Chapter Twenty-Six
Corey
Tatum: I need to speak to your mom. If you’d met up with me, we could have gone together.
Corey: What? Are you going there now?
Is that what he means?
Shit, shit, shit.
I text Damon, but Tatum doesn’t reply further. I was right, and I hope that it will help my mom stay safe. For all our baggage, I’d hate myself if I let something bad happen to her.
And then Jeremiah showing up alone scares the shit out of me. I have a million questions for him.
“Why are you here? Are they safe? What happened?” I ask, wrapping my arms around him. “Tell me everything.”
He smirks and looks around, gently removing my hands. “I’ll tell you when Julianna is here. Where is she?”
“Changing Julian. Julianna!”
She comes down with Julian in her arms. “What’s going on?”
Jeremiah looks at me, and I can tell he’s about to say something that I’m not going to like. “You were right, Corey. Tatum was heading out of town, alone, in the direction of where your mom lives. We think he’s heading there. So the plan has changed—we’re going after Tatum and not bothering with the Lost Lions MC for now.”
“He told me he is going there,” I confirm.
“Shit. Okay, but everyone else is fine. Another thing, Julianna. Rosalind was there partying with the Lost Lions MC.”
Julianna scowls, shaking her head. “Probably trying to get her own president. Will she be safe there?”
“Yeah, don’t worry,” he assures her.
Jeremiah updates everyone else. Julianna calls up her family to let them know what’s going on. The older members of the MC have stepped back since Julianna and Romeo took over, leaving the new generation to run things and embrace the change of joining the two MCs, but that doesn’t mean that they might not be targeted.
“So do we have eyes on their place?” Jag asks, frowning.
Jeremiah grins. “Yeah, we do. I set up that camera you gave me in the bushes. So we can see who is coming in and out.”
Jag smiles and offers him a fist bump. “Love your work. Let me go and set it up so we can watch it on the screen. Everyone stay indoors. Don’t go outside.”
We all decide we’re hungry so we head to the kitchen. I wonder if River called Mom and told her that Tatum is coming to her house. He might not have bad intentions, but knowing him that is a very naive thought. I decide to send her a text. I know we haven’t spoken in a long time, but now seems like the time to reach out. It’s for her safety.
Corey: Hey, Mom. Did River call you?
I then realize she probably doesn’t even have my new number, which is sad in itself.
Corey: It’s Corey, by the way.
You know, your only daughter.
Mom: Yes, he called me. He’s on his way here. I’m fine. I don’t think Tatum would hurt me.
She didn’t think Robert would hurt her, either.
I stare at my phone, but she doesn’t say anything else. And you know what? It does hurt. I push it away and pretend that I don’t need her or want her love and affection, but deep down of course I do. Who wouldn’t? I guess I just don’t see how she doesn’t care about me or want to know how I’m doing. Maybe that’s why I don’t want to have any kids of my own.
“Corey, do you want some?” Bella asks, breaking me out of my miserable thoughts.
I turn to see her holding a plate of sandwiches out for me. “Yes, please.”
Leif sits down at the table with us, taking up a lot of space. His hair is in braids, like a true Viking, and I wonder who did them for him.
“Sad you’re missing out on the action?” I ask, making conversation.
He shrugs his broad shoulders. “I’m just happy to help out however they need me to.”
“Good attitude to have,” I reply. My eyes go to his phone when a message pops up on the screen, and because I’m nosy I look at what it says.
And then I pretend that I didn’t see it at all.
“So, how long do you think until they get back? Tomorrow?” I ask the table, while Leif grabs his phone and tucks it away in his pocket.
“Probably,” Jag replies, standing up. “I’m going to go check the cameras. Jeremiah, do a perimeter check, will you?”
“Sure thing,” Jeremiah says, leaving.
And then it’s just Julianna, Bella, me.
And a traitor.
I know I need to play my next moves very carefully and make it seem like I didn’t just read what I did. So I stay calm, and try to keep my energy the same. People can sense energy, and if mine turns cold or scared, he will know that something is up, and that I was quick enough to read his text.
“Does anyone want a drink?” I ask, while I quickly send Damon a text.
“Sure,” Leif replies, while Julianna and Bella politely decline.
“Beer?” I offer, but he shakes his head. Of course he doesn’t want a beer—he needs his wits about him with all the betrayal he’s about to commit. “Soda?”
“Yes, please.”
I grab two cans and set one down in front of him, the other for me.
