Chapter Nine #3
Look at the bright side…at least I’ll remember this kiss.
****
Wraith watched her veer right once they got inside. She walked down the hall, and before she started up the steps, she glanced over her shoulder, smiling. This wasn’t over. It was just starting. For them. He’d waited long enough. I’m fucking done.
He walked through the main room. There were a few brothers hanging out, but he knew the core members would be in the back where they held their meetings.
When he walked in Ace, Cross, Cue, and Gent were seated at the table.
Ghost and Oak were against the wall on the opposite side of the room.
Wraith stood, taking his usual position next to Cypher.
“We’re shutting down the motel,” Ace said.
What the fuck? Most brothers shared the same puzzled look. But not all. When he glanced over at Cypher, he didn’t seem surprised by the news. Neither did Cross, which was to be expected. He would’ve been in on that decision.
“Since when?” Cue asked.
“Cypher gave the girls notice yesterday, and they have until tonight to get their stuff out. I need a few of you there monitoring everything. Any volunteers?” Ace’s nonchalant attitude about closing one of their monthly income makers caught everyone off guard and seemed highly suspicious.
“Wait.” Gent spun in his chair, eyeing the president and VP. “We’re closing it down without a club vote?”
Ace sighed. “Yeah.”
Oak snorted. “How about a fucking explanation? Can we get one of those?”
Ace clasped his hands, scanning the room and all the brothers.
“Reyna hasn’t shown up at the motel, and she’s not answering any of our calls.
As of two days ago, her phone has been disconnected.
At first we thought she was dodging us because she didn’t want to catch shit for the poker night with Cleo.
But we’ve gotten some new information since then, which looks like we might have a big fucking problem with Reyna. ”
Wraith pushed off the wall and closed in on the table.
“What problem?”
“When she disconnected her phone, we opened her room at the motel. She obviously wasn’t there, but neither was any of her shit.
Prospects hadn’t noticed her moving out or seen her since her last shift.
I had Cypher check the cameras to see when she’d come back in after the poker night.
” Ace paused. “She didn’t. But the two days before while she was working, she slowly moved her stuff out. ”
Cypher cleared his throat. “She took things to her car between clients. It wasn’t enough to raise red flags until I watched the footage of her doing it all of Saturday and then again on Sunday. Which means when she met up with Cleo on Monday? She knew she wasn’t coming back to the motel.”
Fuck!
“Did you check her apartment?” Ghost sidled up next to Wraith.
Cross nodded. “Ace and I went a few days ago. It’s cleared out with the month fully paid. Spoke to the landlord. She gave notice last month.”
“So where the fuck is she?” Oak asked.
“We don’t know. Got Cypher trying to track her, but she’s being smart. Not leaving a paper trail.”
“Why the fuck did she leave?” Cue asked.
Cross pointed to Wraith. “We’re gonna need you to not lose your shit. Think you can do that?”
“No.” Wraith snarled. “Now, fucking tell me what you know.”
Ace straightened in his chair. “We think she was trying to set Cleo up.”
“For what?” Cue asked.
“Don’t know, but everything we got points to it.” Ace sighed. “I asked Cleo for the name of the client they were going to meet up with. She only knew his first name, but Cypher was able to go through the files on the clients. Only one Evan has ever come to the motel. Evan Schueller.”
“You got an address?” Wraith growled.
He was prepared to ride out. He’d get the information they needed by any means necessary.
“Yeah, but we already paid him a visit.” Cross said.
What the fuck was going on?
“Since when is half the club kept in the dark with club business?” Oak was sharing the same anger as all those who were in the same position.
Ace knocked his hand on the table. “This isn’t club business. It’s about Cleo. Cross and I decided to bring Cypher in to use his technical skills to try and gather information.”
“This is fucked up, Ace.” Gent shook his head.
“If I had told you, I was running the risk of you telling Wraith.”
“Yeah, asshole. He’s got a right to fucking know when it comes to Cleo.”
Wraith glared at Ace. “How the fuck could you keep this from me?”
“You’re not rational when it comes to her, Wraith.
We all know it, and most of the time, I don’t give a shit.
But we needed the information, not you threatening the guy who she was supposed to be on a date with.
” Cross arched his brow. “And for the record, that motherfucker knew nothing about the poker house meetup.”
Bullshit!
“Is that what he told you?” Wraith scoffed. “And you just fucking believe him?”
“Because he was telling the truth, Wraith,” Cypher said and Wraith sent him a glare. He wanted to see that with his own eyes, not be told secondhand.
“Listen to me,” Ace said. “We cornered that guy, scared the fuck outta him. He would’ve admitted to anything.
He said he met Cleo outside the motel. Admitted that he flirted with her a little, but that was it.
He never set anything up with Reyna, and she never invited him to the poker house.
He said she never mentioned anything about Cleo. ”
Wraith dragged his hand over his head and paced across the room.
“Listen to me, Wraith,” Ace said, and Wraith drew in a breath.
“I thought he was being honest, but we didn’t just take his word for it.
We called Dante and had him run his name.
Evan Schueller has never been to any of the poker houses.
The only way he would’ve gotten in was under Reyna’s name, and she only brought one guest. Dante was a little more forthcoming than he had been that night.
He said he didn’t mention it because he didn’t think it was important, but” —Ace paused— “He gave Reyna a heads up when he saw her with Cleo.”
“Yeah, but Dante would know from the list she was coming in with Reyna,” Cue said, which was a good point.
But Cross had a better counter.
“You think he sees her name on the list and automatically thinks it’s our Cleo?” Ace raised his brow. “Dante said he didn’t realize until Trey brought it to his attention.”
“Why is Dante giving Reyna a heads up?” Cue asked.
“He said Reyna was a regular. Figured she didn’t realize what she’d gotten into making friends with Cleo, and knew we’d have an issue with it. He told her to leave. But he did say on her way out she made a call telling someone not to show up.”
“Who?”
Cross shook his head. “Dante didn’t know.”
“This could be nothing. But until we know” —Ace eyed Wraith— “We’re shutting down the motel.”
All the brothers were in agreement, and Ace vowed to bring everything to the whole club going forward. It could’ve been nothing, but something didn’t sit right with Wraith. Something was off with this. He just didn’t know what.