Pulling out the burner, I swing my locker open, slipping out of my jeans. “Come on, pick up, pick up, pick up.” I mutter into the phone. “Fuck.” I mumble when the voicemail starts.
Hanging up, and trying once more as I pull the shirt up over my head, jamming the phone back between my shoulder and ear. Voicemail starts again, and I groan out.
The only thing I can do is get there as soon as possible.
Collins nods over to a car, telling me to follow him as I walk into the lot. We pull out onto the road, and he looks over at me, sighing. “Call him.”
“What?”
“Sherman’s retaliating. He pushed it through with some bullshit reasoning.”
“You sure you know if they find out…”
“I know what they’ll fucking do.” He snaps at me. “I’m not here to be like them.”
Once more, pulling out the burner, not even concerned that he’ll connect how this isn’t my phone, and scrolling to Z’s name.Pausing one more second, not wanting to pull Collins down into my fucked-up world, he nods.
“Do it.”
Pressing send and putting it to my ear, I’m once again disappointed when the line continues to ring before the voicemail starts.
“Here,” Collins says as he hands me the file to look over.
They’ve already forced the gates open.
We pull up just in time to see Z being shoved into the back of the cop car and Tate sobbing on the porch. A protective shield of MC members standing between her and the rest of the cops, confirming my suspicion that Darren set all of this up to force her out of here.
…Little does he know…
Getting out of the car, I walk over to my captain.
“You’re late.” He snaps at me.
“I told you it was gonna take me a while to get here.”
“Whatever.” He’s annoyed with me. “We’ve got it handled here; why don’t you go back to the precinct and make sure everything’s going smoothly there.” He pauses again, staring me down.
Now I’m annoyed as they just drug me out of bed in another city to send me back to the precinct.
“Unless there’s something you think we should know when we’re looking around.”
I could tell them about the panic room in the basement’s bathroom or how it leads to a tunnel system, with exits out of the compound, to the clubhouse, and all the houses. I could tell him about the stash room underneath the garage. Or the safe. I’m sure that it’s still loaded with cash. I could tell him about the basement at Pistons. I could tell them about the safe house out in the desert. Hell, I could tell them any of these things because, without my knowledge, I’m certain they’ll never find it.
“I can’t think of anything.” I shake my head.
I would never.
“Right,” he nods his head. For the first time, I know people are seeing through the facade of a life I’m trying to portray.
He walks off, grumbling under his breath.
Turning, Collins and I walk back to the cruiser. I don’t look at anyone else, especially not at the family standing on the porch.
But I hear Zeke’s voice shouting. “That was your husband?” I’m more surprised that he’s back than the overreaction I’m sure he’s about to display. “I thought my brother was at least smarter than that.”
I wonder if Drew knows he’s home.
We’re pulling down the trail as memories come flooding back through me. I get why Z hates me; if I were him, I’d hate me too, but he doesn’t know the entire story. If he only understood the why, but I made that promise to Ash, none of this would come to light until it had to.
