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CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE: CHROME

Watching Cicely walk away guts me. The only thing keeping me from calling her back or running over and picking her up before spiriting her away is that I know doing so will put her in danger. I need to identify and eliminate the traitor, or traitors, to reclaim Cicely. That will involve some major groveling, but she’s worth it. I’d gladly spend the rest of my life on my knees to get her back.

Pulling out my phone, I call Padre. He’ll want to know that we found the girls safe, and I want to check Mode's status. Mode being awake is excellent news, but the kidnapping and rescue made it impossible for me to connect more with Mode..

“You found them?” Padre asks instead of a greeting.

“We did. They’re safe and on their way back to the hospital. Where are you?”

“We’re at the hospital. Hold on.” Padre muffles the phone for several minutes before coming back online. “Told the doctor that his little girl is coming back here.”

“Good. Cicely is with them. How’s Mode?”

“Ready to leave,” Padre says. “We got him released. Stone went to grab an SUV. I’ll follow them on my bike. We’ll have him back at the clubhouse when you get there. I know the clubhouse isn’t often crowded, but you want us to sneak him in through the back? Keep his return a secret?”

I start to say yes, but his statement about the clubhouse gives me pause. He’s right. The clubhouse has been empty. I haven’t been paying attention. Each time I’ve passed through the common room, I’ve subconsciously noted that the room is practically empty. An anomaly that started when we realized we had a traitor. My club no longer feels safe in what should be their fortress. The club officers and prospects are the only members who regularly hang out.

“Yeah, go ahead and sneak him in through the back. Stay with him.”

“Sammy!” I call out before he can climb into the SUV carrying our three captives.

He turns and hustles over to me. “What’s up, Prez?”

“Need you to do something for me when we get to the clubhouse.” Once I relay my instructions, he looks confused but gives me a nod.

“I’ll take care of everything,” he says before jogging over to the SUV and climbing into the passenger seat.

“What are you planning?” Eagle asks me.

“With Mode back, we need to have a welcome home party. Don’t you think?”

We walk to our bikes and climb on.

“Don’t you want to question our prisoners?”

“They’ll keep. Besides, most men tend to get talkative after a night in our cells. They have a perfect view of the area where we gather information. They can spend the night considering how my men will use the various tools on display.”

“But a party?”

I hold my helmet in my hands before sharing my thoughts. “Padre commented on the emptiness of the clubhouse. Before we realized we had a traitor, the clubhouse was never empty. Members are staying away. Only the officers still hang out. Maybe a party to celebrate Mode’s return is just what we need to bring the club back together. I want to keep the reason for the party a surprise. See how the members react when they see that Mode is awake.”

“Also, it will be interesting to see who stays away. You haven’t had much reason to celebrate lately. This is a good idea. Bring everyone together. Think Scorch will show up?”

“He’ll be there. Staying away looks too suspicious,” I say before sending a mass text to all the members about the party. I purposely leave out the reason for the party.

“We’ll need more eyes watching the members. Might want to consider bringing in Bush,” Eagle adds.

“I will. Plus, I want to see if Byte has cleared any other officers.”

We drive back to the clubhouse, where I find Sammy hard at work preparing the place for the party. He’s checking the stock of liquor and snack foods.

“Did you want me to order in some food?”

Spotting Marco and Bishop, I figure it won’t hurt to schmooze them some. Besides, everyone likes Italian food, right? “Order from Via Gustosa.”

Bishop and Marco stand when I approach them.

“Your men took control of the prisoners and told us to wait here. We want to be there when you talk to them,” Bishop says.

“I understand. You will be, but we aren’t questioning them yet. How about we go into my office and discuss a few things?”

The two men follow me. I move to my filing cabinet to pull out the scanner. Bishop opens his mouth to speak, but I hold my hand up to stop him. Using the scanner, I verify that the room is clear of listening devices.

“What’s going on? You think someone bugged your office?”

“Doesn’t hurt to be careful. Especially considering what we’re about to discuss.” I don’t mind the two men thinking I’m paranoid. I have no intention of telling them that I have a traitor. I don’t want them thinking my men are available for a price.

“You want to be there when we question the assholes who grabbed your sister?”

“Yeah. We know she was likely collateral, but we can’t take any chances. Not with her,” Bishop says.

