Chapter 37
Roman
Todd’s announcement has left us all stunned.
I tighten my arm around Kayla’s waist, feeling her body go rigid against mine as she stares at the man she dated for nine months.
I scan the warehouse, taking in the tableau of shocked faces: Dragon standing near Molly, his golden-green eyes narrowed to slits; Demon with his hand hovering near his weapon; Gray as expressionless as ever but with tension radiating from his still form.
The silence stretches. No one seems to know what to say. What to do. This whole time, we’ve had a fed in our clubhouse. Eating our food. Watching us. Learning our secrets.
Finally Kayla gives herself a little shake and pulls away from me. I reluctantly let my arm drop as she steps forward, her eyes locked on Todd’s face.
“Todd, what the hell?” Her voice is steady, but I can hear the tremor of anger underneath. “Was I just an assignment to you?”
Todd meets her gaze. “I know you all deserve explanations,” he says, glancing around at our tense group. “But we don’t have much time. I need you to listen.”
“You need us to listen?” Kayla repeats, incredulous. “After using me for information? Evidence?” Her voice cracks on the last word. “Was that all I was to you? A means to an end?”
I want to go to her, to pull her back into the safety of my arms, but I don’t think she’ll welcome that right now. I can see it in the rigid line of her spine, the way her hands are clenched into fists at her sides.
Todd doesn’t answer her directly. Instead, he takes a deep breath and begins speaking.
“Deputy Colton from Redbird always suspected there was more to Kayla’s abduction by Demon than she told him.
” He glances at Demon, who bares his teeth at him.
“When Roman and Kayla left for Billings and Roman became involved with Dragon, Colton was convinced there was something happening between the two clubs.”
I shift my weight, acutely aware of the gun in my holster. One word from Dragon, and Todd won’t leave this warehouse alive. But Dragon remains silent, his face an unreadable mask as he listens.
“The deputy didn’t have evidence,” Todd continues. “Just theories. But he kept his eyes open, tracked the activities of the Devil’s Rejects. Eventually, he found enough evidence that they were involved in the type of criminal activities that, well… brings me in.”
Kayla holds herself so rigidly, I worry she is going to shatter. I can see her processing each word, trying to understand, to know how deeply the betrayal goes.
“We could have taken out the Rejects then and there,” Todd explains, “but we wanted to know who they were working with. And there were questions about how Demon fit in and whether Dragon and his club were involved.” His eyes flick to Dragon.
“Colton believed you were all in cahoots, but it soon became apparent that Colton just hated all bikers.”
“How convenient,” Demon drawls, his fingers still twitching near his holster.
Todd ignores him. “While we were investigating, Naomi put her first hit on Kayla.” He looks at her, and for the first time since revealing himself, genuine emotion flashes across his face.
“The man she initially hired took her money and went straight to us. It gave more weight to Colton’s belief that Kayla knew something and hadn’t told him everything about her abduction. ”
“That’s bullshit,” I growl, unable to stay silent any longer. “Kayla didn’t know anything. Naomi wanted her dead because of me.”
Todd nods. “I know that now. But all we knew was what I just told you and that locals reported the Rejects harassing Kayla after her abduction, and then abruptly stopping. It raised questions.”
Kayla’s voice is barely above a whisper when she speaks. “So you were sent in to… what? Investigate me? Because you thought I might have been involved in something illegal?”
Todd has the grace to look ashamed. “Yes.”
Kayla takes a step back, her face paling. “I met your mom,” she says, the words hollow with disbelief. “We ate dinner with her twice a month.”
Todd winces, shaking his head slightly.
“Your sister?” Kayla presses, her voice rising. “Her kids? The ones I bought Christmas presents for?”
“Another agent,” Todd admits, not meeting her eyes.
“Was any of it real?” Kayla asks, her voice cracking on the last word.
Todd hesitates, then shrugs. “I really do have an uncle who owns a Honda dealership. In Wisconsin.”
