Chapter Nine

Bear

We sat outside the shitty little run-down motel where Leon Black and Boon were camped out. "Fuckin' place shoulda been condemned years ago." I grumbled as I studied the place with binoculars.

"Pretty sure it was." Like me, Ringo was studying the place. "Is it even still open?"

"Nope." Crush was back at the clubhouse but keeping tabs on us. "They chose this spot because they think the road across the street is the entrance to our lair. Strong evidence we're being successful in covering our tracks when we go to and from the city."

"You sure someone can't track your signal straight to us, Crush?"

"Nah, Fang," Crush drawled. "I thought I'd lead them straight to our door for shits and giggles."

Falcon snorted. "Stay in your lane, bro."

Fang grumbled. "Right. Sorry, Crush." The younger man had come to us about a year ago after an exfil had gone wrong. He'd been left for dead but had managed to literally crawl his way out. Falcon had found him and brought him to us. Fang was a good guy, but trying way too hard to fit in.

"Give your sister mine and Byte's Fortnite handles, and I'll call it even." I could hear the amusement in Crush's voice, but I had to wonder exactly how much he was teasing. Ariana was the only family Fang had. He'd been trying to get her to move to the compound but she'd yet to agree.

"You get her to move to the compound and I will."

"Give me a couple weeks." It was the standard answer to that same demand.

Crush had never spoken to Ariana as far as I knew. Neither had Byte. Both men had pretty much fallen in love with her picture and bickered constantly in front of Fang about which brother would marry Ariana, just to get a rise out of him. It never worked. Though, if the girl did move to the compound, I had to wonder if things would stay so congenial.

"I'll do it in one," Byte said in the background of the radio.

"In your dreams," was Crush's response. As always.

"I may have to kill one or both of them," Fang muttered. "They're not serious, are they?" He looked at Falcon for reassurance.

"About wanting your sister in the safety of the compound? Absolutely."

"The fuckers both want her!" Fang looked ready to do murder, but Falcon just chuckled.

"They're yankin' your chain, bro."

"Uh-huh," Lemon said with a grin. "We takin' bets?" She blew a bubble, then sucked it back in with a pop .

"Can we please get back to business?" Ringo sounded annoyed, but I saw the twitch to his lips.

"They're two blocks away," Crush interrupted. He was all business now. "Dark blue Chevy pickup. They usually park half a block away and walk around back."

"I've got them," I said, adjusting my binoculars to bring the truck in question into focus. "Yep. I recognize both men. I assume there's an entrance at the back of the building?"

"Homemade entrance," Crush confirmed. "Someone knocked a hole in the back wall. They've reinforced it a bit, but it's their way in, thinking no one will see them."

"Boon's smarter'n that," I muttered. "What's he playin' at?"

"Bear?" Rocket put a hand on my shoulder. "What're you thinkin'?"

I lowered the field glasses and met my president's gaze. "That Boon's either lost his mind or he's trying to get Black caught."

"This fuckin' guy wanted to be director of the CIA," Lemon scoffed. "Why is he not smarter'n that?"

I snorted. "If I had to guess, I'd say he was following Boon's lead."

"And Boon is about to get revenge for going to prison," Lemon guessed, probably correctly.

I shrugged, glancing at Rocket. "Can't think of anything else off the top of my head."

"Bear?" Ringo still had his field glasses to his face, gazing intently at the shitty motel. "What's that on the corner of the building next to the room Crush pegged them in?"

I took a look. "I don't see anything."

"Parallel to the bottom right corner of the window, at the edge of the stone wall."

I surveyed the area carefully. Then I saw it. "Our old outfit's insignia."

"You guys were PsyOps?" Falcon raised his eyebrows in surprise.

I shrugged. "Started in the Army together. It's how the CIA found us."

"You think he's playing a mind game?" That was the first time Olivia had spoken since we started out. She was obedient and did her best to stay out of everyone's way. Lemon was at her side constantly, and Liv didn't protest. Even now, she spoke softly.