“Dad wants proof that this wasn’t an attack on the Family.”

“So, he wants to question them?”

“He doesn’t mind getting his hands dirty, especially when it involves Lily. She’s the baby and the only girl. He’ll want to inflict some pain on those who dared put their hands on her. I’m guessing you have a place to hold them until we’re ready?”

“We have a place. It includes a few cells. Give them a night to consider what’s left of their future. I don’t think your sister was their target. They wanted Margo to get to Sammy.”

Bishop nods. “Agreed. But they put their hands on Lily and Cicely. Dad will want to make them pay for that. Cicely and Lily have been friends for years. Cicely is like another daughter to him.”

Raising an eyebrow at the underlying threat in his words, I wait for him to elaborate. He doesn’t keep me waiting for long.

“He’ll want to know about your relationship with Cicely.”

“That’s between Cicely and me. If she wants to share the information with your father, that’s her business. But, as far as I’m concerned, it’s none of his.”

Bishop glares at me, but Marco shrugs. “I don’t think anything is going on between them now. Not after you brushed her off the way you did. Cicely has too much self-worth to waste time on a man who turns his back on her. Maybe you two had some fun, but I saw Cicely’s face when she got into the car with Frodo. Whatever you and she had? It’s over.”

His words are like a blow. They land with accuracy. Watching Cicely drive away today felt like a door closing. I can keep telling myself I can make it up to her once I discover the traitor. But I’m not a stupid man. I know the likelihood of reclaiming Cicely’s affections dwindles more each time I push her away.

Marco and Bishop stand to leave. “We’ll be back in the morning.”

Marco and Bishop leave my office. I know Bush will ensure they leave. Rubbing my hand over my face, I push down the rising panic of losing Cicely. She’s alive and she’s safe. Once I flush out the traitor and get my club back on track, I’ll pull out all the stops and get her back. If all goes as planned tonight, we’ll have the traitor in the cell.

When I leave my office, I spot Sammy entering the basement where we store our liquor. He’s stocking up the bar in preparation for the party. In the common room, I spot the four Nomads sitting with Bush, Piston, Ice, and Arson. Scorch is the only missing officer.

“Mode in his room?”

“Yeah, Byte’s with him,” Eagle supplies. “They’ve moved to the next level.”

I raise my eyebrow in question. “It’s as we thought,” he confirms.

Shit.

“What’s going on, Prez?” Bush asks. “Did you identify the traitor?”

“Yeah, and it fucking sucks. Let’s head into Church. We can discuss it in there.”

I detour into my office to grab the scanner to double-check that our meeting room is bug-free. After we all pile in and take seats, I run the scanner. Finding nothing, I place the scanner on the table and look at my men. My officers sit in their usual spots; the only empty seat is the one on my right—Scorch’s spot.

“We’re not waiting for Scorch?” Ice asks, pulling out his notebook so he can take notes during the meetings.

“You won’t need that, and no, we’re not waiting for Scorch.” Ice frowns, but closes the notebook and folds his arms. He and the others give me their full attention.

“What’s going on, Prez?” Bush asks, repeating his question from earlier.

“As you all know, we have rats in the house.”

“More than one?” Bush asks.

“More than one,” I confirm before repeating what Blue Michaelson told me about the night of his attack.

“Wait. Are you thinking Scorch and Trigger staged the attack, or that two other members waylaid the SUV?” Piston asks.

“I want to believe the latter, but I’m almost certain the former is true,” I say. “Especially after what I found at the repair shop,” I tell them about finding Michaelson’s bike and how two Asian men dropped it off.

“Fuck,” Piston swears, leaning back in his chair.

“That’s suspicious, but it isn’t proof, and there could be a logical reason. Scorch is our VP. Why would he suddenly turn on us like that?” Arson asks.

“Some of it is money,” Eagle chimes in. “Byte discovered some hefty payments into an account under his sister’s name. Scorch and Trigger are both on the account. These payments didn’t come from the club.”

“Maybe they have a side business going. It doesn’t make them traitors,” Ice chimes in.

“It doesn’t,” I agree. “Which is why we’re having a party tonight. Mode’s back. We’re having a party and I’m using the party to see if Scorch slips up.”