Page 14 of Striker's Yield

“Because they figured if we needed to send something out without being caught up with, it would be through you. You’re the fastest rider in this club,” Horse answers.

“The information we found is that what’s going on now is connected to when Selina ran you off the road,” Gadget announces.

“Wait just a minute,” I snap, straightening in my seat, fingers balling into fists. “What the fuck do you mean? I thought Trevor was connected to it.”

“We all thought it, but remember he killed her because she went against his orders,” K-9 says, grimacing. He blamed himself because he’d been protecting his woman and kid. A kid who was technically his nephew.

“Let’s just say they were being played. Just like we were. The ‘Marionette’ was able to convince Selina somehow to do his dirty work,” Gadget says.

“You know where he is yet?” I ask.

“No,” he answers. “But I’m working on it. The men who broke into Autumn’s apartment, they’re bottom feeders to the organization the ‘Marionette’ controls.”

“He making a play to get her back?” The question comes from Twister, but it’s the same one I was about to ask myself.

“Not sure, Athena deactivated the device and got it to me. I’m still working on it, but I don’t see why he’d want to plant a listening device if he were planning on just taking her again.

“You see the feed?” I ask, looking directly at Gadget.

“Yeah.” He nods.

“Then you saw that not only did those bottom feeders plant a device, one of them decided to go in her room and be a total perv and sniff her panties.” I can still visualize it in my head. The way that bastard walked right up to her dresser, opened it, and pulled out a pair of her panties to sniff the damn crotch.

“Saw it.” Gadget’s eyes flare with murder in them, and his jaw twitches. “From what I’ve been able to find so far, this being why it’s taken me a week to get this much, is that Autumn’s twin sister, Avery’s, man was connected to the organization. I believe Rick knew ‘Marionette’. That because of him, she’s targeted.”

Well, fuck me. I didn’t see that.

“Why would he target her for someone she’s not associated with anymore?” Red asks.

“Because Rick lived with Avery until she ended it with him. He didn’t take it well. Ended up killing her and himself. Was one of those obsessive types,” Gadget explains, eyes coming to me briefly, then looking around the table to the rest of my brothers. “Rick blamed Autumn for Avery leaving him, and I was able to find out a bit more about that murder-suicide. Beside the fact Autumn witnessed the whole thing and fought to get the door open, Rick kept things, stored them somewhere, and lost them. I’m putting money on when Avery threw his stuff out of the house. But ‘Marionette’ possibly thinks Autumn could have whatever that was.”

That’s a big if on a possibility. Either way, Autumn’s being targeted for something she has no reason to be targeted for. That is if it’s because of Rick. If it’s not due to the coward and because of something else, I intend to be there to find out.

Autumn’s been doing this alone long enough. It’s wearing her down. You can see it in her eyes. The way she moves, watching everything and everyone around her. She doesn’t trust anything or anyone. But she’s going to learn to trust me, to know that I’ve got her back, and I’m not gonna let anything happen to her.

I know I’ve got to take things slow and move in bit by bit. Tonight was just the start of that. Tomorrow, I’ll move a bit more. The day after then, a little more. Give her a bit more each time. All of this I’ll use tomorrow to explain what’s happening, including the fact two men broke into her apartment.

As safe as it is for her to be there, it’s not safe enough.

I made up my mind earlier that day, and I intend to stick to it. She’s moving out of that apartment and into my place. She’ll stay with Lila and me. This means at some point before tomorrow night, I need to have a conversation with my sister and let her know what’s about to happen.

The discussion goes on a bit longer before we leave church and go back toward the bar. My phone rings as I’m about to order another beer, and I pull it out of my pocket to find it’s my sister calling.

I cock a brow and answer it, not having a good feeling about this. I knew better than to trust her about a sleepover at her friend’s place.

“Lila, you okay?”

“Can you please come pick me up?” she asks, breath hitching and tears in her voice.

I didn’t even bother to ask what was going on. Instead, I ask her for the address. If she were at her friend’s house, she’d have her car and wouldn’t be calling me. I’ll find out what’s going on once I get her home. Then I’m fucking grounding her ass until she leaves for college.

CHAPTER 7

Autumn

“Lila, do you mind watching Jesse tonight?” Athena asks from where she’s restocking the to-go cups.

We’d been busy all morning, which I’m thankful for since it meant Athena didn’t get a chance to grill me about what happened last night with Striker.

---