I shrugged. "Could be, but, honestly, Boon wasn't that kind of guy. Sure, he was really good at his job, but he's more the bust ‘em in the nuts kinda guy."

"Huh." Lemon grunted. "Sounds like my kinda guy."

Rocket pointed a threatening finger at her. "Watch it, sour puss."

Lemon just grinned, flipping him off.

"Crush? Anyone hangin' back? They got a sleeper waitin' for us?"

"Negative," the other man said. "Just the two of them. I've hacked the Chevy's computer, which led to a whole lotta shit with Black's phone. I'd say your guy Boon is definitely setting him up for something."

"Gettin' us to do the dirty work," Ringo muttered. "Don't like it, but I can't see anything suspicious from this angle."

"Nothin' inside but the two of them now," Crush offered. "I was going to give the go ahead, Rocket."

"I don't want the women down there," Rocket said. "We'll nab the fuckers and take ‘em to that little huntin' cabin on the edge of our territory. It's still in the middle of nowhere, and we can do what we need to."

"Also, plenty ‘a gators out there." Scrub was always looking for ease of clean up. He shrugged. "Be easier to get rid of, but I can clean up wherever you decide to take care of business."

Surprisingly, Lemon didn't argue. "That's our cue to get back in the truck." Lemon urged Olivia away but she balked, looking up at me.

"Lemon's right," I said. "Go with her. You'll still get your answers, but you'll do it where I can make sure you're safe."

She nodded at me. "OK." I turned to go. "Bear?" I turned back to face her. She was wringing her hands, tears glistening in her eyes. "Please be careful. Don't…" She closed her eyes and two tears flowed down her cheeks. "Don't get hurt. No matter what."

I tilted my head at her, taking a step closer so we were nearly touching. "What's wrong, honey? You're gonna get your answers. I swear it."

She shook her head, more tears falling. "No, Bear." She reached out and grasped my vest in one small fist. "I don't… I don't think I care much anymore. Just don't get hurt. Nothing else matters."

"Liv, honey? What are you saying?" She trembled where I touched her, her slim body shaking even though it was hot and humid in the evening.

She stood there for several seconds, her gaze firmly locked with mine. Then she threw herself into my arms, wrapping herself around me. "I don't care! I don't care if I know anything! Can we just go? What if he's ready for you and tries to kill you, Bear?" Her words were barely above a whisper, but I heard her clearly.

"I expect he probably will, honey. But I've got my brothers. We've got each other's backs. It's why I'd prefer you stay away until we've got control of the situation. Fighting a skilled enemy is one thing. Fighting a skilled enemy while protecting something very precious to you is something else entirely. I have no desire to die right when I've found you, so you're staying with Lemon. Falcon and Leather will keep you safe. Then we'll all do this together."

"You promise me? You'll be OK?"

I grinned at her. "Yeah, baby. I'll be fine." I squeezed her shoulders before turning back to Rocket and the rest of my brothers. Not for the first time I was struck at how much the club had started coming together as a family. Though I'd always known I could count on the men here to have my back if I needed them, I could never remember ever feeling more sure of them as my family than I had these last few months since Lemon came to Rocket.

Finally, Liv turned away and followed Lemon to the cage to wait on us. If all went well, it would only take a few minutes to secure both men and take them back to our territory to be questioned.

We made our way to the abandoned motel. The hole in the wall was hidden, but obvious when one knew it was there. I was careful as I entered, paying close attention to everything around me. If Boon was going to betray me, it would be the second I was fully inside.

Ringo entered behind me. We had knives instead of guns since we were so close to the city. The last thing we wanted was to bring the police straight to us. Rocket and Scrub followed.

I could hear the two men talking. Leon Black and Boon. Arguing.

I glanced back at Rocket who nodded. Ringo took the lead, kicking in the door and snagging the first man he came to. Which happened to be Black. Boon raised his hands wide and above his head. He didn't look surprised.

