Chapter 30
NOELLE
The lies kept piling up.
At this rate, I was going to get lost underneath them all and end up a giant failure.
But wasn’t that bound to happen anyway?
If I found out they were smuggling illegal goods, I’d have no choice but to arrest them, and my heart would be broken.
If they were not smuggling illegal goods, I lose my job.
Heart. Broken.
Not as much perhaps as in the first situation, but still a devastating blow.
I’d never work in law enforcement again.
Hell. I might not work there even if I did arrest the Steel Vipers.
Captain Delaney knew I was compromised.
One word from him and I was done for.
Permanently.
I sat on the bottom of the steps, with my knees drawn up to my chest, as I bemoaned the changes in my life.
Was I being an ass?
Yes.
Did I have the willpower to pull myself up right now and take charge of my life?
Also yes, but with less emphasis.
Damn it all.
I huffed and straightened my legs.
I wasn’t going to get anywhere in life or love by sitting on my ass feeling sorry for myself.
I was supposed to be heading home for the night.
After my experience in the shop with Ash, which was nothing more than talking, being denied, and being comforted by his hug, I’d feigned fatigue and said I planned on going home early.
Ash had headed upstairs for a meeting, and I’d just sat on the bottom step with my head in my hands for over an hour.
Rafe’s voice trickled through the walls from time to time.
I never made out the words too clearly, but as he opened the door above me, I perked up. “… making a run tonight during the church meeting.”
Shit. Shit. Shit.
I stood and bolted for the door as fast and silent as possible.
If they knew I’d overheard anything, they’d never let me leave.
This was exactly the kind of thing I’d been trying to learn.
I ran outside and down the street to the corner where I’d parked my car and slid behind the wheel.
My heart beat in my throat, and it took me three tries to get the key in the ignition.
I backed the car out of the space and headed away from the clubhouse.
I needed to follow them, and that wouldn’t happen if they spotted me.
I tucked the car into a narrow alley between two houses and waited.
A giddy feeling bubbled in my stomach.
I was about to learn the truth once and for all.
The church service they mentioned had started fifteen minutes ago.
It ended at exactly eight p.m., which meant they’d better get a move on.
I rubbed my palms together, feeling every inch the detective on a stakeout as I peered left and right along the road.
Disappointment threatened when fifteen minutes passed in complete silence.
Then, out of the blue, Rafe’s truck rolled down the road and turned the corner.
This was it.
I put every bit of my training to the test as I followed him, staying far enough back that he wouldn’t notice.
Thankfully, a few cars fell in between us, and his truck was big enough to spot every time he made a turn.
By the third turn, my stomach pitched.
I knew where they were going.
The abandoned warehouses on Eighth Street.
I’d thought the guy who mentioned the warehouses meant another club used them.
Not the Vipers.
Not my guys.
Sure enough, Rafe pulled in through a razor-wired gate and parked behind one of the buildings.
They all exited the vehicle one by one.
Bishop checked the perimeter before following Rafe through an old metal door.
I waited. Five. Ten. Fifteen minutes.
I waited until my hands grew so cold, I couldn’t feel the wheel beneath my fingertips, then I slid out of the car and raced for the gate.
They’d left it open a crack, and I squeezed through, hoping the clank of chains wouldn’t bring anyone running.
Next came the door.
I stopped at the edge and strained my ears.
A few clanks and rattles.
The low curse of voices.
They were all distracted.
How much leeway did that give me once I opened the door?
Night had fallen.
Which meant they wouldn’t see the door open.
I had to risk it.
Holding my breath, I twisted the knob, praying it wouldn’t make any sound.
Warm air caressed my cheeks when I ducked through to the other side. I aimed for a tall stack of crates that offered excellent cover and crouched with a hand over my mouth to muffle my gasping breaths.
I peeked between two crates in time to watch Bishop crack open a crate and nod. “Everything is here.”
Rafe checked something off on a clipboard. “There are more than last year. Our secret Santa sure knows how to find toys.”
Santa? Toys?
Bishop held up a stuffed teddy bear. “These were a big hit last year. We had more requests this year than ever.”
“And to think all these stolen goods were going into the dumpsters.” Rafe shook his head. “It’s a damned shame we have to resort to criminal activity to redistribute stolen goods.”
“Least we didn’t steal them in the first place.” Bishop stroked the bear’s head. “Can’t say I’m torn up over getting to see the looks on the kids’ faces when they figure out Santa showed up again this year.”
I put it together all at once.
These men everyone hated either bought or stole already stolen goods, then gave them to the disadvantaged kids in the neighborhood for Christmas.
A strong arm wrapped around my waist, and my breath left in a rush.
My head swam as I was dragged backward.
I dug my heels into the concrete, but the man hauling me away was too strong.
I tried to scratch and claw at him, but the only thing in reach—his arm—was covered in a thick leather coat.
“Let me go.” I reached back, intent on digging my nails into his eyes.
“Stop, Noelle.” Ash’s voice filled my ear.
The shock of it froze me in place, giving him time to haul me over to Rafe and Bishop.
