Page 86 of Dagger

We approached the door to Church, and Abe glanced over his shoulder at me. “Ready?”

I jerked one nod and waited while my bud punched the security numbers into the keypad on the wall.

The locks disengaged with a click, and Abe shoved his shoulder against the door, pushing it open. I stepped inside and immediately knew the officers weren’t in a joking mood.

Church was serious business and sacred ground. It was the place where we always worked shit out and made the best decisions we could for our men and our club. But it was also a place of laughter and bonding. A place where we cemented our sense of brotherhood and deep respect for each other.

Back in Bandit’s day, there was no laughter. He ran Church like a well-oiled machine, but back then, the club was different too.

My old man ruled with an iron fist; it was his way or the highway. He made the decisions, and if you didn’t like it, he’d see you in the ring.

I ran the club as a democracy with an open-door policy, and every brother knew he could come to me with anything, whether it be club-related or personal. My men were warriors, ex-military with fine minds and mad skills. I listened to everybody and made informed decisions based on a deluge of experience.

I’d be an idiot not to utilize my men’s ideas, and my momma, Connie Stone, didn’t raise no fool.

Making my way to my seat, I was aware of five pairs of eyes watching my every move. Three pairs of golden eyes, identical to mine, belonged to my sons, the black pair—Atlas. However, the blue pair belonged to the ghost of Church Meets Past.

I sank into my chair, my stare resting on Colt. “You lost?”

His lips twitched. “I’m not here as a Fed. I’m here as a brother who can help. If you want me to get the fuck out, I will, but I’ve got information that will go a long way in beating the Sinners. Whatever’s discussed here won’t be repeated by me. I’m still a Demon but a Virginia one, and I take it seriously, Prez. Contrary to popular belief, I always did.”

Things between me and Colt were messy as fuck. The way he sneaked around made it feel like he’d dug a knife in my back.

I never expected it from him of all people. The minute we met, we forged a bond that I’d never had with another brother. Apart from Abe, Colt was the man I trusted above all others, so when I discovered he’d lied to me, I lost my shit. Pain made me lash out. I was incensed he’d fucked me over. Colt disappointed me, and I struggled with it.

Strangely, after everything, I still loved him, which was why I swallowed my pride and muttered, “Shoot.”

“Fuckin’ A,” Atlas boomed.

Colt lowered his eyes to tap on his iPad. “Bear Rawlins has been caught on face recognition buying smokes at a gas station just North of Mapletree. I’ve got a tracker scouring the area as we speak. I’m hopin’ he’ll have more information by the end of today.” He raised his eyes to meet mine. “The tracker I have was an Army Ranger and one of the best in the business.”

“The best in the business is Hendrix,” I pointed out.

Colt smirked. “Bingo.”

My lips twitched at the prospect of having Hendrix back in the fold. I’d missed him. My old VP was smart, and his instincts were second to none. The meltdown he’d had was uncharacteristic, and I’d discovered later there were a lot of outside forces piling shit on his shoulders.

It was no wonder he cracked under the pressure.

His club was sorted now. He’d recruited good men, and his VP was an experienced EOD officer who, incidentally, used to be Kit’s boss. Since Colt had taken over as the Virginia chapter’s handler, and acted as their go-between for the Feds, they’d been getting some good security jobs, and the club was finally making good cake.

The boy did good.

“What’s even more interesting,” Colt continued, “is that Robert Henderson was caught on the same camera two hours later.”

“So, the fuckers are in contact,” Atlas muttered.

“Looks like it,” Colt confirmed. “They both headed off in the same direction, but the cameras lost ‘em after that.”

“Interesting,” Bowie mused, rubbing his lip thoughtfully. “Where’s the investigation into the trafficking ring at?”

“It’s heating up,” Colt told him. “Barrington turned rat and admitted money laundering through his bank, though he swears he didn’t know anything about the trafficking ring. We’ve got him workin’ on the inside now, along with Agent Stafford, who’s finally been admitted into the inner circle. We’re on the verge of making arrests. The second Brett finds out which port they use to ship the victims out, we’ve got ‘em.”

“We could time this perfectly,” Cash stated.

I cocked my head. “What do you mean, Son?”

My eldest leaned forward, arms to the table. “If we deal with Bear before the Fed’s deal with Henderson, or vice versa, the other will run.”

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