“Why did you meet with Bubbles?” It was something I had been wondering about more than I had been curious about Samson. Why the fuck would Kelli meet with that cunt and not tell me? She knew we had been looking for the ex-sheep. She knew what Bubbles had done to my sister. “She nearly cost Raven Max.”
She blew out a long sigh. “Samson doesn’t know yet that I’ve been double-crossing him. Michaels wasn’t ready to let that little cat out of the bag. My father called and said he had a contact I needed to check up on. I had no idea who it was. All he gave me was a time and a place and told me to meet up with one of his contacts. I didn’t know it was Bubbles, had no clue who she was until she introduced herself. I spoke to her for all of ten minutes before I left.”
“What did she say?”
“She bragged about being my father’s newest lover. Apparently, she thought he was better in the sack than Kevin had been.” Her lips twisted in disgust. “She didn’t have much to tell me, other than what to watch for and which brother was the easiest to get the most information out of.”
“Which is who?” I had a feeling what name she was going to give me, but I needed confirmation.
“Warden was on the list. She said he liked to talk after he got good head.”
Warden never had been able to keep his mouth shut after he got his dick sucked.
Damn it.
I glared down at her, hating that I was feeling relieved she hadn’t betrayed me. “How the fuck do you expect me to believe anything you say?”
“I have proof,” she assured me. “Have Raider go to our house, tell him to lift the loose board under my bed. I have a USB drive under there of the recordings I made of each meeting I had with Michaels and Campbell.”
I put my hands on the end of the bed and leaned over her menacingly. “You better hope he finds it, babe. Because if he doesn’t, you won’t ever be going home.”
Chapter 1
Kelli
Head still spinning, stomach like an ugly storm, I turned off the shower and leaned against the tiny shower stall wall. Sucking in deep breaths, I closed my eyes and prayed for the world to stop turning so quickly.
Fuck, this was the worst hangover ever. Whatever Raven gave her brother to drug me with, it kicked my ass and kept me out for hours, and I was still feeling the effects of it. I shuddered at the realization that even a pinch more of that shit could have easily killed me.
Not that I expected her to care. Hell, I was pretty sure everyone in the Angel’s Halo MC wanted me dead at the moment. Including the biker who was currently stomping around upstairs.
Slowly, I got out of the shower, taking my time so I didn’t fall on my face. Drying off was a workout, and I was out of breath by the time I was semi-dry. Muttering curses under my breath, I struggled to get dressed and left my hair to air dry.
A bellow from upstairs shook the walls, and I rushed as quickly as I could up the stairs without tripping over my feet. Colt stood by the window, his phone to his ear as he listened to whoever was on the other end. He must have had a signal booster on his phone because I’d been sure there was no service up here in the middle of nowhere.
His face was clouded and set in pained lines as he raked a hand through his hair. “What about Quinn? Is she safe?” The bottom fell out of my stomach as I stood there watching his beautiful face and waiting for that expression to clear up. It didn’t, and all I could picture was Quinn, my beautiful and pregnant friend, looking up at the sky with lifeless eyes. “You’re sure she’s okay? You have your fucking eyes on her right goddamn now, so you can tell me she’s fine?”
The pause as he listened made my already tortured stomach protest, and I swallowed hard to keep the bile from filling my throat.
“Get your ass back to the compound, and don’t take your fucking eyes off her until I get back. I don’t care if Jet and Spider are there. She’s your woman. Fucking act like she matters more than everything else that’s going on.” Another pause and I could hear the distinct sound of Raider as he yelled at his brother, but I couldn’t make out what he was saying. When the older Hannigan brother trailed off, Colt broke in. “I’m leaving as soon as I get this place closed up. Give the USB to Flick. She can figure out how to open the files…”
Figuring Quinn was actually okay, I felt oddly weak and dropped down into the nearest chair as Colt finished his conversation with Raider. The fact that they were talking about the USB drive, the only evidence I had to prove I hadn’t betrayed Colt and the MC, didn’t matter to me. All I cared about was getting back to my friend and making sure she and the baby were okay.
But when he hung up, his phone landed on the small table beside him with a loud clatter, and I wondered briefly if he’d cracked the screen. His rage-filled bellow filled the cabin as his fist connected with the wall right beside the window, making the glass rattle from the force. I didn’t flinch as he punched the wall a second and a third time.
“What happened?” I asked cautiously when he just stood there staring sightlessly at the hole he’d put in the wall, knowing from experience that Colt Hannigan in this mood was more dangerous than a hungry panther desperate for food.
He turned, his eyes taking a few seconds to focus on me as his rage cleared enough for him to see. “The bar was shot up by the Italians. Lexa was shot. Uncle Chaz and Uncle Jack are both dead.” His jaw clenched, the pulse at his temple ticking in time to his heartbeat, which must have been pounding. “I should have been home. I should have been there to protect them. Instead, I was here dealing with your shit.”
“Are you saying this is my fault?” I snarled, jumping to my feet and facing the raging panther head on. “I haven’t done shit to you, asshole. And I sure as fuck didn’t want to be brought to the middle of nowhere just so you could drug me and question me like a goddamn prisoner of war. All you had to do was ask, motherfucker. I would have told you the truth and given you that flash drive without hesitation. If it’s anyone’s fault that you weren’t home, it’s your own.”
“And I was just supposed to trust you?” His laugh was full of menace. “Because you’ve been so honest and forthcoming up to now?”
“Just because you share my bed and use my body to get off, doesn’t mean I have to share my whole life story with you. And if memory serves, you never once asked me about my parents or anything else about my past. All you cared about was how fast you could get between my legs.”
“Which you spread all too willingly so you could spy on me and my brothers.”
“If I really wanted to spy on you, I wouldn’t have been fucking you. There are plenty of other MC brothers just begging to do me and spill all your dirty secrets.” I turned away from him, too pissed and hurt to look at him. “I never betrayed you. I couldn’t do that to Quinn.”