Chapter 16

CHAPTER

SIXTEEN

PIKE

The road stretched before me, a long, dry ribbon of asphalt cutting through the Arizona desert. The sun was starting to rise, painting the sky in shades of red and orange, but it did nothing to warm the cold knot of tension in my gut. I rode at the head of the convoy, my bike growling beneath me, the Cobras following close behind. Dimitri was right there, just a bit behind me, his face as hard and unreadable as ever. Maddox and his men from the Brotherhood flanked us. It wasn't a big crew—just the essentials. This wasn't about numbers; it was about precision.

We were headed to a place that always gave me the fucking creeps. When I was with him, he lived in Idaho, where the weather was biting cold in the winter. I still couldn't believe that son of a bitch had moved here, of all places. It had pissed me off when I'd first heard about it like he was rubbing salt in a wound that never really healed. I couldn't deny it was convenient for me, though. Still, any place where this fucker lived wasn't good. It made me feel dirty to be anywhere near Kent. It felt like a bad dream. Like I was swimming still against the current — fighting the water.

"Everything good?" Dimitri shouted over the road, his voice cutting through my thoughts, pulling me back from the edge of a memory I didn't want to fall into.

"Yeah," I muttered, eyes locked on the road. "Just thinking."

"Don't get lost in it. We've got a job to do."

"I know." My voice was flat, but I felt the tension ratcheting up inside me. I didn't want to be here or face this place again, but we had no choice. Victor was out there, and Kent was the bait we needed to draw him in. There was no way I could allow this whole shitshow to continue. Whoever this Victor person was, I needed to nip this in the bud and finish it.

I slowed down as we approached the turnoff, signaling the others to do the same. The property came into view, and just seeing it made my skin crawl. The house looked the same as all the places Kent lived—like a place where bad things happened and weren't ever spoken of again—dusty, isolated, and surrounded by nothing but desert.

I had not seen Eli again last night or this morning, but he seemed close now for some reason. My brother never felt closer than when I was at this property, which made more sense to me now since apparently Eli had also been here before.

Maddox pulled up beside me, his eyes scanning the area. "You sure Victor is gonna show up here?"

"He'll show," I said, my voice hard. "This is the best chance we've got to catch him." There was an awareness that had settled over me as we had arrived. The hair lifted on my arms and along the nape of my neck. They'd been here, Victor and Eli. Either together or separately, but this was ground they'd traversed. If I were Kent, I'd be scared shitless. That made me feel irrationally good.

"Let's get to work, then," Maddox said, nodding to the others.

We dismounted, and I felt the weight of the past pressing down on me as I walked toward the house. Every step brought back memories I'd spent years trying to forget, but I pushed them aside, focusing on the task. We had a limited window to get the cameras in place and get out before Kent showed up. Taking deep breaths to distract myself, I moved forward and refocused.

Dimitri handed me a small camera, his eyes meeting mine. "I'll take the back. You and Maddox handle the front."

I nodded, took the camera, and moved toward the house. There had been an opportunity to opt-out, to say I'd take the outside, but I didn't. This was my problem, and I wouldn't take the easy way. That was a weakness I couldn't stomach. I'd asked for help, and that was further than I'd ever gone before. The others spread out, moving quickly and efficiently. This wasn't our first operation, and it wouldn't be our last, but this one was different for me. This one was personal.

I hesitated at the front door, my hand hovering over the doorknob. In all my time stalking Kent, I'd avoided entering one of his homes again, instead catching him in other locations. The memories hit me like a freight train—the rough hands, the cold voice, the feeling of being trapped. I took a deep breath, then pushed the door open. The hinges creaked, the sound echoing in the silence.

Each year, he got his beating, just like I'd promised him when I was a teen. I'd surprise him sometimes on a street corner or in a supermarket. Once, I'd had the boys surround him and grab him straight from his car. I wanted him shaken and scared — just like he'd kept us. Paranoid and wracked with fear all the fucking goddamn time.

The air was heavy with shadows, and the sweet smell that reminded me of Kent —pumpkin pie. The guy couldn't get enough of it. He was like a soccer mom. Starbucks had nothing on Kent. The floorboards creaked under my boots as I stepped inside. I moved quickly, placing the camera in a spot that would give us the best view of the front door. I didn't want to spend a second longer in this place than I had to. I'd probably end up getting some disease.

