Page 27 of Drifter (Redemption Riders #2)

Edgar Sutton Is No More

Drifter

W e’re on our way back to Sasha’s cottage when Hawk calls and tells us to go to the compound instead.

I give Simon a call and tell him that we’re changing plans and to follow me.

Once we arrive, we’re surrounded by Redemption Riders and several brothers from Satan’s Pride, Guard being one of them, along with Demon and Risk.

Etain is waiting by her window, and as soon as we drive in, she races to Sasha, enveloping her in a hug that I’m forced to break up so I can move them both into the compound.

Simon and Sasha huddle together on the sofa with Etain, while the rest of the brothers give them space and congregate around the bar or pool table.

Declan gets Simon’s attention and leads him over to the dartboard.

Simon’s been tense since he arrived. His phone has been blowing up with his father calling him, then his mother, and he has sixteen missed calls and just as many messages.

He needs a distraction, so that’s where Declan and Lee come into the picture to give him something to do other than stare at his phone.

Hawk and Guard have already warned him to ignore the calls.

Risk’s connections are providing us with detailed updates.

The raid was a shock to my parents and the Suttons, and with the search warrant in hand for both Gordon’s home and office, there was nothing he could do.

They put Gordon and Edgar into police cruisers, along with Elaine and Dawn.

The men were threatening legal action all the way to the car, while Dawn needed help getting into a separate vehicle with Elaine.

At the same time, many of the Russian nightclubs were being raided, and some very high-up Bratva bosses were being taken in for questioning.

The evidence of the sex-trade operation is overwhelming.

As Orion continues to dig deeper, he’s found several locations where they keep the young women, and SWAT teams are on their way to free them.

“I can’t believe we pulled this off,” I say to Hawk and the others around us, shaking my head. “Sutton was grating on my last nerve.”

“The worst is over,” Guard says. “But your woman is going to feel it. Her father might be scum, but this is going to shake up her world. Everything Gordon McGrath has done is going to be news and it’s going to drag the family through some shitty times.”

“Sasha and Simon knew this going in. Simon is clean and is downsizing the company to start fresh with the MC brotherhoods. Sasha and Simon are going to set up their mother with a nice apartment, but only after she agrees to go to AA and rehab to get help,” I tell them. “We’ve talked this through.”

Guard steps forward and puts his hand on my shoulder.

“Hear me. Plans are great, and you have a good one, but be prepared for the guilt, the sadness, and whatever else she might be feeling. Sasha’s a good soul, and whether she hates her father or not, she’s going to hurt.

So will her brother, and they’re going to need you, and your family,” he finishes, looking around at my Redemption Rider brothers.

“He’s got us. Sasha and Simon belong to us too.

We’ll see them through,” Hawk states, giving me a look that I’ve seen often enough.

It means there’s nothing we can’t do when the Riders work together.

We wanted a club of our own, and here we are.

The Riders built a home for the club, started a mechanic shop, and we’re thriving with new ventures.

We fought against the rival club set on taking us out, and we won. Yeah, together, we can do anything.

“Any word on Sutton yet?” Demon asks.

He’s the last hitch in our plan. There was nothing to connect him to the abduction of young women and no direct affiliation with the Russians, but he touched my woman, and that’s not something I can forgive or forget. His obsession with Sasha won’t end until he’s gone from her life for good.

“It’s going to be a while before we hear anything,” Risk says. “We might as well get comfortable.”

Interrogations take a long time. They could be at the police station through the night.

Gordon’s fucked either way. If he talks, the Russians will kill him.

If he keeps his mouth shut, he goes to jail for a very long time, and that’s no place for a man like him.

No one’s going to kiss his ass in prison.

My gut says he’s going to cut a deal and try for witness protection.

I’m assured that on the slight chance the feds go for this option, he’ll end up as a janitor at a recycling plant at best.

It’s the wee hours of the morning, and Sasha is exhausted, falling asleep on the couch. “I’m taking her up to my room,” I tell Hawk.

“Better idea. Etain and Sasha can have our room. It’s bigger, and Etain will want to stay close. Simon can take your room for the night,” Hawk says.

“What about you?” I ask.

“We’re heading out as soon as we get word. By the time we get back, it’ll be morning, and we can take the women home,” Hawk answers.

Our job isn’t quite done, and I like that Sasha won’t wake up alone.

These two women are closer than sisters.

Etain is still new as an old lady, but she’s the perfect woman for being the queen bee of the Redemption Riders’ women.

She’s strong, thoughtful, and understands what it takes to support the club and her man.

The Pride has Ava guiding the women in their club. It’s a role that isn’t always understood unless you belong to an MC, but the women who support their men are as important as the club itself. Etain gets this, and she’s what Hawk needs.

