Page 13 of Broken Deeds MC: Second Generation #12
– LYLA –
Focusing on the information in front of me is kinda hard when Archer is inking Pax. The Patch of Broken Deeds MC is a red circle, ragged with splatters, and an eagle inside. In the lower half of the circle are the letters Broken Deeds, the top is filled with my name in all caps.
My. Name. Pax is mine. This motorcycle club has a lot of added rules when it comes to claiming an old lady.
One of them is inking the patch within two weeks of voicing and accepting the claim.
I get some more time due to my pregnancy, to exclude risks we’re waiting to tattoo until after the baby is born.
My heart flutters when Pax shoots me a wink.
I quickly divert my gaze to the laptop in front of me.
I can feel my cheeks flush and my body is already on sexual overdrive when it comes to this man.
It doesn’t help that he chose the skin over his heart for the spot to ink the property patch. Holy shit, Pax is my property.
I swallow hard and this time, really try to read the words in front of me. The information on the woman behind the front desk is the first thing I went through, a little over an hour ago. There was nothing much to read.
Della Hallett, twenty-eight years old, inherited the hotel from her father nine years ago.
Her mother went missing when Della was sixteen.
The father had a heart attack in the parking lot of a shopping center a few years ago.
Not much else besides a fairly normal education, no arrests, no fines, no nothing. She seems like a standup citizen.
There are three employees, two women, both twenty-two, and one man by the name of Samuel Koba. He’s been employed for over fourteen years. Address listed is the hotel. Says here he’s married. I check the program Pax showed me and type in the man’s name to get the information about the wife.
“Huh.” I reach for the files on the table in front of me to double check.
“What’s up?” Pax asks.
Without looking in his direction, I grumble, “I’m checking something. There’s a man who has worked at the hotel for over fourteen years. His wife was reported missing. So, he’s married, but single.”
“How long has the wife been missing?” Archer asks.
The information about the woman fills the screen and I quickly glance it over to answer his question. “Three years.”
The buzzing of the tattoo gun stops and both men are staring right at me.
Silent seconds tick by until I shrug and say, “Maybe her employee is the killer and started with his woman.”
“He wasn’t the one who brought you breakfast and mentioned me, your fiancé,” Pax states.
Archer wipes the new tattoo clean. “What’s the guy’s job?”
I pull up the other stuff Bee sent. She’s thorough and I have no clue how she obtained a copy of this man’s contract, but I’m staring at it anyway.
“Chef manager.” I can feel my eyes slightly widen. “It fits.”
“But how would he know about us getting married? The only time we’ve mentioned it is in your room,” Pax rumbles as he gets up and moves behind me to glance over my shoulder at the laptop with the information.
My attention is fully directed at his naked chest. The fresh ink is right in front of my face. My breathing picks up and I lick my lips.
“Looks like your old lady likes your new ink,” Archer chuckles.
Pax glances down and smirks at me. I shrug and keep my gaze locked on the man’s muscles. My name is on his chest which means I’m allowed to stare at what’s mine, right?
Archer’s voice flows through the room. “Lyla, have you picked a spot where Pax’s patch will be inked on your body?”
Without thinking I reply, “Close to my left collarbone.”
I feel Pax’s lips touch the crown of my head when Archer grunts, “No more testing, your old lady is solid and we’ll ink the patch once your daughter is born.”
“Thanks, Prez.” Pax grins and hands me a bottle of water. “You only had coffee and I’m not liking the whole gagging puking thing from this morning. Slow sips to get more fluids inside you.”
I uncap the bottle and let him know, “Just don’t complain if we have multiple pee breaks during the hunt for this serial killer.”
Archer chuckles. “Do you two need backup? I imagine you’re going back to the hotel to ask some questions.”
Turning to Pax, I watch how he shakes his head. “I’m thinking we’re spending the night here. Hopefully, we will have some results back from the lab, or an ID of the body since fingerprints didn’t give us shit.”
“Oh, I know who the dead guy is,” I cheerfully state.
Archer grins. “Here I thought you were staring at your man getting inked the whole damn time.”
I narrow my eyes at Pax’s president. “I was working.”
The corner of his mouth twitches. “Clearly.”
Turning the computer to face Archer, I show him the missing persons report filed four days ago. “Reed Baxley reported his friend, Fitz Wright, missing four days ago. The tattoo on Fitz’s arm is a bit weird in the photograph of the body, but the dead man clearly has a tattoo there.”
