Clutch: Satan's Fury MC (23 page)

I had no idea what time I’d finally fallen asleep or how long I’d actually been asleep, but the irritating sounds of kids singing pulled me from my slumber. After turning off the TV, I checked the time. It was almost eight, so I got up. After a quick shower, I headed for the club.

Church was in a couple of hours and I needed to check in with Crow to see if he’d gone over everything that Big Mike sent. I also needed to see if he’d been able to break through the firewall on that offshore bank account so we’d have a better idea of who we were dealing with. I wanted to have all the information in Gus’s hands before we met with the brothers. He wanted everything laid out so we’d all be fully prepared for the night that lay ahead.

When I got to the club, most of the guys were gathered in the kitchen having breakfast while they waited for Gus to call church. The smell of bacon made my stomach growl with hunger, but I didn’t have time to grab breakfast. I needed to talk to Crow, and since he wasn’t in the kitchen, I headed straight to his room. The door was open, so I knocked as I stepped inside. He was already at his computer working, and when he looked up, I said, “Were you able to come up with anything?”

“Been at it all night, man. Every time I get close, I hit another wall. But I did find something,” he answered as he pushed the piles of papers to the side and started typing on his laptop.

I walked over and sat down next to him as he pulled something up on the screen. “Whatcha got?”

“I’m not sure if she knows it, but Olivia’s father left his share of the company to her. That’s almost seventy percent of the company, so she’s the final authority. Everything big is on hold with the rest of the development until she comes back home and signs off on the papers. From what I can tell, Turner’s assistant has been doing the best he can to keep the company running the way the old man wanted. His name is Evan Matheny, and he seems pretty loyal. Been with Turner from the beginning and has always done right by him. I’ve hacked into all his shit, but unfortunately he doesn’t know who killed his boss. He’s trying to find Olivia and doing everything he can to protect the company within the executive authorities Turned had in place for him as his right-hand man. But right now, his hands are tied.”

“Why’s that?”

“Since her father’s company still technically owns the remaining lots, they can’t be sold until Olivia gives the okay,” he explained. “They’re stuck.”

“What about Perry? What happened to his shares when he committed suicide?”

“His shares went to his son.” Crow paused for a minute, then said, “You said Olivia thought these guys were after the kids because they might have seen something the night her parents were killed, but what if that wasn’t it? What if they were after
her
as well?”

“That would make more sense,” I replied. “Besides, if the kids had seen something, they would’ve already told the police.”

“Exactly. She’s told you all the information she knows. So, I’m thinking Olivia has no idea that she owns the shares of the company and that these guys most likely aren’t just hunting the kids; they’re also gunnin’ for her.”

“Fuck,” I growled.

“This information doesn’t change anything, brother,” Crow started. “We end this shit tonight. I put a tracker on Rick’s phone, hoping to get a ping on the guy’s location that he’s working for. I’ll get him. One way or another, Olivia and those kids will have their life back.”

“You got that right. Have you told Gus about this?”

“Yeah. I talked to him just before you got here. He’s planning to go over everything with the guys in church. I’ll have the name of your guy before you leave tonight. You have my word on that.”

“Thanks, man,” I told him as I stood to leave. “I owe you one.”

“Hold on. I’ve got something else you might wanna see,” he told me as he started sifting through the stack of papers on his desk. “Gus asked me to look into your buddy Sam. He wanted to see if there was something we might be able to do to help him out.”

“And?”

“Did you know he was in the service?”

“Yeah, he mentioned something about it to Olivia a few months back. Said he was in the Navy or something.”

Crow handed me a picture of a man in a full Navy service uniform with a variety of ribbons stretching across his left breast pocket and said, “That’s Samuel Bennet. He was in the service for over twenty years until he was wounded in the USS Cole bombing. Seventeen sailors were killed and over thirty-nine were injured. Turns out, Sam was wounded while he was rescuing members of his crew. Even after he was hurt, he kept at it. Ended up being awarded a Bronze Star for saving six of his men from the fire.”

I looked at the picture again as I asked, “This is our Sam?”

“The one and only.”

“And now he’s out choosing to live on the streets. That’s fucked up, man.”

He nodded in agreement as he said, “Yeah it is, but his life on the streets is done whether he likes it or not. Gus is going to make sure of it.”

“Olivia will be relieved to hear that. Thanks for telling me,” I told him as I headed for the door. Just before I left, I turned to him and said, “Funny how quickly things can change. Sam deserves a better life. I really hope he gets it.”

Shortly after I finished up with Crow, the brothers met for church. Gus went over everything Crow had uncovered and we strategized our plans for tonight. Gus told us in church he’d talked to Cotton and assured him that there was no need to send any brothers from back home, because whoever was fucking with Olivia and the kids would be dead before they’d even have the time to get here. It felt good, knowing these brothers had my back. It didn’t matter that they were our charter club; we were
all
Satan’s Fury.

After we were done, Gus and I followed Bic and Crow to the warehouse. It was time for Rick to make another call to the fuckhead he was working for. Bic unlocked the door and we stepped inside. The small room reminded me of a jail cell. There was a cot in one corner and a sink and urinal in the other, and it reeked of piss and body odor. Rick was sitting at the end of the cot in his shirt soaked through with blood. His hair was greasy with sweat and grime, and he could barely keep his eyes open. Gus walked over to the sink and filled a glass with water, then poured it over Rick’s head.

Rick sputtered and coughed as he pulled himself from his stupor, and when he looked like he actually knew we were standing there, Gus told him, “It’s time to make another call.”

“I think I’m dying,” Rick muttered.

“You’re not dying, asshole, but you will be if you fuck this up,” Bic growled.

