Page 26 of Deception (Deranged Drifters MC #22)

Chapter Twenty-Six

Griffin’s Beach Lex

“ A nd if this doesn’t work?” Karmen asks as they walk towards the park.

“Then I punched you in the face for no reason,” Lex says, her voice low as she stays in the shadows.

The only way to get the name of Julian’s informant without someone hacking Julian is to use his own stupidity against him. And what makes men more stupid than love?

Julian’s been in love with Karmen ever since Lex can remember. When he couldn’t have her, he chased women who looked like Karmen. Dark-haired and shapely. Unfortunately for him, he never found a proper substitute.

“You know what to do?”

Snorting, Karmen nods. “I know it’s been a while since I’ve had to use my wiles to get a man, but give me a little credit.”

Lex smirks and moves into the bushes as her mother-in-law walks up to Julian who sits on a park bench waiting for her. His cologne is so strong, Lex nearly gags from where she stands, and she hopes Karmen doesn’t pass out from it.

“Karmen?” Julian asks and jumps up to gently touch her face. “Are you okay? What happened to you?”

Holding the phone out, Lex records the entire interaction. If this doesn’t work, I don’t know what else to do.

Regardless of the terrible human being Julian is, it’s beyond obvious that he cares about Karmen. If he wasn’t trying to take down her club, Lex would feel guilty.

“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about,” Karmen says, looking around as though checking to make sure no one followed her.

“Why here?”

“Because TK would freak out more than he already has if I showed up at your house. The whole club has lost their minds about the warrants.”

Her shaky breath emphasizes her fear, and she continues to look around cautiously. Lex knows she had no reason to doubt Karmen. She’s a natural.

I’d wonder how she plays the part so well, but I have to remember she fucked around with Rush after TK found out about them. She was a battered woman.

“What happened?” Julian asks. “Did TK do this to you?”

“Colt blames Jennings and TK for the war you’re waging on the club, and Jennings and TK blame Colt. The shift in leadership has gotten really bad, and no one trusts anyone right now.”

They sit on the bench, and his hand rests on her knee. Aside from the slight twitch of her face, Karmen gives nothing away about the discomfort she feels.

Julian tells Karmen he can’t back away, which is a lie, and Karmen tries to make him believe that’s not what she wants. She plays a lovely game of word salad to let him believe TK was the one who gave her the black eye without flat out confirming it to him.

Wiping fake tears, she looks towards Lex. “Maybe I shouldn’t have called you. What if someone sees us?”

“No one comes out here at night,” Julian says. “And if anything, we’re just two old friends who ran into each other while out on an evening stroll. No one has to know you called me.”

She’s got him hooked. He trusts her. Which is why she lands it beautifully when she tells him she knows someone’s talking to him. It’s the only thing that makes sense. There’s a rat in the clubhouse, but TK doesn’t want to believe it. Neither does Colt.

“I have a suspicion. That’s what I want to talk to you about,” Karmen says.

“Suspicion?”

She sniffles and freezes as a car drives by. Lex presses herself against the tree to make sure she’s not given away if headlights hit her.

I should’ve gone further into the park. Damn it.

“Karmen?”

“Sorry, I thought it might be someone from the club. The car looked familiar,” she says.

“Do you want to go somewhere else?”

Damn it, Karmen, don’t give him any ideas. I can’t record if he insists you move locations.

“I’ll think of something if someone sees and asks me. This is such a mess, Julian,” Karmen says, and Lex almost sighs in relief.

“I didn’t expect you to get caught in the crosshairs.”

“My son’s the President of the club. What did you expect?”

Lex almost groans. If Karmen can’t keep it together, she gave her mother-in-law a black eye for nothing. And Lex reminds herself to ask Karmen how she explained it to TK this morning. There’s no hiding that baby.

“Your son made me a laughingstock,” Julian snaps back. “The way he depicted me to the media was beyond humiliating.”

“I still can’t believe he did that. I’m sorry. I’ve always known Travis is the problem. He makes you look bad, but you’re actually the most capable man in that department.”

He beams and looks down at her cleavage. Even when she catches him, he doesn’t try to hide it.

“Am I right?”

“About?” Julian asks, finally looking up from her tits.

“That someone is talking to you from inside the club.”

Licking his lips, he looks away. “I can’t talk about on-going investigations.”

“I understand,” she says and stretches, pushing her chest towards him.

Like expected, he can’t tear his eyes away. But to Lex’s surprise, he sticks to his guns. Even when she pushes a little more, he says nothing.

“I guess I should keep my suspicions to myself,” Karmen says.

“What suspicions?”

Turning, she rests her elbows on her knees and no longer faces him. “It doesn’t matter.”

“I have someone giving me information,” he blurts. Whether it’s because he wants to know what she thinks, or he hopes she turns to show off her rack again, Lex isn’t sure.

“I knew it,” she says. “That’s what I’m worried about, Julian. I’m worried you have someone giving you old or bad information. It’s why you haven’t been able to take anyone down.”

The wheels turn in his mind, and he stares off towards Lex. She swears the two of them lock eyes, but if he sees her, he says nothing.

“Either you have someone you plan to exempt from charges, or you have someone giving you bad information to make you look like a fool.”

