As I started taking in the details, he spoke, “They’ve dabbled in a bit of everything, committed a slew of reprehensible and despicable acts. Narcotics, human trafficking, murder, gangrape, high-level bribery and extortion. It’s nasty shit, Finn. People have been either too traumatized or terrified of repercussions from an entire fucked-up group of psychos to come forward and report them. It’s resulted in them escaping punishment, evading the law. They’ve also been very good at covering their tracks.” He walked over to me and flipped to halfway through the folder. “Until now.”
“Shit,” I breathed, as I scanned the section he’d emphasized. “You really are the best of the best.” I flipped through more pages, reading quickly. I couldn’t believe it. He hadn’t just investigated them. He’d delved deep and amassed a ton of solid evidence for the brutal acts and crimes they’d committed, dating back years. “This is enough to bring them down hard.”
“None of them will ever set foot outside a jail cell for another day in their lives.”
“This is amazing. Thank you, Jesse.”
He shrugged. “I just know how to dig a little deeper than others. Spartan actually got pretty damn close.”
He was being falsely modest, the glint in his eye giving it away. He knew how good he was.
“Now there’s everything you guys need to take them down.”
“It’s a viable Plan B.”
“B?” He stared at me for a moment, studying me intensely. “No. Finn, don’t let the provocation today make you—”
A knock on the open door had me spinning around.
I smiled when I saw Ashley walking into the room. She looked between us, her eyebrows knitting. “Am I interrupting something?”
“No, sweetheart.”
I heard Jesse grunt at my obvious attempt to use Ashley’s interruption to end our conversation.
“What did the doctor say?” I asked, eyeing her bruised hand where that asshole, Kyle, had grabbed her. Just thinking about it had me seething, my fists clenching in a bid not to show it. She’d been through enough as it was without me losing it.
“He said I’m fine, just a bit bruised, that’s all.”
Relief flooded me. “And your dad?”
“A couple of his ribs are bruised and he was really lucky neither of his wrists were broken from pushing his bike off himself instead of waiting for help. His right one is strained, and the doctor said he should rest it and avoid long rides for a couple of weeks.” She rolled her eyes. “I doubt he’ll follow that advice though.”
Scott did some hardcore workouts and I knew he could bench press about three hundred and fifty pounds. But his ride was pushing five hundred easy. Adrenaline could accomplish a lot though. His fear for his daughter had overridden everything for him.
Ashley’s gaze went to Jesse and she smiled. “Thanks for what you did, saving Finn.”
Jesse returned her smile in that respectful way of his.
It was how he was with every woman he came into contact with. It was sweet, although it’d caused him a headache or two before, because it didn’t always stop there. He could get carried away and find himself taken advantage of. It was his one blind spot.
“Well, it’s what I do best,” he jested.
Ashley chuckled in that cute way of hers.
And just like that, all that down and dirty shit Jesse and I had been discussing, the coming battle, all faded away.
Her eyes went to the folder in my hands, but she didn’t say anything, didn’t ask any questions. She just looked away and took me in, worry clouding her features. “You should’ve seen the club doctor with me and my dad.”
“They’re just scratches.”
She reached out and turned my hands, palms down, inspecting my knuckles. “They’re shredded, Finn.”
“They’ll heal on their own.”
She rolled her eyes at me and reached into her inside jacket pocket.
“Not gonna Taser me, are you?”
“Hilarious,” she said. She pulled out a prescription bottle and handed it to me, telling me, “I got these for you from the doctor. They’re antibiotics. Wolf’s blood was all over you while you had these open wounds. Who knows what the hell he’s riddled with. I’m not taking the risk that you’ll get infected, or something. So, you’re taking these even if I have to make you.”
Jesse chuckled. “I like her. Finally found someone who won’t take your shit.”
I couldn’t help grinning. I reached out and took the bottle from her. “All right, little warrior. You’ve got it.”
“Little warrior? Hella cute, buddy,” Jesse teased.
I’d just said it without thinking. Ashley giggled, then threw her arms around me. She held me a lot tighter than normal. She’d been putting on a tough front since the shitshow earlier, acting like it hadn’t been a big deal, like it was just par for the course. But nothing about what had happened earlier should be seen as a normal part of life, something just to be accepted. And she shouldn’t feel like she needed to swallow it down. She’d nearly been kidnapped, tasered that traitor, witnessed her dad shoot someone, and to top it all off I’d nearly killed someone right in front of her. I'd acted like a goddamn madman as soon as I’d realized she’d been under threat and she’d had to stop me.
I wasn’t okay with that. I wasn’t okay with any of this. And she shouldn’t have to be either.
“I've got you,” I told her. “You’re safe now. And you’re going to stay that way from here on out.”
“I’m so sorry,” she murmured, surprising me.
“For what?” I asked, pulling back to look at her. My gut twisted as I saw she was biting back tears. “Sweetheart?”
She cast her gaze down at the floor, looking ashamed. “I was supposed to be up here at the clubhouse barbecue, but I… I messed up. I was a fool. Because of me everyone was put in jeopardy, my dad was injured, and you almost killed someone.”
