13. Juice
CHAPTER 13
JUICE
Atlas pounded the conference room table with his fist. “They’re fucking out of control, and it needs to end.”
The guys around the table nodded or shouted out their agreement. He’d just come back from a meeting he was supposed to have with the president of another club from Idaho. Turned out the location was leaked, and he showed up to find several of the Savage Bones there instead.
“Any idea who ratted you out?” Thunder asked. The hardness in his eyes looked like it could turn a man into stone.
“Not yet.” Atlas looked around the table, his eyes narrowing as he held each man’s gaze. “But when I find out, whoever’s turned is going to wish they’d never set foot in this club.”
Motor Mouth elbowed me in the ribs. “Motherfucker should be shitting his pants right now.”
I ignored him. He got his nickname from not knowing when to keep his damn mouth shut. Maybe he was the one spilling secrets to the Savage Bones.
“I’ve got more bad news to share,” Arrow said.
Atlas closed his eyes for a long beat, then focused his attention on the club Treasurer. “What now?”
Arrow slid a piece of paper across the table. “I can’t reconcile last month’s numbers. There are a few transfers here that don’t line up.”
“That’s eight grand we’re missing.” Atlas scowled at the statement.
“All the proceeds from the charity ride.” Thunder shook his head. “That money was supposed to go to the womens’ shelter. Someone’s turned.”
“Everyone except the officers needs to get the fuck out.” Atlas waved his arms. He was imposing as hell on a normal day. I’d never seen him so pissed. Anger radiated off his broad shoulders in waves.
“Who do you think it is?” Motor Mouth asked as the two of us joined the other guys drifting out into the hall.
“Hell, if I know.” I wasn’t going to name him as my main suspect, but I sure as fuck was going to keep a close eye on him over the next few days. With the sanctity of the club compromised, there were very few of my fellow club members I could trust, and Motor Mouth wasn’t one of them.
Lightning caught up to the two of us. “I hate to ask, but we’re supposed to provide an escort from the women’s shelter to court, and with the officers holed up together, I need you to pitch in.”
“Give me five?” I asked. There was no way I’d leave without checking on Sammy and Oliver. With everything going down, she needed to understand how important it was for the two of them to stay put. The clubhouse was still the safest place to be, even if we did have someone from the inside trying to take us down.
Lightning nodded. “Meet you in the garage. Grab Shooter on your way out.”
Sammy and Oliver weren’t in Stone’s room, but I found them sitting at a table in the kitchen. Oliver was feeding pieces of blueberry pancakes to Sirius.
“You’re spoiling him,” I said.
Sammy smiled while Oliver looked down at his lap, guilty as charged.
“I think they’ve each found a new best friend.” Sammy reached for my hand and gave it a squeeze.
All I wanted was to pull her into my arms and kiss her, but we hadn’t talked about what PDAs might be appropriate in front of the kid. I was more than willing to take things slow, as long as I got to have my way with her at night.
“I’ve got to head out on a quick ride. There’s a lot going on, and I need you to stay here while I’m gone.”
Sammy got to her feet and lowered her voice. “What do you mean a lot is going on?”
I didn’t want to worry her, but she had the right to know. “We’ve got a rat. Someone’s been leaking info to the Savage Bones, and we think it’s coming from inside.”
“There’s someone here? Like in this clubhouse who’s telling them all your plans?” Her eyes widened, and she reached out to rest her hand on the back of Oliver’s chair. “Does that mean we’re not safe here?”
“No. This is the best place for you to be. The officers are meeting in the conference room, and I’d trust any one of them with my life. I’ll be back in just a bit, and we’ll figure this out.” Damn, I wanted to kiss her, to pull her into my arms and reassure her that everything was going to be okay. That I was going to keep my promise and make sure she and Oliver would never be in danger again.
“Are you sure about this?”
“Yeah, baby, I’m sure.” I pressed a gentle kiss to her temple, then crouched down to Oliver’s eye level. “Will you and Sirius take good care of your mom while I’m gone?”
Oliver bounced up and down on his chair. “Like a Mustang Mountain Rider would?”
“That’s right.” I couldn’t help but smile at the way his eyes lit up. A smudge of syrup covered one cheek and his lips had taken on a purple tinge thanks to the blueberries. “When I get back, maybe we can come up with an honorary name for you.”
“I want to be called Wolf,” Oliver said.
“Sounds perfect to me.”
Sammy squeezed my arm. “Be careful.”
“I will.” I lifted her hand to my lips and kissed the ring she’d taken off my finger last night. It was way too big for her, but I loved seeing it on her hand. She and Oliver were my future, and I’d do whatever it would take to keep them safe. With a final look, I committed the image of the two of them to memory. Then I headed toward the garage, eager to get the run over with so I could come back and start to get to know my son.
Forty minutes later, the wind whipped past me as I rode lead on the way to the courthouse. Lightning, Motor Mouth, Shooter, and I met up with the vehicle from the women's shelter with no issues and were only about five miles outside of town when we passed a group of bikers on the side of the road.
The hair on the back of my neck stood on end as we drove by. One of them had on a helmet that looked like a real skull. His hands wrapped around the tall handlebars of his chopper… the same chopper Warden had ridden in on last night.
I spoke into the mic clipped to my helmet. “Did you see the trash on the side of the road back there?”
“Yeah,” Lightning said. “Only they’re not on the side of the road anymore. I’ve got six guys coming up behind us.”
Shit. I checked my mirror and counted six bikes racing to catch up to us. “Take the next exit. There’s an industrial area and a truck stop just over the hill. Maybe we can lose them.”
“You got it, bro,” Lightning said.
I flicked on my signal, but didn’t slow as I turned toward the exit.