Chapter 14
Creed
Nova gave Crusher the all-clear, but I decide I don’t want to risk him at the meet with the Reapers, so I bring Striker to watch the perimeter with Brick and Vandal.
All three are good men and brothers I trust to have my back.
Despite that and the fact that our meeting place is neutral ground, everyone’s tense as the Reapers arrive.
I can count on one hand the number of times the Kings have met with the Reapers like this, and it’s always been over territory shit, never a missing man.
It doesn’t help that the six of us at the table agreed to leave our weapons with our perimeter guys.
None of us are used to being unarmed, but it definitely makes Grave and his men more antsy than me and mine.
“Now that we’re all satisfied none of us are armed or wearing wires, let’s get started,” I say. “Your man, Grimm, said you don’t have our prospect, but there’s shit we need to talk about.”
Grave’s a few years older than me but looks more than fifty. A veteran, he still keeps his gray hair military short and his face clean-shaven. His voice is even and reasonable when he starts talking.
“We caught your prospect on our territory.” He gets right to the point, which I appreciate.
“He was around more than once, according to our security cameras, but we only had a run-in the last time. One of my men went after him, but your boy got a shot off, caught my guy in the leg. We’ve been looking for him since, but ain’t seen him anywhere.
You find him, we got our own questions for him. ”
“I’m sure you do,” I agree. “So do I. Starting with what the hell he was doing in your territory without my permission or knowledge. I didn’t send him, and anything he did, he did on his own.”
“You tryin’ to say you don’t have control over all your men?” Bones asks.
The question pisses me off, but I get it. I’d be asking the same things if the positions were reversed.
“He’s a stupid kid,” I say. “An overeager prospect looking to prove something. Besides, you think I’m dumb enough to send one single prospect into Reaper territory? If I wanted to fuck with the Reapers, I’d send in my best men to handle it.”
Grave and Bones study me and I just keep looking at them nice and calm until Grave finally nods.
“I believe you.”
I’m relieved but I don’t show it. We’re not done yet. “Good. Now, what do you say we call a truce on any retaliatory shit. We go back to our territories and leave each other alone.”
“You still want a truce after I admit we ambushed your man?” Grave asks. “Shot him.”
Ace shifts in his seat and I have to tamp down my temper, but I want this shit done more than I want to demand blood for blood.
Especially since the Reapers don’t have Patch or Layla.
I want to be able to focus on finding our missing people, and having to worry about a back-and-forth with Reapers will just make things harder.
Crusher would agree with me.
“Yeah, I still want a truce,” I say. “But I’m gonna remember this if you come after us in the future.”
“Fair enough,” Grave agrees.
Nova’s face pops into my mind and I know there’s one more thing I need to do. “Before we shake on it, I wanna be clear on something. We’re not just missing a prospect. His girl is missing too. Girl named Layla.”
“We didn’t see a girl,” Grave says. “And we ain’t stupid enough to take girls from Kings territory.”
Bones leans forward slightly. “This sounds to me like something outside biker business. If you ask me, there’s something going on that none of us are seeing.”
“I got a question,” Ace speaks up and I know from his tone he’s thought of something. “You got a black pick-up watching us? Coming by the clubhouse, following our men in Pine Ridge?”
“Hell, no,” Grave says. “My boys wouldn’t be caught dead in a cage.”
Finding out the Reapers are only responsible for Crusher doesn’t make me relax at all.
A war with them would be bad, but they’re at least an enemy we know.
A simple explanation for everything that can be handled, even if it’d be bloody.
But I believe Grave, which means the Kings—and maybe even all the MCs in and around Pine Ridge—have an enemy we don’t know about.
How the fuck am I supposed to fight someone when I don’t know who they are?
The rest of the meeting is quick, with Grave and me confirming the territory boundaries already in place. Then we shake hands and go our separate ways.
I don’t talk to my guys on the way back to the clubhouse, instead going through everything we learned and what it all means.
When we get closer to home, I wave for Ace to stop just inside the gate.
The other three keep going to their usual spots without me having to tell them and I think again how I chose good bringing them with me and Ace.
“We’re gonna expand our investigation,” I say. “I want Cipher looking into everyone around Nova and Layla. Friends. Work. Family. Check out their money situation. I want everything he can find, and I want it fast.”
Ace nods. “You thinking that it’s not Layla getting caught up in something Patch did, but the other way around.”
“I’m thinking, with the Reapers out of the picture, there’s nothing in Patch’s life that’d make him disappear like this,” I say. “Get Cipher to start right away.”
“On it.”
Ace drives over to his usual spot and then heads toward Cipher’s office while I go into the clubhouse.
Most of the men are inside, having a drink and talking.
A couple are with club girls, but it’s clear they’re all waiting to hear how things went at the meet.
Instead of filling them all in right away, I go straight to the bar where Nova’s sitting with Lyssa.
I don’t even think about it. I just lean down and press my mouth against hers.
It’s a brief kiss, but the moment my lips touch hers, I feel the same jolt of heat I did last night, and it makes me want to keep kissing her.
Unfortunately, that’s not really an option since my men are all waiting to hear what we found out, which means church. As I straighten up, I take a moment to give Nova what information I can.
“Reapers don’t have her.”
Nova presses her lips into a flat line and nods.
“We’re gonna have church now and talk things out,” I continue. “Someone’ll let you know when we’re done.”
I head off to our meeting room. My mind is part on Nova and part on whatever shit is going on with her sister and Patch. I’m so lost in thoughts I don’t even hear Ace coming up behind me. “Cipher’s got a couple of programs running right now.”
“Good,” I say, giving myself a mental shake.
“You know, Prez,” Ace adds, “this thing with you and Nova, it doesn’t look temporary anymore.”
I flip him off and walk over to my usual chair as the guys settle in for church. Fucker doesn’t know what the hell he’s talking about.