“If I sit here like this, I’m going to go crazy,” Julianna announces, standing up and leaving the table.
“I’ll go check on her,” Bella says, following.
And I’m left with Leif.
That motherfucker.
And Damon still hasn’t replied.
I tap my black-tipped nails on the table, and then sit back and open my drink, which makes a fizzing noise. Leif does the same, taking a sip and then stretching his large neck from side to side.
My phone buzzes and I rush to check it, thinking it might be Damon.
Or my mom.
But it’s neither of them.
Echo: Hey, just checking in. Romeo had us close Devil’s Play and told me to stay home, so I guess something is going on.
I type furiously.
Corey: Yeah, it’s a giant shit show. Stay home and lock your doors. Trust no one.
No one is safe.
I doubt they’d go after Echo, who they would see as just an employee of the club, but you never know. Anyone I care about right now needs to just be safe.
Echo: Oh dear. Yes, I’m home catching up on The Last Kingdom . Call me if you need anything.
Corey: Right back at you.
“ The Last Kingdom , now that is a good show,” I say to myself.
Leif nods slightly in agreement. He’s so calm and collected.
It annoys me.
He played me, all of us, just like Rosalind did, and it makes me angry. An image of her pops into my head, and for once it doesn’t fill me with instant panic and anxiety. My therapy sessions must be paying off.
Jeremiah returns and checks on everyone. When he sees all is good, he goes to observe the security cameras with Jag, once again leaving Leif and me alone.
I can’t let him get away with this. I’m the only one that knows the truth, so it’s up to me to make it right. He’s not going to get away with betraying all the people I love. I grit my teeth, the anger of the situation hitting me.
How dare he do this to us?
“I’m going to go and get changed into something warmer,” I lie.
Instead, I go into Damon’s room, open his secret gun stash, and take a handgun. And some bullets.
And then I brace myself to go back into that kitchen and face him.
The text that popped up on his phone was from an unsaved number, but it said:
We are ready and waiting for them. Just waiting on your signal. They won’t know what hit them.
Well, now he’s not going to know what hit him .
I tuck the gun in the waistband of my jeans and walk back out to the kitchen. Leif is still alone and on his phone.
I turn off the safety of the gun and come up behind him.
“You’re with the Lost Lions MC, aren’t you?” I say, and he turns around, eyes flaring when he sees the pistol pointed at him. “I saw the text message. You are giving them inside information. Don’t try to lie about it!”
“Corey—”
“I’m not going to let you get anyone I love hurt!” I seethe. “And if that means me killing someone, then so be it.”
He stands up, with his hands in the air, facing me. His eyes are wide and filled with surprise. “Let me explain—”
The time for explaining is long gone.
I lower the gun and shoot him in the foot.
That will slow him down until I can decide what I want to do with him.
“Fuck!” he yells, dropping to the floor, just as Jag walks into the room, his expression turning to one of shock.
Tilting my head to the side, I point the gun at Leif’s other foot. Then he definitely won’t be going anywhere, will he?
“Corey? What the hell are you doing?” Jag growls, taking the gun from my hands. “You shot him? What is going on here?”
“Yes, I did, and I’ll do it again! He’s a traitor, he’s with the other MC, and he’s giving them information! He’s probably going to try to kill us all!”
Jag pauses, looks at Leif.
And then he tips his head back and laughs.
“What’s so fucking funny?” I snap, just as Julianna rushes in. She’s alone, so Bella probably has Julian upstairs.
“Oh my god, Leif, are you okay? What happened?” she asks, rushing over to him. She takes her hoodie off and uses it to try to stop the bleeding.
“Let him bleed out! He’s a traitor,” I tell her.
“Corey shot him,” Jag says, and I’m about to slap the amusement on his face.
Julianna pauses and turns to me. “Why do you say that?”
I tell them about the texts I read.
Leif looks like he’s about to pass out, staring at the blood all over the floor and kitchen cabinets. Does he not like blood? Not a surprise since he’s a coward.
Jag pulls me against him, holding me as I attempt to lunge for Leif. “Corey, let us explain. Leif isn’t a traitor. Well, he is. Just not to us. He’s on our side, but the Lost Lions MC thinks he’s on theirs.”
“They tried to recruit him,” Julianna explains, turning to look at me. “So we got him to go with it and act as a kind of undercover agent. I’m sorry, Corey, we didn’t tell anyone else. We didn’t think anything like this would happen.”
Oh.
Shit.