Page 46 of Desperation

She stared at me in stunned silence, mouth agape. “How long have you known? How did you find out?”

“I didn’t know for sure until now, but I’d suspected something fishy with the MC for a while. After the incident at the warehouse, Mark did some digging. The ATF was already sniffing around because of the previous burglary attempts and Mark got in contact with an agent there that served with him in the SEALs. They compared notes but still were missing a piece of the puzzle. Then an anonymous call came in claiming the Rogue who attacked me at the warehouse was given the code to the door by an employee. Whoever the caller was said the employee owed the MC for drugs, and to keep them from hurting his family, he gave up the code. The caller claimed this guy confessed all this to him after he was caught snorting cocaine in the bathroom.”

Her eyes widened in disbelief. I would’ve had a hard time believing it too if it hadn’t come directly from Mark. “How did they find out about Hank’s involvement?” she asked.

“The DEA was already on to him. They have an informant who can place him at meetings with the MC’s president and VP. There’s also photographic evidence of Drake helping them transport drugs and stolen weapons across state lines. They didn’t come out and say it, but I got the impression the informant is someone within the MC.”

“How did you guys get police and ATF up here so fast?”

“Mark called his contact at the agency and told them they needed to get up here, that he suspected they were in possession of illegal firearms.”

“Were they?”

“Hell yeah they were. Serial numbers were filed off and everything. Hank isn’t dumb enough to use his service pistol or any weapon that can be traced when he does this shit.”

“None of this explains how they found me. I thought this place was secure, off the grid.”

My jaw tightened with anger, remembering the smug look on Drake’s face when he realized he’d gotten one over on me. “They’d been watching me, having some of their guys follow me, but not long enough to raise suspicion. Then they put a tracking device on my truck the day we had Drake arrested. He’d confessed as much and more while we were in the house. I’d let him get a few good hits in so he’d think he was winning. He got cocky and started admitting to shit he’d done just so he could gloat. Little did he know, I was recording the whole thing.”

“How did they manage to get a tracking device on your truck without anyone noticing?”

“Hank has a lot of people willing to do his dirty work for him since he keeps them out of jail. I’m not sure how he does it, but he manages to get a lot of charges dismissed. Hell, he even did it for me when I was a teenager. That’s why I never did time for the drunk driving incident.” I lowered my head, remembering the shame I always felt, the guilt that still plagued me even after learning the truth about that night. It would likely take a while for the reality of it to set in.

“Oh, Devon.” Hannah reached up and cupped my face with her cool, soft hand.

“As it turns out,” I continued before she could say anything else, “I hadn’t been driving that night after all.”

“What?” Hannah’s brows shot to her hairline in stunned disbelief.

“Yeah, Drake admitted he was the one driving that night. I was so wasted I could barely walk, let alone drive, and I hadn’t remembered even getting in the car. Drake called his dad after the crash, and they made it look like I’d been driving. They had me convinced since I couldn’t remember anything and never questioned it.”

Surprise turned to anger. “That bastard,” she ground out through gritted teeth. “That lying, manipulative piece of shit! I ought to go over there and poke him right in the bullet wound.” She glanced around me, searching for the ambulance, but it was already gone. She let out a little frustrated growl, and I couldn’t help it, my lips curved into an amused smile.

“Come here.” I pulled her into my chest. “I appreciate you being offended on my behalf, but it’s over now. Drake and Hank aren’t getting out of this. They’re both going away for a long time. You and Jameson won’t have to worry about him coming around.

“Jameson,” she gasped.

“He’s fine,” Mark assured her, approaching from the side. He was limping, but still upright after his tussle with the sheriff. “Charlie’s with him. He’s sound asleep in the truck.” He motioned over his shoulder to my truck parked behind a police cruiser.

“Are you okay?” Hannah asked, her forehead creasing with worry.

“I’m fine. I got the jump on him, but he fights dirty.” He shook his head with disapproval. Hank was lurking outside when Mark approached, silent as a lion stalking its prey. They’d fought until Mark was able to subdue him enough to get cuffs on him. “We were behind the house when Agent Sexton pulled up and thus out of view. All he saw was Drake on top of Devon, trying to bash his head in, and he took his shot.”

Hannah’s eyes darted back to me and scanned me over, assessing for injuries. Aside from some bruises and possibly a cracked rib, I was fine. I blocked more punches than Drake landed, but I wanted to keep him talking. And the more he hit, the more he talked. Every word he uttered would be evidence against him. Whether or not it was admissible in court was yet to be seen. Their case against the Wilder men was rock solid without it, though.

An officer was hovering just outside of our circle, looking a little anxious. He most likely wanted to talk to Hannah about what had happened before we showed up. I nodded and motioned for him to approach, sending him a warning look as I pulled her into my side. She was finally calm, and I didn’t want him upsetting her again.

He cleared his throat as he stepped up to us, and Mark excused himself. He’d given his statement while EMTs looked him over and was technically free to go. I had a feeling he and Agent Sexton would be staying a while.

“Ms. Benson,” the officer began, his eyes darting between us. I didn’t know what had him so unsettled until Hannah slid her palm against my cheek.

“I’m okay. You can stop scowling now. This nice officer isn’t going to hurt me.” My features went slack, and she snickered. I didn’t realize I was giving him my combat face until she called me out on it.

“Right, I’ll just”—I nodded to my truck, stepping away from them—“be over there.”

Mark was leaning against my truck talking to Charlie through the open window when I approached. She’d stayed back to watch over Jameson, and I was incredibly thankful Mark thought to bring her. She was an asset in any situation, her skills honed by years of working for the CIA. I would never be able to repay them for what they did for me tonight. I relayed as much to Mark as I shook his hand. Charlie opened the door and jumped down, coming to stand next to her husband.

“You’re family now, Princess,” Mark imparted. “You’re part of Cole Security. This is what we do for each other.”

---