Reunion Series-

 

 

Chapter One

After the battle at Lost Sons MC

Boone, Gunner and the others dragged the wounded men to the front gate of the Lost Sons MC. They would await the ambulance and the Sheriff.

 Afterwards, Boone looked over at Gunner and Skeeter. “I think I’ve seen that scarred man before and I think it was on a wanted poster,” he spoke quietly.

Gunner gasped. “What? Are you sure?” He paused, then said, “That isn’t going to go over very well.”

Boone nodded. “Only he’s not wanted under the name of Travis Conrad.”

Skeeter grabbed his phone and began flipping through the various wanted posters he had access to. Then he paused and stared at one in particular. He looked up at them. “Was the name Cole Cimarron?” He flipped his phone so they could see the picture. There in living color was the face of the scarred man, his photo clearly visible.

Boone stared at it and replied, “That’s the guy. That poster is only a few weeks old?”

“The poster may only be weeks old,” Skeeter said. “But the original assault took place three years ago. Seems he got into a bar brawl and really hurt the other guy. Either way it went, the law is looking for this guy and as an officer of the law, I have to take him in, like it or not.” He shook his head. “And Tate Young isn’t going to like it.”

Gunner looked troubled. “It isn’t Tate not liking it that I’m worried about. You might be looking more at Renegade and Augusta, maybe even Mira.”

Skeeter shook his head. “I can’t take that into consideration. I have to do my job. So far, he’s only a person of interest, so this is me just taking him in for questioning. What happens after that is up to the Bureau.”

“They still aren’t going to like it.” Gunner sighed.

Skeeter looked around as he spoke, “I have to do my job, he’ll go in and speak to someone on the charges he walked away from. Everyone should be held accountable for the choices they make. This guy chose to walk away and now law enforcement is looking for him. I can’t overlook this situation.”

Gunner shook his head. “No one is asking you to, all we’re saying is to move carefully. After everything that’s just gone down, nobody is going to be happy about the long lost lover being arrested.”

 “We don’t even know what this is all about yet,” Skeeter replied. “I’m just taking him in for questioning. That’s all.”   

Boone nodded. “Yeah, but first, you have to get him to cooperate, don’t you?”

Skeeter shrugged. “You just have to know how to ask.”

Gunner shook his head. “I don’t like this one bit.”

The three men entered the clubhouse.

Tate and Silas were sitting at one of the tables in the main room.

 Skeeter walked over to them and brought up the wanted poster on his phone. “I know this isn’t going to be welcome, especially tonight but it was brought to my attention that this was out there and I just can’t let it go.”

Tate looked at him then peered down at the wanted poster on the cell screen. He studied it for a long time. Silently, he handed the phone to his father.

Silas gazed down at it then he looked up at Skeeter. “We invited you here to help. We appreciate it too. But are you looking to arrest this guy? If you are, that’s a slap in the face to everyone here.”

“Dad,” Tate exclaimed.

Boone raised his hand up. “I sort of agree with ya Mr. Young, but I suppose this needs to be cleared up.”

Tate nodded. “I agree on all counts. But let’s do this. Come on.” He motioned to them as he stood from the table.

Silas got up as well. He walked with his son as they made their way to the bedroom where everyone was gathered. 

Skeeter, Boone and Gunner followed them.

When they stopped at the doorway, they looked inside.

 Mira and Travis were sitting on the bed quietly talking. 

Augusta and Renegade were standing near the bed, talking as well. 

Renegade saw them all first. His head rose and he stared at the men beside the doorway. Then he looked over at Tate and Silas who had already stepped into the room. “What is all this, Tate?” he asked in a quiet voice.

“I hope it is all just a huge mistake.” Tate shook his head at him then looked over at Travis and just came out with it, “There's a wanted poster out on you. Did you know that?”

Travis looked puzzled and replied, “No, I didn’t. What’s it all about?”

Skeeter shook his head and walked further into the room. He raised his phone and showed the poster to Travis. “Seems you got into a bar fight a few years ago and nearly beat a man to death then got yourself arrested. You got away before you could be cuffed and you disappeared. Anything there, ring a bell?”

Travis took the phone and studied the poster carefully. He handed it back and stated flatly, “That’s not me.”

Skeeter paused to look at the poster again. Then he stared at Travis. “Sure as hell looks like you.” He growled.

“Except that guy has green eyes and mine are blue,” Travis said. “And take a look at the scars, man. They aren’t the same as the ones I got in prison. And I don’t think those scars are real.” 

Mira snatched the phone from Skeeter and studied the poster. She gasped as she raised her other hand to cover her mouth. “How did this happen?”

Skeeter looked confused as he stared at her now. “How did what happen, ma’am?”

Mira looked up and whispered, “This isn’t Travis, it’s Matthew.”

“Mom, are you sure?” Augusta asked. 

“I’d know those eyes anywhere, honey,” Mira whispered. “All the hate in them is pure Matthew. If you look close, you can see the hint of insanity in them as well. Only now it’s more prominent.”

“But he didn’t know Travis was still alive,” Augusta argued. “That’s what he told us as he held a knife to my throat.”

Mira shook her head. “The man was born a liar. I think he’s always known Travis was alive. He might not have wanted to face the fact but he knew, deep in his heart he knew. He just tried to outrun it. I don’t think he knew where Travis was and I think he used his brother’s name whenever he wanted to escape the authority he turned his back on a long time ago.” Then she paused to think about it and nodded. “Yeah, he knew. Before he beat the hell out of me a few days ago, he said something I didn’t understand then but now it all makes sense somehow.”

Travis stared at her and asked, “What did he say?”

She turned to look at him then raised her hand to cup his cheek before she admitted, “He’s been looking for me ever since I left Houston after you went to prison. He said he did everything to stop you from walking out of that place but when you did, he tried like hell to find you. You still had something to pay for. He even found you once and set you up again. But this time it wasn’t just a small debt you had to pay but this would at least be a start on the debt you owed him.”

Travis shook his head. “But I never owed him anything. I never understood why he believed that. Owe him for fucking what? That was the thing with him. For every step forward I took, he tried to follow but while I did things the right way, he got darker and darker. He thought money earned illegally was just fine. His ego got bigger and bigger along with his empire but it was all built on sand, wasn’t it? Oh yeah, he went underground and built a house of cards, he threw money around like water but he had to cross a line in the sand. Now his whole empire is crumbling into nothing and he died by the violence he lived by.”

“He wasn’t known to be sane or honest,” Mira agreed.

Travis took her hand and looked up at the group of men standing there. “His lies are coming home to roost and there’s no one left to jack him up again. His whole life was nothing but stealing from Peter to pay Paul and now it's over. Well, over for him anyway. His people will have to deal with the pickings and either take over to try and run things or they’ll just take the money he lived for and run into the shadows.” He shrugged. “I wouldn’t be surprised to find the money isn’t real or even his to spend. Matthew always had a dream of being wealthy without doing the real work. He got rich but he had to watch his back continuously to keep his ill gotten gains. He never worried about his lies coming back to bite him in the ass either.”

Skeeter just shook his head. “We need you to come in and clear this up. It's too bad that he isn’t around to admit his guilt but you are all we got and he used another name anyway.”

“That name wouldn’t be Cole Cimarron, would it?” Travis asked.

Skeeter nodded. “As a matter of fact it is. Do you know that name?”

Travis looked spooked as he nodded slowly. “Yeah, I do know that name.” 

“How?” Gunner asked.

“After I recovered from the attack from Louis, he ended up dead in prison and I ended up being airvaced to a civilian hospital. While I was there, the governor put me in WITSEC. Cole Cimarron was the name they gave me and I lived under it for years. When I came out of hiding I was still using it until about a year ago when I began watching Matthew’s empire.”

Mira looked angry. “He found that out and tried to use it against you. He was setting you up again to take a fall that wasn’t yours!”

Travis nodded. “That little fucker.” He looked over at Skeeter. “And now I have no way to prove it. He's beyond your kind of justice and again I’m left behind to take the blame that isn’t mine to take.”

Skeeter crossed his arms over his chest and just stared at him for a long moment. “I know none of this is fair, but we need to get this settled one way or another. Set the record straight and just maybe we can clear your name, once and for all. Since he’s dead we don’t have anything to fight him on. This is not going to be easy to prove. There’s eye color but contacts can change that. The scars? Also can be changed. But we can try to get to the truth.”

Travis nodded then reached for his weapon. “I am just giving it to you.” He handed it to Skeeter without his fingers being anywhere near the trigger.

Skeeter took the weapon and reached for his handcuffs. 

Travis shook his head and said, “You won’t need those, I’m not going anywhere unless it's with you. I’m tired of being labeled as a criminal. So I happen to need to get this finished once and for all.”

Augusta glared at Skeeter. “They waited years and years to be together. Even thinking the other one was dead. Now, you come and ruin it.”

Skeeter paused and stared at her.

Travis looked over at her. “Baby girl, it isn't his doing.”

Renegade placed his arm around August to comfort her.

Skeeter slowly shook his head then motioned for Travis to leave the room. 

Travis turned to Mira and gathered her into his arms. “Please wait for me. I’ll come back for you and Augusta.”

Mira nodded as tears ran down her face. “I’ll be here, waiting for you.”

 Everyone watched as Travis left the room and Skeeter walked out after him.

Tate looked at Gunner and asked, “Is he going to be okay?”

Gunner and Boone both nodded. 

“Skeeter will make sure of that,” Gunner replied. “He isn’t going to just turn him over and walk away. He’s going to work with the system and get the answers we need. Skeeter isn’t one to leave things alone.”

“I hope so,” Augusta was crying now. “My father has been through hell and now this? Our family should be celebrating not watching him being taken back to jail.” She turned and wept into Renegade’s chest.

Chapter Two

Darrin made his way to the main room. He found it empty so he wandered down the hall. When he saw everyone in the room Mira had been given, he went in and looked at Tate and cleared his throat. 

Tate looked over at him.

  Darrin nodded at him and said, “I don’t know what this means, but I went to the back area to collect Matthew’s body and it wasn’t there. Unless the other men moved it? I distinctly remember it had been covered up with a blanket just an hour ago. He was the only one that died as far as we know. But his body seems to be missing.” 

The room went silent. 

Finally, Silas asked, “It isn’t there?”

Darrin looked at them all and said, “I had my men looking and they didn’t find it. Or at least they haven’t yet.”

“Damn,” Tate swore under his breath as he turned his head to look at Gunner and Boone, Patriot and Gypsy. “Come with me boys. Let’s go find him.”

Silas shook his head. “Like you’re gonna track a dead guy?” He rolled his eyes.

The men all filed out the door and headed into the woods, more men had joined them. After a few minutes, they arrived at the clearing where Travis, Tate and Renegade had confronted Matthew.

 Gunner knelt down on his heels and looked at the scene. He could see disturbances along the ground that told a story of a scuffle taking place. He could even see a few drops of blood staining the ground but then he paused. Looking over his shoulder, he asked Tate, “Where is all the blood?”

Tate looked up at him and asked, “What?”

Gunner motioned at the scene that was supposed to be where a shooting took place. “Where is all the blood? If you guys killed him, then where is the blood?”

Silas nodded. “He’s right, there should be some where he dropped and if he got away, where's the trail of blood?”

Everyone broke apart to look for the blood trail. They found a small splatter of blood here and there. But they didn’t find any real blood trail or any sign of someone injured and fleeing the scene of a shooting.  

Darrin went ahead of everyone, deeper into the trees, then something caught his eye and when he walked over he found a vest, apparently a bullet proof vest that carried three bullet holes. They were all center massed in a pattern that suggested they were all aimed at the heart of the man who wore the Kevlar. He looked up and called out to them, “There’s something here you all need to see here.”

In just a minute or two, everyone joined him.

“Seems that sonofabitch escaped justice yet again,” Darrin stated as he looked pissed.

 When Gunner knelt, he saw the vest and swore under his breath. He could see the pattern of the bullets. The three different bullet holes. His expression looked grim as he dug into his pocket for his phone and texted Skeeter. He needed him here immediately. 

Skeeter texted back that he had to get Travis from the station first then he would return. 

Gunner took a photo of the vest and sent it to him.

Skeeter texted a moment later, “We’ll be there.”

Gunner nodded and glanced at Darrin. “Glad you never touched it. We need to keep the chain of evidence.”

Twenty minutes later …

Skeeter and Travis joined them in the woods. 

Skeeter saw the vest laying on the ground and he swore under his breath, “What the hell?”

Travis froze for a moment then he growled. “That little cocksucker. He had this all planned. And like fools, we played his game again.”

Gunner looked at Skeeter and said, “No one has touched it.” He glanced at Darrin.

He shook his head and raised his hands and said, “Never touched it.”

Skeeter growled as his hand roamed over the back of his head. He glanced at Tate then looked at Gunner. “I’m going to have to call this in, you know that right?”

Gunner met Tate’s gaze as he nodded. “Sure, I know, but when we all give our statements it will be on the record then.” He glanced at Travis. “This is going to explode all over the place. But the thing is, if you tell the truth and can back it with official evidence, Matthew isn’t going to have a place to hide. He can’t use his normal officials to hide behind either. They will freeze all his accounts until everything can be sorted out.”

Travis nodded. “I got nothing to hide, I never did. Matthew always had more to hide than I did. When Mira gave over the evidence that cleared me and Louis died after attacking me inside the pen, all the evidence tracked right back to my brother. The men he paid off tried to bury it all but even they knew they couldn’t destroy real evidence. You may have to really look for it but you can still find it.”

