Chapter 45
LAS VEGAS
J.D. Stevens
Las Vegas, Nevada
Instant relief washed over me as I replayed her voicemail, savoring every word. She didn’t say much, but the sound of her voice was all that was needed. I didn’t answer the phone when she called because I didn’t recognize the number. In the end, I chose not to call her back, determined to stay focused and avoid distractions. Finding out who was involved from Sin City was what I needed to take care of right now. Like she said the cops were looking for me. I figured it wouldn’t take them long to zero in on me especially with Rumi probably screaming from the rooftop that I was the one who shot her. Something I’d deal with if I made it back.
I loved my cousin, but I definitely didn’t underestimate him. If Grimm was involved in any of this shit, I had to make sure I was on top of my game because one of us would die, and I preferred it be him. It would be hard to do and something that I’d have to live with for the rest of my life, but I wouldn’t have any other choice.
“You ready, Prez?” Hannibal asked.
Not really, but it had to be done.
I only brought Hannibal and Schizo. I really didn’t believe in my heart that Grimm had anything to do with this but if he had green lit Sin City MC’s involvement in Dani’s death, Hannibal, and Schizo were the two brothers who could help me handle everything and get us all out of Vegas alive. Other than Caesar, these two were the ones I went to whenever I wanted shit done efficiently and quickly.
“Yeah, give me a minute. We aren’t too far out. I just need to let him know what’s up.”
He nodded and got on his bike. Schizo was already loaded up and ready to go.
I stepped a few feet away and dialed Grimm’s number. He answered on the third ring.
“Long time no see, cousin,”
There was a time when we were inseparable. He was a few years older than me, and I hated when I had to leave Vegas because I had to leave him behind. But I had to do what I needed to do for me. Fergus was toxic, and he was already a member of Sin City due to my Uncle Angus being the founder. I hated to separate myself from my family and the legacy of Sin City but not Fergus. Fergus could go to hell and if there was any truth to what Agent Revels had to say, I was going to be the person to send him straight to it.
“It has. But I’m not coming to you as your cousin, Grimm. I’m coming to you as one of Demons United’s Presidents.”
“You’re coming home?” he asked, and I heard the surprise in his voice.
I had no plans on ever coming back to Vegas, at least not while Fergus was alive. But today, I had no choice. I had to find out if it was true my family had something to do with Dani’s death.
“I’m already here. I’ll be at the clubhouse in ten minutes whether or not you okay it. And make sure Angus is there and Fergus isn’t.”
“Okay. I’ll see you in ten,” he said before ending the call.
“All good?” Schizo asked.
I nodded and got onto my bike. Did I want to confront my cousin? No, but it had to be done. I needed to find out if my family betrayed me.
***
As we pulled up to the Sinner’s clubhouse, a wave of nostalgia washed over me, bringing back memories from years past. Not much had changed. Which wasn’t surprising. Grimm never wanted the mantle of Prez, but he knew this was his father’s legacy and while Angus was in prison, he’d rather the club established by McDaniel’s stayed in the family.
One of Grimm’s brothers I didn’t recognize eyed us then walked inside the clubhouse.
“What’s the plan?” Hannibal asked.
“Let me take the lead,” I said. “We confirm what we need to then we’ll go from there.”
They both nodded. I didn’t know exactly how I would handle everything. I guess it would depend on what we found out today.
When the door to the clubhouse swung open, we watched my cousin escort a beautiful Black woman out. Giving us a small smile, she gracefully walked past us as we got off our bikes. Then we walked up to the clubhouse, and I gazed back at the woman again as she pulled out of the parking area. Once she was gone my attention went back to my cousin. I hugged him and then he shook hands with Hannibal and Schizo.
“She your Old Lady?” I asked.
“She is.”
“Make sure you keep her safe, especially from the ones closest to you.”
My heart ached for the woman and child I loved and lost, and anger coursed through me at the thought of the one who was still in the hospital. All because of family.
I saw his confusion which made me feel a little better about what I was about to accuse my family of doing. Knowing Grimm, I didn’t think he had anything to do with this, but I had to make sure.
“Let’s take this in my office,” he said, motioning for us to come inside the clubhouse. Then he stopped and looked at me.
“Angus should be here any minute. Just to warn you, he’s sick, so he may be a little grumpy.”
“What’s wrong with him?” I asked.
My Uncle was a bastard and ornery as hell, but I loved him. More than I loved my own father.
“Cancer.”
“Terminal?” I asked.
“Yep,” was all he said.
As we all made our way inside, I nodded. Damn, I wasn’t expecting that. It was almost like Angus was invincible. Grimm and he had a rocky relationship, but it looked like they were trying to mend some fences now that he was out of prison.
Once again, a wave of nostalgia washed over me, hitting me right in the gut. I can’t believe how much time I’d spent in this building. All the times I had here weren’t bad as long as Fergus wasn’t in the picture.
