Page 59 of Claimed By the Deputies

“Who’s running the drugs?” Lucas asks again. “I’ve got intel on molly, cocaine, and prescription pills being pushed in and out of Frost Valley, Dexter. We’ve got plenty of OD’s racked up. Jade dropped two of his clients?—”

“Billy Jade was a fucking tweaker, man,” Dexter scoffs. “He got it into his head that he was some big-time mob boss or something, and when the ladies wouldn’t give him what he wanted inexchange for what they needed, he decided to go gung-ho on their sorry asses.”

“I thought the girls were paying for their fixes,” Lucas says.

“They were, until they ran out of money. Or so I heard, anyway,” Dexter shrugs. “That’s the word on the street. We had nothing to do with whatever he was into.”

“Right, you were just supplying the drugs and taking the money,” I sarcastically reply.

He gives me another sour look. “Oh, the things I’d do to that smart mouth of yours.”

“I’d love to see you try,” Lucas replies, one hand on his holstered weapon.

“What we’re trying to say is it’s time to cut your losses. The investigation is only getting bigger and broader. The harder you try to plug the holes, the harder it will be for you to continue to safely run the operation. Cut your losses, cooperate, and I’m sure the sheriff will give you some time to move your product elsewhere.”

Dexter laughs. “Are you seriously telling me to get out of Frost Valley?”

“That or we’ll dig deeper into Billy Jade’s murder. We’ll find whichever dumbass Stallion you sent into my station to kill him, and we’ll get the guy to flip,” Lucas says.

“And if a Silver Stallion ends up dead somewhere in or anywhere around Frost Valley, we’ll know we were right on the money,” I add, then raise my voice for the other club members to hear. “Listen carefully, gentlemen. If one of you is responsible for BillyJade, now is the time to come forward. Is the club really worth your life?”

Lucas gives me a surprised, albeit brief sideways glance. Hopefully, we’ve managed to at least plant a seed of doubt.

“You heard the lady,” Lucas says. “Since your president won’t do what’s right for his club, maybe you will. Either way, your days of running drugs in Frost Valley are quickly coming to an end. We strongly recommend you do the smart thing and give us your boss.”

“Who says we have a boss?” Jake asks with a sneer.

Lucas raises an eyebrow. “Because you’re too dumb to put together an operation this complex and be able to run it under our noses for so long. But we’re on to you now. And sooner or later, we’ll be on to whoever is pulling your strings. You decide whether you’re going to go down with them or live another day to deal in some other town.”

“I’ll take everything you said under advisement, Sheriff,” Dexter replies. “And I am cordially inviting you to get the fuck out of my clubhouse and not return unless you have a warrant.”

Lucas stares at him for a moment, the corner of his mouth tested by a smile, his jaw twitching. I know anything could happen regardless of what Lucas’s intention was to begin with. The club had to be rattled.

He nods once, then turns to leave. I follow closely, staring straight ahead, fearful to look over my shoulder.

“I’ll see you soon, Dexter. Don’t leave town, but if you do, stay the fuck out forever,” Lucas says.

As we approach the SUV, I release the breath I was holding. The tension I felt earlier reminds me of the many times I feared for my life while I was with Trevor. Marriage is supposed to mean partnership, love, and comfort. All I got was physical and emotional abuse. Exhaustion. The kind of trauma that almost killed my very soul.

And now, the bastard is out.

“Tassia?”

I didn’t even realize I’d blanked out. “Yes? Sorry. I was lost in thought.”

“What is going on with you?” he asks as we get in the SUV.

“Nothing. It was just… kind of scary back there.”

He takes a deep breath and looks at me. “I promised you I’d keep you safe. Besides, they’re all bark, barely any bite, especially in a situation like that.”

“I wouldn’t put anything past them.”

“Nor should you, but you need to trust me,” he replies and inches closer. God, I want to let him kiss all my troubles away. “What is going on with you, Tassia?” he asks again, his voice and gaze softening. “You’ve been out of it since this morning.”

I should tell him. But not yet.

We’re still dealing with a handful of horrific murders. A drug dealing motorcycle club. A possibly corrupt mayor. That’s more than enough for an idyllic town like Frost Valley to recover from, and it will likely get worse before it gets better.

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