Page 128 of Golden Atonement

“That implies I have a hand to play.”

“Don’t we all?”

“Touché.” The man saluted with his glass before taking a drink. “I must say, I was rather surprised when Rowen told me that Lena reached out to him at your behest. I was rather intrigued. The President of the famed Golden Skulls requesting a meeting with the likes of me.”

“What can I say? I’m a sociable person.”

“Let’s stop with all the pleasantries and get down to the reason for this meeting, Mr. Doherty. You don’t strike me as someone who likes to, shall I dare say, play with their food.”

“Who is Thena Hartley and why are you looking for her?”

Crispin Sinclair didn’t move. In fact, he didn’t even blink. The man was ice fucking cold, and if looks could kill, he’d give anything to put a fucking bullet in my head.

Leaning forward, I rested my elbows on the crisp white linen table and added, “You don’t know me, Mr. Sinclair. So let me explain something important. I can be your biggest ally or your worst fucking nightmare. I don’t care either way, but one thing you will learn about me is I don’t like to be kept waiting.”

The man sighed. “There were five of us that escaped the Trick Pony. Thena was one of them. She’s missing, and I want to find her.”

“She’s the daughter of Popeye. A brother in the Soulless Sinners Motorcycle Club. That makes her biker royalty. My advice is to stay the fuck away from her.”

“I can’t do that.”

“Why not?”

The man slowly shook his head. “That is my business.”

Leaning back in my chair, I sighed. “Then you have a problem. The biker world is a small world, Mr. Sinclair. We don’t take to outsiders, and we sure as hell don’t like some suit coming for one of our own. So, what’s stopping me from finding her myself and granting her sanctuary?”

Sinclair smirked and simply said, “Sarah Greene.”

When I said nothing, the soon-to-be-dead fucker grinned. “Mutual assured destruction. You see, Mr. Doherty, you are not the only one with something to lose. I don’t care about your biker world. All I care about is my family, and let me assure you, Thena Hartley is mine. You help me find her and I will assure Montana never learns the truth.”

“And why would I trust you?”

“Because, Mr. Doherty, like you, my word is law. To use your own words, I can be your biggest ally or your worst fucking nightmare. Now, in the hope that we can find a way to worktogether, I will tell you that tonight at the Gentlemen’s Club, Montana Stone will be meeting with Benson Graves. A man I am sure you are well aware of.”

I growled. I fucking knew that motherfucker. He was the money man for Petrovitch and Baranov. Fucker was a thief and went where the money was. Everyone wanted that son of a bitch dead.

“Anyhow, you should also know that Graves is planning on handing Montana information regarding your club.”

“What information?”

Sinclair shrugged. “That, he wasn’t forthcoming with, but he did say it would be enough to destroy the Golden Skulls forever. I must say that Graves was rather happy about that, too. For such a small club, you sure do rattle a lot of cages. Tell me, Reaper, what do you remember from your time in your cage?”

Jumping to my feet, I pulled my gun from inside my cut and aimed it at his fucking head. “Give me a motherfucking good reason not to pull this trigger, asshole.”

Crispin Sinclair sat back in his chair and smiled.

“There is the Reaper I know.”

“You don’t fucking know shit!”

“I know more than you think, just like I know that you won’t pull that trigger. Contrary to belief, you don’t kill without reason. So do us both a favor and put that gun away before the waiter calls the police.”

When I refused to lower my gun, Sinclair took a deep breath and said, “I killed Walter.”

“Please, no!” the girl cried.

“I won’t do it!” I shouted.

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