve uncovered thus far plus anything he’s found out on them, which isn’t much. Dragon and I remain locked in a staring contest. Whatever happened in those two missing years, I can tell he’s reliving it in this moment. Silently, I let him know I know exactly who he is. I know his name. I know he went missing. And that I think the person hiding is him.
“What do they look like?” Halo asks. “Do we even have photos of these ghosts?”
I lift a brow, waiting for Dragon to answer, but he seems just as curious to hear what these bozos look like.
“Vidal wears lots of jewelry. Hispanic. Flashy as fuck,” I reveal, my eyes locked on Dragon. Still nothing. No recognition whatsoever. “And Cypress Collins is a suit.”
The room is silent for a beat.
“Oh, and Collins has a scar through his brow,” I add, remembering that last bit.
Dragon closes his eyes for a moment, his nostrils flaring. I see it. Faint but there. Recognition. He knows Collins. Before I can say anything else, he explodes.
“We’re wasting time in here talking about this shit,” Dragon snaps, slamming the tip of his knife into Koyn’s expensive-ass boardroom table and driving it deep into the wood. “Katana and I are going to make some calls so we can find these bastards.”
He shakes his head, trembling with rage, and then storms from the room with Katana hot on his heels. Everything matches up to Dragon being the one they’re looking for, but he doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who’s hiding. He seems like the kind of guy who’s out for blood.
“Fill them in on the rest,” I say to Koyn as I stand. “I’m going to make a call to Dan. See if he might have information on them.”
Koyn shoots me a warning glare not to interrogate Dragon. I saw all I need to know. The kid—yeah, I can’t scrub that missing teenager’s face from my brain—wears his emotions on his sleeve for all to see. Usually they’re all psycho emotions, but today I saw a lot more than that. I saw anger and the need for vengeance. When I mentioned the scar, he damn near shuddered as if remembering every damn detail. But, unlike the missing kid, Dragon is a monster. He wants blood. I could tell by the way he stormed out of Church, he wanted to hunt those motherfuckers down.
I slip out of the room and nearly run into a very pregnant Hadley. When I steady her, she beams up at me. So cute.
“Hey there, little momma. How’s pregnancy treating you?”
“This baby is huge,” she complains, patting her belly. “How’s Stormy?”
“Same Stormy as usual.”
She lets out a ragged breath. “Good. The guys told me they saw her and she looked good.” Her eyes well with tears. “Can you tell her I miss her?”
“I will. I know she misses you too.”
“Maybe one day…” She bites on her bottom lip, her eyes watering.
That she’ll be welcomed back into the fray?
I know I certainly would like that. Hadley too. It’ll take some convincing for everyone else, though.
“Maybe.” I pat her on the head. “Wear down Koyn a little first.”
Hadley flashes me her pageant smile. “Oh, I can definitely do that. Take care of my girl. I’m going to need her when I have this baby. Any day now.”
I doubt either of us will wear him down that fast. Hadley will give birth one of these days.
“We’ll see,” I assure her.
“If not when the baby comes, maybe by Thanksgiving. If that’s all I ask for my birthday, Koyn will have to give in.”
Smart girl. It’s amusing how easily she charms that bastard.
“Work your magic, PG. See you around.”
I walk outside and dial Dan. He answers on the first ring.
“Greene speaking.”
“Hey, man,” I say in greeting, “I need your help.”
“About the trafficking case?”
I pause for a second as I wonder how much I want to tell Dan. I’ll need to dig up as much info as I can, but the more I give him, the less we’ll be able to do things the Royal Bastards way. Right now, though, I need to be a Fed and an outlaw both.
“Yeah. I got a lead,” I state. “Other than their names and some basic descriptions, I don’t have tons to go on. I thought you could call around.”
“At this point, I’ll take whatever leads we can get. This case is too big to not follow every new one.”
I briefly explain everything I know from what Stormy told me, leaving out the bit about who I got the intel from—only that it was from another agent—and also left off the fact they were looking into the Royal Bastards.
“Who did you say your source was again?” he asks. “The agent’s name?”
“I didn’t say.”
“Are you going to?”
“Does it matter?”
“I guess it doesn’t. You know your shit.” He sighs heavily. “So you think these guys are linked to the trafficking case?”
“Sources say they may have an operation in Memphis and considering a lot of the missing persons reports came from Tennessee, it’s a good possibility.”
“I’ll do more digging. Together we’ll catch these sickos and bring down the whole goddamn cell.”
“Hey, Dan?”
“Yeah?”
“As soon as this case is done, my old ass is retiring. Consider this my notice.”
He groans. “So it’s official, huh?”
“I’ll work on this case, but then I’m out. I’ll pop in one day next week to clean out my desk. I can investigate from home. I’m getting too old for this shit.”
“It won’t be the same without you,” Dan mumbles.
“You’ll see me around.”
After we hang up, I walk back inside to tell Koyn bye. Filter is waiting for me in the entryway like a fucking stalker.
“How’s Stormy?” he asks, blocking the path into the living room.
I cross my arms over my chest. “Fine.”
“You fuck her yet?”
My jaw clenches and the urge to ram my fist through his skull is strong. “Stormy isn’t your concern anymore, Filter. Drop it.”
He cracks his neck, his nostrils flaring. “She was my concern because she was my fucking girlfriend.”
“ Was ,” I snap back. “But it was fake, dammit. She used you. Get the fuck over it. I’m handling her now. Back the fuck off.”
I feel like shit being an asshole to him, but he keeps pushing the damn issue. She betrayed everyone, especially him. I get it. It fucking sucks. And if he knew I was sleeping with her, he’d probably try and kick my ass.
“She’ll use you too,” he spits out. “I can see it in your eyes. You look just like I did. Smitten with her golden pussy. But when the moment is right, she will fuck you over, man. Where the fuck is your loyalty?”
I stalk up to him, glowering in his face. We may be evenly matched in size, but he has youth on his side. I’d still whip his ass, though, because I have something worth fighting for.
Her.
And no matter what he says to try and get inside my head, I do trust that what Stormy and I have is different. He doesn’t know that, though. Just doing his job as Koyn’s right-hand man and protecting him.
It’s time to end all doubt and do something I should have done years ago to prove my loyalty.
“Where’s Koyn?” I growl.
“Going to tattle on me to your little brother?” His taunt makes my blood boil.
I shove him away from me and sneer. “No, motherfucker, I’m going to patch in. Watch your back. I’m coming for your job because I just quit mine.”
Filter can kiss my ass. I don’t give two shits about being VP. I’m too old for that crap. What I do care about is making a point to the Royal Bastards that I’m loyal to not just blood, but the brotherhood too. But the best part about this is by patching in, those bastards are bound by their code.
Never disrespect a brother’s ol’ lady.
And Stormy is fucking mine.