“Ain’t much changed,” I said as I looked around.
Grimm chuckled as he pushed the door open to Angus’s old office. “I know. The Old Lady has been trying to get me to modernize shit, but you know how it goes. All the memories here aren’t bad,” he said giving me a pointed look.
I took a seat in one of the chairs in front of the desk as he slid behind it.
“You want your guys in here for this since it’s club business?” Grimm asked, looking at Hannibal and Schizo.
“Yeah. The one on the right is Hannibal, and the other is Schizo.”
Grimm nodded at them as they sat on the couch then he focused back on me. “How you been little cuz?”
“It’s been rough these past few years, and that’s why I’m here.”
As he leaned back in his chair, he heard the creaking sound of the wood beneath him. “You’re family. All you had to do was pick up the damn phone.”
I sighed. “I needed a clean break, man. You know what I went through with Fergus after my mom left. I couldn’t stand to be in the same room with him, let alone join Sin City where I’d have to deal with that motherfucker every day.”
“It ain’t never been about the club with me, J.D., and you fucking know it. I understood what you needed to do that’s why I didn’t have a problem with you prospecting when Demon called me. But you could have always reached out. You should have cut Fergus out of your life, not me.”
“You’re right.”
“I know I am,” he said, smirking.
A knock sounded on the door stopping our conversation. “Come in!” Grimm shouted.
As the door swung open, a rush of emotions flooded over me—it was the first time I had laid eyes on my uncle in years. Grimm wasn’t lying, he wasn’t the same imposing figure I remembered.
The sight of him in a wheelchair, looking frail, was the most shocking. The brother pushed him further into the room then closed the door behind him when he left.
“What the hell do you want?” he asked looking at Grimm before his eyes scanned the room and landed on me then they widened.
“Jacob?”
With a smile on my face, I stood up and walked over to him. Nobody called me by my name anymore. Not since Dani died, and she only said it when she was pissed.
“Angus.”
When I hugged him, he grunted, then I pulled away. “How’s it going?” I asked.
“I’m fucking dying, so I guess it could be better.” He looked at me then furrowed his brows. “What did my brother do?”
I sighed, then went and sat back down in the chair. “I’m not sure. That’s why I’m here.”
Angus wheeled his chair closer. “Start at the beginning,” he said.
“A few years ago, my pregnant wife was killed.”
“You got married?” Grimm asked.
“Married Demon’s little sister. Her name was Danielle, but we all called her Dani. Long story short, she died in a car accident. Her and our son, Luca. But shit never added up.”
“But what does that have to do with Fergus?” Angus asked.
“I’ve been looking into it for years. I brought in someone, and they helped me find out that I’d been right. Uncovered some footage of a club’s involvement.”
“I know you don’t fucking think I would green light some shit like this especially against you?” Grimm asked.
“To be honest, I don’t. But I need to make sure.”
“How do you know it was Sin City?” Angus asked.
“Video and I had to get creative. Found out it was a prospect for a MC in Vegas.”
Grimm was shaking his head. “That can’t be right. We’re the only club here.”
“I know,” I said. “So, you see my problem here, cuz?”
He leaned forward, planting his forearms on the desk. “So, let me get this straight. One of my prospects is involved in the death of your wife and my blood?”
As I nodded, he roughly wiped his hand down his face, frustration evident in his movements.
“Okay, say one of the Sinner’s prospects is involved, still doesn’t explain to me anything about my brother,” Angus said.
I looked at my uncle, and I could see the fierce determination in his eyes to defend his asshole brother. But there was no one who could save him. Not even my family.
“Fergus was named as the person behind everything,” I said.
“Named by who?” Angus asked.
“Apparently, I had a half-brother.”
“Had?” Grimm asked.
“Former FBI Agent Alan Revels is now dead for what he did to my family and so will everyone else involved.”
“As President of the Sinners, I haven’t sanctioned shit. As your cousin, I wouldn’t do that shit especially to you.”
“Like I said, I needed to make sure. You would do the same thing if you were in my position.”
“Who was the Prospect?” Angus asked.
I knew he still didn’t believe me, but it was cool. He had no say in club business; he was simply present out of courtesy since he was my uncle.
“Weasel,” I said. “Got video of him handing cash off to a dirty cop.”
“Fuck!” Grimm shouted.
He turned his attention to his father.
“If he’s involved, you know what that means, right?” Grimm asked.
Angus sighed and nodded. “Do what you need to do. I won’t interfere.”
“Let me see what you have then I’ll call Church.”
Regardless of my feelings for my father, I hated pulling Grimm and Angus into this. I hated Fergus was hell bent on destroying everything I’d built. Why couldn’t he just let me live my life? What had I ever done to him to deserve this kind of heartache?