Gus stepped closer as he handed Rick his cell phone and said, “Make the call. Our man is tracking the call, so keep him on the line as long as you can. Do exactly what we’ve told you and I’ll see about getting those wounds looked at.”

“Okay,” Rick mumbled as he took the phone in his hand.

“Fuck it up and I’ll end you,” Bic warned.

Rick dialed the number and waited for it to start ringing. He cleared his throat and then, several seconds later, he said, “Hey, man. What’s your status?” He paused for a moment and then said, “Yeah. It’s cool. I just checked. She’s at the diner and the kids are upstairs in the apartment. They should all be home by the time you arrive.” He nodded silently before saying, “Yeah, got it. It’ll be a few hours before you get here, so I’ll keep an eye on ‘em and let you know if they make a move.” He paused, trying to buy Crow a little more time, and then said, “Okay. Where? … Fine. I was just wondering how long it will take you to get to her place. I doubt they’ll go anywhere, but I will let you know if they do. Just give me a call when you get close and I’ll let you know where they are.” After another brief pause, he ended the call and handed the phone to Gus.

The second Crow gave me the nod that he’d gotten the information he needed, I asked Rick, “Where is he?”

“He’s just leaving his house. He got a direct flight to Memphis and should be here by 7:00 pm. He said he’s gotta make a stop somewhere and then he’s heading straight to the apartment.”

“What kind of stop?”

“He didn’t say. I tried asking him, but he just said he had to make a stop,” Rick repeated.

Gus looked over at Rick. “Hold tight. I’ll get Mack in here to stitch you up.”

“I’d appreciate it,” Rick told him. There was hope in his voice as he asked, “Are you going to let me out of here?”

“That depends on you, Rick,” Gus told him. “You do what we tell ya, and you’ll be free to go when this is over. If not, then Bic gets to have a little fun with you.”

As promised, Gus sent Mack in to tend to Rick’s wounds while Crow worked his magic on finding our guy’s exact location. Murph and I headed to the back to help Bic inspect all the artillery. Once all the weapons and ammo were checked, we loaded everything into the SUV. We were set to go. I had no idea how the night would play out, but I knew I had my brothers behind me and Olivia waiting for me back at home—and that’s all I really needed to know.

I’d gone over everything Clutch had told me about his brothers and the club a hundred times in my head, but as soon as I walked through the front door, my mind went blank from sensory overload. I was completely overwhelmed and couldn’t think straight. Before Maverick went to check in with his ol’ lady, he gave me a quick tour of the clubhouse. Nothing was like I’d imagined it would be. The place was huge with a bar attached to the side and a maze of hallways that lead to different rooms throughout the clubhouse. There was no way I’d find my way around the place without help, but luckily I didn’t have to look far; there were plenty of people around to ask. I tried to remember everyone’s names as they greeted me, but there were just so many of them. While the men all had the look of badass bikers, they were all very kind and welcomed me and the kids like they’d known us forever.

When Guardrail showed us where we would be staying, I was surprised to find that they had prepared two adjoining rooms for us. Charlie would have a place of his own, but he’d still be close enough for me to keep an eye on him. After an hour or so, we were all unpacked and settling in. Even though it was still pretty early, the kids were exhausted, so they stretched out on my bed and turned on the TV. They’d just found a movie to watch when Cassidy stopped in to check on us. She chatted with the kids a minute, introducing herself as she unloaded a huge bag ironically full of all their favorite snacks and drinks. She even had a four-pack of my beloved banana split yogurt and an assortment of our favorite must-have fruits. Cassidy handed Charlie a programmed burner phone, explaining the contacts as she loaded the mini-fridge. It took some convincing, but she was persistent, and after assuring me the kids would be fine and could call if they needed anything, she managed to get me to come have a drink and visit with the ol’ ladies.

We’d been sitting at the bar talking for almost an hour while I was listening to Allison explain how she met Guardrail. I overheard Wren turn to Henley and say, “She’s really tall.”

“Well, Clutch is, like, nine feet tall. A guy like him needs a tall girl at his side,” Henley chuckled.

“True. I guess it will help balance him out,” Wren said and laughed. “Have you looked at her hair? I just love it. It’s the perfect mix of red and brown. It really brings out her eyes.”

“Yeah, her eyes are so mystical, they look magical. Every time I look at them, they are a different color. Once minute they look green, and then all of a sudden they look brown.” During the drive here, I’d gotten a chance to talk to Maverick, and he’d tried to warn me that his ol’ lady Henley was a bit of a nut. He was right, but I liked her. Even though she was gorgeous, she had a smile that set me at ease.

Wren smiled and said, “I wish I had her skin. It’s flawless. Since the pregnancy, mine has been a hot mess.”

Wren was a little older than Henley, but she was also beautiful. When she mentioned my complexion, I had no idea what she was talking about. Even with her pregnancy, her skin looked absolutely perfect and seemed to glow. Glancing at Alison, who’d gone silent listening to Wren and Henley, I gave her a wink as I took a drink of my water, audibly cleared my throat, and then pointed to myself as I teasingly asked, “You do know I’m sitting right here?”

Cassidy laughed and said, “Don’t mind them. All those pregnancy hormones have fried their brains.”

There was something different about Cassidy. From the start, I could see that there was a curiosity behind her eyes when she talked to me. I assumed it had something to do with being the president’s ol’ lady, so I did my best to ignore it. I looked over to Henley and noticed that she was six or seven months along while Wren was barely showing, so I asked, “When are you both due?”

Henley answered, “In an eternity from now.”

Cassidy shook her head. “Not an eternity. You just have two and a half more months to go.”

“That’s an eternity! This little twerp keeps kicking my bladder. I’m in the bathroom every five minutes,” Henley groaned. “But it will be worth it in a few months to have a little Maverick running around.”