Gunner nodded then looked at Skeeter. “Make the call.”

Skeeter reached for his phone. 

An hour later, a crew of US Marshalls drove up to the compound. They got out of their SUVs to do their job and question the entire MC.

By dawn the next morning, they had everything on record and all the evidence was put into a van. 

Skeeter’s friend Marcus suggested, “Maybe you should stay close to Travis. Just to keep an eye on him. I mean his story is real and we’ve confirmed part of it, but this Matthew guy is beginning to become unhinged. He’ll come after his brother. Perhaps even the old girlfriend and the daughter they had together. He’s one of those psychos so blind with crazy that he’s going to strike out and he’s going to  make it hurt. He's also on the losing end this time and from what we’ve heard tonight, that’s not a place he’ll be happy with. He’s used to coming out on top or sliding away clean. The good thing though? We’re aware of him now and we can work to shrink his world.” Marcus paused to look around at the people standing there. “We’re gonna take his empire down brick by fucking brick. We’ll find his secrets and blow them up one by one.”

Travis  spoke up and told him, “One thing you might want to look at is the money.”

Marcus tilted his head at him. “The money?”

Travis nodded. “Matthew never gave anything away when he could help it. He made a deal with Joshua Moon. Handed him 14 million dollars in cash in exchange for half the value of a gold mine on Indian land. The gold mine couldn’t be his and I think he knew it but he made the deal anyway. If I were you, I would check the money and see if it was even real or not.”

Tate crossed his arms over his chest and gave Marcus a nod. “The money is sitting in a Houston bank, in a safety deposit box with Joshua Moon’s name on it. He thought he could park the money there, so in a few years he could collect it and live like a king. He told us that the same day we confronted him and his brothers before they all went to prison. Only his brothers had no idea Joshua had this secret and they were pissed. But they will all be old and grey before they ever get out. ”

Marcus just shook his head. “We can always get a warrant and check things out. If the money isn’t real, then we got another charge for Matthew.”

Tate nodded then handed over the paperwork to prove their claim. “That’s the contract Joshua signed, but he never used his own name. Michael Moon was his father’s name and Crysta is his mother’s name. Michael threw Crysta out of his home twenty years ago after beating her so badly she lost her eyesight. Joshua never knew if she was dead or alive when he put her name on that contract. She’s here if you need to talk to her.”

Marcus shook his head. “We know where she is if we need to talk to her and we might but for right now, we’ll just leave with what we have.” He looked at Skeeter and asked, “Are you staying here or going home?”

“We’ll be going home again after we get things done here,” Skeeter told him. “I’ll make sure Travis is with us.”  He shrugged and added, “Personally, I don’t think he has anything to hide and I think he’ll cooperate with every step. He wants to end this as much as we do. There is a wanted poster out on his alias from a couple of weeks ago but he claims it isn’t him and I think he’s right. He says the man in the poster has green eyes and his are blue and his scars don’t match the man on the poster. I believe him. Mira says the man on the poster is Matthew and I think she could be right about that.”

Marcus nodded. “We can check on that as well. This Matthew has balls and really chases the win. I'll give him that much, but he won’t be free for long.”

“You have to be very careful,” Skeeter warned him. “If and when you find him, he’s got the mindset that nothing can touch him. He thinks he’s bought and paid for the very system we work for. That makes him dangerous and stupid.”

“You got that right,” Marcus agreed. “He might have bribed or blackmailed a junior member but most lawmen worth his own salt wouldn’t allow any bribe. Don’t worry, we’ll find him and then we’ll drag him out of the hole he’s climbed into, kicking and screaming.”

 “I’m hoping you can do just that.” Travis nodded at him. “Matthew has been hiding behind a wall of fake friends and officials for years, building his empire of greed and violence and breaking the law for even longer. He’s been blackmailing good people and draining them since he was 20 years old. Always taking and taking while never thinking of the destruction behind his wake. It's long past time to stop him.” He paused, then added, “He had a knife to my daughter’s throat earlier and he didn’t even hesitate to put it there, he used her as a shield to try and get away. He beat her mother days before. If Darrin hadn’t gotten her out of that compound of his, she would have been left behind. I almost lost both of them before I even knew it.” He looked over at Skeeter. “If you want me, then they come too. I will not now or ever leave them behind again.”

Gunner nodded at him. “We won’t leave them behind either. They are more than welcome to come with us when we go home. It will be easier to protect our home compound than it is here. We already have a highly protected base due to a few of us being ex-lawmen. We know our own turf and each of my men knows and has weapons they can use to protect our families. I’m not saying your men don’t know how to shoot, Tate, because I know you guys will protect those behind your walls just as we will, but my men are trained bounty hunters. We know the law enough to know what to do.”

“I know that Gunner,” Tate replied. “While we appreciate your willingness to come to build our numbers, it makes sense that you guys are stronger on your own turf too. No worries on that account and if you need us for backup, we’ll be there.”

“I don’t think we’ll have a need,” Gunner said. “And while I’m not sure how many men Matthew had working for him, I think we got most of them already.”

Travis nodded. “I think we did too. Matthew always surrounded himself with people who would stain their hands with the blood of others, so he wouldn’t have to. This time, he watched as we dared to shoot back, something he never expected us to do. Now he knows he’s down to whoever he can get to stand in front of him. Hell…” He snorted. “He knows he’s really not safe since he took three hits from three different people, one of them being me, his own brother. That had to be something he never thought would happen. But it just showed him that he is not invincible.” He paused to look back at the clubhouse. “Now I just have to talk Mira and Augusta into coming with me.”

Silas slapped him on the back and said, “I don’t think that’s going to be as hard as you think. You got twenty plus years to make up for.”

 

Chapter Three

 

Travis made his way back to Mira and Augusta. He took Mira’s hand in his and said, “Honey, the Marshals want me to go with Skeeter to their clubhouse in Jasper. They found out that Matthew escaped. They found a discarded bullet proof vest somewhere on the property here. We hit him with three bullets but he must have been wearing that vest. He went down and we thought he was dead but that bastard was planning ahead. After we left, he took off the vest and escaped. He just walked away.”

Mira gasped and raised her trembling hand to cover her mouth. “No. I thought we were safe. Finally safe from him. So where does that leave us?” she whispered.

Travis shook his head and told her, “We sure as hell can’t just sit here and wait for him to attack. We have to move forward. I’ve been watching his compound for a while. Most of his men are gone now but he’s still alive and we have one final battle to win. I hate the fact that he’s already hurt you and Augusta.” Shaking his head he admitted, “You were right about him finally crossing that line into insanity. He’s been on the hard edge for too long and he knows he’s losing everything he’d ever stolen. All that power that he killed for. It faded away during this battle. He’s always hidden behind everyone else up until now. But he’s running out of places to hide and if we give up now, he’ll just find another rock to hide under. Then he’ll still come after us later. I for one won't let him do that again. We have to find a way to end this now.”

“What are you going to do?” Mira asked. “He could be anywhere by now.”

Travis shook his head. “No, I have a feeling he’s still here, he’s still around this area. He can’t leave us alone because if he does that means he loses.And he can’t stand to lose. That means I’ve got to lead him away. Get him out to somewhere he can’t defend himself. But I can’t let either of you get hurt. Not again and I’ll be damned if I’ll lose you again. That about killed me the first time. I had to leave you behind even if it was only for a short time. I knew they couldn’t keep me in prison for long. The truth would eventually come out. I didn’t know you were already working to free me. Matthew couldn’t have that happen so he paid someone inside to kill me. When that didn’t happen, Matthew built his compound and surrounded himself with men he thought would put themselves on the front line.” He stared at Mira and said a little softer, “Back then when I was shackled and led away, I couldn’t protect you. I was innocent and Matthew knew it. He knew and didn’t say a word, but you did. You took the evidence to the right person and the authorities had no choice but to let me go. They couldn’t get to him, he kept putting up barriers and hiding behind the very laws he kept breaking or bending to the point they should have snapped. The real cops had to fight to clean up the cops on the take. That took longer than they figured but they finally got it done. Matthew knows now that he’s got nothing left and that’s going to make him unpredictable. But this was more or less his last stand. He believed he could come here and win but Tate and his men were able to shoot back. He’s got to come after me now. Maybe he thinks he can kill me and still get away to hide for a while. Then start over again someplace where nobody knows him. Hell, I don't know.”

Tears rolled down her face as she held onto his hand and listened.

“But this time I’m not leaving you or Augusta behind,” Travis went on. “Not ever again. I know I don’t have the right to ask this but I want the two of you to come with me. I want the chance we never had, all those years ago. I want the life we had planned. I know we’ve both changed over the years. When I finally got out of the hospital I wasn’t the same man I’d been when I first went to prison. I was harder, more determined and I tried to find you, God knows I tried but I knew you had to run. I also knew the reason why you ran and I didn’t blame you.  I searched long and hard for you, but I couldn’t find you. I couldn’t let you know that I was free.” He looked over at Augusta and said softly, “I didn’t know about the daughter you gave me. I never got to watch her grow up, to have all her firsts. I missed out on so much of your lives.”

“Oh Travis,” Mira said softly. “I was waiting for you the whole time. But I couldn’t stay where Matthew was. I couldn’t let him find me alone and vulnerable ever again. I knew I had to protect our child. I couldn’t allow him to find us and use Augusta against you or even me. I never knew you were this close or I would have reached out sooner.”

He slowly shook his head. “I wasn’t that close. I think I lost myself. For a long time I forgot who I was. I wasn’t the same man I had been. I lost a lot of years to foolishness. Then one day about five years ago, something happened and it took almost losing my life to finally wake me up.”

Mira reached out and touched his arm. “What happened?” she asked softly.

Travis sat there for a long time and didn’t say a word then he began telling his story, it wasn’t pretty and it didn’t put him in a good light but he figured she had the right to know, “I was at an all time low when this punk came up to me and tried to rob me. I was half drunk at the time and he thought I’d be an easy mark, I guess. I mean he was  maybe seventeen and I was forty. I should have just walked away but he called me a fool and I lost it. I just lost it. He looked at my scars and told me that maybe I should have just given in and let myself go, then he called me a dumb motherfucker and tried to pull a knife on me. I just saw red. He came at me and I used moves on him that I never even thought about. I disarmed him in two moves and then I began hitting him. Over and over I hit him. Somewhere in mind I was picturing Matthew’s face when I looked at this punk. He never had a chance and I almost killed him with my bare hands. I let him drop to the ground. In that moment, I took a deep breath and let the rage just fade away then I turned and walked away. The kid was still alive, I know that because I didn’t walk too far and was just sitting there when he came around again. But the look of fear on his face when he saw me, before he ran away was something I could never forget. It slammed into me and brought me to a stop. I’d almost killed a kid because he dared to call me out. I was living in Minnesota then. After that, I got into my truck and drove away. I didn’t stop until I got back here. I stayed closed up in a motel room for a solid week. I quit drinking and started making plans. I was going to watch Matthew and stop him one way or another. I made a vow that I would stop him and take down the empire he’d spent all those years building up. Then I was going to find you again and make up for what Matthew tried to take away from us.”

Shaking her head, she explained what happened, “He never found me or he knew and didn’t care until a few days ago. He reached out and grabbed me on my way home. He told me he’d known where I was for some time but he didn’t  care because he had no reason to. But I think he knew you were around and what you were going to do. He saw Augusta then and he said if I didn’t want him to go after her, I had to behave myself. Then he beat me and threw me into that damn room. When he left, he locked the door. I stayed there alone and in the dark. I thought he was going to just let me starve to death, then that man Darrin came in and he got me out of that place.”

Travis nodded. “I’d seen them drag you into Matthew’s compound but I hadn’t seen your face. I didn’t know it was you. I only saw you after Darrin and his men got you out. I knew Matthew couldn’t just let you go, so I followed them here. I watched over you and I was here when Augusta called you mom and I began to hope. Hope against hope that this girl was mine. Then Matthew admitted it all while he was holding a knife to her throat. I thought he was going to kill her right there in front of me. I was never so scared of my own brother in my life. Then she faked a faint and Matthew was exposed. I didn’t hesitate. I shot him but I wasn’t the only one. Tate and Renegade shot him as well. We pumped three bullets into his chest and I thought Matthew was dead for sure.”

“But now, we all know he’s not,” Mira whispered.

Travis shook his head. “No, he’s not. He’s out there somewhere thinking he has to strike back. And he will. He’ll come after us, all of us because he can’t just let this go. He’ll come after all three of us now and no one around us will be safe until someone stops him for good.” 

Mira turned her head to look at Augusta and Renegade. Then she turned back to Travis. “So what exactly do you need us to do then?” she asked.

“Well, I need to go with Skeeter back to Jasper,” he told her as he looked into her eyes. “They said they could protect me there. I told them I wouldn’t go without you and our daughter. They said you and Augusta could come too. I know you might not even want to come but I have to ask. I never stopped loving you Mira and I know I don’t have any reason to think you’ll want to take up where we left off but I’m hoping you will give me another chance. Do you think we can try again? You and me? And I want to get to know my daughter. I want to find out just what the two of you went through all this time. I want to find out where you lived and how you got by all these years. I want to spend the rest of my life loving you like we never got to do all those years ago. I know we have to do our best to stop Matthew but I don’t want us to have any more time apart. We lost so much because of him. So I guess what I’m asking is, will you give me a chance to finally take my place in your life?”

