Page 76 of Kansas

“I love you,” he murmured.

I wrapped my arms around him, thankful for all he was to me.

Twenty-Two

Kansas

“Where the fuck were you?!” I shouted at Monk, who stood before me, saying absolutely nothing. After learning about Mr. Taylor and his son Ben, Widow and Whispered looked every fucking place they could think of to find my Sergeant of Arms. In the end, they showed up late to the barbecue empty handed.

No one knew where the fuck he was until he strolled into the clubhouse an hour ago, as if nothing was wrong. I even tried texting and calling him myself. To make matters worse, I had Payne in my fucking ear, telling me I shouldn’t trust him. With all the shit going on, I needed to know where my officers were at all times.

I hated that.

That inkling of doubt.

“Do you have any idea the shit storm about to be dropped in my lap? Ben is dead. So is his dad. The fucking police called in the FEDs. Then, if that wasn’t enough, whoever killed them wrote my fucking name on the wall. Mine!” I roared, and still Monk said nothing.

Fucker didn’t even flinch.

“Monk, come on brother,” Pence sighed. “Just tell the Prez where you were at.”

“It’s my business.”

“I got that, but shit has escalated. You missed Kali’s house cleansing ceremony and the club barbeque. That was mandatory.”

“I’m sorry about that brother. I bet Vivi did an amazing job, but I’m not telling you where I was.”

Pence sighed, looking at me.

Rubbing my hands down my face, I muttered, “Fine. Keep your secret. For the next month, you are on lockdown at the clubhouse. If you go anywhere, you will take Widow with you. And before you say a word about your sister, I won’t stop you from visiting, but you have to take Widow with you.”

“You know she doesn’t like company, Kansas.”

“Then tell her you won’t be seeing her until next month. The choice is yours. Now we have more important shit to discuss. Like I said earlier, someone wrote my name on Mr. Taylor’s wall, so the FEDs have their eyes on me and this club. Also, these murders were different.”

“Prez is right,” Pence added. “It wasn’t Serrano’s handy work. We have another player in the mix.”

The room stayed quiet as the tension rose. We all know the ramifications of what these murders meant. The longer they went unchecked, the harder it would be for law enforcement to put the pieces together. Conroy was doing his best to keep the link off the radar, but it was only a matter of time before the truth came out.

“So far, it’s only been cops killed,” Blackjack muttered. “Hate saying this because I’ve got mad respect for the brothers in blue, but with that information alone, everyone will believe they have a cop killer on the loose. That keeps us in the clear for now.”

“Which is why the Police Chief brought in the FEDs.” Payne said, making himself known as he stepped out of the shadows. “What all of you are failing to realize is that if one more person dies, just one, this town will make national news. This town, its people and this club will be all over the news. With the FBI now involved, it’s only a matter of time before some jagoff puts two and two together. There is a history between this club, the town and the men who died. It’s going to come out.”

“Don’t see how. It wasn’t the club’s name on the wall in Mr. Taylor’s bedroom. It was Kansas’ name,” Monk sneered.

“Regardless,” Blackjack muttered. “We can’t dump this in the Prez’s lap. We all rode to Mexico and so did the others. Right now, everyone is safe in the apartment building across the street. If anyone comes for us, we will know and we will take care of it. End of story.”

“Not the end,” Payne sighed. “I get this is Oklahoma and you boys do things differently here but let me be very clear. If one more person dies, just one, the FBI will classify this asshole as a serial killer, which means they will inundate this whole fucking town with investigators and press. There won’t be a place anyone can hide because there will be eyes everywhere.”

“What do you want us to do?” Whisper asked.

“Absolutely nothing. I want you all to continue as if nothing is wrong. Do your jobs, stay the fuck out of trouble and for the love of God, don’t go anywhere without backup because until I find Serrano and this new fucking killer, all of you are in danger.”

“Payne is right,” I added, absolutely hating that I agreed with him. “Until this mess blows over, we go on as before. Partner up when leaving the compound and until we catch this fucker, every unmarried brother will stay at the clubhouse. Also, because of my involvement in the latest crime scene, this club is about to have company. The Soulless Sinners are arriving in two days.”

The room groaned.

“Alright everyone, you heard the Prez. Get out of here and stay safe. Make sure you all have your concealed carry permits up to date because you don’t leave the compound unless you are packing. Now get out of here,” Pence ordered, as the room cleared.

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