Chapter 26 Fallon
Fallon
I’m stepping out of the shower after another grueling evening run with Declan when someone knocks on the door to the bathroom.
“Siren?” Akio calls from the other side. “Don’t get dressed.”
I wrap a towel around myself. “That’s one way to see my tits, I guess.”
His warm chuckle sends sparks of pleasure down my spine. “I got something for you to wear. It’s on the bed. Put it on and meet us downstairs in ten.”
Curious, I towel dry my hair and braid it in a flash.
When I poke my head into my room, Akio is gone, but there is a pile of clothes sitting on the bed next to a pair of black leather gloves and black over-the-ankle chunky boots.
There is also a knife and thigh sheath that look an awful lot like my own.
I break into a grin, recalling that it’s Sunday, and Akio had promised to take me with him on his bike to check out what’s been going down at the docks.
Giddy with excitement, I slip on the outfit and head downstairs, digging the way the sleek leather pants cling to my ass. I’m rounding the last few steps when I hear hushed voices from the living room.
“You’re being careless,” Matteo’s voice rises.
“She needs to see this, and you know it,” Akio argues. “I can handle the cameras from my bike, and if anything goes down, we’ll zip out of there fast. We won’t even get off the bike.”
“We need to go soon,” Declan says, sounding bored. “Make up your mind. I don’t see any harm with her tagging along as long as–” He cuts himself off as I come around the corner. “Goddamn, Poison.”
The other two whirl, their mouths gaping at the sight of me.
Akio steps close with a sexy as fuck grin. “Leather looks good on you, Siren. How does my jacket fit you?”
“A little big, but it smells good. Does this mean you’re taking me on your bike?”
He extends his hand. “Ready for the ride of your life?”
Hell yes, I am. I take his offered hand and let him lead me into the garage with the other two falling into step behind us.
“This is my baby,” Akio says, running a hand down the side of a sleek matte black motorcycle.
“I’m telling you. When you feel the power of this engine between your legs, there’s no thrill like it.
” He flicks his eyes up to mine. “Other than when I’m the one between your legs.
” He winks, and it goes straight to my pussy.
“Alright, Romeo.” Matteo rolls his eyes. “Let’s get moving. Remember, no getting off the bike. Dec and I will move in closer on the far side. At any sign of trouble, I want you two to get out of there.” Akio and I both nod our understanding, and the other two climb into Declan’s Hummer.
“Safety first.” Akio plucks up two identical full-face helmets from a shelf. He places mine on my head, adjusting it so that it fits nice and snug. “How’s that feel?” I give him a thumbs up and watch as he slides his helmet on and then mounts the bike.
Oh, damn. He looks good all decked out in his leathers and boots. Real good.
I hear him in my ear through the helmet’s communication system. “Hop on, baby.”
Butterflies take off in my stomach. “I should probably mention that I’ve never been on a bike before.”
“No problem. Just swing your leg over and sit behind me.” I do as he says, my thighs resting securely on either side of him. “Now, put your arms around me, just like that, and move when I move, like you’re an extension of my body.”
“I feel like a koala bear.”
The roar of the engine drowns out his wild laugh as he starts his bike. He kicks off, then passes the Hummer waiting for us in the front drive.
“Ready for that taste of freedom I was talking about?”
I tighten my hold on him. “Show me.”
We pull onto the main road outside of their property and Akio hits the throttle, the engine’s rumble echoing through my thighs, my bones, my chest. Wind rips at us, and I can see why he prefers to wear tight-fitting clothes when riding.
Akio hits a button and Monsters by Ruelle plays through the speakers of the helmet as we zoom down the open stretch of road.
The landscape flies by in a blur, the open fields and clusters of trees giving way to neighborhoods and buildings as the sun fades into the horizon.
Every sharp turn and dip in the road leaves me breathless yet exhilarated, but my trust in Akio never wavers.
I surrender control to him and soak in the experience, this intimate connection between man and machine that floods my veins with adrenaline.
The Hummer is far behind, but I assume they went over the plan before we left. Streetlights guide our way across the city until we pull up to the docks.
Akio reaches down, rubbing my thigh as we slow. “We had a tip they’d be here soon. I’m going to kill the engine and walk us a little closer so we don’t alert anyone who may be waiting.”
