Page 43 of Bullet

“Where did you find her?” Rogue asked.

A half smile curled Bullet’s lips. “In bed with Bristol.”

I furrowed my brows, and Bullet chuckled.

“She was working at the Landing Strip.” Bullet retold the events of the last forty-eight hours. How had it only been two days? I felt as if I’d been on a rollercoaster with Bullet for weeks.

Rogue tipped his head, lit a cigarette, and blew a stream of smoke from his nostrils. “How many people know you were at the warehouse?”

“I don’t know. But Emerson works for some dangerous men. He calls himself a facilitator. He’s the middleman. It wasn’t the first time I heard him talk about moving merchandise. I wish I could say it was the first time I realized they were talking about girls.”

I knew I’d gotten in bed with a monster. Any love I’d once felt for him had been crushed under the weight of his lies.

Sully’s chair creaked as he adjusted and combed his beard with his fingers. “Why didn’t you go to the cops?”

My gaze shifted to Bullet. “Because of you.” Because like he said, something happened between us that night.

Because he’d become my avenging angel.

Because he pulled the trigger.

Because he told me we’d be okay, and I’d believed him.

Dozer opened a Zippo, struck the flint, then snapped it closed. “What about the other girls?”

“Some ran. The youngest girls went with the police. I wanted to follow up, to find out if they were okay, but I couldn’t. I had no money and no identification, so I checked into a domestic violence shelter for protection. After a month, I cut off all my hair and went to the Landing Strip and met Bristol.”

“What about your family?”

I shook my head. “The first thing my mom would do is call Emerson. After my dad died, Emerson bought her a condo and started taking care of her bills. Her loyalty is to him. She knows the kind of man he is. She witnessed the way he treated me. If you ask her, she’d say I deserve it.”

The palpable tension in the room had nausea churning in my belly. The taste of bile rose into my throat.

“I don’t have excuses.” My voice lowered. “I’m afraid of him, of the men he works for. But that night, I was done. I didn’t care what happened to me as long as I got those girls away from Emerson and his associates.”

Bullet stared hard at Rogue. “You know I’m not walking away from this.”

Rogue crushed his cigarette in the ashtray. “We need to know how this is going to blow back on the MC.”

I kept quiet as Bullet and the others discussed possible ramifications to the club. But the more they talked, the more concerned I became. They’d fought with other motorcycle clubs, guys on bikes with guns. And they’d become entangled with the cartel.

They didn’t understand the reach of Emerson’s bosses. His illegal activities expanded around the globe. His conspirators sat behind the benches of the highest courts, insulated from prosecution with their wealth and status.

I couldn’t let them help. I’d already endangered them enough. Emerson would seek revenge. His bosses would retaliate. They shouldn’t be discussing how they would protect the MC, how to keep Hana, Jazzy, and Pippa safe along with everyone else.

I stiffened in my chair. Even if they killed Emerson, I’d still be a liability to Emerson’s bosses.

Bullet covered my tightly clasped fist with his hand. Quivers rippled along my spine.

“You can’t do this,” I said.

Those strong, calloused fingers gripped my hand. “This doesn’t go away for you if we don’t.”

Blade released a heavy exhale. “Bullet’s right. This is unfinished club business.”

Thick veins roped Rogue’s forearms as he rested them on his knees. “Everyone knows Bristol is connected to Bullet. This fucker is going to assume Stormy’s with Bullet, too. You know how I feel about loose ends. Had we known sooner, we’d already have taken care of the situation.”

“It’s off the table,” Sully said to Torch. “MC ain’t voting on this. This all started because Bullet and Blade followed that asshole into battle.” He hitched his thumb toward Rogue. “He got his road name for a reason. Bylaws don’t mean shit to him. That’s why they didn’t put it to a vote, because if shit didn’t work out right, they didn’t want it coming back on the MC. We got the same problem right now.” He turned to Bullet. “You’re not going into a fight without me.”

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