Mira stared at him with tears in her eyes. She took a deep breath and said, “I never thought I’d see you again. I really believed you were dead. They hid you and all I could do was mourn you for a long time. Losing the love of my life hurt, but raising Augusta was my saving grace. She represented us. She showed me why I needed to go on with life. But yes, I’ll give you a second chance. I can’t speak for Augusta, she’s her own woman but I’d like to see if what we had once, we can have again.”

With shimmering eyes, he gave her a smile as he raised her hand in his and gently kissed her knuckles.

A long moment of silence went by as they simply stared at each other, realizing that this could actually happen. Being together again. They both looked over at their daughter.

 With tears in her eyes, Augusta nodded. “I’d like to finally know you too, Dad. Mom hadn’t said much about you but yeah, I’ll go with you.”

“I hope you don’t mind but I’ve fallen for your daughter,” Renegade spoke up. “I think I was supposed to find her for a long time now. She arrived here and I just knew her when I saw her. I knew it was true. So I think I’ll just tag along. You know, to protect her and her mom.”

Travis smiled at him. “More protection for them and as I can see…Happiness for my daughter. It sounds good to me.” 

 

Chapter Four

Augusta had gone pink as she smiled at Renegade then looked over at her mother and asked, “What about Crysta? We can’t just leave her here on her own.”

Travis paused and stared at them both. “Who is Crysta?”

Renegade shrugged and explained it, “Crysta is  Kalinda’s grandmother. Her own son actually put her name on a document that said if he couldn’t pay back the fourteen million loan Matthew gave him then she would be responsible for the debt. Her husband threw her out of their home twenty years ago and none of them knew if she had died from the beating he gave her or if she was still alive. Mira and Augusta took her in and helped her. When Matthew found out the loan couldn’t and probably wouldn’t ever be repaid, that's when he took Mira. He was hoping that Augusta wanted her back and he could sell her back for 14 million dollars he lost. Which is insane really. Who would have 14 million? The deal with Joshua sold half the proceeds of a gold mine but the mine is on Indian land and Matthew isn’t Indian as you well know, so he couldn’t claim it. Joshua lied to him. Then he parked the money in a safety deposit box and he’s the only one that can get it. He fucked Matthew out of 14 million dollars.”

Travis shook his head. “I told Skeeter he should check that money to make sure it's real. Matthew could sniff out a scam like nobody else. He’s been known to rip off good people while conning them. The Marshals could probably get a warrant to get into the deposit box. Matthew isn’t a man you can scam that easily.”

Renegade stared at him then shook his head. “You think he double crossed Joshua? Well damn, that would be fitting wouldn’t it? Joshua conning the con man, then he gets funny money that he locks up in a security deposit box? He got scammed by a pro. Both men got the shaft in the end, didn’t they? And I remember that he said he was gonna live like a king on a sunny beach somewhere!” He smirked. “And Matthew will have a counterfeiting charge to add to his list of crimes. Just think about it…if it’s just Monopoly money then Joshua is never going to collect his 200 to pass Go. ”

“I supposed they weren’t playing that game,” Augusta joked. 

“No, they were playing a game called Life.” Renegade laughed now.

They all joined him in laughter.

Travis shook his head and asked, “So I assume you both are attached to this Crysta?”

“Yes, we do love her very much. Crysta is Kalinda’s grandmother and she’s an old lady now,” Augusta explained. “She’s also blind from that last beating her husband gave her. Mom and I found her and we helped her recover. We kept her with us the whole time because she needed us. We can’t just leave her behind now.”

Tate appeared in the doorway along with Silas.

  Silas was shaking his head. “Don’t you worry about Crysta, sweet girl. She’s more than welcome to join our family and we can take good care of her.” He looked at her again and this time he lowered his voice. “Besides, Kalinda wants to get to know her grandma and right now she needs some healing too. She didn’t know her family for so long and Crysta can tell her stories and maybe fill in some of her history too. We all need to know our roots.”

Augusta stared at him for a long moment then nodded. “Ok Mr. Young, I get that. But if she needs us for anything, all you have to do is call me. I don’t know where we all go from here but I think I need to go with my parents, maybe get to know my roots too.”

Renegade looked at Tate and said, “I need to see this through as well which means I will stay with Augusta and protect her. You know as well as I do that Matthew isn’t going to stop until either he’s dead or they are all dead. I’m not about to let that happen but I can’t do it from here. I have to be wherever they are.”

Tate nodded. “We figured as much, but when this is over you and Augusta are always welcome to come back here and make this your home. I hope you know that?”

Renegade nodded. “Thank you, it's been a long time since I had any place to call home. I kinda like that idea.”

Tate looked over at Travis. “That goes for you two as well. We’d be honored to have you join us.”

Travis nodded. “Thank you, it would be good to settle down where I don't have to look over my shoulder all the time. I’ll leave it up to Mira though when the time comes. I haven't really given any thought about where to settle down once the Matthew problem is settled.”

Silas looked over at the group and bluntly asked, “What do you think his next move is going to be? You figure he’ll come after you again?”

Travis sighed heavily. “Knowing my brother the way I do, I don’t think he’s just going to sit back and do nothing. That’s not the kind of man he is. No, he’s going to try and get back what he lost.”

“And what is that?” Tate asked.

“Control,” Mira told them. “Matthew has to have control, he lives to be in control.”

Travis nodded. “Not only that but he thinks he’s invincible, that nothing he does will ever come back against him. He thinks he can throw money at anyone and they will just take it and  allow him to break the laws of the land. And so far, it's worked. He’s got that compound down Houston way that he thinks can’t be breached. But I’ve been watching him for a while now. I know what’s going on behind his borders. And it isn’t good.”

“What do you mean?” Silas asked. “Just what is your brother up to down there?”

“You name it and he’s doing it.” Darrin’s voice came from the doorway. 

The group turned their heads to the doorway.

Darrin and Skeeter joined them.

Darrin nodded at Travis. “We’ve been watching him too.” He looked over at Tate and Silas. “Conrad is running drugs through his compound. He’s running humans through there too. Every month he has a boat filled with women and kids heading out over International waters and they load them onto another boat and then those people are sold on the black market. He’s making money hand over fist on the backs of women he forces into prostitution. He has men running illegal poker games. He also has a line of dirty fighters in back alley fights. Two fighters go into a ring but only one of them comes out. He’s got a big mouth but people look the other way. Anyone who comes forward is mysteriously paid off or disappears before charges can be brought.”

“He really does think he’s made of teflon, eh?” Silas finally quipped, shaking his head in disgust.

Skeeter looked over at Travis and asked, “Do you have a plan in mind? Some way of stopping him?”

Travis nodded. “Yeah, I know what will stop him.” He sighed hard. “But it's risky as fuck. He isn’t going to go down easy and someone might get hurt.”

“What did you have in mind?” Tate asked.

Travis shrugged. “Like I said before, Matthew needs to feel like he’s the one in control. That’s part of his higher than God complex. He lost a bit of that when we confronted him. I don’t think he counted on me to be standing there. He relished in the fact that I didn’t know about Augusta but I don’t think he ever figured I’d be holding a gun on him either.” 

“Or the fact that I would pretend to faint.” Augusta nodded.

Travis agreed, “Yeah, but when he was left exposed and three of us shot him, that’s when he knew we were prepared to go the distance. I’ll bet he was stunned when he woke up to find himself left for dead and all alone. No one was there waiting for him to wake up. None of his men came to get him either. That must have made him feel small. He might have escaped us but I have a feeling he didn't go far. I think he’s still in the area watching and waiting for the right time to attack.”

“And just how will he do that?” Silas growled.

Travis looked at him and suggested. “As loud and disruptive as he possibly can.”

Tate thought for a moment and then asked, “What does that mean?”

“He’s gonna start shooting as soon as he sees me or Mira.” Travis shook his head. “He needs the both of us to die before we can tell his secrets and I don’t think he’s gonna care who gets caught in the crossfire.”

“The hell you say.” Silas growled. “That ain’t gonna happen.”

“It will happen unless we stop it,” Renegade assured them.

Darrin nodded. “My group has been watching him for a long time now and yeah, Matthew Conrad likes to do the craziest things. He blew up a grocery store once just because they wouldn’t sell their business to him. Then he burned a church to the ground because he believed they had snubbed him. The truth was they were afraid of him and hoped he would choose another place to pretend he was pious. And now you all robbed him of his army. He has no one to back him up and he might be in the mind to shut the two people up who could tank him.” 

Tate reached for his phone and sent a text to every member of his family. Then to his men.

Skeeter did the same with his own MC brothers.

A few minutes later, Gunner and Boone came to the doorway.

Gunner stared at Skeeter. “What the hell was the text about?”

“We have reason to believe that Matthew Conrad might still be in the area. And he might be close enough to shoot Travis or Mira and maybe even Augusta when we try to leave here.”

“Is he really that stupid?” Boone asked.

Travis nodded. “Yeah, he’s really that stupid but now he figures he’s got to make a point. He’s got to show us that he might have slipped but he’s strong enough to grab back the control. He also has to worry about how much I can tell you about what he’s been doing behind those walls he’s put up in Houston. He can’t have either of us talking to the Marshals because he knows they can’t be bought. He’s got secrets and deals in the works and he has to protect his partners if he doesn’t want to lose everything he’s built in the last twenty years.”

Skeeter nodded. “I guess we’ll find out when we try to leave here.”

“We can have shooters on the roof and in the trees around the compound,” Tate told them. 

“We already have some men out in the woods watching for him,” Silas added.

“This has been years in coming,” Travis told them all. “He’s out there waiting for me. The two of us may be face to face but only one of us will walk away.”

Mira caught her breath as she swiveled her legs over to get out of the bed. “No, I can't lose you again. Not again.”

Travis turned toward her and held her gently. “I have to see this through. I think you know that. I’m tired of playing his games. It’s time to end this once and for all.”

Mira studied him then she sighed hard. “I know, I just hate that it has come down to this.”

“Babe, even if he did quit and go away, I would still have to track him down. You, Augusta and I would never be safe until he’s gone.” Travis helped her back into bed and tucked the sheet around her.

She slowly nodded her head as she knew this was true.

Darrin turned to Silas and Tate. “If it’s ok with you, I can get my guys out in the woods. Like we were before. They know how to stay out of sight. They can see more things than anyone else, that’s how you survive on the street.”

Tate and Silas both nodded at him. 

He turned and left the room. 

A few minutes later, the silence around the compound was shattered by a single gun shot. 

Everyone ran to the front to find a body sprawled out in front of the door. He laid face down with a pool of red spreading around him. 

Tate knelt and turned the body over. 

It was Darrin…Matthew had shot him.

Travis came outside and gathered Darren in his arms then he stood him up. 

Darrin opened pain filled eyes to look up at him. “That fucker shot me. He actually shot me.”

“He shot you, thinking you were me,” Travis told him.

Darrin shook his head. “No, he knew who I was. He's been looking for me all my life.”

Travis helped him inside as he asked, “Why? Why would he be looking for you? I don’t understand.”

Darrin groaned and replied, “I’m his biggest mistake. Matthew Conrad is the man who fathered me. My mother ran away from him.” Then he slipped into unconsciousness. 

Travis felt shocked, but right now, Darrin needed a doctor.

Tate tucked himself under Darrin’s other arm then motioned down the hall to the infirmary.

 

Chapter Five

Travis laid Darrin down on the bed in the infirmary. 

Darrin’s men all came in behind him. 

Gunner, Boone and Tate came in as well.

The Savaged Soul’s doctor, Patriot, had come into the room with them. He moved closer to take care of Darrin. Patriot tore his shirt open and assessed the damage then he turned Darrin on his side, looking for an exit wound. When he didn’t find one, he laid him back down carefully and looked over at Tate. “Do you have surgical tools here?”

Tate nodded then motioned at the cabinets against the wall. “We have a medic but he’s not here at the moment. He keeps our supplies lined up. You can use whatever you need.”

Patriot stepped over to the cabinets to look for what he needed. A few minutes later, he came back with a tray and set it down. Next, he used antiseptic wipes to clean the drying blood from Darrin’s wound.

Just then, Kalinda and Jack rushed in. 

Kalinda stopped to look at Darrin’s men. 

Will, Jax, Carter, Benson and Coop all gave her a nod and they looked worried as all hell.

Turning from them, Kalinda halted with a gasp when she saw Darrin on the bed.

He looked pale as a ghost and his eyes were closed.

 She moved forward to stand beside the bed. Staring at Darrin for a moment, she then asked Patriot, “Is he going to be alright?” Her question seemed to be barely more than a whisper.

Patriot didn’t look up as he replied, “I don’t know yet, that depends on me getting the bullet out of his shoulder. He has also lost a lot of blood.” He went over to the sink and washed his hands with the sterile soap there. Drying his hands, he came back over and put surgical gloves on. 

Kalinda looked worried as she sat down in the chair beside the bed. “I’m here if you need any help.” She reached out and grabbed Darrin’s hand. Tears rolled down along her cheeks as she broke the silence with her softly whispered words, “I met him when I got to the orphanage. Well, the morning after I got there. He was maybe 2 years older than me but he’d been there longer. He told me later that his mom just left him there a couple of years earlier. He said he couldn’t even remember her face anymore. Then told me about the rules. No talking unless they talk first, the meals were always eaten in the dining hall. You do what you’re told to do when you’re told to do it. Any breaking of those rules and you would be locked in your room and you would lose meal privileges.” She reached up and brushed his hair out of his face. “And if you did what you were told they wouldn’t hurt you as much. But he always broke the rules. Not out of spite or just because he could. It was because he became a protector for the younger kids there. The nuns knew it and sometimes they would make the rules up just to punish us. But mostly, they would punish him.” Shaking her head she added, “They enjoyed making us cry but Darrin never cried. He never gave them the satisfaction of seeing him cry.”

