CHAPTER ELEVEN
– THORSTEN –
I watch in the shadows of the outside wall of the clubhouse while Broken Deeds bikers go in and out of Livi’s house. A van drives up and two members get out while others stroll out of the house carrying a body bag.
“What the hell is going on?” Macsen whispers as he joins me.
Right after I slipped out of the window of Livi’s bedroom I messaged Macsen to meet me here.
Keeping my voice to a minimum I tell him, “Nilo managed to catch me off guard when I was still sleeping in Livi’s bed.”
Macsen points at the dead body they’re throwing into the van. “You killed him and they’re doing the cleanup?”
“Livi killed him,” I correct.
He softly whistles. “Fuuuuck. For real? Man, you sure claimed a badass woman. Convenient she has a cousin you can call to get rid of the body.”
My gut tells me Livi is more than a badass woman. The way she stepped into the room, the way she moved? The way she acted like a chick but had such control and grace when she dropped the fucking towel and pulled a gun on Nilo?
Anger flows through me when Macsen jabs his elbow against my ribs and says, “Lucky motherfucker.”
“Lucky?” I snarl. “Luck has nothing to do with this shit. Something is off about her. About them. This whole thing. No normal woman is stone cold in those situations. Not the way shit happened this morning. She was fucking fearless and in complete control. I fucked up by relaxing in her bed and not being prepared for the cartel coming to my woman’s house.” A thought enters my brain. “How the fuck did they know I was there anyway? Nilo called Livi my old lady. There aren’t many out there, beside our brothers and Livi’s family, who know I claimed her. Hell, I didn’t even decide to spend the night until she spilled personal stuff.”
“Back the fuck up, VP.” He smacks my shoulder. “Come on, let’s get out of here and find somewhere we can talk privately.”
We head into the clubhouse and enter my room.
He’s standing with his hands on his hips when he says, “Give me a play-by-play of what happened that makes you doubt Livi.”
I start to explain, especially the towel part and how she gunned down Nilo without blinking.
Macsen rubs a finger against his jaw, thinking things over. “We might need to put Lenz on it. Let him do some more digging, maybe hack into a facial recognition program or something to see if he can discover something. If you’re right, and she isn’t who she said she is?”
“Then we’ll deal with it,” I grit.
The deep feeling of betrayal burns hot through my veins. First my father and his bullshit, ruining lives. Now the first woman who intrigues me, who breaks through my personal defense and creates emotions and feelings inside me I never experienced…she has me doubting everything…especially her.
“Good. Message Lenz. It should come from you and be sure to tell him to keep shit to himself and report only to you if he finds something,” Macsen grunts.
I pull my phone out and quickly type out a message.
“As for the Feliza cartel? Yeah, it’s weird as fuck for them to target your old lady’s house when only insiders know about it.”
Shoving my phone back in my pocket I tell him, “Rainer might have somehow reached out to him, or one of the older members. They knew.”
“You think they suspect and turned on us?”
“Fuck knows,” I grit.
“I see only one choice.” Macsen steps closer. “We get everyone in church and vote. Now. Make you president, push Rainer out. If the old members want in on the new Wisely Dicey they’d have to agree to our fucking terms, our rules.”
Releasing a deep sigh, I nod. “Get it done. Church. Twenty minutes, and I want everyone sitting at the table.”
“Everyone?” Macsen raises his eyebrow.
With a small shake of my head, I let him know, “No prospects, no older members. Only those we trust, who will form the new foundation. Wisely Dicey will become a solid and fucking loyal brotherhood.”
“Damn right,” Macsen grits and rushes out the door with his phone in hand.
I let my head fall back and close my eyes. How the hell did shit explode at rapid speed? I knew things would get worse ’cause taking out a bad seed is one thing, ripping the gavel off a living and breathing president is another. Then there’s the cartel. Of course, they wouldn’t simply move on after having a deal fall apart.
Though, I never in a million years expected woman trouble to be added into the mix. I knew I should have kept my distance the day I met her. She came knocking…fuck. Moving in next to the clubhouse, showing up at our doorstep, throwing her attitude around. Did she set me up?
My phone rings, dragging me out of my thoughts.
“Talk,” I rumble without looking at the screen first.
My chest tightens when I hear Livi’s voice. “We do need to talk, but I’d prefer we’d do it face-to-face.”
“I have shit to do.” The words I give her are harsh.
I need the distance to get my mind straight and hope Lenz will have some information for me before I meet her.
