15. Thorn
CHAPTER 15
THORN
“What the hell is she doing?”
I put down the kickstand on my Harley and look over my shoulder, following Spike’s gaze. Delaney remains in her dark blue Land Rover Discovery Sport, and she’s not pulling into the garage. Shaking my head, I cross the large space and come to a stop next to her window which she has open.
“Problem?” I ask.
“I’m not going in there,” she snaps, nodding forward.
I roll my eyes. “Why?”
“Because…” Delaney swallows, and my eyes shift to her slender throat. My cock twitches, but as soon as she opens her mouth again, all lust disappears. “You could be worse than the Phantom for all I know.”
Anger surges through me. “Sweetheart, I’m not a fucking saint, but I’m nothing like that waste of flesh.”
She stares at me for a long moment and shifts in her seat. “Promise you’re not a serial killer?”
“Do you really think I’d tell you if I were?”
Delaney blows out a breath. “No.”
“Look,” I say, bracing my hands on the door. “You’ve been chasing a monster for years, so obviously, you trust your gut. What’s it telling you about me?”
“That you’re trouble,” she replies without hesitation.
I chuckle. “I might be trouble, but are you in any danger from me?”
Again, she stares. Finally, she shakes her head. “No, I don’t think so.”
“Good.” I push to my full height. “Then drive this fancy car into the garage so we can get to work.”
Without bothering to wait for her, I head back inside. Seconds later, she follows in her Land Rover. I point to one of the visitor spots, and she parks.
“What is this place?” Delaney asks after stepping out of her SUV and crossing the garage toward me.
“Saints Purgatory MC clubhouse.”
“I’m sorry, but I just drove into the side of a mountain,” she quips. “I don’t see a damn clubhouse.”
“You will.”
Two minutes later, we step off the elevator into the common area. Almost instantly, all the tension from the trip disappears.
I’m home.
“Hey, Delaney,” Soul says as he walks toward us. “Glad you agreed to come. Make yourself at home.”
“Thanks.”
Pres looks at me. “Why don’t you show her around, help her get settled, and then you can both grab something to eat?”
“If it’s all the same to you,” Delaney begins. “I’d rather get right to work. The Phantom doesn’t rest, and neither should we.”
“It’s getting late, and we’re coming off a long trip,” Soul says. “Work can wait til tomorrow.”
“And if the Phantom strikes in the meantime?”
“It’s not his MO to strike so quickly,” I remind her. “Relax, sweetheart.”
Delaney’s shoulders stiffen. “I already told you, I’m not your sweetheart.”
Soul grins. “I was right.”
“Right about what?” Delaney demands.
Soul’s eyes dart from her to me and back again. “This is gonna be fun.” With that, he walks away.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Delaney snaps.
I’ve got a pretty good guess, but I’m not about to tell her. “Nothing.” I rest my hand on her shoulder and urge her toward the bar. “Let’s grab a drink, and then I’ll show you around.”
Delaney huffs out a breath and nods. “I could really go for a Jack and Coke.”
While I get us both a drink, Fort approaches her with his scanner to get her set up so she’s able to move about the clubhouse while she’s here. She must accept his explanation as to why he needs her prints because she doesn’t give him a hard time, and I can’t help but wonder why she so easily trusts him but not me.
“Here,” I grunt as I thrust a full tumbler at her. She finishes it in one long gulp before slamming the glass onto the bar. Arching a brow, I ask, “Better?”
“Much. So, can we skip the tour? If we’re not gonna get to work, I’d really rather just get my stuff and be alone.”
“Pres wants you to get the tour, you’re gonna get the damn tour. And you have to eat something. Don’t want you starving on my watch.”
“Fine.”
As I walk through the clubhouse with Delaney on my heels, I show her the kitchen, medical wing, and gym while informing her which rooms are off-limits.
“Why can’t I go in there?” she asks when we stop outside the room where church is held.
“Club business happens in there,” I admit.
Delaney crosses her arms over her chest and taps her foot. Her petite stature, and the indignation in her expression are equal parts annoying and fucking adorable.
“In case you’ve forgotten, you need my help, not the other way around,” she quips. “I tracked the Phantom once on my own, and I can do it again.”
“What’s your point?”
She rolls her eyes. “My point, asshole , is that my help isn’t free. Either there are no secrets between us, or I walk.”
I level my gaze on her and stare, trying to determine if she’s as tough on the inside as she presents on the outside. Her eyes give away nothing but a glint of determination. Reminding myself that she was chasing a serial killer all on her own, and managed to almost get him, I make a snap decision.
“You really wanna know what we do here?” I ask. “Because once you know, you can’t forget.”
She hesitates for a split second before nodding. “Tell me everything.”
“Follow me.”
I lead Delaney to the back elevator, and when we step on and the doors close, the car begins to descend.
“Where are we going?”
“You want all the information, and I’m giving it to you.”
The doors slide open, and I practically drag her down the corridor to the Confessional. It occurs to me that I probably should’ve gotten Soul’s approval to do this, but I’d rather ask forgiveness than permission.
I press my hand against the scanner when we reach the steel door, and it opens. Delaney steps inside, and I follow behind her. The slamming of the door startles her, and she whirls around to face me.
“Wh-what is this place?” she asks before moving to the wall of weapons.
“We call it the Confessional.”
“I’m guessing with that kind of persuasion…” she says, nodding at the wall. “... you wring all sorts of dirty secrets out of people.”
“You could say that.”
When she faces me again, the determination in her eyes is gone, but in its place is something I wasn’t expecting… excitement.
“So, who are the lucky victims?” she asks casually.
“I wouldn’t exactly call them victims,” I snap. “We only bring the worst of the worst sinners down here.”
“And do what with them?” Delaney lifts a pair of nun chucks off their hook and expertly swings them around. “Torture?”
“We purge them. And yes, most of the time, that includes torture.”
“Why?” She returns the nun chucks to their proper place and slowly walks around the room, taking in every square inch. “What does your club get out of this?”
“We make the world a safer place.”
“By killing?”
“By removing the scum.”
When she stops walking, her eyes land on a blood stain in the corner. “Is this where we’ll bring the Phantom when we catch him?”
“It’s where I’ll bring the Phantom.”
Her head whips up, and she glares at me. “All or nothing, Thorn. No secrets, no lies, and certainly no leaving me out of the fun.”
I arch a brow. “Fun?”
“Killing the sick fuck who raped and murdered my twin sounds like a helluva good time to me.”
My lips curve into a grin. “Where have you been all my life?”
“Same place as you.”
“Meaning?”
Delaney shrugs with a smirk. “Trying to make the world a safer place.”