Phantom
Fuck! I cursed, slamming my office door closed and leaning against it. When I heard Reaper call Patrick by his club name, I damn near lost my shit.
I needed to get my head on straight.
I couldn’t lose it now.
It was just a name.
There was no way he was the Hangman I knew. He couldn’t be. That man died rescuing me seven years ago in Afghanistan from Ascari. It was just a coincidence.
It had to be.
Trying to calm my beating heart, I sat before my computer and hit the play button as I heard Kitty’s voice again. I had listened to this video so many times I damn near had it memorized. Hovering my finger over the mouse pad, I skipped to the end, where she asked a favor of me. The one thing I couldn’t give her.
Leaning back in my chair, I listened and watched as she talked. She was sincere with her words. Almost as if she knew that no matter what happened to her, those she loved the most would be taken care of. Kitty Franks was a strong woman. A woman who felt deeply about those she cared for and protected them with a vehemence that would rival the greatest armies. Her tenacity and strength knew no bounds, but her love for her daughter and husband humbled even me. When she made this video, she knew that she wouldn’t live to see her daughter grow up or experience those golden years with her husband. The love she had for them when she talked about them was soul-crushing.
I could only ever dream of experiencing the love she felt for her husband and daughter. So, when she asked me for that favor, I couldn’t believe what she was asking. I still had a hard time comprehending her reasoning. I didn’t doubt her, but to do what she asked, knowing what I knew about her, I just couldn’t.
It felt like a betrayal.
I didn’t know Kitty like the others, having only spent a few times with her, but in that time, I learned the woman didn’t mince words. She spoke her mind and she never blew smoke up anyone’s ass. If she said something, she meant it. Everything that Kitty did was calculated and done for a reason.
She left nothing to chance.
My phone alerted me to an incoming text.
Opening the app, I saw that it was from Reaper.
Reaper: Find out what you can. Alert ALL the clubs, from east to west. ALL of them. Tell them I keep my promises.
I had no fucking clue what Reaper meant by the last part, but the rest of the message was clear.
When I saw where my search led, I was shocked.
The list was massive.
There were hundreds of them.
This fucked up cat and mouse game the Society had been playing with the club had just come to a head. We now knew what was at play here. It wasn’t just Reaper’s missing kid or the club returning to the fold.
It was more than that.
From the beginning, the Society had known exactly which buttons to push to get the club to fall in line and when Reaper decided not to play anymore, they sent in others.
Over the months, this club had stood firm and eliminated everyone the Society sent our way. They should have known better than to back this club against a wall.
The only way out alive was to come out fighting. To use Kitty’s words, the club had lost too many good brothers for nothing.
Now it was time to take back what was ours.
To fight our way out of the fire.
Kitty was right. I did have the information. I just needed to look with better eyes. Well, my eyes were wide open now.
I understood why she left.
I knew why she didn’t trust the club or Reaper.