Page 26 of Blackbeard (Blackjacks MC #2)

Chapter seventeen

Blackbeard

I stared at the long stretch of dark highway, fighting the restless twist of my stomach. In the distance, the mountains were silhouetted in a dark ridge against the midnight sky, dusted with stars. I adjusted my grip on the handlebars of my bike, waiting on the side of the road for our cue.

“They should have been here by now,” Baby Doll muttered next to me.

I said nothing, my teeth clenched so tight that my jaw ached.

An hour ago, I slipped out of bed quietly so I didn’t wake Leigh. After getting dressed and tucking my pistol into the back of my waistband, I paused at the foot of the bed and gazed down at her. Then I braced one hand on the mattress and leaned over, kissing her forehead lightly.

Do you love me?

I don’t know how.

I had been blind once, to a woman who used me, then tossed me aside. Leigh was in a prime position to do that. Our marriage certainly hadn’t been founded on anything remotely resembling love.

But I could have sworn I saw it in her eyes, and felt it in her pulse, racing beneath my fingertips when I fucked up into her.

The rumble of engines echoed in the dark. A moment later, a single motorcycle headlight flickered on and off again, three times, signaling the Forsaken had arrived with the gun shipment in tow.

“Show time,” I said, kickstarting my bike.

A moment later, the Forsaken went flying by, flanking a large, unmarked utility truck.

We didn’t know the route we were taking, or the delivery location.

Popeye didn’t deem it necessary to share pesky little details like that.

He was the frontrunner for this gig, and the rest of us were allowed to tag along on a need-to-know basis.

All we could do was fall into line behind the Forsaken and trail after them like goddamn puppies instead of grown men.

Brightwater was quiet as the grave as we rode through town.

The Cattleyard Diner still had the lights on, with a handful of late night customers hunched over coffee or a plate of greasy comfort food.

Our clubhouse was closed and dark—an unusual sight for a Saturday night—but other bars in town were busy, with full parking lots and blasting music.

Baby Doll pulled up beside me, gesturing to get my attention. She pointed.

It took me a second to see what she was indicating. Then I spotted the cop car, hidden so well beneath an old, sprawling oak tree that it was nearly invisible.

We were halfway through town by now. Popeye hadn’t specified whether the weapons would be dropped off here, or somewhere else in Montana. This ride felt like it had lasted a lifetime already, even though it had been only minutes so far.

Baby Doll gave a sharp whistle and pointed again.

Two more cop cars, parked at the gas station. Could be innocuous enough, I reasoned. Maybe they were on break.

At the edge of town, a thick stand of pine trees blocked out the moon and plunged us into the dark. Popeye veered hard to the right, disappearing onto a narrow dirt road. The Forsaken followed suit, zipping after him.

But the truck barreled forward as if nothing had happened.

It was too late to follow the Forsaken, now that we'd passed that narrow road. And if we left the truck, we wouldn't get our payout…

Then it hit me.

The Forsaken had abandoned us. They screwed us over. We had to get out before—

Blinding white light flooded the night. The shriek of police sirens pierced my eardrums.

Cops swarmed out of the woods. Dozens of them, dressed in tactical gear—helmets, shields, and armored uniforms.

A deafening pop was followed by a hiss. My front tire wobbled and my bike careened wildly.

Shit, they shot my tire out—

I hit the pavement, skidding several feet before I came to a stop. The gritty road bit into the leather of my cut and chewed the sleeves of my jacket ragged.

“On the ground!” the cops barked. “Get on the ground, hands above your head!”

I stared up at the interlocking branches overhead, with a hint of stars peeking through, stunned.

The whole thing was a setup. And we fell for it.

Within five minutes, we were all cuffed, sitting on the side of the road while cops stood over us, guns at the ready in case we got violent or tried to escape.

“Fucking bastards,” Spike muttered. “I’ll kill ‘em.”

Big G sighed and tipped his head back, fiddling with a blade of grass.

“Not while you’re in jail,” he countered. “And we’re going to be in there for a while. I’m sure the Forsaken will enjoy sitting their traitorous asses in our bar every night, drinking our liquor, and playing with our bunnies…”

Spike grumbled.

“Do you really have to rub it in like that?”

Big G spread his hands, the cuffs rattling with his movement.

“Just stating a fact.”

A car came speeding up the road, sleek and black, expensive. One cop held out his hand, indicating to slow down. The car stopped and a woman emerged, her auburn hair pulled back in a tight French twist. Snug-fitting pencil skirt. Sharp heels. Familiar wingtip eyeliner.

“What the fuck?” I whispered.

Leigh strode forward, shoulders back, head held high, briefcase in hand.

“I’m looking for Officer Shepard,” she called, commanding the attention of every cop in the area. “I understand he’s the man in charge of this operation.”

“That would be me, ma’am,” the cop said. “Can I help you with something?”

“FBI,” Leigh replied, smoothly flashing a badge. “I believe you have seized an illegal shipment of guns from the Makarov family. They’re high on our wanted list. That evidence belongs to the bureau.”

“Isn’t that your wife?” Crash mumbled in a loud whisper at me.

“Shut up,” I hissed. Because I didn’t have a clue what the fuck was happening right now, but I wasn’t about to be the reason her cover was blown.

And I couldn’t take my eyes off her. She looked sexy as hell.

“I can’t just release these guns to you, ma’am,” Officer Shepard retorted.

Leigh shifted closer and placed her hand on his arm, squeezing his bicep. A bolt of jealousy spiked through my heart, seeing her flirting with another man right in front of me. Didn’t matter that she was doing it to save my ass.

At least, that’s what I hoped she was doing.

Her father had crucified us. Maybe she was simply digging our graves deeper to ensure there would be no chance of making it out alive.