Maddox joined me a few minutes later, his face grim as he looked around. "Place gives me the creeps," he muttered, setting up another camera. "What the fuck is that weird smell?"

"Pumpkin pie," I said, my voice tight. I didn't elaborate, and Maddox didn't ask. We both knew what this place represented and that the sooner we got out of there, the better.

"What a twat. I hope he dies. Maybe we'll be too late," Maddox muttered. "That'd be a shame," he said so dryly that I couldn't help but chuckle back, but his eyes were shadowed and dark. Sweat shone on his face, and I remembered that Maddox also struggled with the task we'd set. Demons still hunted Maddox in the dark, and I made a mental note that someday soon, I would try to get Maddox to have a conversation with me. Maybe I could try opening up.

"Yeah, what a loss that'd be. You know Nat offered to have her cousin kill him for me."

"Fuck. I like her even more now," Cross quipped. I couldn't help but lean into the laugh.

"Me too," Maddox said. "Although pretty sure Maxim would be down to kill you too." Maddox was probably right about that. Once the Volkov pakhan found out I was fucking his precious cousin, he'd be looking to shoot me right between the eyes.

Once the cameras were in place, I stepped back, my eyes scanning the room. The cameras were small and well-hidden. If Victor showed up, we'd have him.

"Let's get out of here," I said, the tension in my voice barely contained. "Kent's still fifteen miles out. Looks like he's at the comic book store." Kent liked to linger at a used comic book store in Phoenix. I had a suspicion it was so he could have a nice little peeping tom moment, but I made sure he didn't snatch any more kids, and he wasn't allowed to foster anymore. Maybe today was the day that he'd die. The thought cheered me up. "We don't know where Victor is, so we should clear out."

"That Kent guy is a creep. Comic book store," Cross muttered to himself. Dimitri's eyes bounced off Maddox and then to me, ping-ponging.

The men regrouped outside, the air thick with anticipation. They'd all love to catch the guy that was dropping bodies in Morinrock — not as much as me, but they had a stake.

"So we leave here, and this Victor kills Kent? We aren't going to try to stop him?" Cross asked.

"Fuck no," Dimitri snorted. "He can have Kent and all the blame." He spread his hands out before him and gave an innocent shrug. "It won't be our fault we'll be far away. What a shame."

I patted Cross on the shoulder, who seemed conflicted. "Our goal is to identify Victor. If he gets nabbed for killing Kent, that's fine, but we need an identification. Then, we can track him in the system. Dimitri and Ronnie can put him in for facial recognition, but we need a face to do that. We don't give a fuck if he kills Kent. I hope he does." At one point in my life, I had wanted to be the one to do it, but I'd opted for his torture to be psychological instead. I wanted him to experience that fear of being on the opposite side of the power dynamic. Some part of me had drawn it out — a sick link to my brother. Now, though, I was happy someone else would do it. I didn't want to get close to him. I wasn't sure that I could stomach it.

"Let's roll."

I didn't look back as we mounted our bikes and headed out. The dusty landscape swallowed Kent's place behind us, but memories stayed with me, gnawing at the edges of my mind, choking me with that familiar smell of pumpkin pie. We'd done what we came to do. We just had to wait for Victor to walk into the trap we'd set. Hopefully.

?

We returned to the house just as the sun began to set, the last rays of light fading into the horizon. The ride back had been quiet, each of us lost in our thoughts, the weight of what we'd just done hanging over us like a storm cloud. Now, back in the house, the tension in the air stretching spread over us.

We'd sent the MC members back to their respective spots, except for Maddox, Dimitri, and me. Cross, thankfully, was on top of things back with the Cobras.

I walked into the main living room, where Natasha, Ronnie, and the others were waiting. Enzo and Luca, the security detail, lounged at the edges of the room, their eyes sharp and alert. As soon as I entered, Natasha's gaze met mine, and she gave me a small, tight-lipped smile. "Did everything go okay?" she asked, her gorgeous eyes tilting up to me like the moon and the stars were in them.

