Chapter 4

Iwas walking out to my bike when my phone vibrated in the pocket of my jeans. My heart skipped a beat when I saw that it was Kiara calling. I hadn't expected to hear from her so soon, and my gut was telling me that she would only be doing it if she was in danger.

"Kiara?" I answered, my voice tight with concern.

"Um, Knight?" Tears clogged her throat, and I picked up my pace until I was running to my ride. I waved a hand at Cash to get his attention. He was standing outside one of the garage bays talking to Dax, our sergeant at arms, and when I gave a signal, they jogged over to join me.

"A man came. H-He, he broke my dad's hand and said he'd hurt me. I think he's still out there looking for me."

"You parked in the garage?" I clarified.

"Yes, and I was hiding in the closet, so he thought I hadn't come home yet. But he's not leaving." She sniffed, and her breath rattled in her lungs when she inhaled. I wanted to howl in outrage that my woman was terrified and in danger without me there to protect her.

"Stay hidden, baby. I'm coming for you." I wanted to tell her to stay on the phone with me, but my bike was gonna be loud and might hurt her ears.

"Okay," she agreed softly before the line went silent.

I cursed as I shoved my phone in my vest pocket. "My woman's in trouble," I told my brothers, ignoring their shocked expressions. Running a hand over my hair and down to hold the back of my neck, I quickly filled them in on what was happening. "You two in for backup?"

Both nodded. I was about to ask if they thought we needed more, but Dax was already on the phone with Scout. After a quick convo, he hung up and stowed his phone in his pocket. "Scout, Breaker, and Dom will be a few minutes behind us."

Without another word, Cash and Dax headed to their bikes, then we filed out of the gate and rode to town like bats outta hell.

Considering I broke about a dozen laws to get to Kiara, it wasn't surprising that the trip took less than fifteen minutes.

As we roared up to the judge's gigantic home, a black SUV backed out of the driveway and took off.

Cash signaled to another rider, indicating that he should keep following the vehicle while the rest of us parked.

I was off my bike and sprinting to the front door the second my kickstand hit the ground. Luckily, the door was open, so I burst inside, calling Kiara's name.

In seconds, she came running down the hall toward me, tears streaming down her face. She practically leaped into my arms, and I wrapped them around her, hugging her right to me and whispering reassuring words in her ear.

The clearing of a throat stole my attention from my girl, and I looked up to see the judge had joined us in the foyer. He was cradling a bandaged hand to his chest and watching us with a deep frown.

My eyes narrowed, daring him to say one word about the way I was holding his daughter. "What the fuck is going on?" I growled. "Who is after Kiara?"

Panic entered his eyes, and he seemed to forget all about his disapproval. "He's after me, really. But…he threatened to hurt my daughter. I…I don't know who else to turn to. She needs protection."

"After what you did, what makes you think we'd do you any favors?" The question came from Cash, who'd come in and was standing by my side. I tossed him a warning glance. There was no fucking question we would be protecting Kiara. He gave me a slight nod, letting me know he understood. Clearly, he was after something with his question.

"I know your reputation," the judge answered, his tone fearful. "You–You wouldn"t turn away an innocent just because she is related to me. I—" He glanced at me speculatively for a moment, then sighed and went on. "I don't have the ability to keep her safe. I trust you to…care for and protect her."

"She can certainly trust me more than you," I growled. "That's for damn sure."

"I know. You'll…keep her safe?"

"Always," I replied firmly.

That's what Cash had been after. He wanted the judge to assure Kiara she was safe with us, and to resign himself to the fact I wouldn't be returning her. He was trying to avoid a fight when all this was over.

"Kiara? Sweetheart?" The second the judge addressed his daughter, his whole demeanor shifted. To my surprise, his tone was gentle and eyes went soft, filling with love. It wasn't something that happened a lot, a bad guy who loved his family. You wouldn't think they would be capable, but it happened. Usually when…

I bent my head and whispered into Kiara's ear. "I need to talk to your dad, baby. Can you stay here with my brothers? That's Cash. And a few of our enforcers are guarding the door."

She reluctantly nodded and untangled herself from my hold. I passed her off to Cash—even though it almost killed me to do it. Then I glared at Judge Timkins. "We need to talk."

His expression turned wary, but he pivoted and walked to the next door on the left. When I entered his home office, I was struck by how normal it was. Everything was clearly expensive, but it wasn't over the top or in your face. It just made my theory even more plausible.

