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CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE: CHROME

The members trickle in slowly at first. Those who arrive grab beers or their drink of choice from Sammy before settling in. The liquor smooths the edges, and soon, everyone is laughing and joking around so that the clubhouse sounds more normal. I see a few making calls and figure they’re contacting other members to see what’s keeping them. By nine-thirty, the clubhouse is packed, and everyone is having a good time. The Scorpions are blasting from the speakers when Mode makes his entrance.

The cheers that greet him almost distract me from looking around at the faces to see who doesn’t have a grin on their face. I don’t spot anyone who doesn’t sport a surprised and happy expression. I acknowledge that several faces are missing. Scorch for one. But Trigger and two other members are missing as well. However, I remember that Trigger and the other men are on a run. I can’t deny my disappointment in Scorch’s absence.

Mode gets comfortable at a table while Sammy brings him a beer. He probably shouldn’t drink while he’s still on meds, but one beer shouldn’t hurt. Besides, it lets him join in on the celebration. I grin when I see Sammy has also given him a bottle of water. Sammy returns and grabs me a beer.

“How are you holding up?” I ask him.

“I’m good. Talked to Margo just before the party started. She’s home and safe. Cicely and her friend talked Margo’s dad into getting Margo into self-defense courses. She’s pretty excited about the idea of learning how to defend herself. That will go a long way in making her feel safe again.”

I nod in agreement.

“I didn’t know Cicely could handle herself the way she did,” Sammy continues. “That was impressive watching her take on those guys.”

“Who took on what guys?” Scorch asks as he slides onto the stool next to me.

I look at him as I gulp beer. “Hey, stranger. Haven’t seen you around lately.”

He shrugs. “I’ve been busy. Who were you two talking about?”

“Cicely. You missed the excitement. Four men kidnapped Cicely, her friend, and Sammy’s friend, Margo. Cicely and her friend have had some self-defense training and managed to take down the men just as we arrived. Was quite a sight seeing them beat on the assholes.”

Scorch looks surprised. “Your Cicely? Figured she was just a nice nurse. Didn’t know she had any training,”

“I didn’t either, but I discovered her best friend is Lily Beraldi.”

Scorch chokes on his beer. “Beraldi as in The Family Beraldi?”

“As in her dad is Anthony Beraldi III.”

“Well, shit. The girl has connections.” Scorch glances around. “Is she here?”

“No,” I bite out.

Scorch smirks. “That’s right. You kicked her to the curb. Probably a good idea. Don’t want to get into bed with the mafia.”

I grunt but don’t tell him about the upcoming visit by the Capo di Tutti Capi. Instead, I go on the offensive. “What have you been up to? Missed you around here.”

“Been busy,” he grunts, swigging his beer but not meeting my eyes.

“You aren’t still hunting Fenhua, are you?”

He chuckles. “No, I’ve been hunting, but not for Fenhua. I heard he was in San Diego. He’s Ghost’s problem now.”

“Who have you been hunting?”

“Theodore Jordan. Who else? I want to find that bastard and end him.”

“Are you talking about Father T?” Sammy asks.

Scorch and I stare blankly at the prospect. “Father T?” I ask.

“Yeah, Father Theodore Jordan? The man I’m testifying against. He told us to call him Father T.”

“Holy shit,” murmurs Scorch.

“Officers. Church. Now,” I shout out. “Nomads, Byte, and Mode, you, too. Pipes, you cover the bar. Sammy, you’re with us. Let’s go!”

Sammy’s eyes widen as he follows us to the conference room we use for Church. He stands near the door while we take seats. The officers sit in their usual spots while Byte and the Nomads take the remaining seats.

“Sammy, sit next to Byte.” I nod at the empty seat next to Byte. “Now, tell everyone what you just told Scorch and me.”

Sammy slides into the seat and looks around at the faces staring at him. “Uhm. I overheard Scorch mention Theodore Jordan.” He pauses when everyone stiffens, but continues when I nod at him. “I asked if he was talking about Father T. The man that I’m testifying against. His name is Theodore Jordan, but he told us to call him Father T. I think he thought it made him more personable to the younger crowd.”

