Page 23 of Hatter

“Spill it,” I demanded, ripping open the envelope.

“Mayor’s right-hand man is Eddie’s daddy dearest. They’ve been covering for him. Drugs, money laundering… the works,” Cheshire recounted, leaning against a tool chest.

“Son of a bitch,” I muttered, thumbing through the documents. Photographs, bank statements, all the sordid details laid bare. “They think they’re untouchable.”

“Seems so,” Cheshire agreed, “but every castle’s got its cracks. In this case, I paid someone they tend to step all over. They shouldn’t have done that. Not to someone who knew so much.”

My jaw clenched. This was bigger than we thought, more tangled and insidious. Eddie wasn’t just an enemy; he was a symptom of the rot festering in Warren. Once we’d settled here, I’d decided we’d tackle the filth around here sooner or later. But first, we’d been building our reputation with the townspeople.

“Spread the word,” I ordered, feeling the anger coil in my gut. “We’re going to rip that castle down, brick by filthy brick. No more waiting.”

“Will do, boss.” Cheshire’s nod was decisive.

The night air felt charged as I stepped outside, the darkness whispering secrets of violence yet to come. Underland MC had faced down hell before, but this… this was personal. War was on our doorstep, and we were ready to answer its call with fire and fury.

I pulled my cigarettes from my pocket and lit one, inhaling deeply. The nicotine settled in my veins, and I closed my eyes. I wanted to put Jo somewhere safe, but I didn’t have anywhere to send her. Besides that, I wanted to keep her within reach. I wasn’t sure who to trust these days.

I stayed outside in the cool air, lost in my thoughts, until the last of my cigarette had burned out. I tossed the butt into the flowerpot full of sand near the garage doorway and went back into the clubhouse.

March waved at me, and I headed toward him. The look on his face said this wasn’t something I could brush off.

“Got something you’ll want to hear,” March said.

“Spit it out,” I said.

“Eddie’s not just playing with local boys. He’s got ties to the mob. Real heavy hitters.” March’s words were measured.

“Mob? How deep?” We hadn’t had to tangle with anyone like that around here, and I wasn’t all that eager to start now.

“Deep as the damn Marianas Trench. We’re talking families with reach from here to the boardwalks of Atlantic City, and some of those even have West Coast ties.” March’s jaw tightened. Yeah, this wasn’t good. Cleaning out our town was one thing… but not if it brought even nastier people around.

“Jesus Christ.” My hands clenched into fists. Mob meant resources. We were no longer just dealing with some punk-ass rich kid. This was the big leagues.

“Means if we hit Eddie, we hit the hornet’s nest. They’ll come swarming,” I muttered.

“Then we better be ready to hit back hard.”

I nodded. If anyone could keep their head when the bullets started flying, it would be March. But if we were outgunned, we’d all end up dead no matter how good we were. This club wasn’t big enough to take down these kinds of forces.

“Absolem’s got something too,” March added, nodding toward the corner where Absolem sat, surrounded by screens that flickered with lines of code.

“Talk to me, Absolem,” I said after I crossed the room.

He didn’t look up, his fingers dancing over the keyboard. “Eddie’s been busy. Money flowing like a river, and all the streams lead back to him.”

“Blackmail? Bribes?” I prodded.

“Both,” he replied succinctly. “He’s got his hands in every pocket in Warren, mostly through his dad. Politicians, cops… You name it, he owns it.”

“Son of a bitch.” The picture was coming clear now.

“Your tech wizardry get us this gold?” I asked, impressed despite the grim news.

“Firewalls are child’s play.” Absolem finally looked up, a sly grin spreading across his face. “Nothing’s safe from me.”

“Good.” I straightened, staring down at the spider web of corruption Eddie had woven. “We need every bit of dirt we can get.”

“Got plenty of shovels,” March quipped, arms folded across his chest.

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