Chapter Nine
Rancor
Rain drummed against the roof of my truck as I drove us back to the compound.
Cora sat rigid in the passenger seat, her fingers twisted together so tightly her knuckles had gone white.
The listening devices weighed heavy in my pocket.
They were probably active, so I had no doubt Reeves knew his plan hadn’t worked.
He’d played her perfectly, exploiting her fears, using her against me.
My jaw ached from clenching it, but I kept my face neutral, my movements measured.
Showing my rage now would only frighten her more.
I didn’t want her thinking I was angry at her.
She was the only innocent person in this whole fucking mess.
“You don’t have to take me back to the compound,” she said suddenly, her voice barely audible over the engine’s rumble. “I’ve already caused enough trouble.”
I glanced at her. Her face had paled, eyes rimmed with red, hair still damp from the rain. Something fierce and protective surged in my chest. “You didn’t cause anything, honey.” I kept my voice low, steady. “Reeves did.”
Kurt Reeves. The name left a bad fucking taste in my mouth.
I’d known from the moment I was released that he’d come for me someday.
Eight years hadn’t dulled his hatred. Or mine.
But I hadn’t expected him to find such an effective weapon.
Using Cora against me, forcing her to do his bidding when he couldn’t do anything to me legally, threatening to destroy her life…
It was calculated cruelty. The kind that spoke of a patient, festering rage that matched my own.
And now Cora, an innocent person who had done absolutely nothing wrong, got caught in the crossfire of a vendetta that began long before she entered my life.
“He was waiting for an opportunity,” I said, more to myself than to her. “Watching for a weak point.”
Her head snapped toward me. “I’m your weak point?”
I didn’t answer immediately, eyes fixed on the rain-slicked road ahead. The windshield wipers beat a steady rhythm, clearing sheets of water only for them to reform an instant later.
Finally, I nodded once, the admission coming easier than I expected. “Yes.”
She fell silent again, turning to watch the rain. I needed to call Knight, to prepare the compound for our arrival. I reached for my phone, engaged the hands-free, and dialed.
Knight answered on the second ring. “You good?” He’d been on edge since we discovered the first bug.
“Ten minutes out.” I kept my eyes on the road as I spoke. “Everything secure?”
“Locked down tight. You alone?” His question carried layers of meaning.
“Got Cora with me.” Out of the corner of my eye I saw her tense beside me at the mention of her name. “She’s clean. Reeves had her plant the kitchen bug. Blackmailed her.”
A beat of silence on the line. “Figured as much. Looked like she dropped it instead of actually placing it.” Knight’s voice softened slightly. “She okay?”
I glanced at Cora again, noted the way she hugged herself, shoulders hunched as if expecting a blow. “She will be.” I slowed as we approached a flooded section of road. “Reeves fabricated evidence against her, threatening to arrest her for trafficking and prostitution if she didn’t cooperate.”
“Classic,” Knight muttered, disgust evident in his tone. “Knuckles is here. We’ll meet you in the common room.”
The call ended and silence filled the cab again, broken only by the rhythmic slap of wipers and the steady drum of the rain.
Cora’s breathing had quickened slightly at the mention of Knuckles.
I couldn’t blame her. Our president carried his reputation like armor, cultivated it deliberately.
Most people found him intimidating even when he was trying not to be.
Well, everyone but the old ladies. His wife, Hannah, saw to it the women knew he was a big softy. Yeah. He really wasn’t.
“Knight and Knuckles are waiting for us,” I said, choosing my words carefully. “They know what happened. They know you didn’t have a choice.”
She nodded mechanically, but the tension in her body didn’t ease. “Are they angry?”
“Not at you. You did nothing wrong.”
“Maybe I should have just told you.”
I thought about her statement for a moment. “I wish you’d trusted me enough to come to me, but I understand. Reeves knew exactly what to say to make you doubt everything you thought you knew about us.”
We turned onto the access road leading to the compound.
Even through the rain-blurred windshield, I could make out the increased presence.
Two prospects stood guard at the gate instead of the usual one, and I spotted Diesel positioned on the roof of the gatehouse, the outline of a rifle visible beside him.
I knew there was at least one other patched member in the gatehouse, but I didn’t see who.
Seemed Knuckles and Hawk weren’t taking chances.
The gate slid open as we approached, Griffin giving me a nod and a two-fingered salute as we passed through.
I drove slowly down the main thoroughfare, noting several more brothers around the perimeter.
Every face reflected the same focused vigilance.
Word had spread. The compound was battening down for a storm that had nothing to do with the rain.
I parked near the main entrance, killed the engine, and turned to Cora. Her face had gone even paler, if that were possible, eyes wide as she took in the heightened security. “They’re protecting you,” I said, hoping to reassure her. “Not holding you prisoner.”
A hint of disbelief crossed her features, but she nodded again.
I climbed out, circled to her side, and opened her door.
The rain had slowed to a steady drizzle, cold against my skin as I held out my hand to help her down.
Her fingers were like ice against my skin, trembling slightly.
We walked together toward the entrance, her steps growing more hesitant as we approached the door and her shaking increased.
It was easy to see the situation terrified her.
For that alone I’d beat Reeves to a bloody fucking pulp.
Inside, the common room was quiet, most of the brothers giving us space.
Knight and Knuckles waited near the fireplace, their expressions guarded but not hostile.
Knight stood with his arms crossed, his tattooed face unreadable to most, but I caught the concern in the set of his shoulders.