Patriot listened but didn’t say anything. He picked up a scalpel and paused to say, “You might not want to watch this, it's going to be bloody.”

Kalinda looked up at him and said, “Do what you have to do. I’ve seen bloody before.”

Patriot shrugged and opened the hole where the bullet went in. Fresh blood welled in the opening. He then proceeded to search for the bullet. When he found it, he grabbed another tool to take it out. Next, the bullet clanged in the dish and Patriot grabbed what he needed to close the wound. Then he wiped it over with antiseptic. 

Everyone just sat there watching. A few of the men kept turning their gaze to Kalinda as she just sat there holding Darrin’s hand.

Finally, Gunner cleared his throat and asked the burning question, “What exactly is your relationship with him, honey?”

Kalinda looked up and asked, “What do you mean? My relationship?”

“Like are you in love with him?” Gunner shrugged.

Kalinda looked stunned at the notion, then she scoffed. “In love with him? No, it was never like that. But I do love him like a brother I never had. I’m married to Jack and I’m in love with Jack.” She paused to look over at Jack. “He holds my heart in his hands and I wouldn’t have it any other way.” She turned her head and studied Darrin. “Years ago, Darrin protected me like a brother when I was too young to protect myself. Our bond was born of necessity and survival. And yes, he is family to me and he will always hold a special place in my heart.”

Travis stepped closer and clasped his hands together in front of him. “Well then, you might have an answer to my question. Before he passed out, Darrin said Matthew Conrad was his father. Do you know if that’s true?”

Kalinda snapped her gaze over to him. “Why do you care if it's true or not? Not one member of his family has ever stepped up for him, they never claimed him after his mother dropped him off at that orphanage. Is it true? Yes, it is. Before he left, when he was 14, he managed to get his file from the office. His birth certificate was there. His mother had put his father’s name on it as Matthew Conrad. When I asked him if he ever met his dad, Darrin told me he never met the man that slept with his mom. When I asked him who Matthew was he just looked at me and said, “I think you know who he is, the same as I do.” She shook her head. “After a few years of being in that hellhole, I wasn’t even shocked anymore. But even I knew who Matthew was and I asked him what he thought about that. That’s when he told me what his life had been like when he was living with his mother. Of how she never let him forget that he was supposed to be her ticket to the good life but all she got was nothing. Mathew never even looked at her when she told him about the baby she was carrying. Darrin told me that your brother just shut the door in her face. I think he was all of five when she drove him to the orphanage. She forced him out of her car and without saying another word, she got behind the wheel and drove away without looking back. Darrin stayed there for nine years before they pushed him out the door. He stayed around the area, knowing they would push me out as soon as they could. So he was waiting when they did that very thing a year later. He waited for me and when I got pushed out, we took off together. He kept me in the city but he also kept me safe. We watched each other’s backs but for some reason he always watched Matthew’s compound. He could probably tell you everything that happened behind those walls but he was careful too. He knew Matthew was looking for him but he also knew it wasn't because he wanted to find his son. Matthew was looking for him to get rid of the evidence that he even existed.” She took a deep breath and exhaled, “Well, he finally got his wish, didn’t he? He shot his own son.”

Her words faded in the stillness of the room. 

Darrin’s men all stood against the far wall as they remained quiet.

Kalinda watched Darrin’s chest rise and fall with every breath he took. She waited for him to wake up again. Adjusting the sheet, she pulled it up over his chest. Finally, she looked over at Jack. “I’m gonna stay with him until he wakes up.”

Jack nodded at her. Then he glanced over at the men lining the wall. 

They looked like they would stay there too until Darrin woke up.   

Two Hours Later…

Finally, Darrin began to stir and when he opened his eyes, he winced at the pain in his shoulder. After another minute or two, he looked over at Kalinda and grunted. “I lived, eh?”

She smiled at him. “Yes, you lived to ride another day.” 

He laughed then he winced. “Fuck, that hurts.”

“Yeah dummy, it is supposed to,” she teased.

Darrin looked beyond her to find his men all standing against the wall. He furrowed his brows and asked Kalinda, “How long have they been there?”

Looking over at his men, she replied, “Maybe…Wow. Um, three hours?”

Darrin groaned then he spoke up, “Coop?”

He came forward.

“Get the men and go sit down in the main room. Have a meal and a drink, will ya?” Darrin told him.

“But boss—”

“I think you all need a break. Get!” Darrin said then he groaned again.

Coop turned and motioned for the men to follow him out. 

Now, Darrin spotted Travis sitting in a chair. “Hey Uncle. I remember telling you before I passed out.”

Travis nodded. “Yeah, you did. I never knew about you before today. Matthew has a hell of a lot to answer for.”

Darrin snorted. “Not on my account. I want nothing to do with him at all. He’s never once stepped up for me or my mother. And while living with her wasn’t all that great, I think living with him would have been worse.”

Travis snorted. “You got that right, he has always been a selfish bastard.”

Darrin nodded. “So you're finally going to stop his dirty ass.”

Travis sighed hard. “Yeah, I have to, for my family and for you.” He paused, then asked, “Tell me something, did he really know about you and he never stepped up, not even once?”

Darrin stared at him and his expression looked cold. “Yeah, he knew he had a kid out there somewhere and no, he never stepped up, not even once. He let us go hungry, living in poverty until my mom couldn’t take it anymore. I used to watch her and I don’t think she ever cared about me either. I was supposed to be ‘his’ son, but the only thing I brought into the game was nothing. She used to scream at me that I was supposed to be her ticket out of the dump we lived in but with me she would be there forever. She had pinned her hopes on my father but he didn’t give a damn about either of us. The day she dropped me off at that fucking orphanage, she told me there had to be something better out there and she was going to find it without me. So much for motherly love. To her, I was just a throw away kid. She didn’t want me anymore than he did.”

“But you made your mark in this life on your own,” Kalinda stated with a growl. “You turned their failure into something you could hold your head up to. You stood up on your feet and you became a teacher to a lot of others. Now the ones you helped would follow you into battle fighting against those who would have stomped you into the ground.”

Darrin stared at her and shook his head. “I ain’t no hero, girl.”

“You’re a hero, many in that hell for children, the kids had better days because of you,” Kalinda told him with conviction in her voice. “You took the fall for them continually, so they didn’t have to go hungry or be locked up. No, it was you that got punished. Then just look at your men. Not even taking a damn seat while waiting for you to come around. They follow you because you’re their hero too.”

Darrin slowly shook his head. He still didn’t agree with the hero shit.

Travis stepped closer the bed and said, “Kalinda told us that you have watched Matthew for a long time. So is there something you know about him that will stop him once and for all?”

Darrin stared at Travis then he glanced at Gunner, Boone, Tate and Jack. Finally, he gazed up at Kalinda.

She nodded at him.

Darrin looked back over at Travis and finally replied, “We set up something to bring him to us. He knows you’ve been watching him and he’s been making mistakes he normally wouldn’t. His world is beginning to collapse. He shot me but he has to make sure I’m dead. In fact, he needs to make sure you are dead too. So he can’t leave this situation yet. Until we are dead, he won’t have a clear and true path to gather what he needs to start over somewhere. As it is now, he can’t do a damn thing without looking over his shoulder all the time.”

Gunner snorted. “Well, it doesn’t matter who he shoots or what the fuck he does. His path will never be clear again. We’ll follow him everywhere he goes. We don’t give up until we get our man.”

Boone nodded as he added, “The Savaged Souls never say die. Well, not until our bounty is caught or dead, that is.”

 

Chapter Six

Tate shook his head. “We can’t get caught up in a war, we have women and kids here. We need to get this done before anyone else gets hurt.”

Travis nodded. “We aren’t looking to start a war. We’re here to hopefully end one and start over fresh.” He looked at Tate and said, “I never imagined that Matthew would shoot an innocent but I can’t say I’m surprised by his actions. If he’s really been looking for Darrin, this was the perfect opportunity and he just made the mistake that’s going to bring him down once and for all.” 

Tate looked confused. “What do you mean?”

Travis glanced over at Skeeter. “I’m gonna need you guys to trust me, even though you don’t know me. I know you’re the law and I can appreciate that you have a job to do here, but I need my freedom for a few more hours. I swear I’ll surrender to you when this is over. I’m leaving my woman and my daughter in your care. I vowed to never let them down again. Matthew got me sent to prison years ago but when Mira handed over the evidence that got me out, I couldn’t be with her then. I will be now.” He turned to look at Darrin. “And you are part of my family whether you want to be or not, you are my nephew and I’ll be damned if I leave you behind. Not anymore. You may not want it but I’m not Matthew either. I don’t just walk away and leave family behind. You have been alone for far too long. When I come back, you will be part of my family.”

Darrin simply stared at him, then gave him a nod.

Gunner narrowed his eyes at Travis and asked, “What are you going to do?”

Travis straightened his shoulders and looked him in the eyes. “Matthew needs to kill me before he walks away. I’m gonna set myself up to become his target. I’m hoping you all will have my back and move in before he kills me.”

Kalinda gasped and raised her hand to cover her mouth. “You can’t do that! He’ll shoot you without a thought.”

“She’s right, bucko,” Silas cut in. “He’s already sent you to prison, then he sent someone behind those walls to kill you. He damn near got you before the cops got you out of there. Then you wandered around until you found him again and he got his hands on your woman. He beat the hell out of her and would have let her rot. Then he took your daughter and held a knife at her throat, threatening her life. On top of all that, he shot his own son.” 

Travis nodded. “I know all that, believe me, I do. But it doesn’t change what needs to be done.” He sighed hard and went on, “Matthew has a mindset that doesn’t often waver. He’ll keep coming and coming until he’s killed everyone he thinks needs to die. This is the only way I know to stop him in his tracks. He’s already set me up twice now, so I can’t let him do it a third time. I need to stop him now, once and for all.”

Gunner looked at Skeeter. “This is your call, you’re the Marshal here. We only hunt the bounties down. You vouched for him to the rest of the Marshals.”

Skeeter studied Travis then finally nodded. “Only one thing, you won’t be out there alone. Me or one of the Souls will be with you.”

Travis started to shake his head even as he said, “I don’t want anyone else hurt.”

 “So don’t try to be a damned hero,” Skeeter warned. “This is going to be a scenario of him or you.”

“I know that.” Travis nodded. “So you can’t afford to not take the shot and you better aim for his head. He was wearing a vest the first time and if I know my brother, he’s always got a second option.”

Gunner narrowed his eyes at him and asked, “A second option? What does that mean?”

Darrin snorted as he answered this, “The fight you guys had earlier was only round one. You got a lot of his army then but he’s got a lot of guys working for him.  He’s probably got a second wave waiting in the shadows for round two.”

Gunner stared at him then looked up at Travis. “Round two?”

Travis nodded. “Yeah, round two. This unit will be more select, maybe fewer men but his round two guys are professionals and better trained. And as I warned before, Matthew won’t be in front of these men but standing back, waiting and watching his men. And if we want to get behind the men, we have to be in place before the fighting even begins. If he even thinks his men are losing he’ll try to either slip away or stay hidden until we give up looking for him at all. Then he’ll just wait to fight another day. And that is what we have to avoid. We can’t let him get away or we’ll be looking over our shoulders the rest of our lives. And that’s when Matthew will deal the final blow. He won’t care how long it takes either.”

Skeeter glared at him and replied, “We’ve dealt with his kind. We know how their minds work. But we need to take him alive if at all possible. We need him to fess up and let the consequences happen. The Marshals are getting into position to raid his compound in Houston and we have to do our part up here.”

“And if he leaves us no choice?” Travis growled. “How many more have to die just because they get in his way?”

The whole room went silent at his words.

 Travis turned on his heel and walked out of the Infirmary. 

Skeeter just glanced at Gunner and shook his head, then he walked out to try to find him.

Gunner ran his hand over his head in frustration.  

“You know he’s got a point, right?” Silas asked him.

Gunner nodded. “Yeah damnit, I know. But we have to at least try. We can prove Travis wasn’t the man in the wanted poster but only if Matthew is alive. Then we take him to court. The very fact that Mattthew knew Travis was still alive and tried to set him up yet again will only work if they see both men standing in court.”

“And the money sitting in a bank in Houston?” Kalinda reminded them. “Let’s not forget about that.”

Gunner nodded. “Yeah, the Marshals will have to go after that. We can’t touch it without a warrant.”

“If Matthew is coming in for round two, then we need shooters on the roof and in the woods,” Tate suggested.

Gunner nodded. “We have the woods covered, they are out there with their eyes peeled, waiting for something to happen. All you have to cover is the roof.”

Tate nodded and said, “We can do that. I just hope this all ends sooner rather than later.”

~*~

Skeeter found Travis in Mira’s room. 

Renegade and Augusta were still there. 

Travis looked over his shoulder at him then he gazed down at Mira and leaned over to kiss her goodbye. He straightened and turned to look at Skeeter. “Are you ready to go hunting?”

Skeeter frowned. “Hunting?” he asked softly.

Travis smiled at him. “Yeah, I’m calling my brother out. I think you need to be a witness for what’s going to happen.” Turning to look straight at Renegade he said, “If he somehow gets a drop on me, protect my girls.” Then he walked to the door.

