“I don’t care what everyone’s told you. Bell’s innocent. I need you to prove it.”
Copper laughed. “Sorry, Tank. I’m not a fucking miracle worker.”
“I’m serious. She’s been on her own since she was a teen.Her mother’s a righteous bitch, and I don’t want Bell being branded by the same iron.”
“How am I supposed to prove that?”
“Put a wire on me. I’ll get someone to talk.”
“Who?”
“I’ll walk through their fucking gates if I have to, Copper. I’d go to hell for that girl.”
This time his brother raised a brow. “Okay, I’ll see what I can do.”
That evening, only an hour before church, he rode out. He knew he wouldn’t be back in time. Lord would be pissed since he wouldn’t be there to take notes. Everything had to take second place to clearing Bell’s name. He was ready to make her his old lady, and the rest of the club thought she was a backstabbing whore. No way would he have that. She’d been through enough and didn’t deserve any of this.
The roads were dark out here with no streetlights. It didn’t take long for the Skull Nation clubhouse to illuminate his way. The floodlights were on all night long to protect their gates. He didn’t have any backup. No one knew where he was, and he didn’t care.
His head was fucked up. It was crazy what a man would do once he fell in love. He still couldn’t believe it himself.
Tank stopped in front of the closed gates and set both boots on the ground and waited. He noticed the armed guards above. Yeah, he was strapped himself, but what did that matter when he’d be outnumbered one to dozens?
He was wearing Copper’s wire, but that wouldn’t do him much good if he didn’t get out of there alive. He needed to be able to bring the evidence back to Lord to clear Bell’s name. It was the only way they’d be able to be together.
A guy with a rifle came around the side. “What do you want here?”
“I want to talk with your prez.”
“I’m sure you do. Why don’t you fuck off?”
“I have important news he’ll want to hear. Be smart and give me a meeting,” Tank said.
The guy looked up, and then the gates opened just enough to let him ride in. As soon as he was inside, he was surrounded by a shitload of firepower. If anything came of this meeting, it would be finding out the new prez and VP. Their old leaders were dead, but somehow, they’d managed to rebuild from the ashes.
He stopped his bike in the middle of their yard. Their bikers closed in on him, some aiming their guns, some not, but all had looks of disgust on their faces. He wasn’t welcome there.
From behind a crowd of men, stepped someone he’d never seen before. Just from the way he carried himself, Tank knew it was their prez. He exuded that same confidence that Lord carried with him.
“I’m assuming you’re here for the girl.”
Tank frowned. How did they know he wanted to talk about Bell?
He hadn’t planned this out. His rough idea only took shape this afternoon. Now he was at a loss for words. Did he demand they clear Bell’s name? What could he ask that would get him the answers he needed?
“We’ve had eyes on Karen Castle. You have a claim on her? We wouldn’t want to step on anyone’s toes,” Tank said.
“Because the Straight to Hell MC is all about diplomacy?”
Tank shrugged. “Something like that.”
“We cut that bitch loose once she was no longer of use to us. You want our dirty seconds, be our guest,” the prez said.
“She had a daughter.”
The man chuckled, then the crowd parted to the left and right.
Bell was sitting in a chair, her hands tied behind her back. He immediately got off his bike and reached into his jacket for his Glock, but over a dozen guns cocking stopped him in his tracks.