"‘Bout fuckin' time," Boon muttered as Rocket tied his hands.

"You can tell us all about it in a bit." Ringo said as he finished binding, gagging, and blindfolding Black. Where Black struggled, Boon stood passively as he was packaged the same as Black.

As I put a black bag over Boon's head, he met my gaze with a steady one of his own. There was no pleading or smirking. No expression on his face at all. I knew Boon fairly well. Or had. It was years ago. He'd changed. I knew I certainly had. Trust didn't come easily to me, and there was every possibility this was a setup. Though, for the life of me, I couldn't figure out how.

Then I shoved the bag over his head, and Ringo took him to the trailer we were pulling with the truck.

I climbed into the back seat with Olivia. She gave me a relieved look when I slid in beside her. I shut the door and reached for her hand. She took it and squeezed hard.

"Told you I'd be all right."

She nodded and gave me a watery smile. "Yeah. You did."

We made the ride in silence. Rocket and Lemon were in the front with Rocket driving, and everyone else was in the trailer with our prisoners. It took thirty minutes before we left the road, then another forty-five to reach the shed on the edge of the property. Part of it was distance, but the terrain wasn't exactly made for speed.

Rocket stopped the truck as we neared the cabin. "Close enough." He turned to look at me. "You ready?"

"Oh yeah. Been ready for this for a while."

"Let's get to it then."

* * *

Olivia

My heart was pounding. I had to concentrate on taking deep breaths so I didn't pass out. I'd been terrified of Mr. Black from the moment I'd met him. My father had made it clear he couldn't -- or wouldn't -- protect me from Mr. Black. And the man had taken an interest in me from the moment he'd met me. I was about to find out why, and I didn't have a very good feeling about how the encounter would go.

I waited with Lemon until Bear let us know he was ready for me. Then I followed Lemon in and wasn't too ashamed to admit I let her stand between me and Mr. Black. My own personal monster. I knew it showed weakness, but I'd basically been conditioned to panic when I saw Mr. Black. Yeah, he'd hit me before, but it was more the thinly veiled threats of something worse than a smack or two if I didn't do exactly what he told me.

Ringo stepped away and both Black and the other man were tied with their wrists bound above their heads. He'd removed the bags and gags they'd had on when the men had brought them back to the truck. The one Bear had called Boon didn't say anything or struggle, while Black was furious.

"I was only going to throw you in prison before this, Bear. Now I'm going to fucking bury you!"

"Why are you here, Leon?" Bear calmly asked. "Why come after me after all these years?"

"You cost me everything, Bear. You honestly think I wouldn't come for revenge?"

"And you?" I glanced at Boon. Of the two men, he was easily the most dangerous and intelligent. Black was a pimple on a gnat's ass compared to Boon. "You here for revenge, too?"

"Yep. Been wantin' revenge since I went to prison after Tripoli."

There was something about the way Boon smirked. He glanced at Black when he did. I got the feeling there was more than he was letting on.

"Well, the only one getting revenge is me," I said, stepping back and crossing my arms over my chest. "But before we get to my revenge, I have some questions."

Boon grinned. "I'll be happy to answer any questions you have."

Black snorted. "Fuck you."

Bear held out his hand in my direction. I took it as my cue to come forward. There was no way to suppress the shiver as Black's gaze met mine. He scowled and tried to lunge in my direction, but his bonds held. Ringo punched him in the abdomen with one swift, hard jab.

"There'll be none of that, asshole."

Black grunted but made no other sound. He did glare back up at Ringo.

"Why me?" I said in a soft voice. I wasn't the strong, independent woman I'd tried to be while working for my father. I was a scared girl just trying to understand how and why her life had gone to hell. "Why did you send me here?"

Black laughed. It sounded pained but definitely amused. "You're exactly the type of woman Bear goes for. I knew if I threw a woman in his path who'd been smacked around or was in immediate danger, he'd rush in like the fucking knight in shining fucking armor." He gave Bear a superior smirk. "After all these years, I still have you pegged, you bastard."

