Page 6 of Wiley A.F.

5

WILEY

ONE MONTH PRIOR

“Dammit, McFaye, if you keep calling us, people are going to start talking.”

“Mr. Town—”

“Wiley. I go by Wiley, and you’re more than aware of it. This isn’t our first rodeo.” I eyed her from the opposite end of the glass table, tapping my fingertip on the edge of it.

“Look, lady, I know some time has passed since we were together but get it through your thick skull. None of us go by our last name. It’s fucking disrespectful and tasteless for you to keep addressing us as such,” Ghoul barked, and McFaye’s shoulders dropped in response. None of us were fond of the law, but Ghoul had been beyond fucking bitter after the last time we had to deal with the FBI.

“Right. I’ll get to the point.” She nodded her head, and one of the men in suits handed her a manilla folder. She always used a manilla folder to hide the damn reason we were all sitting in the same room again. It would have been just as easy for her to tell us without using the scare tactic of hiding.

“Who do you want us to kill?” Tin Man spat out. Clearly, he was about as thrilled to be here as the rest of us.

“Well, the subject is sen—”

“I swear, McFuck, if you say it’s sensitive one more fucking time, I’ll gut you myself. My old lady can’t deal with any more ghosts from the past. Her mom is basically a fucking vegetable. Do you know how that feels? To know the answers you want so damned bad are locked away in a mind that may as well be a shoe box because it’s not good for much else?” Ghoul snarled, pointing his finger at her. “That’s on your ass.”

“Ghoul,” she warned, and I knew if another word left her mouth, he would make good on his promise. He was going to crack if his household didn’t get some good news soon.

“Okay. We get it. We’re here because there was no other way, am I right?” I interjected to keep order and the meeting on track, doing what I was appointed to do for the club. Of course, I did a whole hell of a lot more than that for the MC, but I was usually able to keep a level head in high-stress situations, and it made me a great choice for the SAA position.

“You are. Please send Hazel my condolences. I’m pleased to report this has nothing to do with her and everything to do with Mr.” All of us Bastards cleared our throats at the same time, clearly on the same page as Ghoul. If we were here, that meant we were still underneath their nosey-ass magnifying glass. Hell, at this point, the Feds probably knew us better than we knew ourselves.

“I know you all don’t view it this way, but it’s my way of trying to be courteous, addressing you as mister. I honestly don’t mean it in an impolite way, so I ask we table the aggression for just a few minutes as I promise it’s only going to get worse from this point on.”

“You have our cooperation fornow,” I answered for all of us, knowing if Spider, Ghoul, or Tin Man opened their mouth, it wouldn’t have been nearly as cordial.

“Wiley, we’re going to need to verify your identity.”

“The fuck you are!” All peacekeeping from my end severed with that line she spoke.

“I understand how this seems.”

“What? Looks like you called us to your fucking headquarters to collect my blood and put it on some shit to pin bogus charges on me. No, thank you,” I barked, standing up from my chair.

“Listen, Agent McFaye, when Wiley loses interest, I can guarantee the rest of us have already done so about three topics ago. You’re not collecting anything from any of us. That was never in our agreement and never will be!” Spider spoke for the first time since we had sat down at the table as his fingers curled into a fist and his knuckles turned white from the tightness.

“Like I said, I know how this all seems, and it clearly won’t sit well with any of you, but I have to make sure you are who you say you are and not your brother, Wiley.”

My head dropped in defeat while realization washed over my body. “My brother is dead. He and my mother died in a house fire years ago,” I said in a cold tone, my eyes focusing on my hands.

“That’s what we’re trying to verify.”

“Why?” I asked quickly before any of the guys were able to question me about the subject.

“One of you needs to answer for these crimes, and I’m certain it isn’t you, but my word won’t pacify the rest of the bureau. They want evidence. Somethingrealas to who is alive and who is dead.” Her finger hooked the outer flap of the folder, and I held my hand up to stop her.

“Let me stop you right there. If you’re not blowing smoke up my ass, what in the hell makes you think I would help you catch my own flesh and blood? I’m not a fucking rat!”

“Because, Wiley, what lies within the countless pages and photos in this folder are some of the most heinous crimes I’ve ever seen. One of them, we have reason to believe, is your mother.”

“Bullshit! If that were true, then why the hell wouldn’t you have already taken care of him yourself? And another thing, how would you not know if it was my mom’s body? It either is or isn’t. You’re the FBI, not some low-budget private investigator.”

“That information is classified. Every detail I tell you has been handpicked and approved before I share it with you all. What I can tell you is my hands are tied with any future situations when it comes to your chapter of the Royal Bastards MC. Seeing as the offender is potentially Wiley’s brother, the subject fell under the same umbrella.”

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