Page 32 of Bullet

“Vance is your brother? Does he know?” I ask.

“Just because Sal said he was my dad doesn’t mean that he is. Apart from the one time he mentioned it and I shut him down, he’s never provided any proof. As for Vance, I have no idea. I’ve certainly never brought it up.”

“He was your father. Or he thought he was. No man is going to take a girl in, give her a job, and keep her safe unless there’s a reason,” Guard cuts in. He looks at Crush. “You stay and keep watch. Everyone else, church,” he announces, then gets up and heads toward the meeting room.

Seventeen

Forever is a Long Time

Bullet

Guard waits for us all to gather, then looks each and every one of us in the eyes before settling on Ghost’s face. “What do you think?” he asks.

“I think Sal got into business with some shady characters and got himself killed. I also think these guys are trying to clean up their mess by getting rid of the only witness who can identify them,” Ghost says.

“Why didn’t she run to the cops?” War asks. “The natural instinct of any normal person is to go to the police. Violet came to us.”

“Another question is the car that’s been circling the area around the compound. I let my guard down.” Orion is obviously pissed at himself. He says to Guard, “I let you down. Won’t happen again.”

“We didn’t think we were being watched by anyone but the cops. I don’t like that we missed that, but we’re moving on. You and Wildcard get a description from Violet, or even better, get her to sit in and watch the footage with you. Once she identifies the car, I want a name associated with it,” Guard demands.

Demon steps forward and says, “I searched the closet and found hair strands that I’m sure belong to Violet, with her prints on the door. She was definitely in there that night. I searched the rest of Sal’s office. The place was scrubbed clean. That’s not normal. This was premeditated. Whoever did this went with the intention of killing Sal that night.” Demon stops and turns to me. “Tell him the rest.”

Guard and my brothers all turn to me. “We found a loose floorboard under the desk. I pressed against it, and when it moved, I could see the board didn’t fit smoothly. When we popped it open, there were envelopes inside. One with Vance’s name, and one with Violet’s name. We didn’t open them, but they’re thick and probably held a wad of cash.” Guard raises his brows, taking them from me to be given to Vance at a later date, but waits for me to continue. I take out the leather booklet from my jacket. “We also found this. There are names and some kind of coding beside each of them.” I hand it over to Guard.

Guard opens the black leather-bound journal and flips through the first couple of pages. Demon says, “Page ten, Prez.” Our president turns to that page, and when he sees what we saw earlier, he lets his gaze fall on us.

“This is why she didn’t go to the cops,” he says. “Call Crush in here. Now!”

Blade moves fast, and both men come into the room. Crush seems confused. “What’s going on?”

“Violet’s holding back. She didn’t go to the police because she knows there are dirty cops on the payroll. She’s either in on the plan to implicate us in the murder, or she’s seen more than just Sal’s murder. This is a dangerous situation for the club, brother. If she’s a plant, I’ll put a bullet in her head myself,” Guard states.

“She’s not. I know she’s not. I know evil. I’ve lived, eaten, and breathed the same breath with evil. Violet’s not that. I know it.” He inhales, then lets out a breath as he looks around the room. “If Violet is the enemy, you won’t have to pull the trigger. I’ll do it myself.”

“She doesn’t leave this compound. Violet either tells us everything, or I’ll make sure she lands on the station steps, one way or another. Put her in my office and stay with her until I get there. It’s her choice to trust us or not, but we’re not sticking our necks out any further than we need to,” Guard says.

Crush gives a curt nod and leaves with Blade on his heels. Not long after, we hear a ruckus and the women getting louder.

Guard’s the first one out the door, his loud voice causing the women to stop in their tracks. “This is Satan’s Pride business. Stand down, or this will be the last time you’re allowed in this club.” Crush takes Violet by the arm, not hard, but firmly enough for her to be forced to go with him. Blade gives Emryn a look, but the women are all too stunned to say anything.

Ava looks at her man in shock, and murmurs, “Baby.”

“I am Guard. The president of this club. My job is to protect all of you. That’s what I’m doing. Until I’m sure Violet can be trusted, she remains where she is,” he tells them, then storms past them all to his office.

Amelia’s stunned, her mouth gaping. She comes to me and grips my arm. “Do something. This isn’t right,” she pleads.

This is do-or-die for Amelia and me. She’s either going to play by the club rules, or this could be the end.

“Trust is earned, Amelia. Violet left out a very important part of her story. What she hasn’t said could cost any one of us our freedom, or worse, our lives,” I say.

The tension in the room is palpable. It’s not often the Lady Pride are this quiet. Vi looks directly at her husband, Orion, but he doesn’t have time to waste. He has a job to do, so he bends down and whispers something in her ear. Normally, that’s not enough to placate Vi, but whatever he said has her nodding. She returns to the other women and sits beside Ava, holding her hand.

Amelia

Bullet looks down at me, searching for my response. I’m struggling with what’s just happened. Violet’s scared. She came to the club for help. Seeing her hauled into Guard’s office gives me a horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach. Guard’s determined and harsh little speech has left us all stunned.

I heard a lot about Satan’s Pride when I first arrived in town. The idea of living with an MC club right around the corner worried me, but everyone I spoke to told me how the club has provided jobs and that the men in the club are proud of what they’ve built here. Many people even made a point to say that Guard has made donations to local causes. The school, for instance, has a new computer lab for students, thanks to the club.