"Can't deny that," Bear said with a shrug. "Took to her from the second she jumped into my arms, and I won't deny it."

"Well, I guess you did your job after all," Mr. Black sneered at me. "Did you fuck him? I told you you'd get a lot of information from him if you fucked him."

I sucked in a breath. I couldn't help it. "That's not what happened, Bear."

He lifted the corner of his lips in a half smile. "I know."

Mr. Black chuckled. "So you did follow instructions."

"What exactly are you looking for, Leon?" Bear looked annoyed. Like he was done with this and wanted to move on. Did he believe Black? Was he regretting taking responsibility for me? Did he regret what we'd done together earlier? That thought gutted me. Sex with Bear had been the best thing to ever happen to me. I knew, realistically, we couldn't have any kind of meaningful long-term relationship. Bear was way the hell outta my league and I wasn't too proud to admit it.

"I wanted to ruin your life the way you ruined mine."

"How'd you find us?" Bear continued as if Black's answer meant nothing. I could tell by the look in his eyes he was filing everything away for later.

"Stumbled across you in Palm Springs. Just happened to see your face in the crowd and followed you. That's when I realized I could finally get you back." He grinned. "Did you fall for her or was she merely a good fuck to you?"

Bear crossed his arms over his chest, planting his legs a shoulder-length apart. "Oh, yeah. I fell for her. Made her my woman."

Mr. Black threw back his head and laughed. "Of course you did. But I really didn't think you could be led around by your dick that quickly. She hasn't had her claws in you a full day. She must have some magical pussy."

Bear popped him in the nose. Blood spurted on both sides of Black's face, and the man screamed.

"Jesus, Leon," Boon snarled. "You're makin' me look bad."

Bear turned his attention to Boon then. "So? Here I am. What revenge do you want on me?"

"Never said I was gettin' revenge on you, Bear. Only that I was gettin' revenge." Boon jerked his head in Black's direction. "He's the reason I was in prison. Not you. You offered me a way out, and I was a fool and didn't take it. That's on me."

Bear tilted his head at Boon. "How exactly you gettin' revenge on him?"

"Figured you guys'd take care of him, given all the shit he did to get here." Boon turned his gaze to me then. "I'm sorry about this, Olivia. I was going to get you out of there until I saw Bear and realized we'd run into the very person Leon wanted to destroy. I knew you'd be safe with Bear. Even if he suspected you to be a spy, he'd have protected you until he got all the facts. Letting this go down the way it did was the only way to get you away from Leon and your father."

"What's Leon got on her old man?" Bear asked.

"What hasn't he got? Martin Calhoun is into every dirty deal in the northern hemisphere. He's ripped off so many countries it's a wonder he's still alive. Not to mention the grooming and trafficking he's done with underage girls."

Boon nodded at me. "This was his first run at Olivia. Assuming she'd done what Leon wanted, she'd have been out and home in a couple of weeks at most. Calhoun was going to start using her to appease his various clients. He hadn't done so before now because he needed her educated. She needed to be able to converse about any topic to better suit his needs. Leon threatened to expose him. To bring charges of human trafficking and running a pedophile ring. Last thing he wanted was to end up in prison. Rich or not, we all know how things go for pedophiles in prison."

"So he sold out his daughter." Bear didn't word it as a question.

"That man would sell out his own mother if it suited him. Considering Olivia is his stepdaughter, he never batted an eye."

I felt like I was going to shatter. I hadn't loved my father. Not really. It was more the idea of having a father that appealed to me. But hearing this man laying it out so bluntly cut me to the bone.

"Liv, look at me." Bear's voice was pure command. I hesitated, but only because I wasn't sure I could stand it if I saw anger in his face. Trust didn't come easy, and I'd already lied to him. Hell of a way to start out a relationship. I was afraid he'd remember that and question himself.

