Page 164 of Gunner

“A while. She’s one of those few people who hang around the club without any restrictions. Since she and her sister clean for us, she has access to pretty much all the rooms. She also takes over the bar a few days a week. Why the fuck would she betray me?”

“When we get there, maybe let me do the talking. You’re understandably upset by this, given you slept together.”

“Slept together? Is that what you think this is?”

“Well, you did. Didn’t you?”

“Ben, I’ve slept with a lot of women. I’m not hung up on that. It’s the betrayal of the club and everything we stand for that makes me angry. She’s been hanging around the club long enough to know what we do to people like her. I ain’t never killed a woman, Ben.”

Surprised, I glanced at Gunner. His face was set in determination, his eyes fixed on the road ahead. If Candace was indeed responsible for setting him up, she wouldn’t escape his wrath.

“You haven’t?” I asked.

“I’ve never needed to. Do you see any woman who would want to go up against any of us?”

Yet Candace quite possibly had just done that.

“As upset as you are, remember the aim is to get information out of her. We must make her tell us whoever she’s working with. This is the only lead we have.”

“Don’t worry. I won’t mess up your investigation.”

As I turned onto a narrower road, my mind replayed the breakthrough moment Gunner came barging into his bedroom that he knew who’d taken his cut. I’d been contemplating howon earth to fulfill the promise I’d made to that man back at the restaurant. The answer seemed to have landed into my lap like a gift from the gods for how trying the last few months had been.

Gravel crunched under the tires.

“It’s not much farther ahead,” Gunner said. “Let’s walk the rest of the way so she doesn’t see us and has time to run.”

“Good idea.”

Gunner strapped his gun into his waistband while I pretended I didn’t notice. I also had my piece tucked into my waistband with extra rounds of ammo. We were after one woman, but the last time I’d interrogated someone, I’d almost lost my life. A knife was inside my boot as well, and a TASER in my pocket.

We got out of the truck and crept through the shadows toward the back of the house, Gunner leading the way. Light emanated from the second floor. Gunner motioned for me to stay put and moved to the window for a better look. On the left, a familiar silver car was parked haphazardly, as though the owner had been in haste. I tiptoed to the vehicle and, shielding my phone with my hand, shined the flashlight on the license plate.

As I recognized the numbers, my stomach churned. Gunner hurried back to me.

“It’s Thoms’s car,” I whispered into his ear.

“You sure?”

“It’s really him.”

We’d suspected him, but he was a cop, a deputy chief of police, so I never wanted to believe it. Some cops got their hands dirty. Not all, but the sort of crimes involved in this case should be outside his wheelhouse. Cutting women open to rip their babies from their wombs? Beyond sick and disturbing.

“We can’t barge in there and risk someone getting killed. How do you want to play this?”

“Let’s wait for him to come out and take him by surprise. We can’t mess this up. It’s our one shot to nail the bastard.”

Gunner crouched by the deck while I hid behind some shrubs close to the car. Judging by the muffled cries and grunts, all the activity went on upstairs. We waited, but Thoms didn’t come out. We needed a new plan. We couldn’t wait until morning for Thoms to leave. My legs were already cramping.

“I’m heading inside.”

I was startled as Gunner appeared next to me. I’d been watching the door so intently I hadn’t noticed he’d left his position.

“Don’t sneak up on me. That’s a good way to get shot.”

“Sorry. I’m going to try the back door. I’ll signal you if it opens.”

“Okay. I’ll watch your six.”

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