Chapter 1
CHAPTER
ONE
SIX MONTHS LATER
Julie
I look at the clock and internally groan when I see it’s only nine a.m.
There should be a law that says the clocks work faster when you are stuck at work on a Friday. Alas, the world doesn’t work that way. Especially when nothing exciting is going on. That’s when the clock really crawls.
“Julie, I need those files on my desk by the end of the day. We have the Jones trial next week. I need to be prepared.”
I paste a fake smile on my face as I turn to look at my boss.
Henry VanDuran is the best lawyer in Oakheart.
He represents everyone, no matter if they are innocent or guilty.
Much to my father’s dismay. Being the chief of police, his force are often the ones putting our clients in jail, so to know I choose to work for someone working to release them…
well, let’s just say family dinners can be tense sometimes.
“Yes, sir. I will get right on that.”
He nods, walking away.
“Girl, I swear he has a crush on you. He never asks me to do anything for him,” Lisa whispers to me.
“You’re not his devoted paralegal. I am. It’s literally my job.”
She smirks. “I’m just saying. I wouldn’t mind riding that.”
I ignore her, getting to work on compiling the Jones files.
It’s not that I’m blind. Henry is an attractive man. It’s his personality that gets in the way for me. He’s cold. I don’t think I have ever seen him date someone. He has no friends, only colleagues. His legal secretary once told me that he didn’t get a single call from family on his birthday.
It’s sad to think about, but I think it says a lot about the man. Besides, he is my boss. I was hired on as his personal paralegal after there was a mishap where another paralegal didn’t know who to prioritize. From what I heard, he put up his own money to hire me.
I’m not messing that up for a quick roll in the hay.
The day passes by slowly. Some days I love my job.
Especially when I am researching case law.
It’s my goal to be a lawyer one day, so I love soaking up the knowledge.
Other days, I hate it. Like today. Compiling files feels mundane.
The research is already done. There’s nothing else to learn.
Besides, it’s not like I get to go to court.
Henry won’t sit and discuss the case with me. I’m only a tool to him.
Fifteen minutes before five, I knock on his door. When he calls out to me, I head inside.
“Perfect timing. I’m about to leave for a meeting. You have those files?” he asks without even looking up from his computer.
“Right here. Is there anything else you require?” I ask as I always do.
“No. You can go.”
I set the files on his desk and walk out without another word. Not even a single thank you from the man, but I don’t expect it anymore. It should bother me more, but it’s who he is.
Besides, the day is almost done, and I won’t have to see him again until Monday.
When I get back to my desk, I ignore Lisa wiggling her eyebrows at me.
“I’m headed out. I’ll see you on Monday,” I tell her.
“Ugh, lucky. Bart is keeping me for another hour at least. Go to happy hour for me. Please.”
I laugh. “I’ll consider it.”
Truth is, I plan to go home and cuddle on the couch with my partner in crime, Tabby. Dad and Liz don’t understand my obsession with my little tabby cat, appropriately named Tabby, but she is my companion. The only one I know will never leave me.
As I head out to my car, my phone rings. I see my best friend’s face and answer it.
“Hey, I’m walking to my car. What’s up?” I tell her, letting her know I won’t be able to talk long.
I refuse to talk on the phone and drive.
“Come out with me tonight.”
It’s a demand, not a request.
“Liz, I worked all day. My feet hurt. All I want to do is lounge around and watch old episodes of ER.”
“Julie Lynne Corday, you cannot waste your life watching television. Even if the kick-ass surgeon shares your last name.”
I roll my eyes even though she can’t see me.
“Not all of us enjoy the constant parties. Also, watch your language.”
“You and the no cussing thing. It’s endearing, but also a pussy block. Men don’t want to be chastised like you’re their mom.”
I ignore her as I climb into my car. “Liz, get to the point. I need to drive home, and you are now holding me up.”
“I have news. News worth celebrating. Please? Come?”
“Liz…”
“If you go with me, I promise I will take you to that concert you want to see in August. Who was it again?”
I sigh. “Foreigner. It wouldn’t kill you to listen to some music from decades past.”
“Decades. As in more than one. No thank you. I prefer the Top 100 hits. So, are you in?”
I rub my forehead. Liz has been my friend since I was a child. My father considers her a second daughter. She is always trying to get me out of my shell, but she wouldn’t push this hard if it wasn’t important.
“All right. Tell me where to meet you, and I will be there.”
“You are the best. I will even buy the tickets for the concert.”
“Yeah, yeah. Text me the details for tonight.”
“I will. Love you.” She pauses. “Oh, and wear something nice. You’ll be meeting someone.”
Before I can argue, she hangs up.
Of course she is setting me up on a blind date. I should have known better.
She means well, I know she does, but damn if she doesn’t make me want to cuss sometimes. Seeing as I don’t want to put money in my cuss jar, I won’t, but she makes it tempting.