"Yeah, it was fine. Come here, baby." I just wanted to hold her. I wouldn't analyze the feeling, but I was satisfied when she got up and padded over to me barefoot, her toes curling against the shag carpet. Pulling her onto my lap, I buried my nose into her hair and inhaled that peppermint, vanilla smell unique to Natasha.

I wanted to burn out that gross smell that seemed to linger in my nostrils even as we road for over an hour. I let myself breathe for a moment and closed my eyes as I relaxed into her softness. There was so much of my life that I'd never had anyone I could hold like this. When I was in the darkest parts of my life, I never thought I'd be able to tolerate a lover's touch. The idea that I'd seek it out would have been a joke. For years I'd fucked when the urge called, hookers that I'd had bend over so I could pound into them from behind until I was satisfied — none that I'd let touch me like Nat. True, I'd given Maddox and Dimitri so much shit for their women, but damned if I didn't understand now. If I could take her upstairs right now and bury my face in her pussy that'd be ideal. I wanted to bury myself in her scent, make her come, but based on the glares that Dimitri was sending me, that wouldn't be happening until later. Later, I'd make her scream for me.

"We got the cameras set," I said roughly, clearing my throat as I threaded my fingers through her silky hair, leaning her back from me. She protested, her hands clutching my cut as if she didn't want to let me go. It made me think back to how this all began, me in cuffs and her in those sexy as fuck heels. I guess we had Victor to thank for this, after all. I kissed the tip of her nose. "I missed you, Nat." I gave her the words. I had more for her, I thought with realization. She was mine. I ran a thumb over her lip. I loved her.

"I missed you too." Her nose wrinkled at me as if she wondered at my mood, her eyes sparkling as her fingers tickled my side gently, playfully. It was another aspect of her that I enjoyed. She was the whole package: wicked smart, sassy, beautiful, and funny. I wasn't sure how I got so lucky that she wanted to be with me, but I would hold on tight with both hands.

"I've got them online," Ronnie said, twirling her hair between her fingers, interrupting our moment. "We've been watching, but there hasn't been any sign of anyone. It's been quiet."

My eyes snapped to the grainy black-and-white footage that flickered on the screens, showing the interior of the house, the front porch, and the driveway. Everything was quiet, just as we'd left it. Dimitri and Ronnie had set up multiple monitors before we left, and now the images were being funneled in. It was eerie. I leaned forward and looked over the angles we had captured. Maybe I should have set this up earlier, and I'd have known all along what sort of shit Kent got up to at his little hidey-hole. Eli had mentioned that Kent was afraid of him. That indicated that perhaps I would have caught a glimpse of Eli earlier. Maybe I'd missed signs that he was alive. I could have found him long ago if I'd known that.

"How long do you think it'll take before he shows?" Natasha asked, her expression serious.

"Victor? Who knows. Could be tonight, could be tomorrow," I replied, running a hand through my hair. "I'm not sure how predictable he is or how reliable Eli's information is. But he'll come if he's been tracking Kent like we think. It's just a matter of when. Now, Kent. He's due in …" I pulled out my phone to check the tracker. "He's close. He should be showing up any minute now."

Ronnie was sitting on the couch, crisscross style, looking even younger than I knew her to be. I wanted to ask if she'd gotten any more of Eli's weird presents … if he'd been by the house when we were gone. The words were almost out when she glanced up at me, her eyes curious but concerned, and I stopped myself feeling like a dick. My loyalties felt all twisted up together in the worst way. Eli and Natasha. Now Ronnie was another responsibility. I wasn't sure Eli was dangerous to her, but I knew nothing about him. It would be a good sign if he followed through with this piece of information he'd given us. If this all worked to catch Victor, I could see that something was redeemable in my brother.

"And what if he doesn't?" Ronnie asked.

"Doesn't what?" I said stupidly.

"Doesn't show? What if Victor doesn't show." Ronnie snapped back at me like I was an idiot. "I am still having trouble finding out what Victor looks like."

"He will," I said with more certainty than I felt. I had no plans other than this, so I hoped to fuck it worked. "He's supposedly trying to get back in good with Eli. He won't miss the chance."

