Page 8 of Fatal Temptation

“It’s Ah-kee-oh,” he mumbled.

“Sure.”

He didn’t know why it annoyed him. Though maybe it was because he’d done nothing wrong and had been arrested and was in an interrogation room?

“Savage Rebels,” Holland said, brow cocked expectantly at Akio. “You’re not a member, are you?”

He shook his head.

“I don’t even know what this is about? I was just playing pool and having a beer with my friend.”

“Oh? What’s the name of thisfriend?”

“Why?” he asked hesitantly, unsure where Holland was going with this.

“Well, you’ll want your information to be cooperated, don’t you?”

He didn’t want Maggie to get in trouble, too. He hadn’t seen her get arrested. In fact, he hadn’t seen her at all when the cops raided the bar. They’d dragged everyone they handcuffed outside to sit on the curb. Maggie hadn’t been there. Everyone who’d been arrested were bikers. Except him.

“Why? Like you said; I’m not a Savage Rebel. I only got my driver’s license last year and I have no idea how to drive a motorcycle.”

“Here’s the thing, Akio,” Holland said, mispronouncing his name again, “I think you’re lying.”

Akio leaned back, confusion making him blink at Holland.

“W-what?”

“You’re not just some innocent civilian bystander, are you?”

“I don’t understand?”

Holland was trying to hide his sneer as he opened his folder and pulled out a picture. He turned it around and showed it to Akio.

It had been taken outside the bar. He was shaking Ryder’s hand. He was wearing the same clothes in the picture as he was now, so it had to have been from tonight.

Holland thought he was in bed with the Rebels. Figuratively, of course.

That was a whole ton of trouble he didn’t need. Neither did his family. He knew the Rebels were into illegal shit, otherwise, they wouldn’t have been raided and arrested tonight. They wouldn’t have that one-percenter patch on their cuts.

The last thing he needed was the cops looking into whohewas and tracking down Diesel and Chris. Once the cops made the connection between him and the Disciples, it was game over.

“Tell me again how you don’t know the Savage Rebels?”

Akio looked at Holland with creased brows. He hadn’t said that. The man was trying to put words in his mouth. He was probably trying to see if he could catch him in a lie so he could pressure him into taking a deal to flip on the Rebels. The only problem with that was that he hadn’t done anything, nor did he know anything about the Rebels’ business.

He was already under arrest which meant he had rights.

“I would like my phone call now.”

He couldn’t call his brother. He couldn’t put this on him. He should’ve stayed away from the bar. He’d fucked up and he knew Diesel would forgive him in a heartbeat and he didn’t want that. He wanted to fix this on his own. As much as he could.

He was lucky he’d memorized the number. He doubted the cops would let him look up the number to the nearest FBI field office.

Lucas

He barely stopped himself from running down the hallway, the holding cells to his left making him grind his teeth. Just the thought of Akio in one of those cells had his blood boiling. From what Akio had told him when he’d called, he’d been picked up at a biker bar along with all the bikers. He’d been having a drink with his best friend Maggie and had no idea why they’d arrested him, except they clearly thought he was involved with those bikers.

He knew damned well which bikers Akio was involved with and it sure as shit wasn’t the Savage Rebels. The local cops wouldn’t know that though. Diesel had done everything he could to keep Akio safe. He had a new name, a new passport, and a new lease on life. He’d chosen Sato-Walsh as his surname after Diesel and Chris had done it when they got married. Once upon a time, knowing Chris had married someone else would’ve hurt like hell. He was glad it didn’t anymore. He could just be happy for the man he now loved as a friend. Even Diesel had grown on him over time. Just enough that he loved to piss the man off.

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