"You know she's lying, Bear. Anything she told you when you fucked her was bedroom play." Black's voice was nasal from when Bear had broken his nose, but he still sounded strong and confident. "She was pumping you for information she intended to pass on to me."

Bear turned and made eye contact with Lemon. "Is this guy for real?"

Lemon's eyes widened. "You're asking me? He's your buddy."

"He's a fuckin' motherfucker," Bear spat. "He has absolutely no idea what happened or was said between me and Liv."

"Oh, hell no. He's tryin' to sow seeds of doubt." Lemon moved closer to Black. "I'm not really sure what he's trying to accomplish, though. Liv's one of us." She gave the man a wicked sneer. "We don't turn our backs on family."

"She's just a little whore," Black said with a chuckle. "She's nothing to you."

"She's everything to me, Leon," Bear said softly. "So yeah. I guess you know me just as well today as you did when I was under your command."

"Fuck you, Bear. Just pull the fuckin' trigger and get it over with."

"I'm good with that." Lemon pulled out a gun and fired at Mr. Black… but there wasn't a report. Instead, two wires shot from the gun to Black's chest, and his body stiffened and his face contorted in pain. He opened his mouth as if to scream, but nothing came out.

"Lemon," Rocket sighed. "How many times have I told you not to carry a taser? You're loud enough with that fucking pink bike you commandeered from Falcon. Carrying weapons makes you stick out even more."

Lemon gave Rocket a blank, innocent look. "Is that really even possible?"

Rocket barked out a laugh. So did Boon and I. "Good point, baby." Rocket chuckled. Then he turned to Boon. "So, what about you?"

"I came here originally to kill Leon. But when I got there, he'd already started the move with Olivia. It was when I realized how much a pawn she was, and knew I couldn't leave her to fend for herself. So I sat back and watched until yesterday evening. I knew you were with Grim Road, Bear. I remembered what you'd told me. Working with Leon for the last few weeks also gave me time to study you guys and dig deeper into your reputation around the area." He shrugged. "No one had a bad thing to say about Grim Road. Not only that, but then you turned out to be the first club member she was able to get close to in the right setting. Like I said before. Once I knew you were the man who had her, I knew she'd be safer with you than she would be with her father."

"Olivia?" Bear pulled me into his arms. "You got any other questions for either of them?"

I shook my head, burying my face in Bear's chest. "I just want to go home. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea."

"What? Confronting Leon here?"

"Yes." The word was more of a sob. "I just want to go home with you and forget about all this."

"Thank fuck," Bear said, squeezing me to him tighter. "For a second there, I thought you meant you didn't think being with me was a good idea."

That shocked me, so I pulled back to cup his bearded face in my hands. "Bear, being with you is the best idea I've ever had."

"Someone fucking shoot me," Black snapped, disgust clear in his voice. "Pathetic!"

"You heard the man," Lemon said. "Shoot him. Bear, take Liv to the truck. We'll be there in a minute."

"Now, wait just a Goddamned minute!" There was a sharp gunshot, then silence. Bear kept my face against his chest with one big, strong hand on the back of my head.

"What about Boon?" Ringo looked to Rocket for instructions.

"Cut him loose." Rocket addressed Boon, "You want to stay with us? Prospect?"

Boon rubbed his wrist when Ringo cut him down. "I think maybe I would, Rocket."

"What about your family?" Bear turned us but didn't let me go or move my head to look at Boon. "The reason you didn't come before was because you didn't want to uproot them."

"My wife divorced me when I was in prison. My kids are grown and don't want anything to do with me." He shrugged. "I thought I'd maybe get a fresh start."

"Crush will have to look into your background, but if Bear vouches for you, we'll take you in."

"Bear vouches for him," Bear said. "Now, I'm takin' my woman out of here. Boon, good to see you. Hate all the shit you went through, but I'm glad you found your way here."

"Thanks Bear. I owe you."

"Anytime, brother. We're family here. Welcome aboard."