Mira cried but didn’t try to stop him, she knew as well as anyone that Travis had to finish this… one way or another, he had to face his brother.

Skeeter turned on his heel and tried to catch up to him. “What exactly are you going to do?”

“You’ll see. Just watch your back. If Matthew still has men out here then they will start shooting without any warning. If you want Matthew then you go out the back door and I’ll give you ten minutes to get into place before I call him out. Ten minutes only, not one second longer.”

“I’ll warn the others to watch out for Matthew.” Skeeter turned and ran for the back door that led to the wooded area behind the compound.

Travis checked his watch.

 Tate and Silas came out, when they saw him they turned around headed toward the windows inside. They took up spots with their guns ready.

Travis checked his watch again and the minutes slowly ticked by. As soon as the clock hit ten minutes, he walked to the door and slowly opened it. Stepping outside, he paused to shout out his brother's name, “Matthew!”

He waited a couple of minutes, then called out a second time, “Matthew! Come get me you lousy little bastard. Stop hiding behind your little yes men and face me like the man we both know you aren’t.” He took another step while scanning the area. 

Suddenly, four men stepped out of the trees and they were all armed. 

“You made a mistake, senor,” one of them called out. “You came outside with no one at your back.”

Several men on the roof stepped up into sight and cocked their rifles at the same time. 

The four men froze at the sound then they all peered up the roof. 

There were six men standing there, holding rifles pointed straight at them. 

For a long moment, no one moved then the man who called out chuckled. “Well fuck me, senor. You got the drop on us, eh?” The weapon in his hand wavered for a moment then he spread his fingers and the gun dangled there before it dropped down to the dirt at his feet. He snapped his head toward Travis and glared at him. “Well played,” he snapped. Taking a step back, he slowly raised his hands into the air.

The other three followed suit.

Now more men came from the clubhouse. They got the would be killers ziptied and headed back inside to place the men into the cells.

Still, there hadn’t been any sign of Matthew. Tension grew as minutes passed.

Suddenly, they heard swearing and someone stumbling from the tree line. 

Tate and Silas kept pushing Matthew forward until he stepped out into the lights shining down from the walls of the clubhouse. 

Matthew paused as the lights blinded him. Then he saw Travis standing there. “Well, well, well, there you are you fucking coward,” Matthew spat out. “You had to have your people sneak up behind me, didn’t you? You couldn’t come find me yourself, you have a whole army doing your work for you.”

Travis laughed. “I learned that trick from you, brother. Like the men you had shooting at us before. Did you even care that they gave their lives for you or didn’t they mean anything to your grandiose plans?”

Matthew just shrugged. “Of course, they meant something to me, they cost a lot of money. I’m not a total heartless bastard.” He scoffed. “I can always hire more men to protect me. They knew the job and they knew they were expendable. They wanted the cash, so their deaths are not on me.” He glared at his brother for a moment then snarled, “At least tell me that bastard Darrin is dead?”

Travis grinned at him. “No, he's very much alive. Tell me something Matthew, is he really your son? Your own flesh and blood?”

Matthew just glared at him. “Maybe he is and maybe he isn’t, you’ll never know for sure. His mother said he was but she was a whore and I never believed her lies.”

Travis just shook his head. “Yeah, I believe he is yours. Not at all like you, thank fuck. But he will fit into my family perfectly.” He paused to glare at him. “You shot your own son and that doesn’t bother you at all, does it?”

Matthew just shrugged but he never said another word.  

Tate shoved him.

Matthew stumbled forward. Then he turned and snarled at the two of them. He straightened his stance and marched up to Travis even though his hands were ziptied. He smiled but the glee never met his eyes as he whispered, “I still got followers out here and this won’t end until one of us is dead. I’ll kill you, your woman and your daughter and still walk away. I got money and I got clout in this fucking state. And even if I can’t kill you, I can still send you back to prison and this time there won’t be any evidence to betray me.” Then he spit at Travis’ feet. “I’ll see you in hell before I give up.”

Chapter Seven

Tate and Silas ushered Matthew into the clubhouse.

 Travis followed them all the way to the cell area below the first floor. 

They didn’t free his hands before they clanged the door shut on his brother. Matthew kept screaming Travis’ name.

Tate shut the door and blocked his screams out. Then he looked over at Travis and shook his head. 

“How did you find him?” Travis asked. 

Tate nodded at his dad Silas and explained it, “You and Darrin have told us about how Matthew always waits behind his men, out of the range of fire. Dad and I know the secrets spots all over the property, so we used them to try and get behind him. You were right too. He was back far enough not to catch any of the firefight in case we started shooting back. We were able to sneak up on him and before he knew we were even there, we disarmed him. When Dad shoved a gun to the back of his head, your brother claimed we were making a mistake. Then he asked us if we knew who he was.”

Silas chuckled as he took up the story, “I asked him if he knew who we were. He said he knew but he didn’t fucking care. Then he called us lowly dirty bikers and I said, ‘Yeah, we’re bikers but at least we ain’t cowards, hiding like a little girl while real men do our dirty work.’ I don’t think he appreciated that comment, nope he didn’t appreciate that at all, the damn fool.”

Travis just shook his head. “Matthew always was a fool but I have a feeling he’s finally gonna learn a harsh lesson soon.” He held out his hand and when Tate took it he said, “I want to thank you for everything you’ve done not only today but for Mira and Augusta too. What you guys did for them shows me the kind of men you really are and I appreciate it more than you know. I’m beholden to you and I hope one day to pay you back for your kindness.”

Silas shook his head. “Son, you can’t pay back what was given freely by decent men. I would hope that someday if I ever needed the same kindness there would be someone out there willing to share what they could for me and mine.”

Travis smiled. “Over the last years of isolation, I almost lost faith in human beings and I am glad to say I don’t feel like that anymore. Once we get established somewhere, I hope you’ll come see us. You will always be welcome under my roof.” He paused then looked back toward the room Mira was in. “But first, I have to set the record right. I need to prove to the courts that I’m not the one on that damn poster. I need to clear my name, then I need to marry that woman. I got a lifetime to make up to her.”

Silas nodded at him. “I have a feeling you have a lot to learn from her and your daughter, but son, you need to listen first, then be honest with both of them. Your Mira has been waiting for you to come for her for a long time. That time is finally here. Don’t rush it, just listen then listen again. Understand what she went through before you even say a word. You might find out she knows more about Matthew from her point of view than you remember. Women like her, they surprise the hell of you when you least expect it and I think that girl of yours knows more than you realize too.”

Travis nodded. “Yeah, I think you might be right about that.” Shaking his head he added, “And then there’s Darrin too. I think the Marshals should talk to him. He knows more about what Matthew has been up to recently.”

Tate agreed, “Yeah, Kalinda told us about her friendship with him. He saved her when she was little and he’d been there for her while she grew up.”

“Yeah, their lives were hell.” Travis looked upset. “No kid should have to deal with what they dealt with while growing up. But she seems to be doing well now. Has her own family and a good life.”

Tate smiled. “Yes, Jack loves her and she’s raising a family now. One like she never had.”

“Darrin should have had a family too,” Travis told them. “His parents were selfish at best. Not just my brother, but his mother? I hope she got what she deserved. And that isn’t riches or a great life. I hope karma got her good. I can’t believe Matthew did that to his own kid…oh, wait a minute, yeah I can. He never did anything that didn’t gain something for him. He never cared about anyone but himself. Being my brother never meant anything to him either. Who tries to kill their family members? Oh wait, Matthew Conrad does. I hope he gets a heavy prison sentence at the very least.”

Gunner and Skeeter joined them.

Skeeter turned to Travis and said, “Since we have Matthew Conrad in custody. That means we can go home tomorrow morning.”

Travis nodded. “Yeah, I know and I’ll have to prove my innocence. But I’m ready to do just that. I think it's time to get the truth out and I’ve got nothing to hide.”

“We’ll head for Jasper tomorrow morning,” Skeeter replied with a nod of his head. “We can bring Mira and Augusta with us.”

“I think you should bring Darrin along too,” Travis suggested. “I think he might have a lot to tell you guys about what else Matthew has been doing. It took me a long time to find him but Darrin’s been right there, watching him for years.”

“I think you might be right about that,” Gunner agreed. “He probably knows who came and went from Matthew’s compound as well. Maybe even names and numbers so we can track down Matthew’s associates.”

Travis nodded. “Yeah, I don’t think we’re done with Matthew’s associates just yet.”

“What makes you say that?” Silas asked him.

“When I was watching my brother, I noticed a pattern. Every ten days, a big black limo came to the compound and Matthew was there every time. He almost acted like he deferred to this man when he showed up. I never saw his face so I didn’t know who he was but I knew Matthew was always there when he showed up. Was he a business man? I don’t know. I did notice something though, his men weren’t always happy to see this guy.” He shrugged. “But after I’d been watching for a while, I also noticed the guys working for Matthew weren’t happy about taking his orders either. I believe his empire was slipping even before he came here for a fight.”

“Kind of the same way those four guys he had came here with guns,” Tate reminded them. “Like once they saw our guys on the roof, they weren’t exactly happy to die for your brother.” 

Travis nodded at him. “Yeah, kind of like that.”

Silas snorted as he thought that whole incident was hilarious. “I bet Matthew wasn’t happy they didn’t start a firefight as well. In fact, he called them fucking cowards. Then we shoved a gun to his head and wasn’t happy about that either.”

Tate shook his head. “He sure looked disappointed and I think he even stomped his foot like a kid throwing a tantrum when those guys gave up their guns.”

“Sounds about right,” Travis replied. “In fact, I don’t think he really matured beyond 15. Still acts the same way. Like that screaming he was doing a few minutes ago. Same shit as his high school years.” 

Just then, Skeeter’s phone pinged with a text message and he frowned as he read it. Looking troubled, he stared at Gunner. Then he swung his gaze to Travis, Tate and Silas. “That was from my associates, the group that raided Matthew’s compound. They found more than they bargained for when they breached his gates.”

“What did they find?” Gunner asked.

“He had his own pharmacy behind those walls. A designer pill factory and enough small arms to start his own war with. They found four full size safes and when they got them open, they found enough cash to run a small country on. They also found a printing press.” He turned to Travis and nodded. “And you were right, he’s been printing his own money behind those walls. They found enough counterfeit money to run yet another small country. They got enough on him now to put him away for the rest of his life.”

Travis scoffed. “It doesn’t surprise me. That’s something I guessed at. Him making those deals like he was. If he couldn’t steal enough green he’d just print his own currency.”

“You might want to check the money he gave Joshua Moon,” Renegade told them from the entrance to the hallway. “Matthew seems the type to screw over anyone he could and not even worry about the consequences. He’s the type to go to court and claim someone ripped him off by not paying for his drugs. He’s just that stupid.”

Skeeter chuckled under his breath. “I’m beginning to believe that.” Looking over at Travis he said, “Either way, your brother is fucked.”

“I can’t say I’m even surprised at his boldness anymore. My father died when Matthew was sixteen and I was twenty. I tried to teach him the same way my dad tried, but Matthew just wouldn’t learn. He didn’t want to have to work at anything. He just demanded things and when someone told him no, he just took what he wanted anyway. He thought he didn’t have to work hard to get what he wanted, all he had to do was work smarter. He learned to play the game and when people wanted something in return, he would throw them under the bus and simply walk away. Then when that didn’t work anymore, he bought people to protect him, never thinking about or caring about who he hurt or destroyed. Then he got mixed up with people who were the lowest of the low and he didn’t care what he had to do as long as the money still came in.”

Skeeter nodded. “That happens more than you think. Men like Matthew get a little taste of the power and they want more, then more turns to even more and somehow they get lost in the mayhem they’ve created.”

Travis shook his head. “You’ll find Matthew doesn’t think he’s broken any laws. In his mind, he’s providing a service to people even dumber than he is. To him, he’s not a drug dealer, he’s a provider, serving the community. He figures if a man is willing to pay for something then he’s willing to provide that same something. He doesn’t see it as being against the law.”

Gunner turned thoughtful for a moment. “This is a trait many have taken on in the last ten to twenty years. No sense of honor. They act entitled and their emotions aren’t right. They don’t care about laws. In fact, they are doing their damnedest to get rid of law enforcement altogether.” 

Skeeter rolled his eyes. “Don’t get me started, Prez.” He then looked over at Travis to ask, “Do you think Darrin might know who this man would be? Didn't he tell you that he’s been watching the compound for years? Maybe he would know who this guy is and what his connection to Matthew might be.”

“Anything is possible,” Travis replied. “If he has a name, it would be even better.”

“Let’s find out,” Tate said.

The whole group walked down the hall.

Darrin was awake while speaking softly to Kalinda and Jack in the infirmary. 

He looked up when they came. 

The men were all staring at him in particular.

“What’s up?” Darrin asked.

Travis stared at him. “I know you and your men have been keeping an eye on Matthew’s compound for a long time now. You probably know every time he left that and the very moment he would come back there.” 

Darrin nodded. “That would be true, what about it?”

Travis sighed hard and stepped forward. “I’ve been watching him too and I’ve noticed a pattern. There’s been a black limo coming and going from there every ten days or so. When I was watching I saw the limo but I’ve never seen the face of the man inside of it.”

Darrin snorted. “Yeah, he’s been very careful about not being seen there.”

“Do you know this guy?” Gunner wanted to know. “Have you ever seen his face?”