I ignore the feeling in my gut as I turn on the car and head home.
It’s one night. How bad could it be?
Yak
I take another puff of my cigarette. It’s a nasty habit, but one that keeps me sane.
It’s either this or drinking, but knowing what we have going on here, I won’t alter my mind that way.
It’s been three months since I officially patched over to the Kings of Anarchy. It killed me to leave my Mountain River brothers, but they assured me I would have a place with them should I decide to come back.
Looking around the farm as I watch men load weapons into a discreet van, I wonder if I will be able to go back. How many dark marks on a soul does it take to truly lose it?
Whatever it is, I’m working toward it quickly.
My mind flashes back to my initiation. Usually it’s not something so drastic, but the club decided if I wanted to skip prospecting and proving myself the traditional way, they were going to need blood.
Not mine, though.
I have killed before and would happily do it again when in defense of someone I care about, but that night, I killed a man I didn’t even know. The only saving grace I had was Yooper assuring me afterward that he deserved it.
Still, it didn’t sit right with me. Nothing about this club does.
“You done with your smoke break, sweetheart?” Aragon calls out to me.
I take one last huff before snuffing out the butt.
“Aww, I knew you loved me, Aragon. You missed me, didn’t you? You want to come give me a hug?” I open my arms wide.
“Get back to fucking work. You might be a nepo baby, but it doesn’t mean you get to slack. Load the fucking guns,” he hisses at me.
“Yes, sir. I’ll get right on it.”
I roll my eyes as I head toward the men. Our men.
I shouldn’t even be here. They have more than enough men and adding one more will only mess with the flow. Still, I do as he asks and jump in.
“Don’t push him too much. He is reckless,” Sap murmurs to me.
It’s not the first time Sap has made comments like this.
I can see the way he assesses the situation.
He works here at the farm, but he also has a side hustle.
I guess that’s where he got his name. Man has the gift of making some bomb maple syrup.
It’s wild to me to think that he can take sap from a tree and turn it into something so delicious.
Still, as much as I get a good vibe from him, I’m still unsure I can trust him.
“Don’t worry, Daddy. I’ll stay out of trouble,” I tease him.
He growls but doesn’t say another word. I mean, the guy is only like a decade older than me, but the way he gets angry when I call him “Daddy” cracks me up.
He reminds me of my best friend Wolf in that way.
The thought of my friend sobers me up.
I’m not here to make new friends. I’m here to solve my brother’s issue. One I am not sure we are even close to solving.
Once we finish loading up, Aragon calls for us to assemble.
“Goose has mapped out the route that will get you there quickly and undetected. We leaked information to the police. Hopefully it keeps that dickhead Corday off our backs. Yukon, you will lead with Yak and Sap. Wolverine and Timbit will trail with me. If there’s any trouble, the van is the priority.
Let’s get back safe and with little to no trouble. ”
I want to snort and call his ass a liar. He organizes most of the runs, and lately they have been going south. Sometimes it’s the cops, but there have also been a few run-ins with a rival MC.
I manage to keep my thoughts to myself, though. While I want to blame Aragon because he’s a fucking prick, he’s also a legacy. I haven’t figured out why he would want to do the club harm. His father is still a member. He grew up here. He’s on my list, but he’s not the only one.
Goose is another wild card. He maps out all of our trips. It’s his job as road captain, but it is still suspicious that we manage to get caught at some point during the trip. From what I can tell, Predator is one of his best friends and runs IT. So them working together could be a red flag.
They are my top three suspects because of their position, but there are also some of the patched members who aren’t on the council. Sap, Timbit, and Wolverine aren’t exempt. Neither are any of the other members. The only member I know for sure is innocent is my brother.
My fingers itch to get on my bike, but the roads aren’t in good condition right now. It’s far too cold to be on them. It drives me insane to use a cage to get around, but living in Canada means that January is a bitch of a time to be riding a bike.
I still manage to make short runs around town when the snow and temperature aren’t too bad. We also have the indoor track the club made to give us a bit of the feeling, but nothing beats the open road.
I climb into the passenger seat as Sap climbs into the driver’s.
Predator drives the loaded-down van with Poutine, one of the prospects. It’s wild to me that they give the prospects road names here. Where I’m from, you don’t get your road name until you’ve earned it.
Just another way it’s different.
Poutine is another one I give trust to. Not as much as Yooper, but he started just after I came on. I’ve taken him under my wing. Kid seems loyal. Hopefully he stays that way.
“So you want to talk about the boys we are crushing on while I braid your hair? Ooh, we could play MASH,” I joke to Sap.
He shoots me a glare before turning on the radio.
Perfect. It’s exactly what I wanted. Now I can stare out the window without worrying about him becoming suspicious.
I really need to start clearing some of these guys. Yooper and I can’t do this on our own. It’s too big for that.
If only I could find the mole.