Cruz (Satan’s Angels MC #14)

Chapter 1

Cruz

“Want to repeat that?” It’s not a question. I’m the type of guy who speaks precious few words. I work hard to earn the respect of the people around me, so Liam scowls, but I know he’s going to explain that level ten crazy statement he just dropped.

Somehow, we’re friends, though I know a lot of the guys don’t get it. This place is about brotherhood, but what a nineteen-year-old punk kid and a forty-two-year-old ex-SEAL with chronic silence issues have in common is anyone’s guess.

“They don’t know that I saw,” Liam insists. “I stayed for a few more shifts, then made up some shit about Seattle being too expensive and me having to move back home.”

“You shit where you slept.”

Liam drops into a crouch on the sparring mats like I’m going to tackle him. “I swear on my life, Cruz, they don’t know.”

I want to inform him how apt swearing on his life might be, but that would be a shitty thing to do. Liam’s young, but he was raised right. He’s good stuff. For the most part. I never thought that he’d confess to working for a gang while he was in Seattle.

“They’re small time,” Liam says. He pops out of the crouch and paces the mats anxiously.

“They own a few nightclubs. I was just kitchen staff, I swear. They paid well, so I worked there. I was just saving money for college. I knew that the club was owned by a gang. That was the rumor, but part of me didn’t believe it was true.

I wanted to make good money and killer tip-outs.

That was it. I never would have come back here and endangered my mom, or anyone at this club. ”

I don’t have to bite my tongue. I’m not made for language. Sometimes, that’s a good thing. Like now. I don’t have to bite back or apologize for a sharp retort.

I consider that thought. Liam isn’t a dumb kid. He might be a little bit na?ve, born and raised in Hart. It explains why he got into trouble so soon in Seattle. He was only there for a few months. He’s been back for nearly half a year.

“If they knew that I’d seen what they did in the back room, strangling that guy because he stole a bunch of drugs from them, they wouldn’t have waited all this time to come for me.” Liam’s lanky and baby faced. When he scrunches his nose, deep in thought, his whole face scrunches with it.

“A place like that has security. Everywhere.” I’ve already spoken more words than I’ve uttered in a month.

I swear that my throat hurts and the thick fog in my head only gets worse, like forcing my lips to make them and the rest of me to work in tandem to make language, hurts worse than keeping it in. “I’m talking to Wizard. Now.”

“Okay.” Liam puts out a hand to stop me from leaving, or at least he wants me to wait.

He starts to gather up the mats. Training was done over an hour ago.

We were messing around in here after. “That’s probably a good idea.

The shop could use some extra security. Maybe the house too.

My mom won’t like it, but I have been asking her to upgrade the cameras for a long time. It’s exactly what she needs.”

“You’ll tell her everything?”

“To her? About working at the club owned by a gang? Fuck no. I’m not gonna tell her that. She’s already broken hearted that I came back from Seattle instead of getting into college. Those were her plans. They were never mine. Telling her that, though…”

“You could have told her that you wanted to go into trades.” Liam works at one of the garages owned by the club. I frown as I consider that. “You haven’t told her anything about the club at all?”

Liam’s face flushes. He quickly turns, walks across the massive room converted to a gym for the clubhouse, and stacks the mats up in their space up against the far wall. He makes sure they don’t tip over, then nearly trips over a stack of weights.

“I can hear the dumbass in your tone,” he complains.

“And the guilting. No, I haven’t told her.

She knows I work at a garage. She didn’t like the idea but didn’t hate it either.

She’s still holding out hope for college, or at least some kind of school.

I couldn’t tell her that I’m prospecting.

She would have freaked out.” He gathers up the last of the mats and tosses a parting shot over his shoulder.

“Don’t think I haven’t felt guilty, Cruz.

I can see that question burning all over your face.

You want to know if I’m naturally a shithead or if it sort of happens to me. ”

“I think you should tell her. Get right with her. She’s your mom. Around here, we don’t make fun of people for having family and loving them. Most guys here would give anything to have what you do.”

“Why did you study quantum physics if you really wanted to be a fucking preacher?” Liam might shoot that at me in a hard tone, but I can see the war he’s waging. If he’s mad at anyone, it’s himself.

“You need to tell her. All of it. She could be in danger, and at the very least, not letting her know that you’re prospecting with the club is gonna break her heart when one of her clients comes in for coffee and drops that bit of gossip.

She can’t find out second hand.” My throat is on fire and my temples are throbbing.

I want to shut up, but I need to get the rest of this out.

“You need to go straight to Tyrant and Raiden with that stuff about the gang.” As Prez and VP, they have the right to know.

Liam’s eyes flash, but he knows that I’m right. “They never would have let me prospect if they knew. I swear on my fucking life that I’m—”

I’ve had enough words. I stalk across the gym. I don’t believe in using my body as a weapon, so all I do is set a hand on his shoulder, even though I’m bristling with annoyance and worry. “You’ll be swearing on your life when they catch up with you. You can’t take chances, Liam.”

“I know you’re an ex-SEAL and you kick people’s asses for a living, but that doesn’t mean…”

“What?”

“That doesn’t mean that you know anything about this.” His voice is watered down and uncertain. More than a little ashamed and edged all around with guilt.

“You walked down a hallway and saw an execution in a back room. The hall would have had cameras.” He shakes his head, but I can see the uncertainty starting to cloud his eyes.

“They could be waiting. Biding their time. They might want to make it look like an accident or have someone else take responsibility for making you disappear. They could also be plotting how to get at you because if they start something with a prospect of this club, it could mean a war.”

“That’s highly unlikely, worst case scenario stuff.”

“It’s still not a zero percent chance.”

“Fuck.” He pulls away and I drop my hand. “Do you really think that my mom is at risk? Don’t answer that. I know you’re going to say that you have to prepare for and expect the worst.”

“I’m speaking as a friend and as a club brother.”

“You have a smart answer for everything,” Liam gripes, but with real affection.

He might be pissed off, concerned, guilty, and freaking out on the inside, but above all, we’re friends.

That’s not going to change. We might be an odd bunch, but we truly are going to be club brothers.

I respect that bond. I’m not going to let anything happen to Liam, to his mom, to this place, or anyone connected with it.

Tyrant, Raiden, and the rest of the guys have worked hard to make Satan’s Angels into a family.

We don’t rule Hart through fear and intimidation.

We’re exactly the opposite. The people in this town know that we only want the best for our friends and family, and that means keeping Hart trouble free.

“We need to find Tyrant. Now,” I say.

Liam slow blinks at me and nods just as slowly. He knows that there isn’t any other option. “Before you use up your quota of words for a lifetime?” He finds enough humor to poke me in the ribs.

All I can do is nod. “Already have.”

Liam knocks my shoulder. He knows that I did it for him, and that I’d do pretty much anything for him and any of the other guys here, but for him especially.

We haven’t known each other long. Four and a half months.

He was at the club, prospecting, before I was, though barely.

Since we were both new, we were thrown together often, and we got to know each other quickly.

Maybe the age difference has got something to do with it.

I don’t have kids, but I find myself looking out for him.

Whatever it is, we get on. There are some people you meet, and you just mesh with them.

If I didn’t get that feeling from the club, I would have continued on my way.

Liam’s from Hart, but I found myself here by chance.

I had virtually nothing to go back to, but that’s never a good enough reason to stay.

I’m here because I truly want to be. Because I care and I want to build a life here.

Nothing is going to change that, and I’m not about to let anyone or anything take it away either.

So. We’re going to see Tyrant immediately and get this shit dealt with.