Chapter 9

My phone vibrated against my chest, and I pulled it from the inside pocket of my cut. When I saw Kane flashing on the screen, I kissed Blakely's temple and told her I'd be right back.

It had been less than a day, so I was surprised to hear from him so soon.

"Kane," I answered once I'd stepped into the hallway.

"We got seriously fucking lucky. You need to head out now."

"Where?"

"At their fucking house." Kane sounded almost gleeful. Well, as much as a guy like Kane could.

"I'll be there in twenty."

I shoved my phone in my pocket and walked back over to where Blakely sat on a stool at the bar, chatting with a couple of old ladies.

"Baby." I turned the stool so she was facing me, and when she smiled, my heart skipped a beat. "Gotta go for a bit."

"I'll come with you," she chirped. But I grabbed her waist to keep her still before she could jump down off the stool.

"Need you to stay here where I know you're safe. Viper is gonna be here with you."

Blakely's pretty mouth turned down into a frown. "Are you going to do something dangerous?"

I didn't want her to even think about those people any more, even if it was to know their lives would be miserable from this day forward. So I put it in the "club business" category and evaded her question. "Just doing a favor for a friend."

"That didn't answer my question, Storm," she snapped.

My eyes narrowed, and my grip on her tightened. I was about to correct her but stopped when a thought hit me, and I smiled instead. She huffed at my expression, but I wasn't about to tell her my discovery. If she always called me Storm when she was irritated or pissed at me, it gave me an edge. And I knew she was gonna be a handful, so I'd take any advantage I could get.

"You're right. It didn't. But you grew up in this life, baby. You know there are always going to be some things I can't tell you."

Her muscles relaxed a little, and she nodded. "Yeah. I do know that. I just…I just want you to be safe."

I cupped her face and spoke in a solemn tone. "There is no way in hell that I will let anything take me away from you, Blakely."

She stared into my eyes for a few moments, then sighed. "Okay. But I reserve the right to kick your butt if you get hurt."

I tossed my head back and let out a deep laugh. "Fuck, you're adorable." She huffed, and I gave her a quick kiss. "You can try."

I kissed her again, then jogged up to our room to grab my keys and wallet. She and Viper were both standing by the door when I came down. He jerked his head toward the exit, then walked out, leaving me relatively alone with Blakely. I yanked her into my arms and kissed the fuck out of her. "Hopefully, I'll only be gone for a couple of hours."

"Okay," she whispered, still looking a little dazed. I turned her around and patted her ass to get her going, then walked out into the parking lot.

"Kane called?" he asked.

"Apparently, shit is happening now. I need you to stay with Blakely in case things go sideways."

"And because you don't like her being here alone with the men."

I shrugged unrepentantly. "That too."

He grinned and shook his head. "Going soft, just like Prez."

I scoffed as I climbed onto my bike. "First of all, say that again in front of him. But make sure I'm there to watch him kick your ass. Or put a bullet in your head. Second, love doesn't make you soft. It makes you whole, which means you're stronger."

Viper snorted and turned around to walk back to the door. "I'll take your word for it. I'd rather not test that theory on myself."

Smiling, I started my bike and pulled out of the parking lot. The day Viper met his woman would be real fucking interesting. I looked forward to saying, "I told you so."

Kane and Tatumwere waiting for me a couple of blocks down from the home of Blakely's former foster parents. When I pulled up beside them and cut the engine, Kane didn't waste time filling me in.

"We planted the drugs this morning, and I had a guy on the little shit to make sure he didn't surprise us."

"He surprised us alright," Tatum drawled, his mouth curved into a smirk.

"What?" I was confused.

Kane tossed Tatum a dark look that told him to shut the hell up before he continued. "After what happened with Blakely, I had a feeling that wasn't the first time he'd gone after a younger woman, but it wasn't something we could prove without more time and surveillance."

"I had the same thought," I agreed. Which was why we'd decided to go with planting drugs and had paid a local dealer to finger Bryan as his supplier.

"Torin contacted me right before I called you. Seems Bryan couldn't keep it in his pants any longer."

As disgusted as I was, I had a feeling where Kane was going with this and it definitely lightened my mood.

"She's under eighteen, isn't she?" Since Bryan was twenty-four, if she was under age, he could spend up to fifteen years in prison. And with the drugs…I doubted he'd be out any time soon. Assuming that Blakely's dad didn't shank him in prison.

"Yup," Tatum crowed. His smile would look easy to most anyone, but I knew him well enough to see the hint of disgust. If this was his plan, Bryan and his parents would both end up in the mouth of a crocodile. But I wanted them to suffer like they'd made Blakely suffer. To live a miserable life, outcast by the people who were supposed to be there for them and treated like they were beneath everyone around them. "Best part is that they are fucking in Mommy and Daddy's bed."

"No," disagreed Kane. "The best part is that Mommy and Daddy are at a church meeting."

Apparently, I'd done something right in this life because things couldn't have been planned any better.

Blakely's foster parents were heavily involved in their church, and the majority of the congregation was just like them. Shallow, two-faced hypocrites.