He let go, and I fell backward onto my ass.
“We have a snoop.”
I scrambled backward until my back hit a crate, and I used it to find leverage and stand.
Rafe growled low and deep, the sound menacing enough to weaken my knees.
Bishop stared at me, betrayal taking over his features.
“I had to know what you were doing.” I pointed at the crates. “There was no reason to be so secretive about it. You get stolen goods and give them to kids for Christmas.”
I spoke loud and clear, hoping like hell the guys listening through my wire would relay the information to my captain. “You’re not thieves. You’re ambassadors of goodwill.”
Suck that, Captain Delaney.
I’d been right.
They were good men operating under the guise of bad men.
Rafe took a step toward me, and that was all it took for my own anger to spark.
“You could have told me.” I spoke before he found his voice. “How could you keep this from me?”
I pointed at the crates, then at each of them. “I get that you don’t trust me, but damn it, this makes you look so much sweeter than anything I could ever write.”
My words seemed to shock him, all of them.
A thick kind of silence wrapped around us.
We might as well be the only four people in the world.
I even forgot about the wire strapped beneath my clothes.
I’d put it back on after my talk with Captain Delaney, and I’d been grateful when I overheard Rafe.
But now, all I could think about was how they looked at me and what I’d just admitted to everyone on the other side of the wire.
If they hadn’t known I was in love before, they did now.
Even if I hadn’t said the words out loud.
Rafe tore a hand through his hair with such violence, he ripped several strands free.
He littered the air with a string of curses and spun away from me. An instant later, he whirled back. “Fuck it. You already know too much. Might as well give you the rest of it.”
He motioned at the walls around us. “The guys and I do a toy drive every year. We take toys that have been removed from big box stores and shipping trucks and give them to kids in need.”
“Removed how?” My infuriating but insatiable curiosity sparked.
“I prefer the term liberated.” Ash picked a sliver of wood from the nearest crate and used it to scrape his nails. “All the big companies have a certain amount of ‘lost product’ they claim every year in insurance. We help them make sure they’re telling the truth.”
A slow smile appeared. “Gotta keep the big man honest.”
Honest. Right.
“Tell me about the toy drive.” I crossed my arms, more to keep the chill at bay than to push them away.
The warehouse was warmer than outside, but not by much.
Bishop glanced at Rafe, who gave him a nod to go ahead. “The club has been sworn to secrecy. And they all keep the secret because it brings joy to the kids.”
“We break into their houses and leave them presents.” Ash burst into the conversation with his usual charm. “Instead of Santa and reindeer landing on kids’ roofs, it’s us.”
I could see it.
Call me crazy, but I had no trouble imagining these men quietly slipping into houses and leaving gifts. “Who eats the most cookies?”
Bishop pointed at himself at the same time Rafe and Ash pointed at him.
A low laugh spread warmth throughout my body.
God, but I loved these men.
I really was crazy.
They’d gotten their hooks in me.
My heart had been preparing to discover the worst.
I’d been working toward the realization that I’d have to let them go.
No way.
“I want to help.” I strode toward Rafe. “Please don’t exclude me again.”
He didn’t back away at my approach, though I noted the wariness in his eyes.
My heart melted at the look in Bishop’s eyes.
He wanted to believe me.
He’d proven himself when he stood up for me, and now it was my turn to prove that I was worthy of their trust.
I ran my hands up Rafe’s broad chest. “You’re incredible. I can’t believe you go through all this every year for the kids. Wait.”
I shook my head. “Yes, I can. Maybe I’m surprised because you claim to hate Christmas.
But a man who does this, who goes through all this trouble, is not a man who hates Christmas.”
“Or maybe I want to make sure no kid goes through what I did at Christmas. I don’t want it ruined for them.” He ran his knuckle down my cheek. “Don’t cry for us, Noelle. We know what we’re getting into.”
Was I crying?
A hot tear slid down my cheek, and I realized it wasn’t the only one. “You deserve to have someone willing to cry for you. For all of you.”
I held out a hand to Bishop and Ash, who closed the circle to surround me. “You deserve so much more than my tears.”
I kissed Rafe first, the sourest and most defensive of the three.
He’d been the hardest to understand, but his confession just now gave me a clean insight into his past.
If I knew him at all, he’d gone without to ensure Colt never suffered the same loss.
Rafe returned my kiss with his usual passion, as did Bishop and Ash.
I’d put everything on the line for them, and they proved it had all been worth it.
Ash’s hand found my hip, and he pulled me toward him while Rafe took a second kiss.
Their combined scents surrounded me, and I was suddenly too hot in my coat.
As though reading my mind, Ash slipped the heavy material off my shoulders and draped it over the edge of the crate.
I closed my eyes and let the emotions carry me away.
“We want you to be part of the team.” Bishop brushed hair off my neck and planted a kiss there.
I’d never been part of a team before.
The thought took me away from Rafe’s lips.
In all my years as a detective, and a cop before that, I’d always been set apart because of my gender and my weight.
These three men celebrated every part of me.