“How about a trade?” she proposed.

Officer Shepard tilted his head, skeptical.

Leigh pulled out her phone from her blazer pocket and tapped the screen. Then she handed it to him. He stared at it for a moment. At last, he nodded.

“So, you’re telling me I have the wrong biker gang?”

“Look at the cuts they’re wearing. See the patches?

The Forsaken MC. They’re the ones shaking hands with the Makarovs in the video.

And those crates in the background? They’re stamped with a Russian seal and numbers.

I think you’ll find that they match the same stamps on those gun crates in the back of that truck. ”

Officer Shepard deliberated. I held my breath. He moved to the back of the truck, opened the hatch, and peered inside. He consulted Leigh’s phone, squinting at it. Checked inside the truck again.

After several minutes, he returned to Leigh and handed over her phone.

“How do you explain the fact that these bikers were following the truck in the first place?”

Leigh shrugged.

“That’s not my job, Officer. The Makarovs and those guns are my concern, nothing more.

In fact, I’m doing you a favor by showing you that footage.

If you prefer, you can waste valuable time, resources, and manpower interrogating these men only to find out they’re innocent. That’s your call to make.”

I ducked my head to hide a smile. Pride bloomed in my chest.

That’s my wife.

Officer Shepard glanced over us and lingered for several seconds on Baby Doll before flicking away quickly.

She had pried favors out of him on more than one occasion, including a recent incident involving Hattie and Kingpin just last year. But she wouldn’t tell me if they were sleeping together. In fact, she was locked up tight when it came to any mention of Officer Shepard.

That’s how I knew she was serious about him. Which was not good, since he was a cop and she was an outlaw biker.

But I trusted Baby Doll. She had a good head on her shoulders. Whatever her relationship was with this cop, I hoped she was making the right decisions that wouldn’t get her into trouble with him.

Officer Shepard gestured to the cops standing guard over us.

“Release them,” he said. “They’re free to go.”

The Blackjacks clubhouse was in an uproar at two o’clock in the morning. Leigh sat at a table, alone, while everyone stood across from her in a half moon arc. As if she was infected with some deadly disease and they didn’t dare get close for fear she might be contagious.

“I understand you’re upset,” Leigh said.

Gatling scoffed, arms crossed, seething and silent on the farthest side of the room.

“You’re really gonna sit there on your pretty little ass and spout bullshit like that?”

“Upset doesn’t even begin to cover it,” Kingpin put in.

I glanced at Baby Doll. She sat at the bar, leaning back on her elbows. And she met my gaze with a cool, level look. But she did not breathe a single word.

She didn’t have to. From the very beginning, she’d been warning me about this.

Leigh sighed and unbuttoned her blazer, adjusting in her seat for a more comfortable position.

“Yes, I knew about the setup. I knew my father would make you take the fall.”

A tense silence filled the air. I swallowed hard, my mind reeling as I tried to process this. I should have been spitting mad with rage. I should have been gutted. Leigh had hidden so much from me. Used me. Lied to my face for weeks.

Instead, I simply felt…numb.

Vlad braced his hands on the table and leaned into Leigh’s face with a growl.

“Tell me why I shouldn’t crush you like a bug, little girl. You betrayed us. You betrayed Blackbeard, your husband .”

“No, I didn’t,” she said, sharp, clipped. “I saved you. I threw a fucking bomb into my father’s plan. Yes, Dad sent me to spy on you—all of you. He planted me here to weaken you. You have every right to hate me for that. But I was supposed to walk away tonight. And I—”

The door opened, cutting Leigh off.

Torch barreled into the room, his face red with fury.

“ You ,” he spat, voice vibrating, jabbing a finger at Leigh. “You tipped off the cops. You pinned this whole thing on us and now your father is going to fucking rot in prison because of what you did.”

Leigh chewed her lower lip and glanced down at her hands, saying nothing.

“Hold on a second,” Kingpin said. “Were the Forsaken arrested?”

Torch made a noise of disgust, gesturing at Leigh.

“Yeah. Because of her. She showed the cop some video of us with the Makarovs, picking up the guns for delivery. It’s damning evidence and she just handed it over without even flinching. The cops nabbed everyone half an hour ago, and I’m the only one who got away.”

I glanced down at Leigh. She kept her gaze glued to the table.

Torch took a threatening step toward her. Before I realized what I was doing, I moved to block him. I put a hand on his chest, pushing him back.

“You turned on your own fucking people ,” Torch barked.

“Was it worth it, sweetheart? How can you sleep at night? Knowing that you sold out your father because you couldn’t resist getting dicked down by the dude twice your age?

Newsflash, Leigh, he’s not special. You could have opened your legs to any man—”

“Watch it,” I bit out.

“Fuck off, asshole,” Torch shot back. “Stay out of this.”

I crowded toward him. He stumbled back a few steps until he bumped into a table.

“That’s my wife you’re talking to. Watch. Your. Mouth.”

“Fine,” Torch said, shoving me in the chest. “If you want her, you can have her. She’s dead to us anyway.”

Leigh closed her eyes and her shoulders sagged. She turned her head away, swiping at her cheeks. I reached out automatically to comfort her, then snatched my hand back before I made contact.

No one spoke until the roar of Torch’s motorcycle disappeared into the night.

Kingpin raised his eyebrows with an expectant glance, tipping his head toward Leigh.

She was my responsibility, my wife, even though the contract technically didn’t exist anymore now that the Forsaken were in jail. My ring was still on her finger though.

“Why did you do it?” I asked.

Leigh swallowed, scrubbing at her palm with her thumb. After a moment, she lifted her gaze to look at me.

My heart stuttered. I could see it written all over her face, plain as day.

Leigh destroyed everything she knew.

For me.