Silently, he moves us so that we’re positioned behind a stack of containers, with a perfect view of the docks. “Where are the others?” I whisper. There’s no movement near the boat docks yet, but that doesn’t mean someone isn’t here.
Akio takes out his tablet and brings up the footage of the hidden cameras he has set up.
“They’re about two minutes out. When they get here, they’ll be on the far side, near the boathouse.
If I can’t get a picture of who shows up with the cameras, then they might be close enough to get a decent look from there. ”
My knee bounces, nerves getting the best of me.
I know there’s bad shit that goes down in Axton Harbor.
Cerberus provided the proof of it all. So why is it so hard for me to believe that my cold-hearted, couldn’t-care-less-about-me father would be involved in something so depraved, so sickening?
Because you’re still holding out hope that he’s the man Mom fell in love with.
“You good, Siren?”
I nod, swallowing the lump in my throat. “Can I ask why you agreed to bring me tonight? It’s obvious Matteo doesn’t want me here.”
He maneuvers his legs over the side of the bike and perches on the seat to look over at me.
“Besides having you here to identify anyone involved who’s tied to Helix Enterprises, you need to see this with your own eyes to fully accept what’s been happening under your nose.
Then you’ll know for sure we’re right about your father. ”
And if they’re right? Then what? Knots form in my stomach when I think about what happens after tonight. But Akio’s right. I need to see hard proof before I make any moves.
The distant hum of an engine draws our attention back to the marina. Two SUVs converge at the mouth of the dock and a half-dozen men step out of the cars. I scoot closer to Akio to get a better view on the camera.
“Recognize anyone?” he asks.
I squint at the screen, eyes jumping from one man to the next.
With night vision, it’s hard to really detect anyone’s features, but I don’t miss the guns each of them have in hand.
I shake my head. “Nobody looks familiar.” They’re all just standing around, like they’re waiting on something.
It puts me on edge. Akio swipes up, connecting the audio from the camera closest to the SUVs to our helmets.
“—hear about O'Brian?” one of them is saying.
Another leans against the side of the vehicle. “Yeah, I saw the video. He wasn’t as good at covering his tracks as he thought.”
“Nah, man,” the first says. “Cerberus is just that good.”
The second kicks at a loose piece of gravel.
“Fuck, Cerberus.” He scoffs. “Those freaks in masks are amateurs, thinking they’re the big fish in the pond.
Little do they know, they’re swimming with sharks.
If they posed a real threat to the operations, the boss wouldn’t risk another shipment right away. ”
Beside me, Akio curses and presses a button that brings up all four cameras he has lined up around the place, one facing the entrance of the shipyard where a familiar car is rolling in. “Look who's back.”
My throat tightens as I get a look at the same car he showed me on the footage from a few weeks ago. The sedan pulls in next to the others, and just like before, all of Akio’s screens go blank.
“Motherfucker,” he hisses under his breath.
“We’re blind. Whoever is in that car brought the signal jammer again.
” We can’t hear anything either. I crane my neck, trying to get a look at who the new arrival is, but with the car blocking our view of the men now, we are truly fucked.
“Teo says they can’t get a visual either.
” He looks up from his phone. “Sorry, Siren. We’ll have to try again next time. ”
My gloved fists clench against the burning disappointment in my chest. Am I willing to leave here without answers? Willing to go on not knowing if my father is the monster Cerberus is convinced he is?
The answer is no.
I’m sliding off the bike and slinking between metal containers before Akio can stop me, moving closer to get a better view. I will find the truth tonight.
“Get back here. Now,” Akio barks in my ear.
“Not until I get answers.”
“Goddamnit, Fallon.”
Crouching in the shadow of a rusted propeller, I post up about ten feet from the sedan. It’s definitely a Helix company car, just as I’d guessed. Akio creeps up to me so quietly I don’t even hear him approach.
“You are in so much fucking trouble,” he whispers, but at that moment, the doors on the SUVs swing open and four girls, bound and stumbling, exit.
The armed men bring them around to the far side of the sedan, lining them up like they’re presenting them to whoever is in the backseat for approval.
They bend them this way and that, pulling down their pants and lifting their shirts to expose them like they’re prized cattle.
Anger, hot and fierce coils in my gut when the driver gets out. “That’s Randy. My dad’s favorite driver…”
“You’re sure?”