Page 64 of The Trust We Broke
GRUDGE
When I race up the dirt road to the clubhouse, the flashing lights are the first thing I see.
There are cop cars and FBI trucks, and more people milling about the clubhouse than we see when we hold an open house party.
Jackal and Shade are on their knees on the cold asphalt, hands behind their heads. Taco and Wraith are on their fronts on the ground as they are handcuffed.
Isla, Karlie, and a couple of the other club girls freeze in short skirts and tight T-shirts.
Fuck, I was lying in bed with Lucy while my club was being raided. It doesn’t sit well with me and will only fuel some of the old-timers, who wish someone else were president.
But before I make it all the way to the top of the road, Atom steps out from the field and flags me down. I was so busy looking ahead that I didn’t notice him standing next to his horse tied up to the side of the trail.
I pull over and kill the engine. “What the fuck happened?”
Atom grabs my shoulder and drags me to the fence. “Climb over it.”
I shake my head. “I’m going over there.”
An FBI agent up ahead notices the two of us and points in our direction while shouting at two colleagues.
“Get over the goddamn fence,” Atom says. “Now.”
I do as he says. “Why? I need to go up there.”
Atom shakes his head. “I made a deal with Butcher. When the land became mine, I signed over the land the clubhouse was on to the club. We had the property split in city records, and the clubhouse now has its own address. For as long as there is an Outlaw chapter in Colorado, this land will be theirs. If it ever closes, for whatever reason, or moves to another location, the land becomes my family’s again.”
I shove my hands to my hips. “So?”
He points in the direction of the three federal agents no longer racing toward me. “It means they can’t arrest you, as they have a warrant for search and seizure at the clubhouse. Not my land. They can’t step foot on here without a warrant they don’t have. Which will keep you and me out of their clutches, for now.”
“Fuck. Thanks, brother.” I let out a breath. “But it feels fucking cowardly to hide out here while I can see them getting roughhoused.” As I speak, Catfish is brought out of the clubhouse, fighting against the cuffs. The officer with him slams his head into the side of the police car while attempting to get him into the vehicle, and he wobbles for a moment, disoriented.
“Yeah. But sometimes you gotta accept where you can provide the most help. And it’s not in a cell with everyone else. It’s out here. I tried to call the club lawyer, but he didn’t answer. Left a message for him.”
Without a second thought, I grab my phone and call Lucy.
“Grudge,” she says efficiently.
“Luce. I need your help.”
“Was that before you ducked out via text rather than conversation?” There’s a softness to her words that says she’s not really mad.
I kick the toe of my boot down into the dirt, then glance up and see Smoke walked out of the clubhouse in handcuffs. “You can yell at me all you want when this is over. But they’re raiding my clubhouse, Luce. Everyone is in cuffs. Can you come?”
“I’m on my way. Check whether the federal search warrant lists specific property addresses, structures, or named individuals. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
The line goes dead.
I glance at the phone, as if there must be a fault with the line, rather than the truth she just hung up on me.
“So, things going well with your ex, then?” Atom asks, raising an eyebrow.
“Fuck off.”
The corner of Atom’s lips twitches with a grin, but he manages to bite it down.
“Tell me what happened,” I say.