A humorless laugh escapes Kayla. “Right.” She’s quiet for a moment, and I can almost see the thoughts racing behind her eyes. “And when you asked me to marry you? What was that? What would you have done if I’d said yes?”
Todd shifts his weight, looking more uncomfortable than I’ve ever seen him. “I thought you would trust me more,” he finally says, his voice barely audible. “That you’d tell me more about Roman your abduction if we were engaged.”
Kayla nods slowly, seeming to process this. Then, without warning, she steps forward, and the palm of her hand connects with Todd’s cheek with a sharp crack.
He winces and lets out a grunt, but he doesn’t attempt to defend himself.
“You’re an asshole,” Kayla says, her voice breaking slightly.
“I know,” Todd admits, rubbing his now red cheek.
“And I am sorry.” He glances around at the bodies littering the warehouse floor.
“With the information I gave my superiors, we no longer believed there was any link between Dragon and the Devil’s Rejects.
So the FBI executed a raid on the Devil’s Rejects clubhouse today, arresting most of the members.
But Naomi and most of the club officers weren’t there.
” His eyes flick to Naomi’s corpse. “None of the men would talk.”
He pauses, running a hand through his hair.
“I had a bad feeling, so I went back to Dragon’s clubhouse.
Arrived just as Kayla and Molly were being forced into the car.
” He grimaces. “I tried to follow, but I lost them. I knew this warehouse was where the Rejects had been doing business. Acting on a hunch, I came out here.” He looks at the surrounding carnage.
“And arrived just in time to intervene when I did.”
No one speaks for a long moment. Then, Dragon breaks the silence, his voice controlled but with an edge of steel. “What happens next?” he asks simply.
Demon tilts his head, a predatory gleam in his eyes. “Do I need to shoot him?” The question is directed at Dragon, but his eyes never leave Todd’s face.
Dragon’s head whips around, and he growls, “Shut up,” at his brother.
Demon shrugs, unrepentant. “What? I told him all about the time I killed a man with a shoelace.”
Todd’s lips curve into a small, unexpected smile. “Let me assure you,” he says slowly, “I was blind and deaf during the time I was a guest at the Inferno’s clubhouse.”
Dragon’s eyes narrow, assessing. “And are we going to have any other… problems?”
“If you all leave now,” Todd says, his voice steady, “as far as I’m concerned, you were never here.”
Gray steps forward. “What will you tell your superiors?”
Todd’s smile doesn’t reach his eyes. “Let me be the one to figure that out.”
“Move out!” Dragon calls to his men, his voice echoing in the cavernous space.
The brothers begin filing toward the exit, stepping carefully around bodies and blood. Kayla looks at me with a question in her eyes. “I’ll catch up,” I tell her with a small smile. She looks at me curiously but nods. Turning, she walks away without sparing Todd another glance.
I wait until almost everyone has left, until it’s just me and Todd standing amid the carnage. He watches me warily, probably wondering if I’m going to pull my gun.
Instead, I step closer and drive my fist into his stomach. He doubles over, wheezing, his face contorted with pain.
“That’s for my sunshine,” I tell him, watching as he struggles to catch his breath.
He looks up at me, his face pale, and I’m struck by the realization that the bumbling, earnest man we knew never existed. This is Todd Grant, not a car salesman, but an FBI agent good enough at his job to fool all of us for months.
“Thanks for not arresting us,” I add, surprising us both.
Todd manages a weak smile between gasps. “No problem.”
I turn away from him then, following the path Kayla took minutes before. Behind me, Todd remains in the warehouse with the dead, left to explain to his superiors how Naomi and her men ended up with bullets in their skulls.
As I step outside, the cool night air hits my face, washing away some of the stench of blood and gunpowder.
Ahead, I can see Kayla and Molly huddled together.
Kayla’s eyes find mine immediately, and despite everything, despite the horror we’ve just lived through, I feel that same pull I’ve felt since the day I met her.
My sunshine. My heart. My reason for fighting.
For the first time in two years, I feel something like hope.