And the church was only a block in the other direction from their house. This meant that when the police arrived, they'd all come running to see what the fuss was about.

"What did you do to get the police at his door?" I queried.

"We tipped off the girl's parents," Tatum replied. Then he smirked. "Did I forget to mention that they also belong to their church?"

I'm gonna need some fucking popcorn for this shit.

I leanedagainst a lamp post across the street from the Davidson's house and snickered at the comical sight. If Patti had been wearing pearls, she would have been clutching them dramatically. She was crying as she stared at the police escorting Bryan—who was half dressed—out of the house in cuffs. But I didn't miss the covert glances she tossed around, cringing when she saw all the people gathered around.

One of her church friends was patting her back, all the while staring at the spectacle with wide eyes like it was her favorite daytime soap opera. Not that it was a far-fetched comparison.

As expected, several other members of the congregation had come outside when they heard the sirens. Word must have spread quickly because there was quite the crowd witnessing Patti's fall from grace.

A very young woman was also guided out of the house, and for a moment, she looked shocked when she saw the crowd. Then her face crumpled melodramatically, and she burst into tears as she ran over to an older couple and threw herself into the man's arms.

I was a little surprised to see Scott standing stoically beside his wife, showing no emotion whatsoever. It made me wonder if he'd been expecting this to happen someday.

"Think the dad knew about his son's proclivity for fucking underage women?" Kane asked, voicing my thoughts out loud.

"Not sure. But he certainly didn't stand up for Blakely when his son tried to take advantage of her and his wife threw her out. If he knew about Bryan's depravity and did nothing, that makes him just as much of an asshole as his son."

The crowd parted to make a path for the police officers to get to their car, but they kept their eyes on the house because another officer exited the front door holding an evidence bag. "Found this in the dresser drawer."

I wasn't sure what drew Patti's attention, but she suddenly looked my way.

Her eyes grew big and round when she spotted me. I nodded my head, both in a mocking greeting and a confirmation that I was behind this.

After a second, she sprang to life and ran up to one of the officers. She gestured in my direction, and I could see that she was speaking rapidly. The officer listened for a second, then rolled his eyes and said something to her that made her snap her mouth shut and back up.

When she whipped her gaze to me again, I smirked. The cop wasn't even on our payroll and he'd done exactly what one of our guys would have done.

"It was him!" she abruptly shouted, pointing at me. "He set up my poor son!"

The same police officer she'd spoken to sighed in annoyance, while his partner—who was on our payroll—glanced over to see who she was referring to.

I put a confused expression on my face and put my hands out to my sides, then shrugged.

"My son wouldn't have done this if he hadn't been tricked!"

"We could have sold tickets to this circus," Tatum murmured, making me chuckle.

"Ma'am," the officer sighed. "You can't just go around accusing people on the street for no reason," he said loudly enough for it to be heard by everyone.

"My daughter was the one who was tricked!" The man holding the sobbing young woman yelled. "And we'll be pressing charges."

Patti gasped and turned to her husband, speaking furiously in a low voice. He shrugged after a second, then turned and went into the house.

The expressions of the crowd slowly shifted to haughty disgust, and when the cruiser drove away, they quickly dissipated, leaving Patti standing all alone. She looked scared and utterly defeated.

"We're done here," I announced as I climbed onto my bike.

"Wait," Tatum muttered, grabbing my biceps.

He was peering at the house, and I turned my head to see what had caused him to stop me from leaving. Scott stood on the porch with a duffel bag in one hand as he slipped a pair of sunglasses on his face. He spoke to Patti, whose face drained of color, then stalked off the porch and over to a sensible white sedan.

"Cherry on top," Tatum snickered.

"What are you going to do about him?" Kane asked, well aware that I wouldn't let this go until all three of their lives were ruined.

"He works for the church," I informed them. "There's no way he'll keep his job, and he certainly won't get a reference. Also, Deviant hacked his credit and trashed it. He won't be able to rent anywhere. So he'll have to live in shitty motels until the money runs out, then go crawling back to his wife. Who will never let him forget he abandoned her."

"Can't think of a worse punishment than being stuck with that bitch for the rest of my life," Tatum commented with a grimace.

I nodded and met Kane's piercing stare. "That other thing?" I asked.

He nodded. "He'll be sent to Saber's cell block after he's arraigned. He'll be waiting for the motherfucker." His lips tipped up in a rare smile. "And you know what they'll do to someone like him."

I was counting on it. Criminals or not, a lot of prisoners had no tolerance for anyone who was being charged with a sexual crime. Especially involving someone underage. Bryan would be breathing through a tube before long…if he even survived. But Saber would be out, so there'd be no blowback that would keep him from Blakely.

"Thanks," I muttered gruffly, and the brothers both jerked their chins up in acknowledgment.

"Tell Fox I have a new guy racing next month. He should come down and check him out."

"Will do."

As I pulled out onto the road, I felt lighter now that all that shit was dealt with. My focus was all on Blakely and our future.