Page 46 of Entangled By You
The last placeI want to be right now is walking into church, but Pres called, and I can’t really say no after he gave Silas and me permission to go after the thorn in my side.
We just haven’t had the opportunity to put our plan in motion yet. The man is constantly out of town or in meetings with officials. The rare occasion he’s out of the office, his wife’s alongside him or his mistress, if what Silas reported back was actually what it looked like.
The solid wood doors hang open, revealing an almost empty table. I thought the call went out to the entire brotherhood, but it looks like it’s just the three of us and Chopper.
“What was so urgent that I had to race over here? I was at the doctor with Lexi.”
Silas immediately pops up, eyes wild with worry.
“Calm down, it was just a standard appointment.”
I want to blurt out the news. Scream it from the top of my lungs, “I’m going to be a girl dad!” but Lexi might castrate me if she doesn’t get to share the news with her family first.
Pulling out one of the many open chairs, I kick back and nod to Vik. “So, Pres, what are we doing here?”
“Chopper came to me with some news that I thought might interest you two.”
Vik nods to Chopper, opening the floor for him to speak.
“I had a meeting with one of the contacts we use to keep an ear to the ground about what’s happening in town. He’s chatty when he gets nervous.”
“Which is every time he’s around us,” Vik mutters.
“Exactly, he let slip the Mayor’s been squirrely lately. Taking meetings with people he’s never seen in the office. Hiring beefed-up security. Which is why I know all this. He asked me what we were doing working for him. When I mentioned this to Pres, he said you’d want to know.”
“He’s getting nervous,” I finally add to the conversation. “His spies keep disappearing, but he can’t quite figure it out, or else we’d have already had a visit from him.”
“And that’s exactly what I told you two couldn’t happen,” Pres barks. “So, tell me what you two have planned.”
Before I can lay it out for him, a hard knock steals all of our focus.
“Hey, boys.”
“Harlow,” Si growls.
Her interrupting a closed meeting is something that could land him in some deep shit. The club’s been lenient with her after what she did to help us bring retribution to the man who ripped the club apart, but I can tell by the look on Vik’s face that his patience with her is wearing thin.
“Hush,” she chides, rolling her eyes at her husband and looking to the head of the table where she knows the real power lies. “I’m not trying to interrupt what I’m sure is riveting MC business, but I need to speak to Pierce. Can I borrow him for two seconds?”
Pres shakes his head, but gives me the go-ahead to step out.
Immediately, my back is up. She wouldn’t have taken on Silas in the middle of church without good reason, regardless of what they all might think in there. We step out into the open space that’s usually overcrowded, foggy with smoke, and disorderly, but it’s quiet at this time of day.
“Have you heard from Lexi?”
Anxiety spikes through my veins, leaving panic in its wake. “I left her at home about an hour ago. Why?”
“Because she called and I missed it. It went to voicemail, but it wasn’t clear like she’d left me a butt dial. I had to listen to it three times before I could make heads or tails of it. I heard a bunch of distorted voices. It could be nothing—the TV playing in the background—but usually she answers when I call back. Maybe I’m overreacting, but I figured I’d run over and check on our girl. I just thought I’d ask you about it first.”
The room darkens and narrows. The more she shares, the more my blood pounds dramatically in my ears—incapacitating my senses.
“Pierce! Did you hear what I said?” Harlow yells, finally breaking through to me.
“I have to go.” I shove past her, not giving two shits about the meeting I’m supposed to go right back to. She’ll tell the guys, and if I know her and Silas, they’ll be on my ass anyway.
The bike roars to life beneath me. A beast of steel and thunder, as I twist the throttle back until the pipes scream through the sky. Gravel kicks free, blowing dust up, blocking out the parking lot behind me. Shooting onto the road, my tires grip just enough to keep me upright. The wind tears at my skin, stinging my eyes and filling my lungs with the sharp taste of panic.
Every mile between us stretches like a never-ending nightmare. My heart rate hasn’t calmed; if anything, it poundslouder than the engine rumbling beneath me. Louder than the terrible thoughts that won’t stop racing through my mind.
