Page 13 of Savior

Cobra raised his eyebrows. “Is that so? And how exactly do you plan on doing that from where you are? As I was saying, before I got completely sidetracked, taking out the Serpents was my own personal brand of karma for all the ways I’d been fucked over. Knowing Viper had already ratted me out once, I decided to not take the chance of him spoiling the surprise early and cut out his tongue. Did it work? Were you surprised?”

“Surprised? Not really. When the fake prospect announced that the Sons didn’t negotiate, it kinda gave away the punchline. What I don’t get, though, is how he thought he was gonna waltz out of that building. Don’t make a damn bit of sense.”

I couldn’t let him get into my head.

He bit down on the cigar and clenched his hands into fists before relaxing with a deep breath. “Kid knew it was a suicide mission from the start. That’s why we’re on top, and every other club is in the ground. We’re willing to give our lives for our cause. Can you say the same?”

“Wait a minute, so this Saint guy is actually convincin’ people to die for him? What kind of fucked-up, Koresh-soundin’ bullshit is that?”

My men had always been willing to die defending our colors, as were most of the other clubs, but never once had I asked them to sacrifice themselves for me personally. I thought back to the months and years after Celia had been attacked and realized that maybe I had. For all I knew, that was what had landed me in this prison.

Wolverine had pushed us into a battle over Molly, but I’d started an all-out war over Celia.

Cobra gave me a hard smile and drummed his fingers on the thigh of his slacks as if he was bored. “We’re all Saint.”

He held the lighter under the tip of the cigar until it was glowing red before popping it back into his mouth. “Now, here’s where it gets fun. I know for a fact that you spent that entire wedding searching for a dirty cop. You want so badly to believe it was a coincidence that we showed up when we did because it’s easier than knowing one of your own tipped us off. Tell me, Grey. Who was it?”

Days and nights had begun blending into one, making me feel as though Dakota’s wedding had taken place years ago. I thought back, struggling to see what I’d missed. Almost every biker in my clubhouse had been in attendance to ensure that nothing happened to my family.

It was like searching for a needle in a haystack.

As far as I knew, it was just another trick. Another way to get me to let my guard down.

“You’re wrong.” I shifted forward, trying to alleviate the worsening ache in my neck and shoulders, fighting not to imagine Bear and Crossbones betraying me. “My men are loyal—”

“Are they?” Cobra asked with a low chuckle. “Look around you! If they were loyal, you wouldn’t be with me. Why would I tell you this now? We both know you’re not getting out of here. Now, think. Who wanted you gone?”

“Besides you and your imaginary friend, Saint? No one.”

My list of regrets had only grown longer the more time I spent in here. If I hadn’t been strung out, I could’ve ended the Sons before they even began.

Fuck.

Maybe if the club hadn’t been my number one priority, I could’ve saved my wife from ever crossing paths with Cobra.

Keeping the cigar in his mouth, he slipped the jacket from his shoulders and laid it across the chair before slowly coming toward me.

As sick as it was, I was looking forward to it. The monster that was hard-wired to need violence was still in there, rattling the bars of his cage.

Cobra’s face tightened in irritation as he looked down at me. “Saint wants you alive, but he didn’t say jack shit about roughing you up a little. I try to do something nice, but it seems that there’s still only one way men like you know how to communicate.”

I jerked my head back in shock when he grabbed a rope from the ceiling, looping it around my neck. A sudden coldness descended over me. I knew torture, but this wasn’t it.

“What’s wrong, Grey? Is this not how you do things? Last chance, tell me who betrayed you? If you guess right, I’ll let you rest.” He tapped an index finger against my skull. “C’mon… think!”

The implication of his words hung heavy in the air. If I told him what he wanted to know, he wouldn’t string me up. For all I knew, he’d take the name for their next target, and I wasn’t willing to put anyone else’s life at risk just to save my own ass. I’d take whatever he wanted to do to me if it meant that my family stayed safe.

“Told you,” I growled. “You and your buddy, Saint, are the only two who had anything to gain by takin’ my club.”

“Fair enough.” He calmly walked over to where the rope was wrapped around a hook on the wall. A quick glance upward confirmed my suspicions. He had a multiple pulley system almost identical to mine; meaning, if he wanted to hoist me up to hang to death, he’d have no trouble. “Last chance…”

I spit a mouthful of saliva onto his fancy leather shoes in response, and he yanked the rope, jerking my body up until just my bare feet rested against the concrete. I took long, deep breaths, bracing myself for what was to come, only to remember that Cobra didn’t do predictable.

He took a step back, wrapping the slack around his hand with a grin. Somehow, the cigar remained clenched in between his teeth, and he shifted it to the side of his mouth before speaking. “Do you know how hard my job was that night? I had to factor in the fact that you’d decided on a vest last-minute, on top of ensuring that your wound wasn’t fatal, but something that would require more than a club doctor to fix. I go to all that trouble and can’t even get a goddamn thank you?”

I looked up from the floor. “How’d you know I was wearin’ a vest?”

“It’s funny; I toss a rope around your neck, and you suddenly want to chat. You know the answer. The one cop you never investigated—tell me, how does it feel, knowing that your own son turned on you?”

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