Chapter Thirty Min

CHAPTER THIRTY: MIN

The flight home was tense. We barely caught the last flight out. Babe was too angry to discuss what happened with Fenhua and at the clubhouse. After we accept a beer from the flight attendant, I update him on what I discovered at the hospital.

"Those assholes didn't have time to rape Jessica. This was more of an adventure and less of a traumatic event. But it all might hit her later. Her parents showed up as I was leaving. Thea was lucky, too. She was at the community center, but they moved her to the office building but didn't hurt her. I wish I could say the same was true for the other girls. But they'd been in the church basement. Each will need counseling, but I don't know if it will help."

"I'm sorry," Babe says, taking my hand. "I know you'll beat yourself up about not rescuing them sooner, but you rescued them. The damage was already done."

"I know. Fuck, they're so young. That fucker Jordan has a lot to answer for. I know you don't want to talk about the club, but do you think Chrome and his men will still hunt down Jordan?"

Babe nods. "They will. I saw Rush before we left, and he assured me they'd keep hunting him. Besides, the Nomads will be in Chicago for the foreseeable future. Dante instructed them to stay as long as necessary to find the rat and Jordan. How did it go with the cops?"

"Fine. Schwartz was there. He was the one who took my statement. I told him I took out Billings in order to rescue the girls. But I didn't mention Blankenship. The girls backed my story. They told Schwartz that I led them out of the building and got them to the hospital. Each one said they didn't see anyone during the escape. Schwartz wasn't happy when I couldn't give the exact address, but he thought he knew the location based on the information I gave him. Just hope the fire had enough time to burn the evidence."

"It should. They found some gasoline in storage and doused the place. It was engulfed in flames by the time we pulled out."

"What happened tonight after I left with the girls?" I ask.

Babe tells me about finding Scorch and Trigger on the side of the road and Fenhua's disappearance. Knowing Fenhua escaped pisses me off, but not as much as Scorch's accusation. Not his accusation against me, but against Babe. These guys are supposed to be brothers. Families by choice rather than blood. They're supposed to have each other's backs. Not stabbing them in the back. I can tell Babe's not only angry, but hurt, too.

"Maybe Scorch has a concussion and wasn't thinking straight," I offer. "He might rethink his accusation once he's had time to rest."

Babe snorts. "Maybe. I hope so. Doesn't explain Chrome not coming to our defense."

"Scorch is his VP. He may have been placating him. But, hold on. If Scorch and Trigger planned to drive Fenhua's SUV, what were they going to do with their bikes? I thought the plan was to clear out before the cops arrived."

"Scorch called the prospects to come with the crash van to take the bikes back," Babe explains. "Scorch and Trigger ended up riding back in the van along with their bikes."

"Hmm," I muse as I consider what Babe's told me.

"What?"

"I was just thinking about the prospects. A prospect would make an excellent spy. You guys basically ignore them unless you need something. There was a prospect working at the garage when I rescued Angie and Kristi. Weren't two prospects spying on the community center? You only have their word for it that Jordan and his men cleared out of the center after the prospects left. Maybe it isn't a brother who attacked Mode, but a prospect sent by Jordan or Fenhua?"

"That's a possibility. I'll suggest it to Dante when we get home."

I get an hour of sleep before the plane's descent wakes me up. Glancing at Babe, I see he's opening his eyes, too.

"Did you get any sleep?" I ask him.

He nods. "Maybe thirty minutes. When we get back to the clubhouse, we can crash."

"How are we getting to the clubhouse?"

Babe smirks. "Axel is picking us up. Called him when you were in the restroom."

Since we stored our duffle bags in the overhead compartment, we could disembark and go straight to the passenger pickup. As Babe promised, Axel is waiting for us. He takes our bags and tosses them in the back while Babe opens the back door for me before he climbs into the passenger seat.

"Anything I need to know?" Babe asks him as Axel pulls away from the curb.

"Chaos and Evie moved into their house and we've broken ground on Scar and Caitlin's place. Scar's pushing Carver to get it done as fast as possible. Caitlin had a pregnancy scare, so Scar wants them settled in case she comes up pregnant. Ranch has had some problems out at his ranch, so Byte and Smoke are adding additional security to his place. Simon, Cole, Izzy, and I are taking turns staying at his place when he's at the clubhouse. Tally's spending less time at the hospital and more time at the clubhouse or with her dad. They're working on the plans for the new hospital. Caitlin and Kingsley are busy getting ready for the grand opening of Crossroads. Brooke and Tanya have moved out of Brooke's apartment and are living in the clubhouse. Although, they're not happy about it. Flame and Ghost were talking about buying a townhouse or a duplex for the four of them to live in."

As Axel provides the latest gossip, Babe glances back at me. The look telling me he's thinking what I'm thinking.

"You know quite a bit about what goes on in the clubhouse," Babe says. "Are all the prospects aware of everything that happens?"

Axel shrugs. "Isn't that part of the job? Being aware and on top of what everyone needs?"

"It is. But if someone wanted information about the club, using a prospect would be a good idea."

The lack of traffic helps when Axel slams on the brakes and fishtails.

"What the fuck, prospect! Be careful!" Babe shouts.

"Sorry," Axel grumbles as he keeps driving. "You think I'm a spy?"

I hear the tremor in his voice and barely stop myself from smacking Babe on the back of the head. "You need to learn to communicate better. Explain to him what's going on. We need him thinking, not freaking out," I tell Babe before turning my attention to Axel. "We want to determine if prospects would make useful spies. You seem to know much about what goes on in the clubhouse. Do the other prospects know as much?"

"You think one of them is a spy?" Axel asks. "Because I can guarantee they're not. There's no way they'd betray the club. We're all too fucking busy, for one thing. For another, you watch us too closely. It would be too big a risk."

"We don't suspect the prospects here," Babe says. "Chicago has a rat problem. We're thinking it might be a prospect. If it was a prospect, could they do it if they were careful?"

Axel shrugs. "I guess. Although we have little freedom. We don't get to pick and choose what we're working on. The brothers assign us to the work. Although, most of us end up working regularly in various businesses. I tend to work with Carver and Flame on construction jobs. Izzy does deliveries and covers the storage facility. Simon is helping Ghost with the gym. Cole helps out at the bars. You guys assigned us tasks that fit with our skills. However, we're rarely alone when we work. Not sure how we'd gather or share information, unless it was specific to a business."

"No, we're looking for someone with inside access and knowledge in the clubhouse," Babe says.

"Laser could do it," Axel muses. "Not that he would. The guy's fucking loyal. But someone like him. He's the only prospect who works in the clubhouse full time. Well, except for when he's meeting with Reaper about the gun range Reaper's opening. However, now that they've selected the site, they're meeting at the clubhouse to go over the plans and other details."

"You're right," Babe says. "Laser is always at the clubhouse. He probably knows most about what's going on."

I share a look with Babe as we exit the SUV and head inside the clubhouse. Axel follows behind, carrying our bags. He runs up the stairs, likely to deliver our bags to Babe's room.

"Sammy," I say and Babe nods. "Convenient that he can't leave the clubhouse, or was that part of the plan? His claim to be hiding from the former congregation may be a lie. He could be working for Jordan. He drew up a detailed plan of the church, but didn't include the basement."

"He's worth a look. I'll suggest it to Dante tomorrow. We should get some sleep."

"I'm not sure I can sleep," I admit.

"Then maybe I should do something to wear you out." Babe grins before leaning over and lifting me with his shoulder.

I smack his ass and chuckle as he jogs up the steps. Normally, I wouldn't let a man manhandle me like this. However, the gush of arousal between my legs tells me I'm enjoying it more than I should.