Chapter 16 Crow #2
He ticked his head toward Rael, his S.A.A., and gestured for him to follow. Rael joined him, leaving the common room to discuss how the Tonopah Bastards would be helping us out. At least, I assumed he was filling Rael in on it. Mammoth followed, and I knew the V.P. would be on board too.
We had returned to the Crossroads to pick up Brianna and Raven before we left for The Roost. The danger was still present, but with the club on alert and the Graven Bastards working with us, we felt confident we could handle whatever Undertaker planned next.
Without his V.P. and quite a few club members, he suffered significant losses.
It was time to move on, gathering the clues and evidence we needed to confront Sheriff Hobbs.
Taking our enemies down one at a time seemed a shrewd move.
I hoped we weren’t making any mistakes. Time would tell how the Devil’s Murder overcame these obstacles and gained our vindication.
Point was, I didn’t doubt I’d get my revenge.
Bella pressed a kiss to my cheek. “Earth to Crow.”
I blinked, giving her a lazy smile. “Yeah, baby. I’m here.”
She played with the hair on the back of my neck, leaning down to whisper in my ear. “Is it too early to have you fuck me?”
My head snapped up, pulling her close enough that I could ravage her mouth. Our lips fused. My tongue slid inside, tasting her, dominating her, and I wanted to spear her pussy the same way. “Fuck, darlin’. You turn me on.”
“Good to know.”
I laughed, rising to my feet and reaching for her hand to intertwine our fingers. “We headin’ to our room or checkin’ in on Brianna first?”
She bit her lip, a sheepish grin twisting her lips. “Bree first.”
“Not a problem.”
I led her to the guest room Grim had set up for her sister and knocked. The door swung open, revealing a disheveled Raven. How odd. What the fuck was the matter with him? He seemed . . . overwhelmed and conflicted. I sensed it.
“Bree! You’re up!”
“I am.” She glanced at Raven, blushing as he winked.
“How are you feeling?” Bella rushed inside, sitting on the edge of the bed as the girls hugged.
“I’m tired, but that’s to be expected.”
“I can’t imagine, Bree.”
I signaled to Raven, leaning against the doorjamb as he joined me. “How is she?”
“Messed up,” he admitted in a low voice. “It’s gonna take some time.”
“Yeah, I figured. We found Chronos. He described what he did to her in detail.”
Raven snarled, pushing me out the door and shutting it behind us. “I don’t want to know. Not tonight. I’ll hunt down every Dirty Death MC member if you say another word and watch them suffer one by one.”
His rage wasn’t surprising, but the level of intensity he felt, the protectiveness over Brianna, did.
“Not until I have Undertaker. He ordered the hit on Rook.”
Raven spun around, slamming his fists against the wall before his mouth opened in an agonized Kraaa.
Fuck.
I thumped my chest, feeling his anguish.
“We’re not letting this go, Raven. We settle the girls, and then we go after Undertaker and the Dirty Death MC. We take them out, beginning with Sheriff Hobbs and his debt to their club.”
“Agreed.”
“I’m fucking serious.”
He sighed. “I know.”
Red called my name, and I looked up, catching the prospect as he ran toward us, holding an envelope in his hand. When the fuck did he arrive at the Crossroads? I took it from him, noticing the handwriting. No. Fucking. Way.
“This is from my pops.”
“What? How do you know?”
“Look. It’s his handwriting.”
Raven stared at the envelope. “Damn. It’s his scratchy penmanship, all right. You think this has something to do with the reason he ran off without telling anyone the night he died?”
“It’s possible.” I tore the edge off and pulled out the contents, staring down at the documents enclosed inside. The death certificate for my mother. Her autopsy paperwork. “Fuck.”
Raven cursed. “Laurel is dead?”
My mother. Laurel Holmes. “It appears so.” I glanced at the papers in my hand. There was more.
My birth certificate. Another birth certificate, this one dated eighteen months after mine. A girl’s name was printed on it, one I had never heard before today. Abigail Holmes.
“Your dad went to the lawyer for these documents,” Raven speculated. “I bet he had them hidden there for safekeeping.”
“Are they forged?” They appeared legit. The information on my certificate was correct.
“I don’t think so, Crow.”
Well, fuck. What the hell, Pops? “I have a sister?”
“I think you do,” he agreed.
“Did you know about her?” I asked, knowing he wouldn’t lie.
“No. There must be a reason your father hid this from us.”
“She must be in danger. Why would these documents surface now?” I asked, tucking them back inside.
“Because she’s in trouble. It’s the only thing that makes sense.”
Fucking Christ. “I have to find her, Raven.”
“You do, but we need to think this through in case it’s not what it seems.”
“Yeah, okay.” I didn’t like doubting what was in front of me, but with all the shit happening, it was wise to be cautious.
“Send Talon. He’s the best tracker. If she’s out there, he can hunt her down. Cuckoo is too unstable, or I’d suggest sending him.”
“No,” I agreed. “I’ll send Talon.”
“We’ll look into this, Crow. Eagle Eye can dig into these records. This is his expertise.”
“I know.” Swallowing hard, I turned my head toward the room, thinking of Bella.
A shitstorm was headed toward The Roost and the Devil’s Murder MC, and she was now vulnerable because of it.
Raven must have sensed my unease. “We’ll protect them. Nothing is gonna happen to those women. They’re part of us now.”
He was right, but the sinking feeling in my gut felt like a bad omen.