“It’s not a member.”

She gasps. “Wait, it’s an old lady?”

“I can’t—”

“Julian, Lex has all of them in her pocket. You have to tell me who it is. If it’s one of her lackeys, she’s going to tear you down just like Colt did.

Some of the girls lie and say they hate her to help get information.

I don’t understand, but the truth is, I don’t really like my daughter-in-law.

But I am scared of her. She’s dangerous. ”

She continues to convince him he’s at risk until Julian finally blurts the name out. Shocked, Lex nearly drops her phone.

Of course.

Griffin’s Beach Colt

“ W hat’s going on?” Venom asks as he sits across from Ky. “Lex got answers?”

Only Jennings and TK join them this time, and Colt’s more than happy not to include his father-in-law in these meetings anymore.

“I’m not sure,” Colt says. “Just got a text saying to gather the troops. Her plan either worked, or it failed.”

The conversation they had yesterday weighed on her last night, and he felt guiltier than he has in a while.

Whatever plan she has cooked up kept her out until after he fell asleep, and when he woke up, she had an ice pack on her hand.

He worries she took her anger out on something that caused her to harm herself.

The Chapel doors open, and he’s immediately on his feet when Lex and his mother stumble into the room. “Baby, what happened?” he asks as he takes in her ashen complexion.

“What the fuck happened to your eye?” TK asks, jumping up and gently cupping his wife’s face.

Lex holds her hand up to show off her swollen knuckles. “I punched her last night.”

“You what?”

“I told her to. We had to sell it,” Karmen says. “I feel gross.”

The men all look at each other, waiting, but Lex bends down to rest her hands on her knees as she takes deep breaths. Based on the way she looks, Colt would believe she ran from wherever she was.

“Baby, talk to us. What’s going on?” Colt asks.

He’s not sure how to feel about the fact his wife punched his mother in the face. And what does it mean that they had to sell it?

“We know who it is,” Lex says, finally speaking between gulps of air. “I should’ve known. Deep down, I think that I did, but I didn’t want to believe it.”

“Who is it?”

Handing him her phone, he moves to allow the other men to watch as he presses play. His mom sits on a park bench with Julian, his hand on her knee.

“He thinks I hit you?” TK cries.

“It was the only way to convince him,” Karmen says. “Lex, baby, you okay? You look sick. Or like you might pass out.”

She nods and rests against the wall. “I feel like hurling.”

“Once TK’s locked up with the rest of the club, I can move on to someone who treats me better. Assuming my son and daughter-in-law aren’t fucking with you.”

“She approached me. She said she’d give me information as long as I spared her man, which I said I’d be more than happy to do. I want to fuck your husband and son… er… you know what I mean.”

“Who did?”

“Autumn.”

Colt stares at the phone in shock as everyone stays silent.

“I should’ve put it together. Mel overheard Autumn telling Rocco that she wanted them to leave the club. She’s been pulling away, but I knew she’d never risk Rocco like this. I overlooked making a deal with the devil.”

“This is new territory,” Jennings says. “We’ve never had a woman rat on us.”

Looking at Lex, Colt sees her heartbreak. No matter where Lex and Autumn stand, they used to be friends. And it has to cut deep that her friend tried to take down her entire family.

“This can’t be different. Everyone has to know there are no exceptions for the women, same as with the men,” Karmen says. “Lex, if you can’t do this, I can call Tess.”

“Is this something you think you can do, Lex?” Ky asks.

She’s killed men before. Saved him and helped him dismember an enemy in the bathtub, but that’s different. It’s never easy killing someone once considered a friend. Someone she still wants as her friend.

“I’ll need someone else to help, but I have to,” Lex says, her eyes never leaving the floor. “New generation and all that shit.”

“Who do you want to go with you?” Karmen asks. “Felicity’s not here tonight, but I’m sure we can get her here.”

Licking her lips, Lex rubs her hands on her jeans. “Melanie.”

“Mel?” Ky asks. “Really?”

“I have zero doubt she’d kill for me if I asked her to. And aside from a few men in this room, she’s the first one I’d call to help me dispose of a body. She’s my ride or die.”

“Okay, we need to do this tonight. Rocco’s not here, so we gotta go to his place,” Venom says.

Colt’s mother touches Lex’s shoulder. “Do you want me to come with, just in case it’s too much?”

Forcing a smile, Lex looks up and shakes her head. “No, I gotta do this.”

“Go get Mel, and I’ll meet you at Rocco’s house,” Colt says. “Tell her in the car what’s going on.”

Sniffling, she walks out of the Chapel, and Venom looks around. “Do we really think she can do this? It doesn’t seem fair.”

“She has to,” Ky says. “It’ll eat her alive if she doesn’t and lets someone else do it.”

“I’m worried about what it’ll do to her. Autumn is one of her oldest friends. This is a bigger betrayal than us accusing her of being the one talking to Julian.”

“She’s a fucking rat,” Karmen snaps. “I’ll head to the house and wait for you to come home. As much as you’ll want to help her, you can’t, baby. She needs someone who can understand, and I’m the closest thing she’s got.”

He nods and looks at Venom. “Let’s go. Ky, I’ll call when it’s done.”