Page 11 of Creed (Satan’s Fury MC- Little Rock #6)

CREED

“ H eard anything else from the cop?”

“Not a peep,” I answered. “And I hope it stays that way.”

“We should get word if he plans to come sniffing around, but we took the protective measures we discussed.” Preach motioned his head towards the back office. “Seven and the boys cleared the grounds, and we’ll halt sales until this shit gets sorted.”

“I think it was a smart move.” I turned to Grim and asked, “You getting anywhere with the two assholes who started this whole mess?”

The Vault was quiet. It was the calm before the storm when it was too early for the regulars and too late for peace of mind. There was no music or crowds. There was just a low hum of the girls bustling around the floor as they prepped for the night ahead.

I was sitting at one of the back tables with Grim and Preacher, and I was listening as Grim filled us both in on what he’d gotten from the two dipshits he’d spent the last couple days working over.

He looked agitated as he told us, “They start off saying that it was just a one-time thing. That they’d drank too much and got carried away. ”

“Bullshit,” Preacher scoffed, clearly not buying it.

Neither was I.

“But the story changed the second I turned up the heat.” Grim leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table. “They’d eventually admitted that they were sent to find her.”

“Sent by who?”

“Still working on that.” Grim shook his head. “They’re scared, though. Real scared. And not just of me. They’re scared of whoever’s pulling the strings.”

“Then, keep at it.” Preacher leaned back in his chair as he told him, “I want a name.”

I didn’t say anything.

I didn’t have to.

We all knew something about it was off. Grim got up, and as he headed for the door, my burner started ringing. I reached back, pulling it from my pocket, and when I saw Shep on the screen, I stood and stepped into the hallway. “Yeah?”

“I got what you asked for,” he answered.

“Alright. Give it to me.”

“Not sure what you already know about her.”

“I got the basics. I need the more recent stuff.”

“Well, then you probably know that she was an officer over in Hot Springs. She was at a smaller precinct before that.”

“Yeah, I got that.”

“Then, you know she married a detective she worked with named Brian Maddox, and they have two kids together.” I didn’t respond, so he added, “Well, she’s done with all that.”

“Woah. Done with what?”

“The force and the husband,” he answered matter-of-factly. “She quit them both.”

“How long?”

“Just over a year now.”

Damn.

My mind started racing with questions, and I barely heard him when he added, “She’s been teaching part-time at the community college and is living across town.”

He continued, but I didn’t hear anything he said.

I was too wrapped up in the fact that she was no longer hitched. It shouldn’t have matter. I’d done the work. I’d put this woman behind me years ago but seeing her the other night ignited something in me that refused to be ignored. I had to see her again, even if it was just for a moment.

It was the only way I was going to get her out of my head.

Even then, while I was standing there in the hallway talking to Shep, I could picture her in that damn short skirt. The curve of her back. The fullness of her lips. And the sparkle in her eyes.

The images were bombarding my mind as he said, “She got custody of the kids, but only because of the ex’s work schedule. He couldn’t commit to a routine, so the court leaned her way.”

Divorced.

It wasn’t that I wanted her in pain or that I was glad her marriage had failed, but damn. She was free, and there was hope in that.

It meant I might have a chance to right a wrong.

I didn’t know how bad the damage was. Didn’t know how many pieces she’d had to pick up on her own or if she’d even want to see me again. But I sure as hell knew one thing. I wanted to see her, and I wanted to see her now.

I was just about to ask for the address to the college when Shep announced, “One more thing…”

“Yeah?”

“There’s been a major uptick in missing women in the area.”

“What are we talking about here? Ten or twenty? What?”

“Thousands. Hell, numbers have almost doubled in the past six months, and no one’s talking about it.”

“So, what’s the deal? The cops are just sitting on it?”

“Hard to tell what the fuck they’re doing. You know how it is with cops. Never know who you can trust and who’s gonna fuck you in the ass.”

