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“And we’re going to take his back. Sailor enjoys the lifestyle; it gives him something he has been missing since leaving the army. It would be a shame to lose him,” Sunny said strongly.

“Agreed. But he might lose the trust of everybody. I can’t force people to vote for him,” Chance replied.

“We vote first, they’ll follow our choices,” Sunny suggested.

There was a knock on the door, and Chance shouted out for them to enter.

Diesel opened the door, his face stern. “Everyone is here.”

Chance nodded, got to his feet, and they headed for church.

Once seated, Chance opened it with a bang of his gavel.

“We’ve called church for a reason,” Chance began.

“Zeus’s body was found. Which means we have got a rat,” Diesel stated from where he sat.

Chance and Sunny turned to him in surprise. Bear’s eyes narrowed.

“What?” Chance asked.

“It’s fuckin’ obvious. Don’t take us for fools. Sunny’s own actions the last few years gave away he thought we had a dirty brother. We all thought he was paranoid from his time in the army, so let him be. But events lately? I say we’ve a rat,” Diesel announced.

“And I believe Sunny is investigating us. Who you eliminated?” Big Al demanded.

“Fuck,” Sunny muttered, swapping glances with Chance. Their brothers were too clever by half.

“That’s confidential,” Sunny retorted, and eyes narrowed on him.

“Bullshit. You’ve been investigating us for how long? Pried into our private lives and spied on us? Those aren’t the actions of a brother,” Pyro snapped.

“How long have you known Chance?” Rooster growled out.

“This is on me, not him. He’s not known for more than ten days. I’m the one who investigated you.” Sunny took the heat.

“I call for a vote of no confidence in Sunny,” Banshee said, startling them all.

“I second that,” Tiny agreed.

Sunny felt his gut knot.

“That fight today, that was Bear discovering your lies. Which means that candidate is involved somehow,” Chatter drawled, his eyes narrowed.

“Leave Sailor out of this,” Sunny defended his brother.

“Before you vote, you need an explanation,” Chance interrupted.

“Don’t push your luck. I’m in two minds whether to call a vote on you as well,” Banshee warned.

“Call it, Shee. I ain’t got nothing to hide. But before you vote blindly, you need to hear the truth,” Chance retorted angrily and leant forward.

“His version of the truth?” Levi sneered.

“The truth. None of you can deny we just received a visit from SPD and the Troopers about Zeus’s body. We’ve a fuckin’ rat, and he’s been amongst us since Sunny’s shooting.” Chance folded his arms. He held Levi’s gaze, and Levi stared, angry as hell.

“Start talking,” Big Al said to Sunny.

Sunny sighed and began explaining everything from the night of Olivia’s birth. When he mentioned the text messages sent to trap him, everyone present back then swapped glances. Finally, Sunny wrapped up with present day. But he never mentioned who he’d cleared.

“That don’t make sense. We all hid our burners,” Big Al spoke.

“Someone sent me that message. Why the fuck would I have been in that spot? I had Liv at home, and none of us went anywhere alone. One of you present stabbed me in the back and left me for dead. Then you tried to set me up to be found with Zeus’s body,” Sunny snapped.

“How could anyone have known you’d visit that asshole’s grave?” Banshee shook his head. “Sounds like excuses to me.”

“The cops said someone called in coordinates. And several people here knew I was heading to spit on his grave. I could easily have been overheard,” Sunny replied.

Big Al was shaking his head. “What you’ve got is flimsy.”

“Then vote. But I won’t stop until I discover who it is. I don’t need to be part of Hellfire for that. But when I find the culprit, I’ll expect an apology while I take care of your business,” Sunny responded irately.

A bang on the door made them jump, and before anyone could call out, Sailor barged through. His eyes met Sunny.

“Someone just attacked Cherry, she’s okay but has a dead body in her yard,” he announced.

Sunny leapt to his feet and headed out.

Fuck this, this proved he was right.

◆◆◆

Sunny arrived at his home and raced around the back. He hissed as he saw the masked man lying on the grass and searched for Cherry. He noticed her standing by the patio doors. Running, Sunny caught his mom up in his arms and held on tight.

“Shit. Are you okay?”

“I am fine, Sunny. I’ve called the cops. The gunshots would have been heard,” Cherry answered.

“Don’t worry. Fuck… Mom, your face! I need to get you to hospital!” Sunny gasped as he got a good look at her.

“Sunny, I’m standing on my own two feet,” Cherry replied.

Sunny heard pipes roaring towards him and sirens blaring simultaneously.

“Sit down,” he ordered, leading her towards a chair. Cherry obeyed, her hands shaking as Big Al rounded the corner first. He took one glance at Cherry and the scene and whipped his phone out.

“Tati’s coming, Cherry,” Big Al said seconds later as he hung up.

“That’s mighty kind of you, but I don’t need anyone,” Cherry replied. Her hands shook badly, and Sunny grasped them as he knelt at her feet.

“Mom, you need someone. Did he…?” Sunny was unable to force the words from his throat.

Cherry’s face was bruised and bloody, there were scratches on it. She’d clearly been assaulted. Those marks carried on down her shoulders and neck, and Sunny saw where her blouse had been ripped open. There were scratch marks just above her breasts.

“No. No. That didn’t happen,” Cherry assured Sunny, but he felt she was holding back on something. Her eyes were flicking to those arriving behind Big Al.

“Cherry, you need to go to the hospital,” Chance suggested.

“Chance Michaelson. I wiped your ass, boy. You don’t command me,” Cherry bit out. “He had a message for you, Sunny. Stop looking, or Liv will be next.” Sunny stiffened. “This attack was because I was investigating Hellfire?”

“Yes, he laughed and said by the time he’d finished with me, you’d either back off or bury me or Liv. The message was quit searching for the rat. He was a hitman for hire and said it wasn’t personal,” Cherry whispered, looking over Sunny’s shoulder.

Sunny glanced behind him and saw everyone present who’d known Cherry. The newer brothers had stayed behind. He held Big Al’s eyes.

“Now tell me this is fuckin’ flimsy!” Sunny roared. He yanked his phone out. “Diaz, get Liv somewhere safe. Cherry was attacked.”

“Already in motion. Deal with the situation there,” Diaz replied and hung up.

“Whichever one of you is the traitor, I’m going to take great pleasure in gutting you,” Sunny swore.

The sirens wailed outside his home as two uniforms came around the corner with their guns out.

Luckily, it was the regular officers who recognised Hellfire.

“I think he’s dead,” Cherry cried with a tinge of hysteria in her voice.

“Okay, Ma’am. We’ll call for a detective and an ambulance. Can someone get her a drink?” Officer Jaggers asked.

“I will,” Bear replied and headed inside.

Chance and Sunny swapped glances. If they had needed further proof, they’d just been handed it. Banshee caught Sunny’s gaze as Sunny embraced Cherry and held her tightly. It was minimal, but Banshee acknowledged that Sunny hadn’t lied. There was a traitor in Hellfire MC.