Darrin nodded. “Yeah, I know who the fucker is. He’s been around about four years. But when he first arrived at Matthew’s compound, he wasn’t as careful as he is now.” Darrin shrugged. “This guy used to come in late at night and leave before the sun came up the next morning. One time my guy followed him home. Saw his name on the mailbox in front of his house. We started checking this guy out.” Then he shook his head and looked at Travis. “He’s big league, the type of man you don’t cross if you know the type.”

Travis froze then he nodded at him. “Yeah, I know the type. We need his name.”

Darrin slowly shook his head. Looking over at Skeeter, he whispered, “Wesley Price.”

No one said a word.

“Fuck… a… duck,” Skeeter growled.

 

Chapter Eight

“So who the hell is Wesley Price?” Tate finally asked.

“Wesley Aaron Price is a low life who’s steadily built up his sketchy reputation over the last thirty years.” Skeeter sighed hard. “He started running numbers in Chicago for the mob when he was just a kid. He’s risen in the ranks then he stepped out on his own. He moved to New Orleans and got himself set up in the underground. The people that run that town know he’s there but as long as he doesn’t make waves, they put up with him. But there have been enough times that Wesley stepped on someone’s toes that he’s beginning to feel the heat. He might be looking into changing the area he can do business in and he might even be thinking about Houston as a new base of operations.”

Tate shook his head. “But in order to do that. he’d have to run Matthew out and as Matthew just went and got himself arrested, Wesley might think he can step into his compound.”

Travis snorted. “And that might be Price’s biggest mistake ever.”

Skeeter nodded. “Yeah, the men that work there aren’t about to let some slick POS take over, not without a fight.”

Darrin agreed, “And that might just blow everything to hell. Matthew’s men are sick of taking his orders, but I don’t think they aren’t going to let Price just step in there. I think Price might just get the biggest shock of his life moving in there.”

Gunner nodded.

Travis looked over at Darrin and asked, “When we go to Jasper tomorrow morning, I think you should come with us.”

Darrin clenched his jaw and simply stared at him, then he growled, “Why?”

Travis took a few steps and closed the distance between them. “Because I’m asking you to. You have the same blood in your veins that I do and I want the chance to know you. I’ve been alone too long, without family, without the woman I love but lost. And maybe because I just found you and I want to know you. I want to learn about the daughter I didn’t know was mine and I want to get to know the nephew I didn’t know about until now. You and me? I think we got a lot more in common than either of us know about and I want to discover what makes you… you. My brother set me up and left me to hang in the wind, he did the same thing to you. Rage is burning inside me like there is no tomorrow and I think yours is too. He cost me Mira and getting to know my daughter as she grew up. He cost you a hell of a lot more.”

Darrin shook his head. “There is nothing you need to make up to me and you sure as hell can’t take the blame for him, I won’t allow that.”

“I know,” Travis said simply. “But you are part of my family and I want to know you as such. You aren’t your father’s mistake, you are my nephew.”

“What about the guys who came here with me?” Darren asked.

Gunner smiled at him. “They are welcome to come along too. We run a bounty hunting group from our MC and if they want to do the work, they can all join us.”

Darrin looked at the group and nodded, “Let me talk to them and see what they want to do.” He looked over at Kalinda and asked, “What do you think?”

She smiled and nodded. “It would be a new beginning for you and the guys. Maybe you’ll fit right in, maybe you won’t but this way you don’t have to hide anymore, this time you got family to lean on. I think you owe it to yourself to try.”

Darrin looked at her for a long moment then shifted his gaze to stare at Travis. “You really want me there?”

“Yes, I really do. Maybe we both need this more than we know. Matthew has fucked us both over but maybe we can still be family in some small way.”

Darrin looked thoughtful. “Let me think about it and talk to my guys. I’ll let you know in the morning.”

Kalinda looked up at Travis and said, “You tell Mira that Crysta will be okay here with me. I’ll look after her. And you tell her from me that I appreciate everything she did for her.”

Travis nodded. Then he turned and left the Infirmary and walked back to Mira’s room. She was asleep. 

Augusta and Renegade were in their own room. Travis smiled as he looked down at his woman. Very quietly he began to undress down to his boxers and a t-shirt. When he slid into the bed he pulled her close to him. 

Mira turned around in his arms. Opening her eyes, she whispered, “I’ve missed you. I didn’t know if you’d ever come back to me but I prayed that you would. I love you.”

Travis sighed. “Damn woman, I’ve loved you from the first day I saw you. I searched for you for years and I never gave up the hope that one day I would find you. The day Darrin and his boys rescued you and I saw what my brother had done to you I wanted to kill him. But I knew as long as he was barricaded behind those walls I couldn’t touch him, so I followed you here. I had to make sure you were alright. Then Matthew followed you here too and everything fell into place. I know I can’t make up for the years we were apart but I can damn well make the rest of our lives together with you. If that’s what you want?”

Mira gazed into his eyes and smiled. “That’s been a dream of mine since the day you left.”

“Then as soon as I get this misunderstanding figured out, we’ll have the rest of our lives to plan out.” He paused, then told her, “Darrin is Matthew’s son. One he never claimed or wanted anything to do with. I asked him to come with us to Jasper tomorrow. He’s family and I want to know him as such.”

Mira smiled warmly. “Good, it's about time. I need to thank that boy for getting me out of that compound and bringing me here. He took a chance when no one else would.”

Travis nodded. “I know and I’m grateful for what he did. Ok, sweetness, let’s get some sleep now. It's been a long day and I want to sleep here in your arms again. We’re going to Jasper tomorrow. I’ll have to talk to the Marshals and get that poster nonsense cleared up.” He leaned closer and he kissed her. 

Mira moaned and deepened the kiss. 

They broke apart and Travis groaned. “Sleep honey, we got all the time in the world now.” He tucked her close.

~*~

At the same time in room at the end of the hall, Darrin threw off his covers and slipped out of the bed he was in. His shoulder burned with fire but he had been thinking about what Travis had said earlier. He wandered over to the window overlooking the back yard. He’d lived his whole life running from one thing or another and yet, no one back then ever made him feel like they cared one way or another if he was there or not. His mother from the first time he could remember just looked at him with resentment in her eyes. The resentment turned slowly into hatred and Darrin could never figure out why. Even the day she dropped him off at the orphanage when she told him she needed to leave him behind and finally get something better for herself.

He hadn’t cried while watching her car disappear down the road. No he hadn’t cried, but he knew that was the day he saw her for what she really was. She wasn’t his mother, she was a cold, vacant woman who never cared about him, she only cared about herself. His own father had never even laid eyes on him, never acknowledged him and then one day, Darrin knew he never would. He’d been nothing but a throwaway kid. A kid who never felt love from a parent or anyone else in his life, not until he met Kalinda. She had always been a sister to him. Something built with the knowledge that she would never leave him. A quiet kind of bond, not obligation but of going through the same things he had gone through. 

They had both survived being cast away from family, whatever that even meant. They had both been abandoned but they learned to survive together. When her phone call came in he hadn’t known the phone call would take him to a safe place. The first safe place he ever had. With his action, that one rescue had taken him out of the hell he had lived in and now he had the chance to know his uncle.

His heart trembled in his chest. So much had happened in the last few days and at first he felt like the control he had was snapping. He became accustomed to being without family. He had his guys and they were like his brothers, that was a fact. So he always had that support and loyalty. He felt like he didn’t know what would come next, that’s when Travis had showed up and his world spun out of control. 

Then the truth had finally come out and the threads of his life had finally snapped into place. He stared out the window and finally thought about Travis’ words. For the first time, Darrin felt a small flicker of hope glow in his chest. All the years of being dismissed and disregarded had almost smothered the little hope he had left in his soul, but Travis’s words had begun to slowly breathe life back into his soul again.

Now as he stared out the window, he realized he was at his own crossroad. He could go back to Houston and live his days just like everyday in his past. Or he could take the chance Travis offered him and start over again. Take that step into the unknown.  His past had been hard, the scrounging for food, the hunt to find a safe place to lay his head. Eyes watching and waiting for him to make a mistake so unseen people could rush in and take everything he had, leaving him broken, bloody and losing everything he had. Or taking the first step to building something else, a life where he didn’t have to hide, a life he could step out into the daylight again.

Just then, his eyes narrowed as he saw a flickering of light. Swiftly, he stepped out of the full window. His eyes narrowed as he scanned the backyard. And that’s when he saw her. 

She stood at the edge of the trees surrounding the back fence. A small woman dressed in dark clothes. She stared at the clubhouse. Her eyes looked blank but she still scanned the back of the building. 

He didn’t know what she was looking at or for but Darrin could see her standing there. Then for a moment her eyes met his and they just stared at each other. Then without a word or action, she gave him a simple nod then turned and disappeared into the trees.

Darrin felt puzzled but still he stood there, waiting and staring into the trees as if willing her to return. But she didn’t. After a long moment, Darrin turned and returned to the bed. He laid down and stared at the ceiling for a long time.

The Next Morning…

 After he awoke, he smelled fresh coffee. He opened his eyes and saw his guys were there waiting for him. 

Will, Jax, Carter, Benson and Coop.

 Will stepped forward and handed him his coffee.

Darrin sat up and took several sips. “Damn, that hits the fucking spot.”

They all stood around and watched him closely.

“I’m alright, guys,” he tried to assure them. “The bullet didn’t hit anything important.”

“Except for you,” Jax quipped.

“Yeah man,” Benson agreed. “That’s pretty fucking important.”

They all chuckled.

 He finished his coffee then raised his head up and announced, “I think we should go with Travis when he leaves for Jasper.”

“Why?” Coop asked.

Darrin sat up and looked at them. “Because for once in my life, I want more than what we got. It might not work out the way I want but Travis is my uncle and he wants the chance to know me, to know what we do. Damn, I have family and never knew it. I would like to see what that’s like.”

The men facing him just stared at him for a moment then they all began to grin.

“Are you serious?” Jax asked. 

Darrin nodded. “I want us to stay together and we have a chance to do even more good work too.”

“You’re taking us with you?” Carter asked.

Darrin grinned. “We’ve been together for a long time now, of course I’m taking you with me.”

“Hell boss, we figured now that you had family you wouldn't want us around. We figured you would walk away and start the good life.”

“Are you kidding me?” Darrin growled. “Man, I would never do that. We are a team and where I go you guys go, always.”

The guys simply grinned at him. 

“Yeah, let's do this,” Coop said. 

Darrin held out his hand and laid it on the bed. 

With male chuckles echoing in the room, five other hands piled on top of his.

Chapter Nine

A few hours later… 

The Savaged Soul crew were ready to go home. After saying their goodbyes, they all hit the road.

Travis drove Darrin’s truck. Darrin was hurt but he wouldn’t be left behind, nor would his men. He rode in the truck with Travis, Mira and Augusta while his boys and Renegade rode their bikes. 

 For almost the whole drive, Darrin kept staring at the rear view side mirror.  He hadn’t said anything about the woman watching the Lost Sons compound but he kept watching to see if she followed them.

Finally, they turned into another compound as Travis stopped the truck and shut off the engine.

 Darrin looked around the place. He saw the clubhouse and the garage, along with a few out buildings. There were also some houses to the back and lots of property. Several large garages  and a huge parking area. A very large compound to say the least When he got out of the truck he paused to get a sense of the place. He could see and feel the order the men that lived here felt every day.

He spotted Skeeter looking at him before he turned and went inside the clubhouse. Darrin followed everyone else and when he got inside he found more sitting there than the ones that had driven back that day. 

Gunner made introductions and each man nodded as Gunner called out his name. 

One of Gunner’s men handed him a small stack of papers and said, “This is what we’ve found on Wesley Price and I don’t think you’re gonna be happy about it.”

Gunner just stared down at the papers in his hand. He quickly skimmed them then looked over at Darrin to ask, “How long did you say Price had been going to that compound?”

Darrin shrugged then winced slightly as the bullet wound in his shoulder made itself known. “For a while now, maybe seven years or so.”

“We first started noticing him one night when he brought in two other men with him,” Will told them. 

Coop snorted. “Then suddenly big shipments of something started rolling out on a regular basis. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what those shipments were.”

Gunner nodded his head. “Drugs.”

“Designer drugs,” Darrin confirmed. “Midnight Blues to be exact.”

“Damn.” Skeeter shook his head. “We’ve been wondering where they came from. Now we know.”

“And now Price is scrambling,” Darrin explained. “Because his drug empire is shutting down and he’s worried he might be exposed as a drug dealer. That wouldn’t look so good on his public legacy. He’s not going to be dragged into Matthew’s mess.”

Skeeter shook his head. “You’re right, that would tear down everything he’s been doing and the public would turn on him in an instant. The moment the title of drug lord is attached to his name, the public would turn their back on him. His reputation would be dragged through the mud instantly.”

Gunner scoffed. “He would never get his name clean again. He’s gonna lose millions overnight and a man like that can’t just sweep this under the rug.”

Coop shrugged. “A man like him? He might lose a little public support but he could turn this around on Matthew and put the blame on his shoulders. I mean he was never seen there publicly. He always used darkness and that limo to hide him. We saw it but we were watching from the dark of night too.”

Will smiled. “Well, some of us were watching and some of us were filming the events.”

Skeeter snapped his gaze over at him. “You were filming the guy?”

Will smirked as he dug his phone out of his pocket. He unlocked it and brought up his videos. He handed the phone to Skeeter.

Skeeter watched a couple of the videos. Then he glanced at Will. Finally, he turned to Gunner and handed him the phone.

