Rage building in me, I watched with clenched fists as they destroyed the clubhouse. Sliced open the couches and table benches. Turned the furniture over. Broke the liquor bottles when they swiped them off the shelves.
Tash startled and let out a brief shriek at the sound of the glass breaking. Soap wrapped an arm around her as he buried her face in his shoulder.
When they moved down the hall toward our rooms, Soap turned to me, chest heaving. “This is fucking bullshit, Prez.”
“I’m fully aware,” I ground out.
One of the assholes called out for Edwards from down the hall. He sauntered down to see what his crony wanted. Then he turned my way with a sardonic rise of his brow.
“Whose room is this?” he called out as he pointed into one of the doorways.
“Two-Speed, that’s your room, isn’t it?” Apollo said through clenched teeth. He’d about come unglued when they ransacked the infirmary.
“Yeah,” Two-Speed said cautiously with a questioning frown.
Edwards and the other officer approached us with a plastic bag. Within it was what looked like blue fabric.
“What the hell is that?” I asked, but the douchebags ignored me.
Edwards announced they were arresting Two-Speed for the disappearance of Danielle DeSilva, then began reading him his rights and spun him against the wall. The cop slapped cuffs on him as he smashed Two-Speed into the wall.
“That was borderline police brutality. He’s not fighting you,” I growled. Two-Speed shot me a look that was full of anger mixed with a flicker of fear.
“Don’t worry, brother, I’ll deal with this.” As they pushed Two-Speed to get him moving, I turned to Vinny. He was holding on to his temper as tenuously as I was.
“None of you leave town!” Edwards called out with a grin. His chin rose as he gave me a look that screamed “got you.”
When the last asshole in blue exited the building, we began to clean up the mess. “Reaper! Call Hacker! Find out if that shit recorded.”
“Sure as fuck will,” he replied with a curl of his lip.
“Good. Tell him we need it downloaded to give to Ryland.” Reaper nodded and headed to Hacker’s room. It was really nothing more than an office now that he and Kassi had bought a house together.
It wasn’t long before Kent Ryland was walking through the door. His dark gaze swept over the mess we were slowly cleaning up.
“Jesus. What exactly did they think they were going to find here?” he asked as his gaze swept the room. “I hope someone recorded this shit.”
“I’m waiting for Hacker to get here, but I’m sure we got it on video. Come back to my office, and I’ll fill you in,” I said as I handed off the contractor bag I’d been filling to Hollywood. Not waiting to see if Ryland followed me, I stormed to my office.
Vinny and I stood the chairs up, then filled Ryland in on what we knew. Our attorney quietly took notes as he listened to everything we said. He asked us a few questions, made a few notes, then closed his notebook.
“I’ll get on this. You think he’s guilty?” Ryland asked me as he held my gaze.
“Not a chance,” I insisted. Two-Speed was crazy as hell, but not like that. He’d gotten his road name because he only knew two speeds—slow and warp speed.
“You think they planted that shit.” It wasn’t a question. Ryland waited for me to confirm.
“Has to be. Everything is too convenient. They had a warrant specifically for personal items belonging to Danielle DeSilva.”
“The question is why?” Ryland sat back in his chair.
“Why? Because they have a hard-on for us about a mile long. Who better to pin shit on?” I spat in disgust.
“But at the expense of letting the real perpetrator go free?” Vinny quietly questioned.
“Unless they know who it is and they’re trying to protect them,” I said as I met Ryland’s steady stare.
“That’s exactly what I was thinking,” Ryland said as he put his notebook back into his briefcase and stood. Vinny and I followed suit. “I’m going to get on this. There’s no way they’re getting away with blatant destruction of property. Your boy knows not to say anything to them until I get there, right?”
I nodded.
“Right. Then I’ll head over.” He shook our hands, and we showed him out, dodging the rubble left behind from the search.
Once he was out the door, I called everyone into church. “Twenty minutes. Get Joker here from the tattoo shop. I don’t care if he’s in the middle of tattooing the queen’s ass. Hacker had an install today. Did he answer?” I asked Reaper when I stuck my head in Hacker’s “war room.”
“Yeah, he did.”
“Good. Call him back. See if he’s finished; if not, he can go back tomorrow. I want everyone present.”
“Roger that,” said Reaper as he pulled out his phone.
Vinny and I went into the chapel and began righting the table and chairs. We also checked everything for possible surveillance devices. I’d have Hacker run a bug check when he got back.
“Why the fuck they have to tip over the table? This thing is heavy as fuck,” Vinny grumbled as we lifted it up to its legs.
“Because Edwards is a dick and a half,” I replied.
Reaper walked in and started grabbing chairs with us. “Joker’s on his way. Hacker was already heading back.”
“Good.”
One by one, the members of the Demented Sons filed into the chapel. Each of them took his seat. My eyes traveled the room, taking in my brothers.
Vinny, Cash, Dice, Reaper, Hollywood, Hacker, Joker, Smokey, Soap, and Apollo. “Call Reload in here for this. Hacker, run a check.” I didn’t need to explain further—he knew what I was asking for and immediately complied.
Reload was a prospect, but I wanted everyone included.
He followed Reaper back into the room and leaned against the wall. Reaper closed the door after he was inside.
“You probably all know, but Two-Speed was arrested.” There was muttering from every member. “Quiet!
