Page 53 of Traitor

And now we were back to normal.

I was going to lose my job. It was really just a matter of when at this point. I’d lost an invoice and another vender hadn’t been paid on time. It would’ve been manageable had Dr. Mulloy not called an order in herself today. When they explained that there was a hold on our account due to nonpayment, she’d stormed into my office.

“What the hell is wrong with you?”She’d hissed.“Do you realize how this makes me look? Like I’m not seeing enough patients to cover the bills. Lauren, this is unacceptable. I don’t care how late you have to stay, but you will stay and make sure every single account is up to date.”

It was now almost nine and I was just pulling into the driveway. Torch’s bike was missing, but at least I could visit withAbuelitafor a few minutes before collapsing from exhaustion. She’d been with us for two weeks, but hadn’t mentioned any specifics for going back to Denver. Torch and I weren’t complaining. The house was clean and there was always something to eat. With that third bedroom, I doubt that either of us would’ve cared if she decided to move in permanently.

I let myself in and threw my keys and purse down on the small hall table. A table that hadn’t come from Torch. There were hints of my mother all over the house. I found her presence comforting.

“Abuelita?” I called out as I walked through the dark house.

When I flipped on the light and saw the figure on the couch, I screamed.

“She’s not here right now,” said the large blond biker. I took one look at the leather vest and reached for my Glock.

He placed his hand on the gun resting on his lap. “I wouldn’t do that, Lauren. I’m a lot faster than I look and I didn’t come here to put a bullet in your head. If I had, I would’ve dropped you in the hall as you put your keys down.”

My hands trembled as I let my shirt fall back over the holster. “W-why are you here? Where’s my grandmother?”

He dropped his hand from his gun. “Torch took her to the movies. I needed a chance to talk to you alone.”

I tried to imagine my grandmother on the back of a motorcycle, but failed. I crossed my arms over my chest, trying to hide the fact that I was shaking. The man was menacing, yet something about him seemed familiar. “What could we possibly have to talk about?”

He grinned. “I like you—most people would be cowering right now. I wanna talk about what the fuck happened when your car burned to the ground in a gym parking lot. Who knew you were trying to get your mother’s case reopened?”

I sank into a nearby chair in shock. I shouldn’t have been surprised that the biker gang was watching my every move. They probably had my phone bugged too. I’d tried to make sure never to discuss it when Torch was around, but maybe he’d placed speakers around the house. I was living out a spy movie. “I—I told Mike, my ex. He’s a cop, but—”

He cut me off. “I know who Mike is. No one else knew?”

I shook my head, but he continued staring at me, as if waiting for me to crack and admit that I’d given the story toCNNas well. “I swear to you. No one else knows.”

“That means I’ve got a fucking rat in my clubhouse then. No wonder he didn’t trust them.” He stroked his beard and looked right through me.

It dawned on me when I looked at his eyes.

“You brought me my car back that night, didn’t you? You’re Jared…no, Josh. Don’t tell me, it’s Jeremiah.”Why couldn’t I remember?

The biker watched me patiently before offering, “Do you want to keep guessing, or should I just tell you?”

I sighed, “Just tell me. I’m too tired to think.”

He laughed deeply. “It’s Jamie. And, yes. I brought you your car that night.”

“So close,” I lamented, as he got up and began pacing.

“You didn’t tell anyone other than Mikey, and I know that he’s not a rat, so that leaves me with a club member.”

I didn’t know if he was referring to Mike or another club member as I watched him walk from one side of the room and then the other before working up the courage to ask, “How exactly am I supposed to help you with this?”

He stopped. “Did Monica leave you anything the night she died? I know that she told you she’d overheard something. It might not mean anything to you, but it might to me.”

Without another thought, I stood up and grabbed his arm, leading him down the hall. “Come with me.”

Surprisingly, he didn’t resist. I opened the door to my walk-in closet and slid a section of hangers back, revealing my wall of clues.

Jamie actually raised his brows in awe. “Wow. You’re quite the detective. Walk me through this.” He pulled a small notebook from his back pocket along with a pen, waiting for me to give him something.

I took a deep breath. “Okay, I found these bits of paper, but I haven’t been able to make sense of them.” I pulled one scrap free and held it up for him to see. “Like this—Brianne. October 2. I searched the archives for any public record relating to a Brianne and the date October 2. Nothing came up though.” He nodded and I moved down to the coaster. I removed the tack and handed it to him, pointing out the name at the bottom. “This meant nothing to me until Chon Ramos tried to kill me. I’m assuming they’re both one and the same.”

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