CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Loki

Two Days Later

With all the celebrating out of the way and only six days left until we have to go public with the breach, it's time to act.

We know who is behind it.

What we don't know is why.

I've tried hacking into the governor's systems, but I can't find anything pertaining to the breach.

He's got it locked down tight.

There's only one course of action—go see him face to face.

Use intimidation tactics.

See if we can get the information we need from him.

However, getting a meeting with the governor of California is no easy task, leaving us with the only option we have. Taking as many men as we can, and we're going to barge our way into his residence at the California governor's mansion.

With Hayes back at the club after being MIA twenty-four hours, I'm keeping a solid eye on the idiot. He said exactly what I thought. He broke down, his phone died, and he spent the night on the side of the road until someone helped him out. The stupid kid needs to maintain his bike, though I have to admit the whole thing seems suspicious. But that's beside the point because, as a punishment today, he is our driver, escorting us to see the governor.

And it's a long fucking drive.

From our clubhouse to the governor's mansion, it's over five hours to Sacramento. So, Hayes is the unlucky bastard who has to drive us there and back. But them's the breaks when you're a prospect, and you fuck up.

Bea's fingers lace with mine while sitting in the back of the truck, and I feel them trembling against me. Turning to face her, I smile thinly. "We'll figure this out with this douchebag."

She lets out a long puff of air, shaking her head. "I still can't understand why he would do this. It makes no sense to me."

Rip puffs out a long line of smoke from his joint and snickers. "Asshole's a politician, Betty. Dude thrives on causing chaos. He's totally about making gnarly waves and then hanging back while he watches everyone else ride them."

Ink shakes his head, reaches out for Rip's joint, pulls it from his lips, throws it to the bed of the van, and stomps on it. "Think you've had enough of the wacky-tobaccy for today, brother."

The rest of us chuckle while Rip scowls. "Damn, that was my last joint. I'm gonna need a restock. Hey, Pres, can I take a zip from our stocks when we get back? You know I'm good for it!" Rip chimes, smiling wide at Alpha.

He groans. "Honestly, I'm surprised you're even fucking asking me. Normally, you just take it. Chuck your cash Sadie's way."

"Right on! Autumn says I should be more in touch with my feelings and shit, and I was really feeling like I needed a zip, so I thought I would like… you know… convey that to you. Or… whatever."

Bea reaches out, taking his hand in hers. "Rip, honey. I don't think that's what Autumn means by that."

He jerks his head back in confusion. "What the fuck else would she mean?"

Maverick slaps Rip on the back with a chuckle. "Oh, brother… you have so much to learn about women."

Montana smirks, nodding his head. "And with Autumn being Rhyan's best friend, I can tell you now, Rip, that girl is gonna walk all over you."

Rip glances at Bea, then to Haven beside her, and they both shrug, but it is Haven who speaks first. "Autumn hasn't been around the club a lot, but from what I have seen of her, she has balls, just like the other women in the club. If she is telling you that you need to get in touch with your feelings, Rip, it means she needs more from you than just, ‘You look fucking killer, babe,' and ‘Hey, let's go down and catch another gnarly wave, bro.' " Haven mimics the way Rip talks at the end, which makes us all chuckle.

Rip furrows his brows. "Dude! I do not sound like that."

We all jerk our heads back at him with a smirk, no one saying anything in reply to him.

His brows slowly furrow as he huffs. "I fucking sound like that?" He says it more like a question this time.

Slowly, we all begin to nod, and his shoulders slump. "Damn. Okay… I can open up more. Sure, why the hell not? How hard could it be?"

Haven grips his shoulder in support. "That's the spirit."

Bea giggles. "Autumn will adore you for it."

Rip grumbles under his breath, "The shit we do for skirts, hey?"

All the guys in the back of the van slowly nod their heads, a slow mumble of acknowledgment murmurs around the van as Bea and Haven both fold their arms over their chests.

"Hey!" Bea snaps.

But Haven pulls out a gun. "You want me to shoot all you motherfuckers?"

Alpha reaches out for Haven's gun, edging it toward the bottom of the van. "Calm your ass down, Little Lamb. We're all just agreeing that we'd light the fucking world on fire for our old ladies."

My eyes shift to Bea, and she smiles at me. "You got that fucking right," I state.

Haven huffs, then slides her gun behind her into her leather pants. "Well… I guess that was the right answer."

Alpha shakes his head with a bright smile. "Fuck you!"

Haven chuckles, waggling her brows. "What? Here? In front of everyone? I didn't think you had it in you, baby, but… if you insist!" She starts moving to the buttons on her shirt.

