Page 90 of Protected by the Biker (Grim Reaper MC)
“And if we want them to be taken down the first time, then we need to do it right,” I said.
What the fuck was going on? I had Jace’s fucking picture up in the DEA’s meeting office. I had a picture of him during some damn shootout fuck-knew-how long ago. I’ve got a captain who’s ready for me to throw the book out the damn window and just arrest people because he’s got some hard-on for cleaning up Henderson. But most importantly I still didn’t have anyone who could give me a fucking honest answer on anything!
I was losing my mind.
“I knew you would be a risk, but I took you on. You bucked up to your captain, talked out of order, and consistently interrupted meetings with questions. When you transferred, your file came with mounds of paperwork. Paperwork that boasted of insubordination. I took you on, Riley, because, despite all that crap, I thought you would be worth it. And it’s time you started showing me that I didn’t make a mistake.”
I stared at my captain in astonishment. Insubordination? What the hell was this asshole talking about? My captain in the LAPD loved me. He constantly wanted me to come in on cases and help them solve shit. If I had to be written up for insubordination, then they had to fucking tell me about it. No one can write shit up on someone without informing them of their actions. Knowing about the write-up was one way that kind of behavior was combated in places like this.
“I can’t tell just yet if you’re trying to threaten me or if you’re serious, but one thing’s for sure. I will not arrest anyone without proper proof. Because the proper proof is what leads to a warrant,” I said.
“You don’t need a warrant to arrest someone. You just need probable cause to bring them in for questioning about the case,” he said.
“Funny. We’ve got an entire motorcycle gang steeped in hardcore evidence, yet we’re allowing the DEA to use them to… what was it? Kill two birds with one stone.”
“It’s the DEA’s case. They’re just using our office and resources to aid them in the process,” he said.
“Then when the DEA tells me to arrest someone to bring them in for questioning, I’ll do it,” I said.
My captain’s eyes were hard on me. And that is when I realized it. Special Agent Monaco was a woman that had descended into his territory, and he was pissed about it. Pissed that a woman was bossing his ass around in his own damn precinct. I knew men like him. I was familiar with the type. And if talking back to him like this cost me my job, then so fucking be it. I wasn’t about to allow a man of his stature to bully me and push me around just because his own fucking ego was fragile.
“Is there anything else?” I asked.
My captain gave me one last look before he stalked out of my office and shut the door.
Sighing, I leaned back into my chair. How the fuck could I have missed this? That was Jace in that picture… in the middle of that damn shootout. There was no question about it. Was that what he was doing when we were dating? All the late fucking nights and the weekends he’d go missing? Was he with his club?
Was he dealing with stuff with The Road Rebels?
I had to hear it from him. I was done trying to put these measly pieces together to get a clear picture of my life. I was done trying to beat around the bush and come to conclusions without confessions. I was tired, I was pissed off, I was beaten down, and I was hurt.
If he was part of a motorcycle gang when we were dating, then I could understand why he wouldn’t tell me. I had dreams of becoming a law enforcement officer even before I met him. And him keeping it from me now would be a move he’d use to protect his club. This new information was slowly revealing a Jace I didn’t know. A Jace that was prioritizing the health and protection of someone above himself. In some twisted way, if I thought about it long enough, he had protected his club from me by keeping the secret and breaking up with me the way he did.
Holy shit, could all of this be connected?
Now I knew I needed to talk with Jace. It was the only way I would know for sure. I shut my computer down and pulled out my cell phone, then toggled through my contacts to find his phone number. I took a deep breath before I pushed the button, then I leaned back in my chair to wait.
And wait.
And wait.
“Hello?”
“Please don’t hang up,” I said.
“Laiken?”
“Jace, just… I need to ask a favor,” I said.
“Are you hurt? Is everything okay?”
No. No, everything wasn’t okay. It was less than okay. Everything was in upheaval, and I was losing my fucking mind. I was a police officer being asked to use suspicion rather than evidence to back up my fucking cases. I was a cop in love with an outlaw, and motorcycle gangs were waging war near my own fucking hometown.
“Can we meet up? Just to talk?” I asked.
“Of course we can. Did something happen at work?” Jace asked.
“I’ll see you at your place. Can you meet in, say, half an hour?”
“See you then,” he said. “Just answer me. Are you okay, Laiken?”
I drew in a deep breath as I sighed, relinquishing myself to the tears that were brewing behind my eyes.
“No,” I said as I shook my head. “No, Snake. I’m really not.”
Chapter 21
Snake
Holy shit, did she just call me ‘Snake’? I froze on the other end of the line as I heard something akin to a sniffle. Was Laiken crying? Holy shit, what the fuck was happening? My mind was spiraling dangerously out of control as all the balls I was juggling slowly began to hit the floor. There was no doubt in my mind that she had figured it out. Laiken had figured out I was part of The Road Rebels before I could distance myself enough from her.
Or worse, before I could tell her myself.
I stood back from the rest of the group as they made their way to the lodge. Mac looked back at me, throwing me a curious glance before they all made their way inside. I turned my back to the lodge as the silence on the other end of the line consumed me. She still wanted to talk? After the information she had just found out, she still wanted to meet up and talk?
I wasn’t sure if that was a good idea. I could blow her off and block her number. That would certainly put distance between us. I could continue to push her away until she got the picture. But if she knew I was associated with The Road Rebels, then that meant she probably knew where our shop was. Where our lodge was.
Where our compound was.
“Snake?” Laiken asked. “Or should I call you Jace?”
My throat ran dry as I cleared it.
“I’m not sure if meeting up to talk’s a good idea, Laiken,” I said.
“Why not?”
“Come on. Don’t be stupid. You’ve never been stupid. If you don’t count last night at the bar,” I said.
“I wasn’t being stupid. I was being… desperate,” she said.
“You? Desperate? Who the hell are you and where the fuck is Laiken?” I asked.
“There are plenty of sides to me you haven’t seen. Most of them didn’t even arise until you threw me out of your life.”
“Are we really gonna travel down this road again? Because we’re definitely not meeting up if that’s the topic of conversation.”
“It’s not, trust me.”
I knew this was a bad idea. I knew that sitting down with Laiken would be dangerous. She could be luring me into a trap. She could be bugged or wired. She could be working directly alongside the DEA to take every single one of our asses down. When it came down to it, Laiken was a cop, and I was a criminal. It was her duty to put shitbags like me behind bars. I ran my hand down my face as I walked towards my bike, my body drawn to the idea of seeing her again while my mind screamed at me to hang up.
“This is really important, Jace,” Laiken said. “This goes beyond my job or your affiliation with… whoever. I need to speak with you. In person. I’ll even let you pat me down if it makes you feel better.”
“Might make you feel better,” I said,
grinning.
“Can the jokes for another time.”
“So serious,” I said.
“You’re fucking right I am. I want answers, and if you don’t want to give them to me, then I’ve already proven to you what I can find if I dig hard enough.”
“Is that a threat?” I asked.
