Page 131 of Protector

“I gotta go, princess. Grab what you need. We’ll leave in an hour.”

She caught the sleeve of my suit and tugged me back, placing her hand firmly in the center of my chest. “I don’t want you to go—”

I took her left hand and brought it up to my mouth, kissing just above her diamond ring. “Ain’t leavin’ you, darlin’. Never again. I just need to take care of a few things before we get on the road.”

Her thumb moved over my wedding band, and she swallowed. “Come back to me, Jamie.”

I dropped my head to hers, tangling my fists in her perfect curls before roughly taking her mouth with mine. My tongue slipped between her lips, and her fingers moved over my biceps, squeezing me to the point of pain. Reluctantly, I pulled back. “Love you, princess.”

She pressed the heel of her hands to her eyes and nodded. “I love you.”

I lowered my head and whispered, “Who’s in control?”

“We are,” she breathed with a resolute nod.

I found Goblin pacing the sidewalk just outside the event center, rolling up his sleeves with flared nostrils.

“Did we get somethin’?”

He loosened his collar before shaking his head. “Jarvis texted, said he hacked our mole’s computer and was going through his messages.El cabrónnever came tonight. Someone tipped him off that we were gonna be lookin’ for him.”

“Fuck,” I growled, catching Goblin as he stumbled forward. “You drunk, kid?”

He held his thumb and forefinger a few inches apart with a nod. “Sí, because I’m so happy forCaparina.”

I made sure he stayed on his feet before taking off toward the parking lot. He bounced along behind me, making small talk about the wedding. I grinned at the appropriate times and responded as if nothing was wrong, but my head was spinning.

The mole had known not to show up because someone in my clubhouse had gotten to him first. I glanced back at Goblin as he patted at the air in front of him like it was a dog. He was out, for obvious reasons.

No, the guy who’d rolled over was someone with a motive.

I’d taken the club back from Bear after Celia’s attack, but never once gotten the impression that he’d held it against me. Plus, he’d been a patch longer than I had; if anyone knew what our colors meant; it was him. He might’ve had the motive but wouldn’t have destroyed the club from within to take it back.

If love was a motive, then Jarvis should’ve been a suspect, but turning on the club wouldn’t guarantee him Kate. Not only that, he’d been giving me solid intel and stood to lose his entire career if the club went down.

It had to be someone who had a motive and would benefit if Silent Phoenix fell.

I quickly ruled out Angel and Wolverine. The two had been riding since God was a boy and had made more than enough money for several lifetimes. One by one, I went down the roster, ruling out members for one reason or another.

When I got to Mikey, I paused. He’d been forced into club life by a man who’d lied about being his father. His motive for taking down the club might’ve been stronger than anybody else’s. And if my club disappeared, so did the crimes of his youth.

It wasn’t him though.

I didn’t know how I knew it, but I did.

Convinced I’d gone through every member, I stumbled when it hit me.

The one man with the motive and means. I knew who my rat was. I should’ve known all along. The biker who should’ve been a brother but had always been an enemy.

Comedian.

I’d been looking at it the wrong way; trying to figure out who would have the most to gain financially.

It was never about money though.

It was about revenge.

I’d just opened my mouth to tell Goblin when something shifted. The air around us felt as if it was suddenly charged with electricity, and I glanced up, expecting to see lightning. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, but the hair on my arms stood on end, warning me that I was in danger.

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