CHAPTER TEN

– ROURKE –

I shut the door behind us and the first thing Marvin states is, "Quite the mouth on that woman."

Crossing my arms in front of my chest, I lift one of my eyebrows and keep my voice even when I fire back, "The woman in question is the sheriff. Not to mention, she was born into this MC and while she might not be a member, she's just as respected."

Marvin holds his hands palms up. "I meant no disrespect."

"You'd better not," I grumble and pull out my chair to take a seat.

The fucker grabs one of the other chairs. "You said she's not a member, does she have an old man? Boyfriend? Husband?"

"Keep your cock in your pants. You're here for a case. If not? There's the fucking door, let it hit you on the back of your head on the way out," I snarl and get to my feet.

Marvin leans back in his chair. "The reason I ask is because a sheriff that hot? She shouldn't be alone at night."

Anger hits me hard. Who does this asshole think he is, coming to my clubhouse acting like a fucking horndog?

"Erwin Desmond and his gang use women as punching bags." Marvin surges forward and places his forearms on the table in front of him. "They don't shy away from violence and the abusing and killing horses part? It's only the tip of the iceberg because their main business is dogfights. The horses that don't stay on their hooves? They get fed to the dogs. They also use injured horses to get the dogs excited before a fight."

I can only stare at the fucker in horror.

Marvin shakes his head in disgust. "Believe me, you don't want to look at the evidence, and I seriously dislike the thought of that woman." He jabs his thumb over his shoulder in the direction of the door. "Or any other woman for that matter, near those fuckers. I suggest we hunt Erwin and his gang down and take them out."

"That simple?" I scoff. "I hate to say it, but I did not see any dogs at their ranch when I picked up the stallion."

"I'm sure they have them stashed somewhere out of sight but still on their property." Marvin sighs. "I might have been lying a tidbit when I mentioned I was building a case before Kathleen called. I built it after my father told me about it. Last night they had one of their underground dogfights and I was about an hour late at the scene when I finally discovered where it was. The evidence I gathered contained photographs along with the details I witnessed, and it was all we needed. This morning, I emailed the reports to my government contacts, and to my father, resulting in the all clear to take them down with your help."

I have to blink a few times at the flow of information. "You're saying the paperwork for taking those fuckers out is handled and you have the legal authority to kill them?"

He puts his hand up to keep it flat and steady before he rocks it mid-air. "Somewhat." He drops his hand. "Technically, and preferably, we want them in custody to bring them to justice. If they resist or put us or others in danger? Then yes, we have the authority to take them down. The lovely lady outside requested help and was forwarded my father's number. This allowed me to take lead and have the choice of how to handle it. Your MC has a history of handling criminals and bringing them to justice. From the details I've read, a woman assaulted, one of your former members killed, and shit? I'd say you guys have plenty of motivation to bring them down."

This sounds too good to be true. "Every single member of my brotherhood is legally covered to take them down? No repercussions whatsoever?"

"Yes. I can have it in black and white on your desk later today if needed, but my word is law." He points at the door. "With the one condition that the women stay on lockdown."

Fuck. Kathleen is not going to like it, which is why I tell him, "We can't leave out the sheriff."

"We can and we will," Marvin states with resolution. "If you need me to inform her then I'd be happy to have a little chat with that woman."

I shake my head. "You'll do no such thing. I'll handle it and you make sure I have those papers on my desk. Now, when and where do you want to take those fuckers down?"

"Preferably as soon as possible. We do need to stake them out and have some information about how many men are on the property. Erwin Desmond has to be confirmed at the scene before we raid the place. He's the main player and the rest of the gang will fall apart once we take him down."

"I have a prospect on stakeout. The last update I received this morning was that Erwin hasn't returned yet." I grab my phone and shoot a message to the prospect in question. "I've put around-the-clock surveillance on that fucker after the attack on my old lady's ranch where her sister was injured. It was a club decision to bring Kathleen in on the incident and she asked for two days to see if she could obtain backup and take them down the legal way. See the issue I have with you taking her out of the loop?"

Marvin pulls a stack of papers from the inside pocket of his leather cut and places them on the table in front of me. "Erwin has been married once, to the woman who owned the ranch he's now residing. The woman died two days after they were married and her death was ruled an accident. Trampled by a horse. She was unrecognizable. I have no illusions, this was Erwin's doing. He has a mile-long rap sheet filled with assault and battery. Call me a sexist, an asshole, a mean motherfucker preventing a woman from doing her job: I don't fucking care. What I do care about is keeping women safe and protected. Now, gather your men and make two teams so we can hit the back and the front of the property at the same time. I'm going to do some scoping around at Erwin's ranch and I'll be back in a few hours."