I carefully pick Sasha up without waking her, and Etain follows along. I place her in the center of the bed, brushing my lips over hers.

“Don’t worry. I’ll watch out for her,” Etain says.

“I wish I could make this easier on her,” I confess.

“You are. What other man would have gone to this extreme to free her? You did that. Now, you need to finish the job, then come home and wrap her up in your love. Time will do the rest,” Etain replies.

I murmur my thanks and leave them alone.

Three thirty in the morning…

“He’s walking out of the precinct now,” Motown’s low, gruff voice rumbles in my ear. “Grabbing him before he gets to his ride.”

“Right.” I glance up at Hawk, who reads me clearly.

“We’re moving out,” Hawk says to Guard. Guard nods. He’s been filled in on what our next step is going to be.

“Location?” Motown asks. I can hear his footsteps on the pavement.

“The cabin,” I tell him. Hawk decided earlier that the cabin is far enough away from the town and the cops, and has no ties to the club, so it’s a safe enough place to get the job done.

“See you there, brother.” Motown disconnects. Hawk is waiting for me at the door. Flex, Shooter, and Decker are already out the door.

“Finish it, Drifter,” Guard says behind me. I look over my shoulder at him. “Make her safe.” Then he adds, “There’s a conflict for you, I know. You’re meant to save lives, but when it’s your woman, the rules don’t apply.”

Five in the morning…

He threatened us, which was a big mistake because Hawk doesn’t take kindly to a pedophile swearing and trying to intimidate us. What a joke. Sutton is tied to the chair, with a hood over his head, and he still thinks he’s untouchable.

Hawk loses his patience, rips off his hood, and socks him right in the mouth. The doctor is dazed and confused, but when he finally focuses, his stunned expression turns to fear. Being surrounded by a bunch of bikers is scary enough, and then he sees me. Fear turns to terror.

“What do you want? Money?” Sutton stutters. His eyes shift from me to Hawk. When he doesn’t get a response, he turns to the other guys. “I can get you all the drugs you want,” he blathers. “I have friends in pharmaceutical companies. It’s good stuff.”

“We don’t want that shit,” Decker spits out with disgust.

“What do you want with me?” he asks, quickly adding, “I’m not involved with Gordon’s nasty business. Ask the police. They released me. I’m innocent.”

“You call nearly raping a sixteen-year-old girl on her birthday innocent?” I growl in a sinister tone. “You fucking stalked Sasha for years, waiting for just the right moment to strike, just like the snake you are.”

“No! No!” he shouts, shaking his head wildly from side to side. “Sasha’s like a daughter to me. I’d never?—”

I cut him off with another fist to his face, his head rattled by the sheer force of the blow.

“Shut up! I won’t put up with your lies.

She told me how you looked at her. She felt it, even as a kid.

She avoided you, made excuses not to be around when you came over.

But you found just what you needed for leverage, didn’t you?

” I pause, tilting my head and watching him squirm.

“You knew her father was dirty, and he caved because his precious business was more important than his daughter.”

“I made a mistake. I was wrong. I’m human, okay? I was weak. She was so sweet and innocent. I couldn’t help myself. I’ll make it up to Sasha. I swear.”

“You think I’m gonna buy what you’re shoveling?” I’m fucking furious. He admitted to wanting my Sasha and taking advantage of her, and he thinks I’m going to let this go? He’s fucking insane. “What would have happened that night if Simon hadn’t come in when he did?”

“Nothing—” he starts.

My rage gets the best of me, and I plunge a knife into his thigh. Sutton screams out in pain, perspiration on his brow. He begs and pleads for mercy.

“Sasha begged and pleaded for you to stop, and you hit her, threw her on her bed, and were ready to force yourself on her when Simon found you. Gordon should have let him kill you then. But you knew something no one else did, and that gave you the edge you needed to find ways to get close to Sasha again. You didn’t count on Simon being her shadow, did you?

You didn’t count on me,” I state with menace oozing from every word.

“Please. I’m begging you. I’ll give you anything you want.”

“I don’t need a damn thing from you. I have what I need.”

“Drifter,” Hawk calls me, tapping his watch. We’re on a timeline and need to get this finished. I take a few steps toward the door, then turn suddenly and put a bullet between Sutton’s eyes.

“Good shot. Just like the Russians would finish him off,” Motown says. “I’ll make it look like torture, then dump the body where the Russians will find him.”

I hand Motown the flash drive with even more details on the Russian sex-trade operation.

They’ll plant it on the body for them to find.

The Russians will be satisfied that one of their own killed the informant to the feds.

There’s nothing to link us to Gordon’s arrest, but giving the Russians a confirmed rat is tying up loose ends.

And it gets rid of the man who made Sasha’s life hell.

Dr. Edgar Sutton is no more.