“Nah, there was a murder down there, and Janet Revers reported it. You were too lazy to do anything except a drive-by. We checked. You didn’t leave the car when you came past. A murderer has been at large for seven months, and that’s down to your shoddy work,” Lio spat.
“No fucking way!”
“Yes, fuckin’ way. Even worse, Janet Revers quoted names she overheard in her statement, and you sat on them. Kept quiet during briefings, the chief announced that a Warren King had gone missing, and Ms Revers mentioned a Warren. Janet Revers described hearing the name Line, and we’ve been chasing Linus Blythe. She reported the name Tanner who Linus Blythe works for. You fuckin’ ignored this information because you were too lazy to do a follow-up!” Phil roared, and the other cops turned and looked in our direction.
“That didn’t happen!” Houser yelled.
“Bullshit, we’ve informed the chief, and he’s on his way. Especially as Janet Revers has been reported missing and not seen for seven months. Tell me, Houser, are we looking for her body too?” Lio bit out, and I was surprised. Lio hadn’t identified me, and I wondered why.
“What?” Houser said, his demeanour shaken.
“Janey Revers, who pleaded with the cops for help and was ridiculed by an overweight asshole who couldn’t be bothered to even leave his car to investigate, has disappeared. She’s been missing for seven months. The last report of her we have seen she was admitted to hospital with two bullet wounds in her.” Houser stepped back at Lio’s words and paled.
“Oh yeah, you’re up to your neck in shit and here comes chief,” Lio snarled, shoving his face into Houser’s.
“Assholes like you give SPD a bad name, thought we’d rid ourselves of lazy assed cunts when we lost the Berowix’s. Seems we still have some rotten apples,” Phil drawled, his arms crossed and eyes on fire. A tall man came toward them and gazed at Dakota and me before facing the three men.
“Houser, return to the station and wait in my office. Now!” the guy roared, and Houser scuttled away with his head lowered. “Lio, you found what you were looking for, I guess?”
“There’s blood splatter all over the place and a pool that means Warren never walked out of here alive. Linus had goons on standby for clean-up, but there’d have been some evidence missed. Seven months on, all we now have is Janet Revers,” Lio replied.
“And she’s safe?” the man I guessed was the Chief of Police asked.
“Yeah,” Lio confirmed. Recognition shone in the chief’s eyes as he glanced at us.
“I’ll deal with Houser. This is a massive black mark against him. He’ll be disciplined. Please let the witness know. You got everything you need, Lio?” the chief demanded, and Lio nodded. “Then carry on and keep Ms Revers locked down. Tanner will want Ms Revers’ head on a platter if her testimony can bring him down.” The chief walked past us without a word, and Lio stepped forward.
“Dude, get Janey to a safe house. Pyro, I’m not trusting any of the SPD safe houses. Houser dropped the ball big time, and it’s suspicious. Could be Houser’s lazy, but it could be he’s on Tanner’s payroll. Pyro, she’s got to be no one but Bunny for now. Hear me? Janey is missing, and Janey is not Bunny,” Lio warned. Dakota nodded, grabbed me by the arm, and dragged me to his bike. As soon as I wrapped my arms around him, we sped off, and I didn’t look back.
???
“And you can’t tell me I’m not safer at the bar! Magic won’t let anything happen to me!” I yelled in Dakota’s face. The argument between Pyro, Chance, and me had been going on for ten minutes, and no end was in sight. Dakota wanted to lock me down on Hellfire and make me a prisoner, and I was adamant that would not occur.
“But I can’t be there all fuckin’ day watching you!” Dakota spat, running a hand through his hair.
“Magic will be there! Or don’t you trust him?” My narrowed eyes warned Dakota to be damn sure of his next words.
“Magic would put his life on the line for you,” Dakota agreed.
“Then I’m heading to the bar,” I insisted, and Dakota shook his head.
“Janey, you’re safer here,” Chance inserted himself into the argument.
“Am I? Let’s look at this logically!” Dakota groaned and slapped a hand to his forehead. “If I stay here, I’ve already been shot on your forecourt. Think word won’t spread that Hellfire has a woman locked down? Or those skanks won’t want to get rid of me for taking another brother off the market? You’ve some nasty bitches that hang around here. You can ban them from Hellfire, but it only takes one to open her mouth or to pop in and see me before she’s kicked out.” I met Chance’s gaze refusing to back down.
“Now at Magic’s bar, I’m Bunny, surrounded by bikers that you trust. Dakota, you explained Hellfire allies, and there isalwayssomeone from one of those clubs there, even if Magic isn’t. At the bar, I’m not somebody being heavily protected by Hellfire, which is suspicious, and Tanner will pick up on it. I’m just Bunny. Tanner already had me shot here. Tanner will realise who the mystery woman is you’ve locked down. So, tell me a rocket launcher isn’t out of the question to take out the clubhouse with me inside?”
Chance rubbed his chin as his eyebrows rose. “Rocket launcher?” Chance rumbled with amusement.
“Uh-huh, are those Rage stories a laughing matter?” I pointed out, and Dakota turned pale, and Chance froze.
“Fuck!” Chance growled.
“Precisely. Ain’t so farfetched after knowing what Rage MC went through. And hearing what James Washington and his crew suffered. You’ve already had Clio kidnapped and dragged from a moving car. Magic was shot, saving her. Hellfire has had both Chey and Thal kidnapped and both seriously wounded. And let’s not discuss Phoenix and the shit she found. So tell me, am I safer here or at the bar where there is no reason for anyone to suspect I’m anything but Bunny? A woman your brother is dating. Tanner isn’t aware of any link between Pyro and Janey because there isn’t one. The link is Dakota and Janet.” I folded my arms and let my points sink in.
“And Tanner probably doesn’t know that Dakota is Pyro; why would he?” Chance asked. “And even if Tanner’s done a deep search, Pyro hasn’t seen Janey for seven months, and honey, you’re nothing like that uptight librarian.”
“Point made and proven,” I responded succinctly. Dakota winced as Chance turned to him.