"How did you get in so deep?"

He didn"t hesitate, knowing exactly what I was after. "I took money in exchange for something small and insignificant. No one got hurt from it, so I didn't think it would matter."

"It was a hook."

"Yes. Once I'd taken the first bribe, they had leverage over me. Word got out in darker circles, and I knew I'd never be free again." He shrugged. "Except for when I was—" He cut himself off abruptly. "Anyway, I regret that Kiara got caught up in this mess." I narrowed my eyes, sure that he'd been about to reveal something, but the stubborn angle to his jaw made it clear that even if I got him to fess up, it wouldn't be easy. And I didn't have time for that shit.

"Tell me who is after you now," I demanded after he circled his desk and dropped heavily into his chair.

"I can't tell you that," he denied.

"Bullshit," I snarled, taking an intimidating pose with my feet braced apart and my arms folded over my broad chest.

"He'll kill me just for—"

"He's gonna kill you anyway if you can't give him what he wants, right?" I interrupted.

The judge winced and looked down at the desktop where his hands were clenched together. "He won't kill me. He'll go after Kiara."

"The more I know about what I'm up against, the better I can protect your daughter."

He pressed his lips together, but then his gaze strayed to a frame perched on his desk. It was a picture of Kiara. Probably a few years old because she looked younger.

She was smiling brightly, carefree and happy as she posed in what looked like some kind of dance costume. I only knew that because of the kids of my brothers who liked to dance all over the clubhouse.

Finally, he leaned back and gave me a summary of what had happened earlier. The more he told me, the angrier I got. But I forced myself to think of my girl and not how much I wanted to hunt that evil bastard down.

When he concluded, the judge turned around and pushed out of his chair. Once on his feet, he removed a painting from the wall, revealing a safe. I would have rolled my eyes at the cliché hiding spot. However, he'd chosen the best one available. It was known for being unbreakable.

After scanning his eyes and fingers, he blew into a little tube. The safe verified his identity, then he punched in a code. When the door swung open, I saw stacks of files filling it. The judge removed them and set them on the desk. Then he rummaged in a drawer for a second before producing two very large, heavy-duty rubber bands. He secured the papers on all four sides, then took a deep breath and held them out to me.

"I kept notes on everything. Everything. Most of them are pretty much untouchable, but this man…he's like Teflon. Nothing sticks. These are the best I can do to help protect my daughter."

Nodding, I accepted the stack and turned to leave but paused and pivoted around for one last thing. "You won't hear from Kiara or the club again until I'm satisfied that she's safe. I guarantee you'll be watched and your phones tapped."

"How will you know?"

"We'll know," I stated. "If the situation escalates or you learn anything new, go to Liquid Silver and give the information to the manager. It will get back to me."

"Jonathan!"

A shrieking voice came from the foyer, and the judge's face clouded with irritation. He stalked around the desk, and I stepped aside so he could exit, then followed.

The noise was coming from an older woman who bore a slight resemblance to my Kiara. Her face was flushed with anger, but the ruddy color of her cheeks came from consuming too much alcohol. Even the heavy makeup she was wearing couldn"t fully disguise it.

"Jonathan!" she screeched again when she saw him approach. "What are these thugs doing in my home? This one"—she pointed at Cash, who had moved to stand in front of Kiara, and her face twisted with disgust—"won't let me near our daughter!"

"Relax, Marsha," the judge sighed, barely keeping the impatience out of his tone. "I asked them to come. They are going to protect Kiara until the mess is dealt with."

"You can't be serious, Jonathan," she snapped, placing her hand on her chest dramatically. "What will people think if we just ship our daughter off to who knows where? They'll think we have something to hide! They'll think you're guilty. I won't be able to show my face at the—"

"Shut up, Marsha," he snapped harshly. "I don't give a fuck what anyone thinks as long as she's safe."

Marsha sputtered a few times. "Well, of course, I mean, obviously, Kiara is always my first priority."

The judge snorted derisively before ordering, "Go drink another bottle of wine, dear. I'm not sure there are any left in the cellar, but if so, I have no doubt you'll find them."

I'd heard enough of this bullshit, and I didn't want Kiara exposed to any more of it either. "Enough!" I roared, bringing an end to their bickering and garnering everyone's attention. "We're done here."

I walked over to Cash, and he immediately stepped aside so I could tuck Kiara into my side. I handed him the stack of files, then guided my woman out to my bike.