“You’re right about that.” I let out a breath before adding, “So, whatcha thinking?”

“These two guys Grim have been working over might be into more than they’re letting on.”

“We were just talking, and Grim thinks the same.”

“I’ll look into ‘em and see what I can find out.”

“Sounds good. Let me know what you find out and send me everything you found on the girl.”

“You got it.”

I ended the call with Shep, and I took a minute to let everything he said sink in. It was clear something was going on with these attempted abductions, and it was concerning, especially since an attempt was made at our backdoor. But it wasn’t enough to make me forget what he’d said about Devin.

Even with everything that was going on, I couldn’t shake the need to see her.

It was consuming me as I made my way back out to the main floor.

Preacher was finishing off his beer, and as he glanced up at me, it was like he already knew that something was on my mind.

His eyes narrowed as he asked, “You good?”

“Yeah. You?”

“For the time being.” His eyes were still narrowed. “You heading out?”

“Yeah, I’ve got something I need to take care of. I’ll be back later to check on things.”

I turned to go but didn’t get two steps before I heard Preacher’s voice behind me. “Hold up.”

I stopped and turned back to face him. “Yeah?”

“How long have we known each other?”

Preacher leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. I already knew where this was headed, so I answered, “Long enough.”

“So, you know I know something’s going on with you.”

“Yeah.”

“Are you gonna tell me what’s going on, or am I supposed to sit here and guess?”

“It’s personal.”

“Personal as in a woman has you tangled up or you got a swollen prostate kind of personal?”

“Personal is all I can give you right now.”

He wasn’t the kind of man who liked being kept in the dark. Not about anything. So, I was surprised when he nodded and said, “Alright, but if you need me, just say the word.”

I gave him a nod, then made my way outside. The air was thick with the smell of hot pavement and exhaust, and the sun was just starting to set, throwing long, dark shadows across the lot. I got on my bike and glanced back at the door. Preacher was a good president and an even better brother.

The thought had me thinking back to that night in West Memphis. A rival MC was stirring trouble that rippled all the way to us. They had to be dealt with, so we went to hash it out. We knew they were dirty and came prepared.

Only a few words were spoken before fists went flying and shots crackled through the night. One of them raised a piece at me, and I didn’t even have time to duck before he fired a round. I thought I was a goner until Preacher tackled me and took a round straight to the shoulder.

The man didn’t even flinch until the guy was down, and he knew I was out of harm’s way. Hell, blood was pouring down his arm, and he was still barking out orders, making sure all of us made it out of there in one piece.

When the smoke cleared, I tried to thank him. He just shrugged me off and said, “You’d have done the same.” And he was right. I would have, and I did on more than one occasion. But that’s what we did. We stood by each other through thick and thin.

I couldn’t help but wonder if he’d still stand by me when he discovered that I hadn’t been honest with him about Devin, at least not completely.

He knew she was important to me. And he knew I let her walk away.

But he never knew why. He never knew how much I truly loved her, and he never knew just how bad it hurt to let her go.

I knew how he felt about cops. Hell, I felt the same way.

We all did. They were our biggest threat, but for reasons I couldn’t explain, I didn’t let that stop me from going in deep with Devin.

But she wasn’t a cop anymore. Not that her quitting solved anything.

She had the mindset and the connections.

Years and years of connections. That alone should’ve been enough to end any thoughts of seeing her again.

It didn’t.

There was a piece of my heart that would always be hers. Not just back then or until I found someone else. Hell, I could fall in love a thousand times over, but that piece will always be hers. And with that in mind, I grabbed my phone from my pocket and pulled up the file Shep had sent me on Devin.

As soon as I found her address, I drove over and parked across the street. I was tucked half behind a battered oak tree and a mailbox that was leaning like it had been hit more than once. I grabbed my phone and started reading through what Shep had sent.

