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That earned me another wink. “Anytime.”
Chapter 8
Ben
I drummed my fingers impatiently on the steering wheel as I waited for the others to arrive, glaring out into the darkness because I just wanted this shit over with.
Beside me, Mayor Jenkins sipped his coffee calmly, trying to ignore my chaotic energy when we both knew he was just as anxious for this to end and to get away from me in the mood I was currently in.
Lexa had been gone for over a week. On top of my not being able to see her, she still hadn’t unblocked me, and every text I sent was kicked back. It was driving me crazy—this need to see her, to touch her. To just fucking be near her.
Things were already in motion to get Campbell taken care of, but I needed the MC to be on board with it too. I had no choice but to ask Jenkins to use his connection with the club to set up this secret meeting. Which brought us to now, the two of us sitting in my personal truck waiting on Bash Reid and whoever else he happened to bring along to have this chat with me.
Finally, I heard the roar of motorcycles in the distance and wrapped my fingers around the steering wheel. My first reaction as I saw the four motorcycles pull into the old trailer park off the beaten path was to jump out of the truck and knock Bash the fuck out. I knew he was the reason Lexa was in New York and not there with me. He was why we weren’t together, and I wanted to tear him apart limb by limb.
But that would only push Lexa away more; that much I knew. So, I squeezed the wheel until my fingers went numb as the bikers turned off their engines and casually climbed off them.
Jenkins opened the passenger door and got out, greeting the four men like they were family, while I took my time opening my own door and stepping out.
As I slowly walked toward them, I noticed the other three with Bash. Masterson was on his left, with Hawk and Jet Hannigan on his right. I was taller than the two Hannigans, but just as wide as Masterson and Lexa’s father, so their size didn’t even begin to intimidate me as I reached them and met their glares one at a time.
“What’s this about, Jenks?” Bash asked the mayor as he crossed his arms over his cut.
“Ben needed your ear,” the old man informed him. “And I think you’re going to want to hear everything the boy has to say.”
“Doubtful,” Masterson said with a snort.
Hawk stepped forward. “Let’s give the kid the chance to speak.”
I wasn’t surprised he was the most reasonable of the group. His wife was a killer defense attorney, but outside of court, she was one of the sweetest women I’d ever met. I didn’t mind so much getting raked over the coal fires of hell by her on the witness stand because I knew how much time she put into volunteering at the local women’s shelter just outside of town. Hawk acted as the shelter’s muscle part time, and I’d been called out to help with a couple disturbances in the past few months.
“I’ve got a connection at the attorney general’s office. I called in a favor, and Royce Campbell is being investigated. Starting tomorrow, every election he’s ever campaigned in to become DA will be scrutinized…along with other things.”
My announcement seemed to stun all four men because they dropped their menacingly crossed arms and just stood there blinking at me.
“Hold up,” Jet said after a few seconds of dazed silence. “First of all, you realize this will stir up all kinds of shit for you at work, right? Campbell is a vindictive motherfucker. He’s going to make your life miserable if he ever finds out you’re putting his position at risk.”
I shrugged. “If he finds out, he finds out. I’m not worried about it. But this investigation is secret. Other than the investigator, the only people who know about this are the six of us.”
“Okay. Second… Why the fuck would you do this? We all thought you were working with that little bitch to get dirt on us. You were using Lexa…”
“Shut your fucking mouth!” I roared, taking a step closer to him, making everyone tense. “I would never use her. I don’t give two goddamn fucks about what you and your club do as long as you’re not stirring up shit around here. You keep spreading that shit and filling her head with it, and I’ll cave your head in.”
Jenkins put a hand on my arm, trying to tug me back, and I breathed deeply through my nose, trying to clear the red haze that was blinding me.
Jet surprised me by laughing, not in the least bit worried about what I could—and would—do to him if he kept running his mouth. “Point made, Sheriff.” He nudged Bash with his elbow. “Looks like this boy is all right.”
Other than a grunt, Bash was quiet for a long moment, his eyes so much like Lexa’s drilling through me to see beneath to my soul. “Do you really care about my daughter, Davis?” he finally demanded.
“Sir,” I told him, looking him straight in the eye. “I think I love her.”
“Love?” he muttered, skeptical. “You’ve known her for all of, what? Two weeks? And half that time, she’s been in another state.”
Masterson cleared his throat beside him. “Don’t knock it, man. Just because you eased into loving Raven doesn’t mean love can’t come that quick. You know how it was for Willa and me.”
“But she’s just a baby,” Bash growled. “Barely nineteen. And he’s what? Fucking thirty?”
“Age is only a number,” Jet told him with a shrug. “Besides, at least he’s not trying to sneak around behind your back. He’s man enough to tell you to your face he’s in love with the girl.”
