Chapter 11
AERIANNA
Zach and I ride back to the city in silence. The air conditioner is cranked to full blast, but it does nothing to cool the heat burning beneath my skin. I’m reflecting on everything that young girl told me. Have I been wrong this whole time about the Royal Bastards? Are they really the good guys doing illegal things to get shit done?
I don’t know anymore. I don’t know what to think or how to act. Do I keep going down this path, or do I turn in a different direction?
“I can hear the wheels spinning, Aerianna. What’s on your mind?” Zach asks as he shifts in his seat.
I shake my head. “I don’t think I’m good at this job, Zach. If I were, you’d think I would know the good guys from the bad. But I don’t. I’ve been thinking this whole time it was the Royal Bastards who took Allison, but it wasn’t.”
“What exactly had you going down that path?”
I take a deep breath, bracing myself. “Back when I was in Detroit after Rauel was killed under my watch, I walked away. That much you know. What you don’t know is that I kept digging into the pipeline Rauel told me about. And every place I went? It was tied to the Royal Bastards.”
I grip the armrest tight, the memories coming fast and hard. “The pipeline led me from Detroit to Cleveland, where I met Spider, the old Prez of their Chapter. He pointed me to the Montreal Chapter, where I ran into another President named Teller. After squeezing him for answers, I ended up in Northern Ontario, staring down an Enforcer named Skoden.” I shudder involuntarily, the image of the leather-clad giant burned into my brain.
“Then St. Louis changed everything. That’s where I met Demi.” I pause, swallowing back the bitterness of what I had to do to get her to talk. “She knew things, but the price she asked for that knowledge wasn’t easy. But I paid it.”
I don’t elaborate. Zach doesn’t push.
“From there, I hit Helena, Montana. Their Sergeant-at-Arms, Moose, made me prove I wasn’t a rat before sending me to Utah. By then, my name had spread, and I didn’t have to jump through hoops anymore. I met their VP, Outlaw, who directed me to Santa Clarita’s Chapter. Flame, their VP, finally pointed me here to L.A. To you. The FBI recruited me because of how far I had come in my investigation into the Black Market Railroad. I started working undercover with the FBI as a way to find Allison.”
I exhale, shaking off the ghosts of my cross-country hunt. “The only thing that surprises me now is that the Los Angeles Chapter hasn’t already exposed who I am to Trigger.”
The weight of that statement lingers in the air between us. If they haven’t outed me yet, it’s only a matter of time.
Before Zach can respond, his phone rings. “Yeah,” he answers, his tone sharp.
I can’t make out the words on the other end, but the deep timber of a man’s voice sends a chill down my spine.
“Shit. Are you sure?” Zach pauses. “Ok, I’ll be there as soon as I can. Please, don’t do anything stupid.” Zach disconnects the call and slams his foot on the gas, sending us hurtling forward.
“What’s going on, Zach?” I grip the oh-shit bar above my head when our speed reaches one hundred miles an hour. He presses the gas harder, lurching us forward, weaving in and out of traffic, even riding the shoulder of the road before getting back on the freeway. “Zach, what’s going on?”
Silence.
Zach’s knuckles whiten on the steering wheel, his jaw tight, eyes burning with a mix of murder and concern. I’ve never seen that expression on him before.
“Zach!” I demand, my heart hammering.
After a few moments of silence, Zach speaks. “You’re about to find out what the Royal Bastards know about you.”
My stomach drops to my toes. Shit. Did something happen to one of them? Is Trigger hurt?
My mind races with worst-case scenarios as we make our way to their compound in record time.
Zach slows his SUV down and turns down a dirt road. We head toward a gate surrounding the Royal Bastards Clubhouse. Once we reach the gate, someone manning it slides it open and lets us through. Zach pulls into the closest spot to their Clubhouse, and my breath catches from the sight before me. This Clubhouse is massive. It looks like it used to be a huge warehouse used for storage.
White garage doors are in front of us, rolled up with ten burly bikers standing outside. All are watching us like we’re their next problem to solve.
The one I know as Capone is front and center, pacing back and forth. I don’t see Trigger, and ice freezes my veins. Was that call about him? Is he hurt?