Devin Kennedy

ID- 217069421

21 Cross Reeves Lane

Little Rock, Arkansas

Age : Thirty-seven

Occupation : Professor of Criminal Law at LR Community College

Lives in a modest single-story with white trim and a porch swing that’s seen better days. Two kids. A boy—Austin, fourteen. A girl—Chrissy, twelve.

The report had felt clinical. Cold, dry facts and matter-of-fact statements. But sitting here, staring at the house, it felt anything but. I hadn’t felt so warm and alive in months, and I wasn’t even with her. I was just reading about her. That hit hard.

It had been years since she walked out. I found myself wondering if she’d really let go of me, cause I sure as hell hadn’t let go of her.

I hadn’t been sitting there long when a blue pickup pulled up to the house. The driver's door opened, and Detective Maddox climbed out, looking like he owned the place.

His shirt was tucked in, and he had his sunglasses on top of his head in that way that cocksuckers do. Seconds later, the back doors flew open, and two kids got out. They were moving too slow for his liking, so he shouted, “Any day now!”

The son shook his head with aggravation as he tossed his backpack over his shoulder and started up to the front door. The daughter followed behind with her head down, and even though I didn’t know the kid, it was clear she was upset about something.

Maddox gave them a quick wave as he ordered, “Call me later.”

The asshat didn’t even wait for them to make it inside before he was back in his truck and peeling off. Damn. I didn’t like that guy, and if their standoffish behavior was any indication, they didn’t care for him much either—at least, not at the moment.

I sat there for a while longer, hoping maybe she’d come out.

I wanted to see her, even if it was just for a second. But the door stayed shut. And eventually, the sun started to set, and the lights came on.

A few houses down, a man came out to his car, and he noticed me right away. He leaned to the side, getting a good look at me. I took that as my cue to leave. I started the engine, and after one last look at the house, I pulled away.

I didn’t get what I came for.

But I wasn’t giving up. Not even close.

The next morning, I was sitting at her college with a campus map in my hand.

I’d studied the thing for God knows how long before I finally found the building where Devin taught.

I sat there a minute, trying to decide if this was a bad idea, and the next thing I knew, I was pulling off my cut and lying it across the back seat.

Last thing I needed was to draw more eyes than I already would. I wasn’t exactly subtle, even without the patch. I was a good bit older and a lot more rugged than most of the folks on campus.

I pulled her schedule up and double-checked the time before getting out of the truck.

I crossed the lot, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that I didn’t belong there.

I didn’t. Not with all these kids with their backpacks slung over their shoulders and coffee cups in their hands.

They walked around like they didn’t have a care in the goddamn world.

I won’t deny it. I was a little envious.

They were all around the age Devin and I were back when we were dating.

It was a time when it was new and hot and full of things that felt like forever.

I passed a couple sitting on a bench. They were tucked in close, laughing about something on a phone screen, and it hit me in the gut harder than I expected.

We weren’t kids anymore. We certainly weren’t the kids we were back then.

Time had taken its toll. We’d both been through stuff, and for better or worse, it had changed us.

There was a chance I might not even like the woman she’d become, and there was an even better chance she wouldn’t like the man I’d become.

Fuck.

What the hell was I doing here?

I looked around at the trimmed hedges, clean sidewalks, and bulletin boards covered in flyers for poetry nights and tutoring sessions, and I couldn’t have felt more out of place.

I almost turned back.

Almost.

But then I looked up and realized I was already there, standing in front of her building like a damn statue. I stared up at the glass doors like they held the answers to every question I’d ever been too pissed or too proud to ask.

Then, they opened, and Devin stepped out.

She looked quite different than she had at the casino. The mini skirt and low-cut blouse had been replaced with khaki slacks and a navy blouse. Her hair was pulled back, and she held a stack of papers against her chest.

She looked older.

More confident.

And beautiful as ever.

She started down the steps but stopped cold when she spotted me standing below. Her mouth parted, and she muttered my name like it still meant something.

“Jameson.”

And just like that, all those doubts I’d had quickly disappeared.