“Later today then. Otherwise tomorrow morning. Let me know when you have time. I’d like to explain,” she replies.
I can hear a hint of vulnerability in her voice, or maybe it’s wishful thinking.
“I bet you do,” I mutter under my breath and tell her with a harsh voice, “I’ll reach out when I have time.”
She starts to say something else, but I’m already pulling the phone away from my ear and ending the call. I wasn’t completely lying; I do have shit to do. Stomping out of my room, I head for church.
Macsen raises his chin at me, murmurs something into his phone, and shoves it away. “No trace of Dillard, Wally, or Bodie. Kayden also checked Nell’s place. Nothing. Wally hasn’t responded to any of Jocko’s calls or messages.”
“Guys.” Lenz rushes through the hallway, laptop in hands. “I have some programs running for you, VP. We’ll have results soon. Anyway, I just found out that the cops released Rainer a few hours ago.”
“What?” Macsen grunts. “How the hell does a murder suspect walk right out of the police station?”
“Next to a very well paid and good lawyer is my guess,” Lenz deadpans.
“A few hours ago,” I murmur. “The fucker might have had enough time to reach out to the cartel and give them something to bargain with.”
“His own damn son?” Macsen grits. “Do you really think Rainer sold you out?”
I shrug. What’s there to say? I killed a cartel member to make it seem my father did it. A father who killed his wife without blinking twice. Talk about a dysfunctional family.
“Who knows what they’re planning.” I snap my fingers. “Church, now. Do you know what lawyer, Lenz?”
“Not yet. Thought I’d tell you guys about his release first.” Lenz takes a seat at the table while other members start to enter the room.
Glancing over my shoulder at the prospect behind the bar, I order, “Prospect, keep an eye on the video feed. Kayden is on his way back here. If anyone else approaches I want to know before they step foot inside the clubhouse, understood?”
“Yes, VP.” The prospect directs his attention to the screen and leans on the counter to stay in place.
I glance around the table to see we’re complete. Closing the door, I wander to the chair at the head of the table. Instead of sitting down, I shove the chair away and place my hands on the table. I’m on edge and too restless to take a seat.
“Lenz just told us that the cops released Rainer a few hours ago. There’s no trace of the older members so it’s safe to say they’re up to something. Especially since a cartel member showed up in Livi’s house this morning.”
Curses flow through the room while some have a surprised look on their face. Lenz keeps cursing and shoves the laptop in my direction. Shock hits me and it’s quickly replaced by anger. Somehow, deep down I knew. With the way she reacted this morning? Yeah. Knowing it’s reality feels as if someone just pulled the rug from under my feet.
I face my brothers and tell them, “Livi was in the bathroom taking a shower when Nilo creeped up on me when I was dozing off. He held me at gunpoint when Livi stepped into the bedroom in nothing but a towel. The way she handled herself, her moves, how she took Nilo out without blinking twice? My gut told me she isn’t who she says she is. I asked for an explanation because who the fuck has a gun in his bathroom?”
“I do,” Jocko mutters.
I glare at the fucker while I continue. “Within minutes Broken Deeds members came in to clean shit up. I asked Lenz to do a thorough background check and use facial recognition programs or anything to be able to dig deeper.” Turning the laptop to face them, I grunt. “This is what he found.”
“A fucking undercover agent?” Atteo snarls.
“Is she trying to bring us all down?” Midas asks.
The only one who has a calm and steady voice is Mercer. “Have you confronted her? If she can manage to get a cleanup crew of Broken Deeds MC at her place within minutes? She might be morally gray. Seriously, my gut tells me this woman isn’t the stone-cold bitch this info makes her out to be. There’s more to the story, and you should definitely find out. Either way, she might be useful to us in the long run.”
I grab the chair and sit my ass down. “How?”
“First we vote,” Macsen states. “Wisely Dicey needs a change and we all know VP is acting president right now. It’s safe to say he’s our best choice to take the gavel instead of sinking deeper in deadly shit. Especially with law enforcement breathing down our necks as well.”
“All in favor of Ten becoming prez,” Jocko rumbles.
The vote is unanimous and it’s a damn good feeling to have the support of my brothers.
I touch the vice president patch on my chest and tell Macsen, “I want you as my VP, but for now I’m keeping this on my cut when I go out to meet Livi. No need to give her any more information than she already knows.”
“Smart,” Mercer states. “Let’s make some other smart decisions and plan it all out.”
I nod, knowing we’re already on a steady and right path. Unlike the way my father led this MC.