Page 13 of Eagle

Chapter 6

Eagle

Goddamnit! Sheriff Rickers and two of his dipshit deputies entering the clubhouse wasn’t a good sign. Rickers had replaced Canton, who had retired a few months before. We’d had a good relationship with Canton, but Rickers was slow about getting on board. The two deputies with him, Backster and Smyth, were newbies too. Canton had explained our working relationship with Rickers before he’d left office, but a big part of that relationship involved trust, something that took time to build. Especially between a motorcycle club and the cops.

I halted from going to Leo. Seeing Mac doing the bump and grind with her had done something feral to me. I couldn’t explain it, and I’d been about to make a fool of myself before the door opened. Thank fuck for small miracles.

As my brothers and I stepped forward to stop Rickers before he got too far, the atmosphere in the club changed drastically. Everyone seemed to freeze, surprised and expecting the worse. And then someone shut the music off, and you could have heard a pin drop.

Bear, our VP, addressed the three cops. “There a problem officers? We’re not usually graced with the presence of Georgetown’s finest.”

I could see Rickers chest pop out as he took in a deep breath. “We’re looking for someone,” he began, not beating around the bush. His gaze moved around the room. “An anonymous caller reported a friend of his being kidnapped earlier today.”

Bear and I exchanged a brief look. I’d filled him in about Leo. I purposely didn’t look at her. “Kidnapping, huh? And you naturally thought we were involved?” I crossed my arms.

He shook his head. “Naw. But the caller reported seeing some of you boys around when it went down. Said he was driving by when he saw something suspicious on the side of the road. Thought you might know something.”

The sheriff had said he’d gotten this information from an anonymous caller, so I didn’t bother asking for a name.

“So who the fuck you looking for?”

Rickers gaze went back to Bear in response to his question. “The caller said her name was Leona Bracewell.” He raised his voice loud enough for everyone in the room to hear. He and his officers scanned the room as he waited for a response.

Shit! I cut my eyes to where I had last seen Leo. She was standing in front of Mac, listening to Rickers like everyone else. Our eyes clashed. This wasn’t good. But then again, she wasn’t tied up somewhere, gagged. She didn’t look like someone who was being held against their will, and it would be her word against mine if it came down to it.

When Leo stepped forward, I narrowed my eyes at her in warning. She could cause the club and me a lot of trouble.

“I’m Leona.”

I caught the look of one of Rickers’ officers as he eyed her up and down, and I didn’t like it. The fucker was undressing her with his eyes. The slow grin spreading across his features indicated that he liked what he saw. “You don’t look like someone whose been kidnapped.”

Rickers shot him a “shut the fuck up” glare before Leo’s voice drew his gaze back to her.

“Your caller was mistaken,” Leo said, surprising the hell out of me, and I immediately turned suspicious when she added, “I’m sorry you came out here for nothing. But since you’re here, could I trouble one of you into giving me a ride home?”

I caught Bear’s look as Rickers turned to his two officers. “You guys can take off now. I’ll see the lady home.”

Smyth, showing a little annoyance at being dismissed, and Backster turned and left without a word. There was nothing we could do but stand back and watch. Leo seemed to go out of her way to avoid my eyes as she met up with Rickers. They exchanged a few words that I couldn’t hear, and then he led her out of the club. The door closing behind them set the room in motion again, and someone turned the music back on. Bear and I met up.

“Fuck, Brother, she gonna cause trouble?”

I unclenched my back teeth, immediately feeling the relief in my jaw. “Don’t ask me how I know, but I don’t think so. She’s protecting the driver who sent Brew to the hospital. Telling Rickers we were holding her would have opened a can of worms she doesn’t want opened. Where’s Coke?”

Coke was one of our newest patched members. Before that he’d been a prospect, John. He was a genius when it came to the computer.

“Working at the den tonight.”

The Animal’s Den was the bar owned by the club. I nodded in acknowledgement. “Never mind, I can do it myself.” I was going to have him do some research on Leo. I had computer skills, too, most of us did, but Coke was faster and better at finding out shit than any of us.

“I’m gonna tell Wolfe what just went down.”

Bear walked off, and I headed to the computer room. I unlocked the door and for the second time that day found myself sitting in front of a computer. I wanted an address. I pulled up the program we used when we wanted to look someone up, and typed Leo’s name into the search bar. Two minutes later I had a short list, and going by what I knew about Leo, which wasn’t much, I narrowed it down to three women. I hit the print button.

“Find out anything?”

I glanced toward the doorway where Bear was leaning against the jamb. “Got three names. I’ll check them out tomorrow.” I snatched up the report and stood. “What’d Wolfe have to say?” We headed back out to the bar.

Bear laughed. “Didn’t seem too concerned. Said he trusted you to take care of it if shit went south.”

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