38. Cupid
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
CUPID
“Her name is Anna Riley Sutherland,” I say to my crew, lifting her photo for all to see. “Crypt recognized her from the student IDs of our suspect pool. The only difference between this image and how she looks today is that she’s a bleach-blonde.”
I slide her photo along the long table of the second-story bar we use for our private meetings. The entrances are blocked off, notifying all the rest in the club that church is in session. Marlene is keeping Vanessa company—she’s safe enough with Muscles watching over her.
As the crew passes around the image to analyze, I quickly explain the backstory between Vanessa, Boden, and Riley, and how the whole encounter today points to this woman being our number one suspect.
“She was determined to bring Psyche back to her ex. However, I’m wondering if she was using the ex as a ruse. ”
“You think she was planning to take her to the Russians instead?” Ruger asks, studying the photo before handing it to Drift.
“That or she’s the first sidepiece I know of who grew a conscience and is trying to undo the damage she’s done in Vanessa’s last relationship,” Drift says sarcastically, eyeing the suspect before passing the image to Hound—our club’s tracker. “One guess which one is more likely.”
Cipher pounds away on his laptop, his eyes squinting the longer he works. “This is odd. Our suspect hardly has a social media presence—very unusual for this generation—and the little she has looks like AI-generated slop. Not an actual photo of her among the few posts.”
“Not too odd if she’s trying to keep her data footprint small, making her harder to track,” Oaks says pointedly. “What can you tell us about her?”
Our hacker shakes his head, his forehead lined with disappointment. “Not much. A quick look at her student records shows mediocre grades, a birth certificate that is not coming up in the state records where it was issued, and school transcripts from a high school that no longer exists.”
“Sounds intentional,” Cigs says with a rattled breath. “Fake transcripts, fake birth records, and probably a fake name. She has to be the one working with the Russians.”
“Agreed,” I say before addressing Cipher again. “Anything else?”
Cipher’s eyes meet mine over the top of his laptop, sharp and alert. “Yes, an address. It could be fake as well. The location is real, but she may not be living there.”
“Or maybe she is. We won’t know until we check it out,” Hound says, looking eager to head out and investigate.
I look at my crew, giving the order. “Hound, lead the team. You, Crypt, and Ruger take one of the unmarked SUVs and head over to the address. Do what you must to enter the location. If Riley’s there, bring her back here for questioning.”
My brothers are ready to disperse when Oaks calls order back to the table. “Hold up. We’re looking at this as if this chick works alone.”
“What are you thinking, brother?” I ask, not following.
“I’m thinking there may be more to it than a jilted sidepiece.
Why would she insist on taking Psyche to her ex?
No scheming woman would suggest taking the offended party back to a cheating ex, an ex who Vanessa clearly wants nothing to do with.
Nah, Riley would have made up some other excuse to drag her away, someplace where your ole lady would have been willing to go, even if it was the other woman taking her there. ”
“She seemed pretty insistent about Psyche speaking with her ex,” Crypt adds matter-of-factly.
My brow furrows. “Are you suggesting Vanessa’s ex is tied to the Black Market Railroad?”
“I’m saying her ex is the one who suggested Vanessa to Kirill,” Oaks clarifies.
The room goes dead quiet, all of us digesting the unnerving theory.
“Jesus Christ,” Scalpel whispers, as if his mind can’t wrap around the level of betrayal.
I shake my head, not buying it. “No way. You haven’t met the dude, Oaks. The twatwaffle is obsessed with my woman. He wants her back.”
Oaks raises a thick eyebrow. “And you’re telling me him coming to her apartment and finding you with her wasn’t enough to flip his switch? Cupid, you told me the first night you went to her you slapped the sad fuck around before shoving Vanessa’s panties in his mouth to prove you replaced him.”
“YOOO! You did what?!” Cookie lets out a nervous laugh. “That’s enough to make any weak man turn nuclear.”
“Exactly,” Oaks says, waving a hand at me. “He knew you soiled what he thought was still his, knowing as soon as you slammed the door in his face that she was willingly letting you claim her body.”
“He could have been mad enough to say something to Riley about it, and she went to her boss, asking for a favor. Or this shit stain is a scout for the Russians. Artem said Riley recruited new scouts for the organization. She could have enlisted this piece of shit,” Ruger suggests, buying into Oaks’s theory.
Everything my brothers are saying is plausible, making me sick to my stomach. Did my possessive actions put my woman in danger?
Men can be monsters. I know. I’ve dealt with some of the worst of them. However, turning over an ex to some Russian traffickers for not taking you back is some next-level diabolical behavior.
If Boden put a target on my woman’s back, I will put a bullet in his head.
“Cipher?” I ask, doing my best to control the rage in my tone. “What can you find on Vanessa’s ex?”
His fingers are already breezing along his laptop before I finish my question, following my line of thought. The crew is silent as he works, knowing fewer distractions will get us answers faster.
“Boden Vaughn,” Cipher says, reading off his laptop.
“He’s a business student at CSU. Lives off campus on Taft Hill Road in Fort Collins.
Looks like he was racking up some major credit card debt on top of his student loans.
He was past due on his rent last December, and then in January his debt was wiped clean, rent was paid in full, and a good chunk of money was deposited into his savings—all cash. ”
“Motherfucker!” I slam my fist down on the table, making the wood groan in complaint. “That alpaca-haired fuckboy and his trashy friend-with-benefits are the reason so many CSU students have been abducted and why my ole lady was nearly taken.”
The entire crew breaks out into angry hisses and curses, joining me in my fury. Some crack their knuckles, ready to go to battle and do some damage.
Boden is going to discover why you don’t fuck with a Royal Bastard.
For a moment, I’m too angry to say more. Rage is pumping testosterone through my veins, making me see red. When I finally find my voice, I growl, “Change of plans. We need two teams. One to go to Riley’s and the other to go to fuck-face’s place.”
“We have to report what we know to the Mercy Ravens,” Oaks says quickly. “We can’t ride into their territory without notifying them first.”
“Message Atlas,” I say to Cipher across the table. “They’ll want in on this if it leads to finding Kirill and Mikhail.”
“On it,” Cipher says, yanking out his cell to call the MC’s president.
I turn to our tracker. “Hound, same team I mentioned before. Bring Riley back here, unmarred.”
“Understood,” Hound says, giving me a relaxed salute.
“Oaks and Drift, you’re with me. No cuts. No bikes. We do this as cleanly as possible and without witnesses. Everyone else, prepare for our guests. Church’s adjourn.”