“Like I said, brother, no more testing needed.” Archer holds up a syringe. “Time to poke her and welcome Lyla officially into the Broken Deeds family.”
My head whips back and forth between Pax and Archer.
I’ve heard all the members and old ladies have a tiny chip in their body.
It allows them to read the vitals and pinpoint where you are at any time.
This due to the dangerous cases they handle, and it did come in handy to save kidnapped members more than a few times.
I wince when I notice the thick needle. “Where are you going to jab me with it? In the arm?”
“With the shit happening recently I’d rather give everyone one in two or three places,” Archer grumbles.
“Just below your shoulder blade. It’s a spot you don’t easily injure and you can’t cut it out yourself,” Pax helpfully supplies.
“Still harboring a grudge there, brother?” Archer’s voice carries an edge.
I’m back to bouncing my gaze between them and wonder what the tension is that’s suddenly forming between them. To break it, I jump up and grab the hem of my shirt to pull the fabric over my head and give Archer my back.
“Well, get it done.” I squeeze my eyes shut and brace for the pain.
Warm hands cup my face. “Give me your eyes, sweet thing. This will only be a pinch and it’ll be over before you know it.”
Our gazes collides and I get a warm smile from my man, taking away the sting on my back as Archer puts the chip, tracker, or whatever it is in place.
“All done,” Archer states.
A sigh of relief leaves me when Pax hands me back my shirt. After I’ve pulled it on, I notice Archer checking his phone. Pax lets me know he’s probably checking if the chip is working. I bob my head and sit back down to pull the laptop closer to me.
“You mentioned all the victims were single, right?” I pull up a social media page and show Pax. “I think the killer screwed up this time and simply assumed Fitz Wright was single.”
“Assumed?” Pax questions.
I scroll the dead man’s page and feel Pax behind me. “See? No mention of anyone special in his life.”
Pax grunts and I switch to another social media page which belongs to the man who reported him missing.
“Damn. No tag, no name, no statement to go with these pictures and yet it’s clear these two men were partners.” Pax sighs. “They must have had a hidden relationship or kept it secret for their families or whatever.”
“You should mention it to the people you’re going to interview at the hotel tomorrow,” Archer suggests.
“Watch their reaction, smart,” I muse. “Are we going to question Della first? She’s the owner of the hotel, we could question her about Samuel, making it seem we suspect him.”
“He is our suspect,” Pax remarks. “As is Della. We’re keeping all the options open while we crosscheck all the facts.”
“Sounds like you two have a handle on it. I’m heading back to the clubhouse and will call you tomorrow if I have an update about the meat that’s used.” Archer puts the tattoo gun he cleaned, along with all the other stuff, back into his bag.
Pax steps closer to Archer. “Can you have one of the brothers deliver a bug detector? I want to sweep Lyla’s hotel room.”
“Question Della and Samuel first. We don’t want them to know you’re on to the listening ear in your room. Who knows, it might come in handy to lay a trap if you’re not sure who the fuck we’re looking for. Hell, for all we know they could be working together,” Archer grumbles.
Great. We finally have a suspect, two actually, and then Archer throws in the possibility of two killers. “Ugh. It actually makes sense if they are working together.”
“I don’t think we’re looking for two killers,” Pax remarks. “The consistency indicates it’s a routine of one person because if it were two people it would evolve.”
“Or one kills and the other chops off the meat he needs to cook, and then the one who kills gets rid of the body. Each of them could have a task in the process. We should keep our options open, but I’m still getting creepy vibes off Della.
Although the cook has more red flags pointing right at the fucker. ”
Pax places a hand on my shoulder. “Like my old lady mentioned, we have lots to go through tonight and will head over tomorrow to question those two.”
Archer nods. “We’ll keep in touch. Call if you need anything.”
“Will do,” Pax rumbles as Archer leaves the room.
I close the laptop and glance up at Pax. “I really like your new ink.”
He reaches out and pulls me to my feet. His hands are on my hips, eyes locked on mine.
“I can tell,” he rumbles with an intensity that makes my body shiver.
Craving this man expands with each minute passing. I want him. We’re allowed to have crazy and wild sex ’cause this man is mine. Also to make up for the time we lost when we were apart.
Shit. This man consumes me at a time when we should focus on catching a serial killer. Even if I know we’re done for the night and will pick up tomorrow morning. It’s not appropriate, right?