Page 7 of Tarnished

I looked back at Alejandro. He glanced at his watch. “Give me two hours to get a plan in place. Pack a bag. And anything the boy or girl needs, you can buy down there. My men will always be near, so it should be safe for them to be out and about, especially seeing as you will be pretty deep in the country.”

“Am I okay to release Beck now?” I asked, looking at River. His clubhouse—his call. Didn’t matter what I wanted. He had other people, especially kids, to worry about.

“Yeah.” He pushed back from the table. “Just keep an eye on him. I don’t want him trying to run with that girl. The safest place for them is here. Make him understand that.” He slammed his gavel on the table, ending church.

Alejandro looked at me. “I will be in touch,” he promised.

I inclined my head to him. Gin sidled up to me as I stood to my feet, arching a brow. “You sure you can handle taking care of two of them?” he asked.

I grunted in answer. “As long as they follow the rules I set, it should be a breeze.”

Gin snorted and patted my back before heading for the chapel doors. I sighed before following him out of the chapel. After grabbing my phone from the basket, I slipped it into my pocket and then headed for the basement.

Hopefully, Beck wouldn’t do something reckless. I’d hate to have to tie him back up again, but I would if I had to. His and Clarke’s safety were of the utmost importance now, even if that meant I had to save them from themselves.

6

Tank

This time when I went down to the basement, I was by myself since we now knew Beck was no longer a threat. Everything in that folder had only backed up what Beck had already told me. His loyalty to Clarke was admirable—a trait I knew every man in this club respected.

Beck had given up everything. His dreams. His potential career. Freedom. Fuck, he’d almost given up his life.

I wondered if Clarke knew what kind of man she had standing at her back. I wondered if she knew how much he loved her. The devotion he had to her was a once-in-a-lifetime kind of thing. She probably had no idea just how incredibly lucky she was to have a man like him loving her.

Beck opened his eyes when I emerged into the basement from the stairs. His eyes were bloodshot and tired, and that defeated look I hated still rested on his face—like he knew there was no saving Clarke, and it was gutting him.

“I can make that promise to you now,” I found myself blurting.

His shoulders raised a bit, his head tilting up. “You can?” he rasped before he cleared his throat. His throat was no doubt as dry as the Sahara. I’d be sure to get him a bottle of water once I got him out of the basement.

I nodded at him. “Yeah, I can. My club and I discussed it—did a background check on you?—”

“That was fast,” he blurted, making me chuckle.

“Yeah, well, Alejandro works fast. A background check is simple as hell for him to get.” I moved forward and began working on the ties around his feet. “We’re offering you and Clarke protection here. The plan is for the three of us to get into Mexico. Alejandro has a home there we’ll be staying in while he works on dismantling the trafficking ring from the top.”

“Wouldn’t trust any cops,” Beck muttered.

I snorted. “Cops and us don’t really get along anyway,” I explained. We did our best to avoid them at all costs. Most were shady, in our experience. “We handle our own shit. Law enforcement and government officials won’t be brought into it, especially since these rings usually have influential people involved.”

The one I’d been involved in sure as fuck had. With the number of federal agents involved in keeping it running, it was a miracle law enforcement had been able to dismantle it.

Beck’s lips twisted into a sneer before I moved behind him and began untying his arms. “I wasn’t high enough in the guard ranks to know who came and went,” he explained, “but I knew anyone who came was wealthy. I know expensive suits and jewelry when I see them.”

I moved back in front of him and held my hand out. He eyed it for a moment before placing his hand in mine so I could pull him up from the chair. My heart skipped a beat in my chest and tingles rushed up my arm and into my chest at his touch. His palms were calloused from years of playing hockey, and his grip was strong despite his smaller frame. I really liked the way his hand felt in mine, and I wasn’t sure what to do with that information. So, I just pushed it to the back of my head to deal with later… much later.

“Don’t try to run off,” I warned him, dropping his hand once he was on his feet. “You won’t get far, and it’ll only get you tossed right back into this basement.”

He sighed. “You promise she’s going to be protected?”

“Swear on my life,” I assured him. “You both are under the protection of the Mexican Cartel, Sons of Hell MC, and Fathers of Mayhem MC. Nothing will happen to either of you.”

His eyes were practically bugging out of his head. “That’s where we are?” he choked out.

I nodded, arching a brow at him. “Is that a problem?” I asked.

He shrugged. “Everyone knows…” He shook his head. “You know what? Never mind. Everything I heard, I heard through rumors. You guys have proven to be different, and I’m going to choose to forget everything I heard before and make my own judgments.”

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