Page 79 of Tempting Fate

If her aim becomes as wild as Toker’s, we’re in trouble.

In my heart of hearts, I still hold faith that I can protect her from herself.

My hope dies as soon as we pull through the main gates into the compound and Lily sprints out of the double doors with her phone clutched in her hand. Her face is white. Her eyes filled with terror. Slash emerges behind her, his expression etched with worry and dread.

“What’s wrong?” I ask, even though I’m ninety-nine percent sure I already know. “Talk to me, Lil.”

“Fret,” she whimpers.

Her knees buckle. The phone drops from her hand. My best friend reaches her first. Slash hooks his arms under Lily’s legs and lifts her upright. He easily swings her into a bridal hold, and she buries her face in the crook of his neck. I scoop the device from the concrete path and, after noticing that a call is connected, press it to my ear.

“What do you want?”

“The princess said she’ll exchange herself for her brother… and that’s what we want.”

Thanks to Cub’s heads-up, I recognise the voice on the other end of the call. “Fat fuckin’ chance of that, Wolf.” When Lily tries to protest, I jut my chin toward the main entrance, and Slash carries her inside. “You know this will only end one way—with the Bishops of Bloodshed wiped out.”

“Maybe, maybe not,” he replies easily. “We have an unexpected ally, and a bitch with a steady hand and a sharp scalpel. Whichever way this ends up, the kid’s still going to be in pieces.”

“If you touch him, I’ll personally dish out the exact same to you.”

“Guess I’m in trouble then.”

Wolf falls silent for a long moment before the sound of Fret’s muffled screaming invades my ears. He sobs, then I hear him shout, “Don’t let Anna give into them.”

The line falls silent as the call is ended.

I squeeze Lily’s phone. When the plastic creaks under the stress, I force myself to loosen my grip. The clear case catches my attention. It’s not the normal case. On her usual protective sheath, the blue flowers are actually carefully camouflaged cocks. It was a gift from the daughter of the UK VP of the Black Shamrocks MC, Indigo Michaelson, who’s another participant in the Moscato and Monet “art and alcohol” club the old ladies use to excuse their cock-filled pranks.

“Lily has a new number, doesn’t she?” I ask Cub. “Who has it?”

He frowns, taking his time to think through my request. “You, Slash, me, Nads, Brutus.”

“Not Fret?”

“No… we’re on lockdown so I didn’t bother to give it to him or anyone else. Haven’t really had time, to be honest.”

“You retrieved her old phone from Alex’s house last night?”

“Yeah. We found it with her handbag in the front study. I haven’t been able to scrub it, so I stored it in the box we use for church in case it’s compromised.”

My mind races with the implications.

Wolf knew to call Lily’s new phone number, not her old one.

A number that only five people have.

Brutus being one of them.

“You don’t think…” Cub trails off as his brain brings him to the same conclusion I’ve reached. His Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows. “Shit, Brutus really is a rat… he’s sold Anna out to the Maddison’s. Used Fret for bait in case things went wrong.”

“Yeah, it certainly looks that fuckin’ way.”

My tech officer, the kid I fought tooth and nail to find the votes for after I nominated him for the newly created position, shakes his head with disbelief. He’s rattled, his shoulders droop under the weight of Brutus’ latest betrayal. He runs a hand through his messy hair and exhales noisily.

“I’ll keep lookin’… but I can’t promise anythin’. He’s had help coverin’ his digital footprint. I’ve found nothin’ more than some highway surveillance footage so far.”

“Just keep lookin’. I clamp a hand down on his shoulder. “If anyone can find what he’s up to, it’s you.”

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