Each video caught Wesley Price entering the compound and getting out of his limo. Even at night, he was seen shaking Matthew’s hand time and time again. The third video showed two other men getting out of the limo and it showed their faces clear as day.

“Who are the other two guys? Anyone you know?” Gunner asked.

Skeeter nodded. “Yeah, I know their names and faces but have never met them personally. Tyler Briggs and Nathan Kyle. Both are chemists and they disappeared years ago. Midnight Blue is their newest signature drug. We’ve just never known where to find them.”

“They must have left compound,” Jax added. “Since you all already did a search and seizure there?”

Skeeter nodded. “Those two weren't there.”

“Well, it's a good thing, Darrin sent me after them as a tail, right?” Coop asked as he pulled out his cell. He scrolled down and paused. “Here's the address I noted to where they went.”

“You better call in a team and maybe you can get them before they leave town,” Gunner told Skeeter.

Skeeter agreed. “Those two are responsible for the invention and making of several dangerous drugs. Ones that have killed many. They’re looking at spending the rest of their lives behind bars if they get caught.” He sent the video of the chemists and made the call.

They all had a light dinner and some coffee. The room was relatively quiet. None of them would be at ease until Price was apprehended and put next to Matthew in jail, where he belonged.

Finally, Skeeter got a call back. They had found the chemists packing up to leave and there had been a fight that left one of them, Briggs with a wound bad enough to send him to the hospital. Then his friend Marshal Dannis, who had led the raid, told Skeeter over the phone, “Wesley Price slipped out of town and we haven’t found him yet. Better watch Matthew.”

“Marshal Ann Marylin and her group are picking Matthew up tomorrow morning,” Skeeter assured him. “They’ll also go over the wanted poster on Travis Conrad. His girlfriend claims it's Matthew in the poster and not Travis. I happen to agree with her. On that poster, the suspect has green eyes and so does Matthew, whereas Travis’s eyes are blue. And also the scar Travis has doesn't match the ones on the poster.”

A moment of silence passed on the other end of the line before Marshal Dannis growled, “Damn, this never ends for him, does it? This is the second time Matthew has set up his brother for a fall and you know what’s even scarier? It almost worked.”

Skeeter agreed, “Yeah, it did. But now the truth is coming out and Matthew has been caught in his own lies.”

“What about Wesley Price?” Marshal Dannis wanted to know. “Have you seen any sign of him yet?” 

“Not yet,” Skeeter replied. “But Marshal Marylin and her team aren't coming until tomorrow, so we have one more night to look for him.”

“Beware of flying bullets coming out of nowhere,” Marshal Dannis warned him. “You know he’s gonna try to silence Matthew before he can make a deal. If Matthew is dead, he can’t spill more deadly secrets to make a deal for himself. And from what I know, I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Matthew threw Price under the bus without even worrying about the consequences.”

Skeeter snorted. “You got that right. Matthew still thinks he’s walking away from this with only a slap on the wrist. He’s going to get the shock of his life when we get him to trial.”

Marshal Dannis scoffed. “And it couldn’t happen to a nicer guy. We’re working on a warrant for the safe deposit box under Joshua Moon’s name. If we can prove that the money is fake then we got him dead to rights on counterfeiting too.”

“I hope we can make that happen. We’ll catch him but we have to do it by the book, he can always claim we fudged the results unless we got him dead to rights.”

“Yeah, we all know how to do our jobs, brother.” Marshal Dannis growled.

“I’m not saying you don’t, but I’ve seen too many men like Matthew slip right through the system because of a simple mistake on our part. I want this one to stick and to the right man.”

Marshal Dannis sighed hard. “I know, so do I. Conrad has had this coming for years, he knows it, you and I know it. Now finally, we might be able to prove it. And we are doing it the right way. Everything we found behind the walls of his compound has been cataloged. The chain of command and evidence has not been broken. We have more to do here and we won’t leave any chance he could walk out and continue with his happy-go-lucky crime spree.”

“Good, make it stick on him like white on rice. We also have the chemists and they can turn evidence too,” Skeeter added. “And we’ll keep our eyes open for Price.”

“Understood. Good Luck,” Marshal Dannis said.

“Ain’t no luck about it, brother,” Skeeter told him. “People who have watched this rotten shitshow go on for years are finally starting to talk. We got Price on video coming and going from the compound. We also got him bringing in the chemists to start producing the Midnight Blue drugs.  He’s in this mess right up to his eyebrows and this time, he isn’t going to slink in away. I have no doubt we’ll find him and when we do he’ll be kicking and screaming that he’s being set up but when we show the courts the proof, he’ll join Matthew Conrad in jail for a long time to come.”

“And the world will breathe a little easier for it,” Marshal Dannis added. “Even if they don’t realize it yet.”

“Amen,” Skeeter agreed as he ended the call.

~*~

While the men talked, Darrin had slipped away and stood at the window overlooking the backyard. There was a lot of land here for sure. All of it green and expansive. After being in the city for all of his life, this was a huge change for him. He felt tired of the whole Matthew- slash -Wesley discussion. He’d been in this for longer than most knew since he felt the need to watch Matthew at his compound for all these years. He didn’t know yet if these Savaged Souls bikers and the marshals could stop Matthew but he hoped they would be able to.

He thought about all the years he’d watched Matthew break the law and think he was untouchable. He thought about the fact that Matthew was more than likely his biological father and he shook his head. If it were true and he had no reason to doubt it, he hadn’t missed out on anything worthwhile. Maybe he would be a hardened criminal by now too if Mathew had raised him. He supposed he missed a bullet there. His mother hadn’t cared enough about him to stick around. He had faced the fact that she was a hollow soul in any case. Matthew never cared at all about his son. Hell, he even shot him and then ran away from the scene but he hadn’t run far enough and been caught with the gun still in his hand. 

The only one that never gave up on him was Kalinda. Then his men came along one by one and they became like brothers. All in all, Matthew’s indifference really didn’t bother Darrin anymore. And he felt not one whit of embarrassment about the fact that his father was a criminal. That had been his choice. Darrin had helped to bring him down this far and he prayed the Marshals would finish the job. 

Now he saw what he’d been waiting for. A movement in the trees caught his eyes and he glared at it as the same young woman he’d seen before reappeared.

She stepped out of the trees and into the light. 

Oddly, he felt she was here to see him. Why, he wasn’t sure but the feeling came from deep within his soul. She wasn’t here to harm him, but instead to help him get something he never understood before. He caught her determined gaze and her eyes held something he couldn’t deny.

Looking around, he found a back door. Heading toward it, no one stopped him. He opened it and stepped out into the late afternoon daylight. He slowly made his way toward the same place he’d seen the girl, then he rounded the corner.

 She still stood there, waiting for him.

When he reached her he asked, “Who are you and why are you following us?”

She shook her head. “Who I am doesn’t matter, I have to tell you something. You and this whole group are being hunted. Hunted by a man with more to lose if he doesn’t find you. Wesley Price. You have Matthew Conrad in cuffs. He can bring Wesley down and he will stop at nothing to make sure Matthew can’t tell his secrets. And believe me when I say, Matthew will tell the marshals everything he knows to get himself out of trouble. He doesn’t care who he sacrifices and Wesley Price can’t have that happen.”

“How the hell do you know a man like Wesley Price?” Darrin asked.

She shrugged her slim shoulders. “I don't know him personally at all.”

“What’s your name?” Darrin asked curiously.

“Zoey.” Her eyes remained on him.

He didn’t tell her that what she told him wasn’t really news or a surprise. They all figured Wesley was now in a panic and needed to shut them all up. However, she might know other things. “Well Zoey, will you talk to the Marshals? You might have information that could help.” 

She shook her head. “I can’t, he’ll kill me. I only came here to warn you about him.”

Chapter Ten

Darrin stared at her. “I think you should step out of hiding and finally be heard. I know how hard that is, believe me, I do. But you have a choice to make right now and I think it would be the right one for you to talk about Wesley Price to people who could actually stop him.”

“Who do you mean? What people?”

 “The marshals. The men here know them well.” 

“Why should I talk to them?” She growled.

“Because they are looking for him and you might know where he is,” he told her calmly. “Look, I get it ok? You have a choice to make and you’re scared but I have a feeling you might know something they don’t. That might be enough to tip the scales in their favor to stop Wesley Price once and for all.”

Zoey bit her lip and looked away then she exhaled heavily and admitted, “He’s my father.”

Darrin felt confused. “I thought you told me you never met the man?”

She shook her head. “I have never met him…well until a few days ago. And that was not pleasant. He’s listed on my birth certificate under the father’s name. My mother never told me about him until I was fifteen years old. When I asked her why he was never around that’s when she told me he had an affair with her but she swore she never knew he was married with a kid at home. She told me if she had known she never would have been with him. I believed her. I can’t say where she found something to be excited about, he’s a real piece of work and the years have not been kind to him, maybe it was the danger around him that drew her in. I don’t know but to my mind he’s a pig of a man and he’s not very nice at all. He proclaims to be a good solid family man but he’s running drugs and making back alley deals with terrible men. And now he is hunting you guys while looking for Matthew Conrad so he can shut him up before he starts naming names about who he’s doing business with. You see, Wesly can’t have the public know how he’s making money. He thinks he’s got political clout but he really doesn’t. He just pays people to watch his back, kind of like Matthew Conrad does. Wesley just pays them better.”

Darrin studied her a little bit better and noted some bruising and a cut over her eye. “Who roughed you up?”

Zoey smiled but her eyes showed no amusement. “Let’s just say Wesley Price doesn’t like being followed.”

Darrin felt shocked at this. “Wesley did that to you?”

She shrugged. “It was a few days ago and he caught me watching him. He must have said something to his men, because they snuck up behind me. Then when they dragged me to him, Wesley took one look at me and he knew who I was but he didn’t seem to care. He turned his back on me and was walking away when I called out to him that I knew who he was and what he was doing. I know it was a stupid thing to do, but I just felt so frustrated. The bastard then turned around and glared at me while he told his men to teach me a lesson. They waited until he was gone then one of them hit me as the other one laughed. They thought they were gonna have some fun beating the little girl up, ya know? But I learned a long time ago how to survive, so I fought back.” She snorted. “They weren’t expecting that and I was able to put a hurting on them they weren’t prepared for. Let’s just say they were doubled over while clutching their pearls.” She snickered. “Dumbasses never saw it coming. So I escaped. I left them on the ground moaning and groaning. Since then I’ve been two steps ahead of Wesley and three steps ahead of his stupid, useless men. That’s how I know he has them following Conrad and that’s why I followed you here.

“You came to warn us,” Darrin said softly.

She nodded. “Yes, I came to warn you. Wesley Price isn’t a forgiving man and right now he has to stop Matthew Conrad from linking them together. He’s also not above shooting him before Conrad can do that if he has to.” Suddenly, she gasped as she looked a bit scared and backed up.

Darrin studied her and went to reach for her as he thought she might run off.

Just then, Skeeter called out Darrin’s name. 

Darrin turned to see Skeeter, Gunner and several others were standing behind him. Will and Coop were standing to one side as well.

Skeeter stepped a little closer but he didn’t want to crowd them. “So who’s your friend?”

Darrin froze when Zoey looked like she wanted to run. So he slowly reached his hand out and calmly placed it on her arm. When she looked up at him, he gave her a nod. “It's your call.”

Zoey  stared at all the men then looked back up at him and whispered, “I don’t know if I can.”

Darrin shook his head then asked her, “Do you want to be running and looking over your shoulder the rest of your life? Because that’s what you’ll be doing if you don’t stop him, right here and right now. You just told me he gave the order to teach you a lesson and they tried to give that to you with their fists. They hit you and I can see the bruises they left. But if they catch you again? It could be worse. They might kill you. They own guns I imagine and you can’t fight that. We all know what kind of man Price is. So are you going to try to stop him? I thank you for the warning about him, but you can help us to stop him once and for all. Don’t you think it’s time to end this?”

Zoey just stared at him for a long moment then she sighed heavily. “I don’t know if I can help? I mean I saw his men following all of you before. Then they even followed you here. They want a shot at Conrad. Right now that’s all Wesley cares about.”

Skeeter frowned at her and asked, “How do you know about that?”

Zoey smiled faintly. “Wesley Price is listed on my birth certificate but  he was already married to another woman when my mom gave birth to me and he’s never even seen me for all these years that I know of. I found out about him when I was 15 and then I looked him up and he appeared to be wealthy. But I began watching him and the truth is, he’s nothing but a criminal. That wealth has been earned from people dying on drugs. And some he has outright killed if they did not do what he wanted. I stayed away from him but I watched him. The one time I wasn’t as careful as I should have been he saw me and looked right through me like I didn’t matter at all. He told his men to teach me a lesson for daring to follow him. Then he walked away. Well, I walked away too. Maybe with just a few bruises but his men got more than they counted on when I defended myself. I left them without their pride and that hurt more than they wanted to admit, I think. So now they’re looking for me too along with Matthew Conrad.”

“And your mother?” Gunner wanted to know. “What does she have to say about Wesley Price?”

Zoey shrugged. “She told me she didn’t know he was married. I believed her at first. Then when I got older and knew her better, I realized she thought he had money and would marry her if he knew about me, but she was wrong. I think she lived to regret messing with him in the first place though because she would get really shaky whenever she talked about him to me. I left home when I was 16 and she never even cared. Now I no longer care. But I’ve been watching him all this time. I know I should have stopped doing that, but I couldn't seem to. I did find out recently though that he’s trying to clean up his act to run for public office. So that will make him a public liar, not just a private liar. He will become an even bigger cheat and he will be more dangerous to many people.”