Once Zach turns off the SUV, he doesn’t get out right away. “Listen,” he says, finally turning to me, “There is something you need to know. These guys might be protectors, but if they know you’re a cop, they won’t work with you until you have proven they can trust you. They know I am the Sheriff, and that’s cause my daughter is married to one of their own. They’re cool with me. But they won’t be with you, yet. So, play it cool and don’t act like a cop.”
“I nod. “What’s our story?”
“I’ll figure it out.” Not exactly reassuring, but I don’t have time to argue. “Just play it cool, and things will be fine,” Zach responds.
His answer doesn’t sit well with me, but we don’t have time to create a back story. I think the truth will be better, but Zach doesn’t. He’s been around these guys long enough to know what will and won’t work, so I have to trust him.
“Ok.” I nod my head in agreement.
We step out of the SUV, and I slip my sunglasses on, masking my eyes. Zach approaches Capone, and they do some weird bro hug, slap on the back thing guys do.
“Thanks for coming, Sheriff,” Capone says, his dark gaze shifting to me with a smirk. “What’s she doing here?”
Does he know who I am? Is my cover blown? Why the hell do I care? I have decided to work with them, not against them. So, if they know I’m a cop, then they know.
Zach gestures between us. “Capone, this is Aerianna. Aerianna, meet Capone, President of the Royal Bastards.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” I say smoothly.
Capone’s smirk deepens. “We’ve met before when I had to pick up one of my guys off the side of the road.”
I swallow hard. Shit. I never told Zach about that.
Zach lifts a brow. “Something you want to share?”
I force a shrug. “I can explain.”
“I’m listening.” Zach crosses his arms over his chest, waiting.
“I, uh, kind of hit one of them with my pickup a while back.” I shrug my shoulders. Way to appear unaffected.
Capone laughs. His dark eyes sparkle with mischief. “Kind of?”
“It wasn’t my fault!” I defend myself. “He came out of nowhere and ran into the side of my truck.” That’s not exactly true. I wasn’t paying attention and nailed Trigger, but there’s no way in hell I’m admitting that.
“Interesting.” Zach rubs his hand on his chin. He knows I’m lying, but I hope he doesn’t call me out on it.
Before he can press further, a woman steps out of the garage. “Dad!” She has long, highlighted brown hair and striking, multi-colored eyes, one blue and one green, just like Zach’s. She wraps her arms around him, and he smiles, his expression softening in a way I haven’t seen before.
“Lil’ K!” Zach embraces her, giving her a fatherly hug. He smiles down at her when they release each other. His eyes crinkle at the corners with happiness. This must be his daughter who is married to one of them.
I scan the crowd to see if I can figure out who she is married to. Standing in the back is a mountain of a man, built like a human battering ram with arms as thick as tree trunks and a neck that could put any man’s thighs to shame. Every inch of him is solid muscle, covered in ink that tells stories only he understands. His brown hair is kept just long enough to run a hand through, and his thick beard frames a face both rugged and striking. But it’s his piercing blue eyes that stand out the most, sharp and intense, like he sees everything and forgets nothing. When his gaze lands on Kensi, I know she belongs to him.
“What are you doing here?” she asks, glancing between Zach and Capone.
Zach glances at Capone, who nods his head in return. An unspoken answer to Zach’s daughter’s question. “Capone called me in for Club business.”
Her frown deepens when she spots me. “Who’s this?”
Before I can introduce myself, Zach beats me to it. “This is a friend of mine. Aerianna, meet my daughter, Kensi. And that big fucker behind her? That’s her husband, Aftermath.”
“It’s nice to meet you.” I hold out my hand, but Kensi ignores it, turning her attention back to her dad. She raises an eyebrow, and Zach shakes his head at her.
“Listen, Dad. I’m going to be out of town for a while. Aftermath is taking me to Hawaii for our honeymoon, and Red and Nadia are going with us.” The excitement in her voice makes Zach smile.
“When are you leaving?”
“This afternoon.”
“Stay out of trouble, Lil’ K. I don’t have reach in Hawaii to bail you out of jail,” Zach responds with a smirk.
Everyone around us chuckles like they know something I don’t, which they probably do.
“I’ll do my best,” Kensi says while rolling her eyes.
Zach turns back to her. “I have to meet with Capone. Will you show Aerianna around and make her feel at home?”
Kensi shrugs. “I guess.”
What the fuck is her problem? I didn’t do anything wrong. I open my mouth to say something when Zach shakes his head. Fuck.
