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“Gather the men later. We need to meet up and talk about this.”
Without a word, I nodded and got back to the cleanup.
***
The restaurant opened and the witnesses to the rat scene went on like it was any other normal day. I could sense the tension brewing in the two men, though, impatient to get out of there. I tried to clamp down my impatience, too, as I went back to my office to finish up deliveries. Then I left the closing to my staff and made calls for the rest of the evening, antsy to just get it over with.
The last call was made just as I reached the warehouse located on the outskirts of the city, where several motorcycles were already parked. I parked mine in a corner and slipped inside, then stood beside a familiar form.
“I thought you couldn’t get out of work.”
Jansen shrugged. “I can’t, but this feels important. You know I need to be in the loop about most things.”
Being a cop and a biker gang member was probably a thin, precarious line to thread, but so far Jansen had been threading it well. It was why he was one of our most reliable members. Before I could comment, the hush died down, and in walked Matthew, shedding off his office look for his more common one: shirt, jeans, and a leather jacket that he wore during motorcycle rides. The symbol of an arrow inside a golden ring was stark and a mirror to the tattoo symbol sitting on my thigh.
“I have to get back to the restaurant, so I’ll keep it short,” he began, glancing at Sebastian when he walked in and stood beside Jansen and me. Then Matthew returned his attention to the others. “As most of you know, we, the Huntsmen, have been getting threats for the last few months. The first was the broken eggs on Callum’s car and the second was Ringo’s slashed tires.”
He kept going, saving the rat scenario for last. Tension sizzled in the air, so thick that a knife would struggle to cut through it. A few grumbles and angry spurts already started, but Matthew held up his hand until everyone was silent again.
“One or two could have been easily dismissed, but now we have reason to believe it’s all deliberate and leading to worse things. And it’s all connected to one gang.”
Wolf Warriors, my mind finished.
“Wolf Warriors,” someone bit out angrily. “Those bastards.”
“I knew it!” someone else said.
“No evidence,” Jansen muttered under his breath. “My hands are tied unless we get proof.”
Sebastian didn’t need proof. Normally, he would have been as loud as the others and joking around to lighten the atmosphere, but my friend was stiff as a board. Guilty.
Because he knew as much as I did why the Wolf Warriors would pull something like this.
“It’s not your fault,” I reminded him before he could get into that headspace again. “She fooled you. She fooled us both.”
Sebastian gritted his teeth, then nodded and crossed his arms. Jansen observed us, not saying a word. I didn’t say anything else, either. But I knew I would get to the bottom of this no matter what.
And I knew I would never be fooled like that again by any woman.
CHAPTER 5
MATTHEW
The announcement to my men stayed in my mind even after I was already back at the restaurant. It couldn’t be helped, not when the ugly stuff happening was getting closer by the second. But it couldn’t be helped, either, that I worried about one person the most—the person who wasn’t supposed to see all that ugliness.
When I searched the place, I found Sophie hanging out with Darla, who was gesturing at the dining area and saying something that made her smile. Then her gaze found mine and her smile dwindled a bit.
I sauntered over, trying to sound casual. As far as I knew, our staff had no clue yet, and there was no reason to alarm them.
“Hey. How did you find the tour? Do you think you’re ready to work here tomorrow?”
Darla gave her a wink and trudged off. Sophie offered me a smile, but it wasn’t the fully bright one I got used to.
“Yes, of course.”
“Good. Come on.”
“What?”