I handed him the other two bugs. Knight shoved them into a small box before putting them inside his office only a few feet from us.
Beside him, Knuckles looked deceptively relaxed in an armchair, one ankle resting on the opposite knee.
On the low table between them lay several small objects.
The listening device, now dismantled into its component parts spread out where Knight had obviously been studying them, likely discussing what he found with Knuckles.
Cora froze just inside the doorway, her hand tightening painfully around mine.
I gave her fingers a gentle squeeze, urging her forward.
Knuckles rose as we approached, his movement slow and deliberate.
I felt Cora tense beside me, bracing for confrontation.
But when Knuckles spoke, his voice held none of the harshness she clearly expected.
“Got Hannah to make some coffee,” he said, gesturing to a carafe on the table. “Figured you could use something to warm you up.”
Confusion flickered across Cora’s face, followed by wary suspicion.
She glanced up at me, searching for guidance.
I nodded slightly, encouraging her to take a seat on one side of the couch.
I sat next to her, draping an arm casually over the back of the couch.
I brushed her shoulder reassuringly in silent encouragement.
“We’ve been at this game a long time, honey,” Knuckles continued once Cora was settled. “Cops trying to get to us through people outside our compound ain’t exactly a new play. You likely got caught in the middle because you kept picking up grocery orders for us and the shelter.”
“I’m sorry,” Cora whispered, her voice cracking. “I didn’t want to --”
Knuckles waved a dismissive hand. “Ain’t your fault Reeves is a vindictive bastard with a badge.” He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “The man threatened to arrest you with fabricated evidence. That ain’t coercion. That’s fucking terrorism.”
Knight stepped closer, gesturing to the dismantled device on the table. “Found the one under the fridge in the kitchen yesterday after you left,” he explained, his voice softer than usual. “Swept the compound twice since then. We’re clean.”
“They’re police-grade,” Knuckles added. “Illegal as fuck for Reeves to place without a warrant, which may be why Reeves needed someone else to plant them.” His eyes, normally hard as flint, held an unexpected gentleness as he looked at Cora.
“You ain’t the first person he’s backed into a corner, sweetheart. And you won’t be the last.”
Cora stared at the dismantled device, then at Knuckles, then at me. The confusion in her eyes slowly gave way to disbelief, then to something like hope.
“You’re not… you don’t blame me?” Her voice was small, vulnerable in a way that made my chest tighten. Two tears tracked from her lovely eyes. They felt like daggers straight to my heart.
“For what?” Knuckles shrugged. “Doing what you had to when a cop with a grudge threatened to destroy your life? Hell, most people would’ve done worse, especially to a bunch of ex-cons.
No. I wish you knew you could have gone to Hannah, Pippa, or any of the other women, or Rancor.
But I understand you don’t really know any of us.
Not knowing if anyone here would give a good Goddamn about you if he arrested you, you had to protect yourself. ”
It was Knight who broke the final thread of her composure.
He moved closer, crouched down to her eye level.
“The fact that you’re here right now,” he said quietly, “telling us the truth even though you’re terrified?
That says everything we need to know about you.
” He gave her a kind smile, which, with his tattooed eyes and face, was slightly creepy.
The dam broke. Cora’s face crumpled, her shoulders hunching as she folded in on herself.
At first, her crying was silent -- just tremors shaking her small frame, tears streaming down her face.
Then a ragged sob tore from her throat, followed by another, until she was gasping for breath between them.
I dropped my arm from the couch to her shoulders and, without thinking about it, pulled her onto my lap and urged her to bury her face against my chest. She came willingly, collapsing into me, as the weight of her fear and guilt poured out.
I cradled the back of her head, threading my fingers through her hair as I held her, letting her fall apart against me.
“It’s okay,” I murmured. Comfort wasn’t something I’d offered anyone in a very long time.
“You’re safe now.” Over her head, I met Knuckles’ gaze.
He nodded at me, a confirmation he had my back because he knew I’d kill to protect this small woman, even if it meant going back to prison.
Knight stood, moving behind Knuckles, his expression solemn.
Reeves had made this personal long ago. Now he’d crossed a line that couldn’t be uncrossed.
As Cora’s sobs quieted to shuddering breaths, I shifted, slipping one arm beneath her knees. She made a small, startled sound as I lifted her, but didn’t resist, her arms looping around my neck, face still pressed to my shoulder.
“Taking her to my place,” I said simply.
Knuckles nodded, the gesture conveying both permission and understanding.
She needed to know she was safe with me and that I’d be her protector.
I knew Knuckles and Knight wanted information from her, but I didn’t think now was the time.
They had the bugs. They knew Cora wasn’t the bad guy.
Interrogating her, though necessary, could wait.
I carried her from the common room, her weight slight in my arms. The compound was relatively silent given the absence of people in the common room.
With everyone on lockdown, the women and children were in the centermost warehouses in our complex.
They were well-protected until Knuckles got this SNAFU sorted out.
The brothers who were present minded their own business.
It was our way. All of them would have our backs when push came to shove.
Cora’s fingers curled into the fabric of my shirt as I carried her through the main warehouse and out the back into the courtyard. The distance was farther than I’d normally want to walk, but the time would give Cora time to settle herself.
I carried her to my apartment, only setting her down to open the door.
I kept my arm around her protectively, not ready to let her out of my reach, especially when she was obviously feeling fragile.
Her tears had soaked through my shirt. Each one felt like a painful blow. I’d keep her safe. Whatever it took.