I shove the chair back. "I'll have my brothers ready when you return."

Marvin strides out of church and doesn't give anyone a second glance as he leaves the clubhouse.

"What did he want?" Kathleen questions.

Releasing a deep sigh, I give it to her straight. "He's taking over and will give the club the right to take Erwin Desmond and his men down. All legal and shit. The only condition is that we keep the women out of it. Which includes you too."

"What the fuck?" Kathleen snarls. "He can't do that. It's my case, my fucking town. I'm the one who brought them in. That egocentric motherfucker."

"You done?" I snap.

A gentle hand slides over my forearm and my gaze collides with Eastlynne. She gently shakes her head at me and turns to Kathleen.

"They must have a solid reason," Eastlynne states. "And like you said, you're the one who brought them in, and you wouldn't have done that if you didn't think they'd be a good choice to handle it."

Kathleen is still visibly fuming but nods at my woman's statement.

Taking a deep breath she pins me with a hard look. "Well? Any truth to your old lady's words? Do they have a solid reason to take me out of the loop?"

The pride in my voice is evident. "There is. Erwin and his men are considered a gang and are active in dogfighting. The horses are considered food if they've served their purpose. They also like to target women 'cause Erwin has a rap sheet filled with assault and battery. Marvin also thinks he married and killed his wife, who happened to own the ranch that's now in his name."

"Fuck," Kathleen murmurs, and her shoulders sag. "How the hell did he get all that info in such a short time? He must have been working the case longer than I have, just like he said."

"Nah, he was lying about that part," I find myself saying.

Kathleen places a hand on her dog's head. "He wasn't building a case, before I called them, like he said he was?"

"Yeah. Marvin managed to get all the details after you contacted them and he found out where Erwin and his gang were having the dogfight. He gathered all the visual evidence and details they needed and has already filed the report and has the legal side arranged to take them down."

I take in the way Wrench, her dog, is leaning against her leg and I suddenly understand Marvin's actions.

Jerking my chin in Wrench's direction, I tell her, "You two are the headliners of what gets Erwin's rocks off. Marvin's condition isn't as sexist or egocentric as it might seem."

"He's still an asshole," Kathleen grumbles.

Eastlynn chuckles and I find myself chuckling right along with her.

Kathleen sighs. "Am I at least allowed to stay with Eastlynne and her sister? I don't think they should be unprotected. Maybe it's smart to have all the women stay at the clubhouse so we don't have to split up all the men."

"I won't ask Cosima to come here," Eastlynne says with a load of worry in her eyes.

I give her a tight nod, understanding the complications Cosima has and the wish for them to stay private. "Kathleen offered to stay with you two. I'll have Parker stay inside as well, and a team of a few other brothers will be stationed around the house, just to be safe."

"Not Parker," Eastlynne grumbles.

"Nonnegotiable," I tell her. "Parker is my VP and has worked with Kathleen countless times. I need those two inside your house so I know you're well protected. I'll order Parker to stay clear of Cosima's bedroom unless things turn to shit."

"Fine," Eastlynne huffs.

I wave Parker over and we head into church where I give him a quick rundown of the information I just learned. We also divide the available men into four teams. One team will be at my old lady's ranch. One will stay here to guard our ranch and women, and two other teams will take down Erwin and his men.

I will lead one team while Marvin will lead the other. For now, we have everything set and we walk out of church to get ready to take Eastlynne home.

She's standing right next to Kathleen and the both of them are wearing the same hard look on their face.

"What's going on?" I question.

"We're taking Buckey with us," Eastlynne states.

Fuck. I rub the back of my neck and wonder how to handle the situation. This morning I denied her because there wasn't a plan to take Erwin down. Buckey is the reason why all of this started, but I guess with us going after Erwin…decision made.

"Fine. We'll put him in the trailer and put him in your stable. But I don't want you out and about working with him until I say it's safe."

A brilliant smile slides across her face right before she launches herself at me. Our bodies collide and my arms are filled with the woman who has rapidly overtaken my heart. From cursing my ass for getting in her personal space to full-on collision by her own choice.

We've come a long way in a short timeframe, and I have all the faith in a wide and open future for both of us. Though, we do need to make sure it's safe first. Hopefully, it will be by the end of this day when we've taken Erwin out and every single fucker linked to him.