Skeeter looked at Gunner then back at her as he exclaimed, “A fucking politician?”

“So you think Wesley is coming here after Matthew?” Gunner asked.

Zoey nodded. “I know he is. Back at the other place I saw one of his men watching when you took Matthew down but he didn’t leave until you guys left Killian earlier. I have no doubt he’s around here somewhere. Watching and waiting. He’s probably already called Wesley to let him know where Matthew is.” Shrugging, she added, “Hell, for all I know he’s watching us right now.”

Gunner growled then reached for his phone. He tapped the screen then he spoke, “Man the cameras and look for someone watching the compound. We might be compromised. We need to get this place locked down.” He looked over at Skeeter and said, “You better call your people and let them know we’re being watched and by whom.”

Skeeter nodded, reaching for his cell phone.

Gunner turned to her and growled, “And you need to come inside. We are not leaving you outside of our protection.”

Zoey shook her head. “His men are here to get Conrad, they won’t care about me.”

Darrin shook his head. “No way are we leaving you alone to face a bullet. And if you piss him off again, he will put a bullet in your head. We won’t let that happen.”

Zoey looked puzzled and asked him, “But why do you even care?”

“I care because I get it. Of all the people here, I get it. We have more in common than you know. Matthew Conrad is my father. Only he didn’t give a shit about what he left behind either. I’ve been watching him for most of my life. I knew what he was, what he's done and how selfish he is. When I finally got the chance, I helped these men to shut him down. And I don’t regret it either.”

Zoey looked stunned. “Then you already knew about Wesley Price?”

Darrin nodded. “Yeah, I’ve seen him more than a few times at Matthew’s compound down south.”

Zoey now looked over at Gunner and Skeeter. “So you already know about the counterfeit money?”

Gunner halted to stare back at her. “Price is involved with that too?”

Zoey nodded. “Hell, he paid for the printing presses. Matthew set it up in his compound but they are partners in the printing.”

Gunner looked over at Skeeter and nodded. “Both men are equally complicit.”

Skeeter agreed, “They both have a lot to lose if we can prove they worked together.”

Zoey slung the backpack off her shoulders, setting it onto the ground, then she knelt down. Reaching into one of the outside pockets, she pulled out a batch of papers. Handing them to Skeeter as she rose up, she took a step back.

Looking curious, Skeeter read a few of the papers and his eyebrows rose. He snapped his head up and asked her, “Are these real?”

“I found them in his office one night.” Zoey nodded. “I went there because I wanted to find proof if I could. Proof that he wasn’t as bad as I thought he was, believe it or not. After my mom seemed so shifty about trapping him, I wanted to believe he was a good man. I suppose I wanted some kind of validation that she was the bad person and he was just a possible dupe. But when I really began digging, I realized he wasn’t any kind of dupe. Or any kind of innocent. He’s a liar and cheat, with nothing but spit and polish hiding the rot underneath.” She scoffed and went on, “He doesn’t seem to know the suit doesn’t make the man and neither do limos and having servants. And his wife and son aren’t any better. They may have money but how did they get it? They sure as hell didn’t work a legal job. And I may not be the only bastard child he has out here. My mother wasn't the only affair he’s had over the years. But I don’t think his wife cares as long as he doesn’t shut off the green. She’s always draped in jewelry and expensive clothes. The whole family is rotten to the core.”

 

Chapter Eleven

Skeeter growled and turned to Gunner. “We have to get her under cover before Price gets here. He’ll want to be here to make sure Matthew is dead. From what she said, he needs to see it done with his eyes so I have a feeling he’ll come here in person. That’s the only way a man like him will know he’s safe.”

Gunner nodded and looked over at Zoey. “Will you come inside? We can’t force you to, but you aren’t safe out here on your own. Besides, we have to keep the chain of evidence unbroken for the money but you could help us locate Price too.”

Zoey stared at him, then shook her head. “I don’t think I want to see him again. I know he has to be stopped but I don’t want to be around when you guys take him down. He’s not going to go down easy.”

Suddenly, a gunshot rang out.

Zoey screamed as she flew back and landed on her back in the dirt. She groaned as she squirmed in pain. 

“Fuck!” Darrin swore and scooped her up in his arms. The strain pulled at his own wound and he felt a stitch pop. Ignoring this, he rushed her toward the clubhouse. 

Skeeter pulled his weapon and followed him, scanning the area as he went. Will and Coop did the same. Gunner and the others brought up the rear. But no one knew exactly where the shot had come from so they had no idea where the shooter was.

By the time Gunner closed the front door, he turned and found Patriot checking Zoey out after Darrin laid her down on one of the tables. 

DeeDee came running from the Infirmary with Patriot’s medical bag. 

Patriot got Zoey positioned right and worked to get her wound medicated with antiseptic.

Darrin sat down on one of the chairs and reached over to hold Zoey’s hand.

She turned her head and stared at him as tears ran down her face.

Gunner stood there and watched their doctor work to stop her bleeding. He could see clearly that Zoey was trying not to scream and he just shook his head. He knew how painful being shot was and he felt almost proud of her courage.

Darrin watched her tears and how she bit at her lip while trying not to scream. He wondered how she was holding all that pain in without screaming as Patriot poked at her wound. Then

 Patriot snapped his head up and asked her, “How are you doing, sweetheart?”

Zoey shook her head. “I’ve been better,” she gritted through her teeth.

“Yeah, I’ll bet you have been, but I need to get that bullet out. It was a long shot but the bullet went deep. I’m sorry but this is gonna hurt.”

Zoey gripped Darrin’s hand even tighter and growled, “Just do it then.”

Darrin leaned over her and looked her in the eyes as he whispered, “Hang in there Zoey, you got this.”

Zoey kept her eyes open, tears rolling down her face and she whispered back, “This is the last time that bastard hurts me.” She caught her breath as Patriot opened the wound a bit then began probing with a clamp. She closed her eyes and held on.

Suddenly, Darrin leaned closer and pressed his lips on hers. 

She froze then opened her eyes and suddenly the pain dimmed a bit. Darrin deepened the kiss and she marveled at the rush she felt. 

The clink of the bullet hitting the dish shattered the rush she had been feeling and she broke away from Darrin’s mouth as she turned her head.

Patriot was grinning as he cleaned her wound and then began to close it. He looked at her and said, “I got the bullet out, but you’ll have to rest now and get your strength back.” He turned to Darrin and paused at the smear of blood on his collar. “And you…” He let out a sigh. “I think I have to replace a stitch or two.” He nodded his head at the hall. “Let’s get you two into the infirmary and check you out.”

Darrin stood and reached over to pick Zoey up.

Patriot shook his head and stopped him. “No, not good. Let someone else carry her back there. You don’t need any more stitches torn open.”

Darrin didn’t look happy about it but he moved back.

 Gunner stepped up and scooped Zoey into his arms. He carried her down the hall while Darrin followed. 

Patriot looked over at Will and Coop to comment, “You’re boy is stubborn.”

Will just snorted. “You got that right.”

Coop nodded. “He likes to take chances just for the rush. He’ll put his own life on the line but he’d never put anyone else’s life in jeopardy. He’s loyal but reckless at times.”

Patriot shook his head. “Yeah, I can understand that but he never should have lifted Zoey up. He tore at least one stitch if not more.”

Jax just shook his head. “He was worried more about her taking another bullet than he was about becoming a target.”

Skeeter looked over at the men and asked,  “You really think Wesley Price is coming here himself?”

Jax, Coop and Will all nodded. 

Will spoke up,“Yes. He’s got more to lose if Matthew Conrad opens his mouth and Conrad will protect himself by throwing Price under the bus for sure. He’ll do anything to deflect the blame of any wrong doing. But then he doesn’t really think breaking the laws of the land affects him. At all. He thinks he’s above the laws everyone else lives with.” 

“He’s a fucking idiot.” Jax grunted in disgust.

“Yeah and very good at putting the blame on someone else’s shoulders,” Travis assured them. “As well you know.”

Gypsy looked up from his laptop and announced, “The woman was right.” 

Skeeter turned to stare at Gypsy. “Right about what?”

Gypsy looked up and said, “Wesley Price just arrived.”

Skeeter came over to the computer and studied the screen. “Where is he?” 

Gypsy pointed at the far edge of the screen.

Skeeter saw the man as he stepped out of the limo. “Damn, he likes to arrive in style, doesn’t he?”

Jax snorted. “He never arrives in anything but that limo.” He glanced at the others to ask, “How many times did he arrive at the compound in that limo? Guess he never thought about arriving in a lesser car to hide his arrival. I mean really? He has to announce himself every single time he went somewhere? People always remember him. And it's kinda hard not to know who he is when his license plate says Price 1.”

Skeeter just shook his head. “Talk about stupid, may as well take out an advertisement. Like… Here I am, a criminal counterfeiter.”

The men all snickered or chuckled.

Carter smirked. “He used to hide himself back when he first went to see Conrad, but now, he’s loud and proud. He thinks he’s as untouchable as Matthew Conrad.””

“Well, let's not keep him waiting,” Skeeter grumbled, “Let’s reach out and say hello.”

“Can’t we do that with a bullet?” Will wondered aloud. “I mean he’s not exactly wanted here is he? I mean at this point, you guys would be on the up and up to warn him he’s not welcome here.”

Skeeter shook his head. “He has to make the first move.”

“Are you forgetting one of his men shot Zoey?” Coop asked. 

Skeeter shook his head, “No I’m not forgetting anything, but that was before Price got here and we don’t know who put that bullet into her. For all we know it could have been anybody.”

“And if you believe that, then I got a bridge out in the Sahara I can sell you, cheap.” Will scoffed.

Skeeter shook his head. “If we can’t prove it in a court of law, it does us no good. Price knows that and so do I. That’s how men like Price and Conrad beat the system every time. I shouldn’t have to tell you that.”

Will and Coop shook their heads. 

“It's not fair, man,” Coop spoke up. “They break all the rules until they get caught, then they get a lawyer or two and stick to the rules. They turn them around to work for themselves. Give me a fucking break.”

Gypsy looked up just then and smiled at them. “Except now we might be able to prove it.”

Skeeter stared at him. “What the hell does that mean?”

“I just found the shooter and I got it on tape,” Gypsy told them. “And he was closer than we realized.” He snorted. “The motherfucker just can’t shoot straight.”

Skeeter moved to stand behind him and told him, “Show me.”

Gypsy rewound the tape and showed the shooter standing there with a gun in his hand. They watched as the shooter raised his gun and they saw the shot leave the weapon then they heard Zoey’s scream. They could all see the shooter slip back into the trees. Gypsy directed them to look at another video, where they saw the limo arrive and Price stepping out to straighten his jacket. Then the shooter stepped up as Price spoke to him, then nodded.

“I think that’s what we needed to nail this bastard.” Skeeter growled.

“Now we only have to get our hands on Price and the shooter.” Will growled. As he moved to stand behind Gypsy, he stared at the screen and groaned. “Holy shit.” Looking shocked, he gazed up at Skeeter. 

“What?” Skeeter asked. “You know this prick?”

Will nodded. “Oh yeah, that’s Price’s number three. A man named Carlos Santana. Not a man who should have been off the mark when it came to shooting somebody.”

Just then, Zoey and Darrin walked out of the hallway at a slow pace. 

Zoey raised her head when she heard the name of the shooter. She snorted then shook her head. “Carlos is the one that shot me?”

Will turned his head and nodded. “Yeah. Do you know him?”

Zoey smirked. “Yeah, I know that asshole. He’s one of two that gave me all these bruises.”

Skeeter raised his brows then he remembered what she had described earlier. “Is he the one you left laid out on the ground?”

Zoey nodded. “He had been the one I hit the hardest so that might explain why his aim was just off enough that he didn’t kill me. I think I left his balls deep in his belly. And believe me when I say, I was trying to do that. Kick him so hard that he could taste them.”

Skeeter paled a bit.

Every man in the room groaned a little. Some of them even dropped their hand to cover the most important part of their body.

“Don’t even kid about something like that.” Skeeter shook his head.

Zoey rolled her eyes. “You think I’m kidding? Living on the streets teaches you how to fight back and that is the best way to fight a guy.” She smiled wickedly. “I used to play soccer when I lived at home. And I don’t hold back.”

Skeeter nodded at her with a look of respect. “Well, that might have worked in your favor today. You’re very lucky he didn’t kill you with that bullet.”

Zoey shrugged. “No, I think Santana-fuck-face was waiting for Price to get here. Price probably told him he wanted to end my life himself. After all, he would have to shut me up and sweep the truth away before I could make my claim. If I brought his secret to life in a way he couldn’t deny it, the whole world would know he’s not so moral, wouldn’t they? He’s just worried I'll show him up for the fraud, liar and the cheater he really is. Not only would I take his political ambitions down but I would prove to the world he’s just rotten to the core and it would prove his wife knew about his cheating all along. In fact, she cheats right back. Some upstanding family they are.” She scoffed. “Neither one of them would be credible anymore. No amount of charity shit or going to church on Sunday is gonna clean the dirt off of them. Then there's his so-called pride. He wants to kill me with his own two hands.”

Darrin spoke up now, “Well, that's a stupid idea on his part. Because that was the only chance he had to get at you.” He stared at her and added, “Until he’s in jail, you aren’t leaving my sight.