“Holy shit,” murmurs Ice.

“You gotta be fucking kidding me,” Bush growls.

“Wait. Are you saying the priest who attacked Sammy’s sister is the same fucker we’ve been hunting?” Piston asks. “How the fuck did we not know this?”

“We never made the connection,” Byte says. “Fuck, we never considered there could be a connection. Jordan wasn’t a priest in San Diego. He was a religious leader who created and led a cult. There was no tie between him and the Catholic Church. Mode and I can focus on this connection. It should make it easier to find him. Is he in prison or out on bail?”

“He’s out on bail,” Sammy says. “Maybe the Prosecutor knows where he is?”

“We’ll find out,” I tell him before dismissing him. “You can go back to the bar.”

Once Sammy leaves, I give the team directions.

“While Mode and Byte run their searches, we need to contact the Prosecutor. Ice, you’ve spoken to her before, so you make the contact. See if she knows where we can find the asshole. I wouldn’t mind taking the fucker out before Sammy has to testify against him.”

“The assholes in The Shed might know his location. They went after Sammy to keep him from testifying. They probably work for Jordan,” Bush says.

“What guys?” Scorch asks.

“Oh, yeah, you’ve been MIA,” Bush says, studying Scorch. “Four men tried to grab Sammy today. They kidnapped a girl named Margo, who was best friends with Sammy’s sister.”

“Let’s go talk to them,” Scorch says as he stands.

“We’re letting them stew for the night, and we have to wait until tomorrow,” I tell him.

“Why?”

“Because when they kidnapped Margo, they kidnapped Lily Beraldi, too.”

“I imagine the Don’s not too happy, but she wasn’t the target, was she?” Scorch asks, stunned.

“No, we’re certain Margo was the target. The women held their own and had the men down and out by the time we got there. We managed to capture three of the four. Only the driver got away. Bishop and Marco Beraldi assisted with the rescue. Their father wants to be part of the questioning. They’ll be here in the morning.”

“We’re working with the fucking mafia?” Scorch asks, shaking his head. “We’re fucked up.”

I shrug as we walk back out to the common room. The party is raging and has moved into an orgy. The others return to their table while Scorch and I stand on the fringe.

“Have you spoken to Trigger lately?” I ask him.

“He’s on a run with Bulldog and Flash. They’re headed to Vegas and aren’t due back until the day after tomorrow. Why?”

“No reason. Just wondered how he’s doing.”

Scorch shrugs. “Fine, I guess. He’s still pissed about the ambush. We both still think Min fucked up.”

“You think she set you up?”

“Maybe. Or maybe she just screwed up. Maybe she thought she knocked Fenhua out, but used the wrong syringe, or just made a wrong assumption. She claims she took the syringe off the doctor. She assumed it was the same shit he used on her. Maybe it was, maybe it wasn’t. She’s fucking tiny. Maybe the drug that took her out wasn’t strong enough to take out Fenhua.”

I nod as I consider what he’s saying. He’s right. The doctor prepared those syringes in preparation for kidnapping a teenage girl. It’s possible the dosage didn’t take out Fenhua, so he was able to take out Trigger and Scorch so that he could escape. But that didn’t explain the attack on Blue Michaelson or what Blue saw before getting knocked out.

“Is that what happened? Do you remember now? Did he knock you both out before you realized he was awake? How did he get away?”

“Someone must have been following us and picked him up. It’s the only thing that makes sense.”

I study Scorch and search for the lie because his story doesn’t make sense. Blue saw two men wearing kuttes on the side of the road. Who could it have been except Scorch and Trigger? I want to ask him what Blue saw that night. I want to ask him about Blue’s bike. I want him to tell me something that proves he isn’t the traitor. Before I can do anything, I spot something that takes all my attention—Cicely in the center of an orgy.