Page 1 of Lies Beneath Secrets

CHAPTERONE

Con

The sound of rain on a tin roof is almost deafening. I can’t hear anything over the loud sound of the heavy drops. Besides my racing thoughts. I’m on guard duty tonight, watching over a man who has acted as a father figure to me, more so than my biological father. My club brother, Gabe, sits on the other side of the wall in this small shed.

Tied to a chair.

Beaten bloody.

I’ve gone over the story King told us so many times, it’s becoming a blur. King claims he caught Gabe red-handed, smoking gun and all, murdering our president, Boe. After beating him senseless, King dragged Gabe back to the clubhouse to await trial.

I take a sip of water and glance at the room’s door, wondering when Gabe last had a drink. Deciding I don’t give a shit about the consequences, I push open the door. The scent of piss and blood hits me in the face as I step over the threshold. Dim light from the single ceiling bulb is enough to show me his face. If I hadn’t witnessed him being put in this very spot, I wouldn’t have known it was Gabe tied and gagged in front of me.

“Fucking hell,” I mumble and step further into the room. I’m met with muffled words, but I can’t make out any of them. “Don’t yell when I take this off, got it?” I point to the bandana wrapped firmly around his head, pulling through his lips so tight, it’s splitting the edges of his mouth. Blood is soaked into the blue material, making it nearly black. Gabe nods his agreement, and I do my best to pull the scarf away. “Drink.” I put the bottle of water on his lips, tipping it for him to get a drink. It crinkles with the action, and Gabe happily takes down the rest of what’s left.

“Thanks,” he whispers.

“All I got for ya.” Pinching the fabric, I slowly slide the scarf back into place when he tries to speak again.

“He did it,” he rasps, giving me pause.

“What?” My fingers, still holding the fabric, are frozen in place from his words.

“King killed Boe. Saw him do it.” His voice is choppy and slurred, but I understand him regardless.

“King?” I whisper, getting a slow nod from Gabe. Ice forms in my veins. “How the fuck are you still alive if that’s true?” If King were trying to pin this on Gabe, leaving him still breathing doesn’t add up. He would have had every right to shoot Gabe on the spot instead of bringing him in for some bullshit trial. Gabe opens his mouth to speak again but is interrupted by the scrape of the door across the floor, then yelling.

“What the fuck are you doing? King said to leave the door shut.” Len stomps into the room from behind me. I get the gag back into place and turn around to show the bottle.

“I gave him some damn water. He’s still our brother until the vote.” With a loud crunch, I crush the bottle into a ball and toss it onto the floor in the corner of the room.

Len gets closer and spits on the ground by Gabe’s feet. “He’s a traitor to the club and the reason why our president is dead.” The lanky bastard has the gall to try to stand up to me, I could crush him with my pinky without even breaking a sweat.

“Not until we vote,” I state firmly, leaning in toward Len to assert my position.

“That’s enough!” King shouts from the door. “Con. You’re off duty now. Let’s go inside and catch up to the rest of them. Len’s got it from here.” I glance up to see Len shooting me a grin I’d like to punch off his face.

“Yeah,” I grunt and give Gabe one last glance before turning from the room. King puts his arm around my shoulders and guides me along the way.

“A few of them girls from the town over found their way here tonight,” King says as the heavy metal door clangs shut behind us. Boe’s funeral was today and afterwards, King decided the club needed to throw a proper party to honor the man.

As we step outside, I notice the rain has stopped, leaving behind large puddles of water. King walks through them without concern. I push to the back of my mind what Gabe told me only minutes ago, as I keep in stride with King on the watered-down path to the clubhouse. We aren’t close. He may be a club brother and my VP, but the man’s tactics don’t sit well with me. We’ve disagreed on occasion but have never come to blows over it.

King swings open the door, and I realize I haven’t yet responded. “Yeah,” I clear my throat, “I’ll have to check that out,” I say, feigning interest. My phone rings in my pocket, and I pull it out. King laughs at me when I flip it open to answer it.

“Why you haven’t upgraded that damn thing is beyond me.” Everyone gives me hell about my phone. I’m not one for the fancy upgrades that all the brothers have. This one works fine.

Most of the time.

“Hello?” There’s someone on the other end, but they keep cutting out, and I can’t piece any words together. “I don’t understand what you’re saying,” I state and clasp it closed again.

“See, you need a new damn phone. Something that isn’t older than my grandma.” King smacks me on the shoulder and walks away.

“Yeah, maybe I do,” I mumble and glance back down at my phone again, thinking it might ring once more. When it doesn’t, I put it back into my pocket. A missed phone call is the least of my worries as of right now.

Gabe’s words echo in my head as I walk through the clubhouse. As much as I’d like to call King out, I know it won’t end well. The man has a reputation for being ruthless and not at all a fair fighter. What I now know could get me killed in an instant. Or at least tied up right next to Gabe.

The speakers are pumping out a song that has a deep bass beat to it. It vibrates down into my chest and makes everything around me inaudible. Words to a song I’ve never heard before fill my ears, but I pay them no mind. I’m not here for the music. Making my way over to Knox, I glance at Siena, our newest member of the club, silently letting her know what I’m after. She’s there to meet me when I sit at the bar next to Knox with a glass and a can of Guinness.

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