Alpha groans and grips her wrists, his eyes meeting hers. "You're gonna kill me before we even get the chance to walk down the aisle. You know that?"

Haven giggles, bringing her hand to his face and gently slaps him. "I mean… technically, I still haven't carried out my kill order on you, so perhaps I should carry that out any day now. Can you handle the pressure?" she teases.

He moves in closer to her. "That smart mouth of yours is gonna get you in trouble, Little Lamb."

Haven waggles her brows. "I'm counting on it."

Bea slides closer to me, a bright smile on her face, and leans in against my ear. "Those two have serious chemistry," she whispers.

I slide my arm around her, holding her tighter, and press my lips to her ear. "Do I need to remind you of the Chapel? Or my den, or hell… even the shower? We have serious chemistry, too, baby."

Her thighs instantly clench, and I know her mind has gone back to those places. It's clear that Alpha and Haven are meant for each other. There's never been any doubt in that, but we've been destined since we were kids.

And that chemistry can not be denied.

She glances up at me through her long, thick lashes. She's fucking sexy. "The things I want to do to you right now."

My cock jerks in my jeans.

Hayes pulls the van to an abrupt stop. "We're here!" he calls out from the front.

Turning back to Bea, I gently caress her cheek and whisper, "We do this, then we go home, and I'm all yours. And, Sparkle… you can do whatever the fuck you want to me."

Her eyes widen in delight while everyone else stands to exit the van. Hayes opens the back doors, letting the ominous glow of the moonlight shine inside.

"Thank fuck we're here. Between Pres and the VP, I wasn't sure if we were going to make it here in time before an all-in orgy broke out in the back of this van." Ink laughs as he hops down, followed by Montana, Maverick, South, Dutch, and Rip.

Alpha and Haven are the next to exit, and then Bea and I are the last. I already see Bea's muscles tensing as she glances up at the thirty-room, three-story Second Empire-Italianate Victorian mansion. This place is fucking ancient-looking. It makes me think of American Horror Story , and I can't help imagining Tate Langdon walking out the front door with his scary fucking face painted like a skeleton.

As we all gather around in a group, the warm summer air flows freely around us while South and Dutch take up their positions to check for security. We're back a little from the entry, so we don't draw attention to ourselves straight away.

The night air is thick with tension as I glance at the others, their faces hard, eyes glinting with the same resolve that pounds in my chest.

We move forward, our boots hitting the pavement with purpose. The huge, historic mansion looms ahead, lit by cold, artificial light, its pristine fa?ade hiding the truth we're here to uncover.

The governor's got answers we desperately need.

And tonight, we're getting them—no matter what.

As we approach the gate, the first line of security steps into view. Two guards, dressed in black, hands instantly on their weapons. They think they're tough, but they don't know what they are about to get themselves into.

One of the guards steps forward, his shoulders puffed out, brows furrowed. "You can't be here. This is private property. Turn around and drive away. Now !"

I smirk, the shadows playing across my face as I move closer. "We're not asking permission."

The other guard shifts uneasily, his eyes flicking to my brothers behind me. We outnumber them, two to eleven, and with how both of them start to rush their breathing, they know it. But that doesn't stop them from trying to play the hero.

The first guard reaches for his radio, but he's not fast enough. South grabs his wrist, squeezing until the guard's face pales, the radio dropping uselessly, cracking to pieces on its collision with the ground.

"We're just here to talk," South states, his voice low but with a clear edge of danger. "But… if you want to make this shit hard, then by all means, go right ahead and do something stupid."

The second guard hesitates, then slowly raises his hands, signaling his surrender.

Smart move. We're not here to shed blood— not yet, anyway.

That all depends on what the governor has to tell us.

I step past them, pulling out my device that helps with breaking digital codes. I hold it up to the lock on the gate, watch the lights flash from red to green in succession, then it beeps, and with a click of the gate, it lets us know it's unlocked.

I grin at the two guards cockily, then shove forward, pushing open the iron with a creak that echoes through the night, stepping through with Bea by my side. "That was so fucking hot," she whispers against my ear.

Smirking, I slide the device back into my pocket as South and Dutch stay back with the two guards to stop them from radioing in and the nine of us that are left, make our move for the house.

The mansion is only a few steps away, but it feels like the final mile before battle. A flicker of lights shimmers inside, and faint shadows move behind the windows. The governor doesn't know we're coming, but he will soon enough.

We stride quietly across the manicured lawn, the scent of freshly cut grass mixing with the smell of oil and leather from our cuts. The door looms ahead, and I feel a surge of adrenaline as I reach for the handle.

