Page 7 of Deception
“Lay on your back, your ass off the bed. It’s going to be hard and fast.”
Wiggling, she does as he says. “I think I’m going to like this.”
Chapter Three
Griffin’s Beach
Colt
Glaring, Colt refuses to be the one to break eye contact as Julian Black stares him down. He walked in with most of the police department as though the club might revolt against them, and Lily Hankinson looks more than unimpressed as she reads over the warrant.
“Don’t forget to check the walls in that meeting room there,” Julian calls out. “What do you guys call it again? Oh yeah, that’s right. The Chapel. Like this is some type of religious organization.”
The walls? The secret compartments haven’t been used for anything other than Brock’s tech shit in quite some time. Now that they have warehouses spread out, there’s not much kept inthe clubhouse, and what they do have is better hidden than past years.
Just about everyone knows about those compartments except for maybe the new old ladies. We don’t use them for guns anymore.
“Don’t forget to go into the rooms on each floor,” Julian calls out.
Everyone sits around in chairs, and to their credit, no one looks particularly concerned. Most look indifferent, even. Colt still looks at everyone, scrutinizing everything about each man, to see if there’s any tell that he may be the one talking to Julian. It isn’t the first time they have a rat, but it’ll hopefully be the last.
“Yeah, go ahead and do that,” Lily says. “Those are apartments and considered living areas. Your warrant is only for common areas.”
“Are you worried about what we’ll find?”
“It doesn’t matter what you may find, Julian. It’s about whether it would be considered admissible. Since it’s not part of your warrant, there’s nothing you can do if you find something you deem illegal in the apartments. Unless your goal is to be humiliated further by the press.”
This feels very familiar. Almost like he’s using the same playbook Tanner Brown did when the sheriff’s department took over jurisdiction of the town. The corrupt sheriff who turned a member and got information to take the club down out of retaliation.
“You know, guys, I think I smell something burning. It could be electrical in the walls,” Julian says as he stares down Lily.
“You just got that season ofSons of Anarchy, huh?” Patriot asks. “You’re at least ten years behind, dude.”
Moving to sit on a bar stool, Lily leans back and smiles. “You know what, Julian? Go for it. I’ll file a lawsuit against the police department and the city first thing in the morning. Rumor has itthe city officials are already sick of you. I bet they’ll bethrilledwith you when I file. Especially because they don’t have the funds to pay out.”
“Is that right?”
“This is harassment, especially because you have no real probable cause. What’d you do? Find the one judge in town with a rubber stamp? With pain and suffering over the torment, I think we could easily go for a million. Each. On top of damages to the clubhouse because of some bullshit electrical fire.”
An officer walks into the clubhouse carrying a fire ax, and Colt doesn’t recognize him.Must be new.
Julian holds a hand up to stop him. “You know what? Let this place burn to the ground. It’s the best way to get rid of this filth. I don’t want to risk a lawsuit while we try to protect and serve.”
Officers walk out of the kitchen and office, all empty-handed. Which means the new hiding places Ky and Colt came up with weren’t included in the information given to Julian.
Staring at everyone, Colt tries to find anyone Julian focuses on more than the others. Or avoids more than the others. Instead, Julian stays locked on Lily. In fact, every single man looks Julian in the face out of defiance and triumph.
I know it’s not Lily. She’s our lawyer and is loyal as Lex. She also has more to lose than the average woman of the club considering she’s a daughter and wife of the club. At some point, she’ll also be a mother of the club. It can’t be her.
Lily’s the only other woman here that Colt trusts to keep her mouth shut, no matter what gets thrown at her, besides Lex. And maybe Melanie, Jace Conway’s girl. And that’s when it dawns on him.
Keep your face straight, Colt. Don’t let Julian know you suspect anything.
He hopes he’s wrong. More than anything, but as he watched the police search through the old storage areas and hidingplaces, it feels more and more plausible. The informant is an old lady.
At one point or another, the club has pissed off every woman associated with them. Whether simply one person or the club as a whole, but never has one betrayed the club like this. Cheating? Sure. Stealing and property damage? Of course. Talking to the cops? Never.
He looks at the various men around the room. Jacob “Patriot” Norris and Phoenix Hankinson are like Colt—dating and married to daughters of the club.