"I hope you're right. I haven't been able to find much on him. It looks like Eli was kept off-grid. I can't find anything he was a ghost. I have no anchor to find this Victor person. I just need an anchor." Ronnie trailed off. She appeared to have something to say but tugged on her earring and gazed into the distance. After a brief moment, she returned her attention to her laptop and typed furiously. Nat looked at her with worry, which I thought we were all feeling, but Nat moved over to her sister and rubbed her back with soft circles.

"It's all good, Ronnie. We'll find this creep." Ronnie didn't respond, continuing to hunch over her laptop.

Natasha moved back to me, handing me a beer, the long-neck bottle cool against the heat of my skin. Maddox raised his eyes to me. "We're going to make this happen. Have faith." Letting the liquid slide down my throat, I tried not to worry about everything that could go wrong.

"You okay?" Her fingers brushed my hair from where it was sticking on my forehead.

I nodded, but I could tell she wasn't convinced. I didn't want to talk about it. Not now. Not when every inch of my skin was crawling with the memories of that place. She and I had talked about some things in my past that had happened, but not all of them. Natasha knew enough to know that it would have been hard for me. That meant a lot to me.

"This'll be over soon." My fingers lingered along her spine even though Enzo and Luca watched my every move like I was the villain in this story.

She reached out and squeezed my hand, her touch grounding me for a moment. "I know. I'm just glad you're back safe."

"Me too," I muttered, glancing at the monitors where the live feeds from Kent's place were starting to come in.

The tension in the room grew thicker as we settled in to watch the feeds. The minutes ticked by slowly, each one dragging into the next. Everyone was on edge, waiting for any sign of movement, any hint that Victor was out there.

Ronnie broke the silence first, her voice soft but clear. "So, if Victor shows up, what's the plan? You're kind of far now to catch him in the act."

"I'm not trying to prevent a murder," I clarified. "I have no problem if Kent dies." Her eyes blinked at me in confusion. Had she thought all along I was trying to save that asshole. "He deserves all the fiery depths of hell for his actions." My voice licked out with ferocity, and she reared back. I knew I'd gone too far when Nat's small hand pressed against my chest.

"We let him make his move," Dimitri said from where he stood near the monitors, his eyes never leaving the screens. "The cameras will catch everything. We'll get enough evidence to put him away for good if we're lucky. Victor's face is what we need," he paused and eyed her. "You good?"

She nodded. "I'm good. I understand." She gulped. "Yeah, that's all we need. His face and I can find him again. Victor." Then she countered, "And if we're not lucky?" Ronnie pressed.

Dimitri's jaw tightened. "Then we take care of it ourselves."

Ronnie didn't respond, but I could see the worry in her eyes. Unlike the rest of us, she wasn't built for this life. Natasha was older when she'd come back to Maxim. She'd been a lawyer for the Bratva and criminals for long enough that she'd seen a lot of evil men. She understood the rules and the risks, but Ronnie… she was different. Softer. I wished it was possible to protect her from this, but I knew that wasn't an option. Not now. We were past the point of no return.

As the hours passed, we all took turns monitoring the feeds, the tension growing with each hour that went by without any sign of Victor. While Nat seemed to lean into watching the monitors, making snacks, putting on slippers with little bunny ears, and removing her makeup, my tension had racketed up.

"There," Maddox said, his voice sharp as he pointed to the monitor showing the front yard. A shadowy figure moved in the distance, slowly approaching the house. "Right there."

My heart pounded as I leaned in closer, eyes fixed on the screen. The figure moved closer, and as they stepped into the faint light of the porch, I recognized him. It was Kent. The years hadn't been kind to him, but neither had I — not that he'd deserved any kindness.

"Kent. That slimy fuck," Maddox muttered, his eyes narrowing at the screen with an intensity that rivaled my own. We watched Kent move to the front door, glancing nervously over his shoulder before fumbling with his keys. The door creaked open, and he slipped inside, the darkness swallowing him up. Dimitri tapped the buttons as he flipped screens to show the interior.

Minutes ticked by, each feeling like an eternity as we stared at the monitors, but nothing flickered on the screens as Kent moved about the house like just another regular person settling in for the evening. Maybe I hadn't thought this whole thing through. If we were there, I could end this shit show — or perhaps this had all been a ploy.

"I've got some work to do. I'll come back and check on you in a bit," Natasha said, giving me a light kiss before she padded off into the house's recesses.