This is it—no turning back.

"Stay sharp," Alpha whispers. "We go in, get what we need, and get out. No unnecessary heroics."

We nod, every face grim and ready.

Pulling out my pick gun, I slide the tool into the door lock as the other guys keep guard. It works on the lock for a few seconds, and then that magic ‘click.' The door opens, and we hesitate, but Alpha signals to draw our weapons, and I slide Bea to move her closer to Haven.

We don't know what we're walking into when we step inside. I have to know Bea will be taken care of, and Haven will do that for me.

Alpha signals, and slowly, we begin to edge inside, the darkness taking over. The light seems to be coming from upstairs, and he points to the staircase.

I take a deep breath, steadying myself as we make our way toward the staircase. The tension is thick as my breath becomes heavy, and every step feels like it could be our last if we're not careful. Who knows what this asshole has in store for us. If he is capable of hacking into Bea's app like this and stealing information for who knows what reason, this corrupt asshole could be capable of anything.

Staying close to Bea, I glance back at her and Haven. Haven's eyes are sharp, scanning the room like she's already plotting a dozen ways to take someone down if needed. Bea grips my arm for a second, giving me a reassuring squeeze. I nod, trying to focus on the mission and not on how much I want to get us all out of here in one piece.

Alpha takes the lead, his steps quiet but deliberate as he ascends the staircase. The rest of us follow, the floor creaking beneath us. We all halt, holding our breath with the anticipation of any sign we've been made. The sound is clear and evident in the almost silent mansion. But the house remains still. The faint hum of the air conditioning and the muffled noise from a television somewhere deep inside seems to be the distraction we need right now.

Montana and Ink take up the rear, keeping an eye on our six as we reach the top of the stairs. We pause, everyone waiting for Alpha's next move. He glances at Rip, gesturing with his eyes, and he nods in understanding. We've done this a thousand times before. Silent communication between brothers is second nature to us.

Rip moves ahead, carefully testing the door handle to the first room. The door won't budge. It's visibly locked. He peers back at Alpha, who signals for us to continue. Cautiously making our way down the hall, my eyes dart to the framed photographs of the governor shaking hands with various important-looking people. Each picture is a reminder of the power he holds and how much we stand to lose if this goes fucking wrong.

With the faintest rustle of movement coming from behind another door, my hand tightens on my gun. I give Bea a look, trying to convey with my eyes that she needs to stay close, stay quiet. She nods, her expression serious, all traces of the playful flirtation from earlier gone.

We reach a set of double doors at the end of the hall. The light we saw from outside shines from beneath the old-fashioned, ornate white wood, a sliver of light cutting through the darkness.

This has to be it.

Alpha holds up his fist, signaling for us to stop.

We all freeze, the air thick with anticipation.

Alpha steps up, pressing his ear against the door, his face inches from the wood. Standing beside him, I hear the muffled sound of a voice inside, the governor's, no doubt. He's talking, but there's no return from the conversation. It's like he's on the phone, his tone hushed and urgent.

Maybe he knows we're here.

Maybe he doesn't.

Either way, he's about to find out.

Alpha gives the signal, and we brace ourselves. Maverick moves forward, his shoulder tense as he prepares to kick the door in. The moment hangs in the air, a split second stretched out like an eternity. Then, as Maverick brings his foot up, he slams it into the door, busting it open with a crash. Wood splinters fly off in all directions as we surge into the room, weapons drawn. Brothers filing in like a well-oiled machine.

The governor, a tall, thin man with graying hair and a pristine suit, stands behind his desk, a phone pressed to his ear. He spins to face us, dropping his cell in shock, his eyes wide as he takes in the sight of us.

Seven bikers, one assassin, and one really pissed off Old Lady.

"W-what the hell is this?" he stammers, backing up against the wall, his hands raised in surrender.

"We're here to have a little chat, Governor," Alpha announces, his voice calm but laced with menace. "You've got some explaining to do."

The governor's eyes dart around the room, looking for an escape. But there's none. He's trapped, and he knows it. Then, his eyes land directly on Bea. They widen in recognition, and instantly, I know he recognizes exactly who she is.

Asshole!

Ink moves to the windows, peeking through the curtains to make sure we haven't been spotted from outside. The rest of us spread out, keeping our guns trained on the governor.

"Look, I'm a reasonable man," Bennett sneers. "I'm sure whatever it is you're wanting from me, we can come to some kind of… arrangement."

We all let out a scoff at his blatant crookedness.

But it's Bea who steps forward, surprising me. "What we want, Governor, is the truth," she snaps, her voice steady. "And you're going to give it to us."