“Thank you, Lil’ K.” He kisses the top of her head before walking off with Capone and the other Royal Bastards.
Kensi crosses her arms, eyes narrowing. “Well, Aerianna.” I hold my breath, waiting for her to unleash her attitude. “Looks like we’ll be getting to know each other.”
I follow her through the garage doors, down a long corridor, and into a room that looks like the club’s main hangout. There’s a bar, a pool table, dart boards, massive TVs, and plenty of seating.
Five women are gathered in what I assume is the living area, their gazes full of curiosity. One has long blonde hair cascading down her back, and she is seated next to a dark-haired girl, probably a young teenager. Another woman with curly, dark, highlighted hair and matching eyes sits nearby. A slender blonde with a shy smile watches over a boy and a girl coloring at the coffee table. At the bar, two stunning women sit with kids in their laps, one child around two years old, the other barely six months old.
I blink. Kids. My research didn’t say anything about this clubhouse being full of children.
“Kensi?” The blonde with the teenager raises an eyebrow.
Kensi sighs dramatically. “Ladies, this is Aerianna. She showed up with my dad.” The disgust in her voice is unmistakable.
Oh my God. I bite back a laugh. That’s why she’s acting like a brat! She thinks I’m with h er dad. Eww.
“I’m not with your dad, Kensi.” I chuckle. “He gave me a ride this morning, and we were heading back when he got a call, probably from Capone. Instead of dropping me at my truck, we came straight here.”
Relief floods Kensi’s multicolored eyes, and just like that, the bitch mode disappears. “Thank God. I didn’t want to have to kick your ass. You’re my age, for crying out loud.”
“Trust me, your dad is like a mentor to me, not a lover. Yeah, he’s good-looking, but not my type.” No, my type is a tattooed, no-bullshit biker who runs a casino like a mob boss and fights this insane attraction between us.
Kensi laughs, her whole demeanor shifting. “Aerianna, meet Danyella and Nina, Capone’s Ol’ Lady and daughter.” She points to the blonde with the young girl. “She’s also the VP’s little sister. Next to her is Monica, Blayze, our VP’s Ol’ Lady, and Capone’s sister. Yeah, it’s confusing as fuck at first.” Both ladies give me a warm smile and a wave.
“The woman on the other couch is Daisy. She is our Enforcer, Torch’s Ol’ Lady. Those two monsters on the table are their twins, MJ and Jaxon.”
Daisy gives me a shy smile. “Nice to meet you, Aerianna.”
“Nice to meet you, too.”
“Behind us at the bar is Jezebelle and her daughter Naomi, who is Derange’s Ol’ lady. Next to her is Nadia and her son Matthew, who is Red’s Ol’ lady.” Kensi finishes up.
“All of you are Ol’ Ladies?” I ask. “What does that mean exactly?”
Danyella speaks first. “An Ol’ lady is the highest compliment a woman can receive. It means your man will die to protect you. It means you have earned his trust, and in return, you trust him to protect you for life. There is nothing greater than having the honor of being a biker’s Ol’ lady.”
Monica continues where Danyella left off. “Once you become an Ol’ lady, he is telling the world you belong to him, and he belongs to you. Some clubs have their Ol’ lady’s and their side pieces. Not this Club, though. Every man here is faithful to his Ol’ Lady, and she is faithful to him. Once you put on that cut in this Club, you are protected, loved, cherished, and honored.”
Wow. My heart stutters in my chest. What would that be like? To have a man be faithful, no matter what?
Danyella gives me a knowing look. “I can see the questions in your eyes, but it’s something you have to experience to understand.”
The deep rumble of motorcycles vibrates through the walls. A few moments later, heavy boots stomp down the corridor.
Three bikers appear.
The first is the guy I saw at the fights last night, Tiny, I think. Behind him is a tanned, shaggy-haired blonde with a teasing smirk and a chiseled jaw. Then behind that guy is the man I cannot get out of my head, Trigger.
Tiny and the other guy disappear down the hallway, but Trigger stops in his tracks when he spots me standing next to Kensi.
My heart skips a beat as our eyes lock. For a second, the scowl he’s wearing eases, his blue eyes softening. Then, Kensi clears her throat next to me, and that look of want and lust vanishes.
His scowl returns, darker this time. “What the fuck are you doing here?” The anger in his voice stuns me.
Shit.
What do I do now?