Page 26

Callie

“I ’m not your son!” Sunny spat.

For a brief moment, I was confused as Sunny pulled me gently away from the door and placed himself between us.

“That’s okay. I don’t deserve to call you that. But I have information the club needs,” the guy pressed.

I studied him. Was this the guy we’d just been speaking about?

Primal? He was about six feet, but his shoulders were stooped, and he seemed to have a frailty about him.

Once, he would have been a big man; his frame showed that.

Instead, his skin was wrinkled and his face worn.

There were pock marks on his cheeks, but his eyes were clear.

“Get the fuck away from this house now,” Sunny growled out.

“Sunny, you need this information I have,” Primal repeated.

Sunny placed a hand on the man’s chest and shoved him back.

“This is my girl’s home. How dare you?” he demanded. I heard the fury rising in Sunny’s voice.

“Callie, come here,” Cherry called, and I turned and saw her in the doorway. She had Liv behind her, and her eyes were focused on the stranger. But he wasn’t so much a stranger, after all.

“I’ve seen you watching me a few times,” I exclaimed. That was the wrong thing to say. Sunny’s whole body went tense.

“What?” he asked, not taking his eyes off Primal.

I began backing away. This entire scene was beyond my comfort zone. Cherry had just told me Primal had abused her. That meant, despite his age, this man was dangerous.

“Sunny, Cherry, we need to talk,” Primal said again. He was almost pleading.

“Not here. You want to talk, go to Hellfire,” Sunny snarled. “Not that you have anything I want to hear.”

“Zeus didn’t kill Enigma like you all assumed,” Primal announced, and Sunny froze.

Cherry gasped, and her hand flew to her throat.

“What?” Sunny ground out.

“Zeus wasn’t behind Enigma’s death,” Primal stated again.

“Sunny?” I whispered, and he turned and looked at me.

“Meet me at Hellfire. Whatever bullshit this is, you’re not doing it here,” Sunny ordered, and Primal nodded.

“Sorry for bothering you at home, miss. It was the safest way to contact Sunny,” Primal said. “I will go straight there, but I am only talking to you.”

“I’ll meet you there,” Sunny snapped and shut the door in Primal’s face.

“If that man is back, trouble is coming,” Cherry exclaimed, leaning against the doorjamb.

“My thoughts exactly, Mom. I’m going to have to head to the clubhouse. Will you all be okay?”

“Yes, we’ll be fine,” Cherry insisted, but she looked shaken.

I stepped forward. “Sunny, I don’t know what’s going on, but we will be fine. Look, the team’s just arrived. As soon as they’re inside, we’ll lock up and wait for you.”

Sunny was grateful and yanked me close and kissed me. “You’re amazing.”

He left quickly, and as soon as the team was in the house, I shut the door.

“Okay. Guys, dinner’s in the kitchen and then we’ll watch our favourite bitching session?

” I asked. We loved watching another so-called paranormal investigator and complaining about how fake, how full of bullshit and drama he was.

All he cared about was ratings and not helping the people or the spirits he was investigating.

“What’s that now?” Liv questioned.

“Oh, you’ll love this,” I said and led her and Cherry back into the lounge.

“Nana, was that Primal?” Liv demanded.

Cherry hesitated before nodding.

“Shit’s about to hit the fan again, isn’t it?” she continued.

“Looks that way, honey. Come, put it all out of your mind. Let’s see what this bitching session involves.”

I grinned and set stuff up as the team wandered in with full plates. Liv was as overwhelmed as when she met me, and she and Freddie bonded instantly. Cherry was polite, but I could see she was distracted. And truthfully, so was I.

Sunny

“You’re kidding me?” Chance demanded as I rode towards Hellfire.

“Nope. Primal is on his way to the compound. He claims he had information.”

“About fuckin’ what?” I could hear Chance moving about and guessed he was getting ready to head over to the clubhouse.

“What’s the likelihood of Primal raising his butt ugly head now?” Chance snapped. “Meet you there.”

Chance cut the phone as Sunny considered Chance’s last words. Chance wasn’t wrong. What were the odds of Primal returning? Pretty damn low. No sooner than Sunny had been outed for investigating the club, one of the black spots in Hellfire’s history raised his ugly fuckin’ mug.

Primal was a drunk, addict and abuser. He’d got with Cherry and slept with her.

When Cherry had informed him she was pregnant, instead of claiming her and doing the decent thing, Primal had beaten her.

Bullet had stepped in and put a stop to shit.

Then Bullet had gone on to claim Cherry just before Sunny was born.

Enigma, Bullet and Slash had tried straightening Primal out, but the man was out of his head.

When Sunny was two, Primal had flipped the fuck out and gone for Sunny.

Enigma had stopped him, and Primal attacked him instead.

For that, Primal faced the gauntlet and the patch on his back was blacked out.

Nobody had seen him since. Now Primal had appeared once again, and Sunny had a sickening feeling in his gut.

◆◆◆

He rode through the gates that Harlequin opened for him and parked up with the other bikes there. From the looks of it, most of the club was present. Sunny looked for a strange bike or car and didn’t see one.

Chance walked out, looking pissed. “Where is he?”

“Fucker ain’t here?” Sunny snorted. “Typical.”

They both heard a car and peered over their shoulders. A car—about two years old—pulled up, and Harlequin spoke to the driver before letting him in.

“What the hell?” Sunny muttered as Primal parked and got out.

“Chance. Sunny,” Primal said, approaching.

“You ain’t welcome. You’re only here because you told Sunny you had information,” Chance stated as several brothers came out.

Hellfire surrounded them as Primal nodded. “Not here to cause trouble. But I’ve heard things and decided it’s time to help.” “What makes you think we need an addict and drunk asshole’s help?” Sunny sneered.

“Probably don’t, but I know some shit that you guys do not. And for the record, I’m sober and have been twenty years.”

Sunny blinked. “That is meant to mean something?”

“To me? Yeah. To you? No. But that’s the truth. I got straight.”

Sunny regarded him. Primal’s eyes were clear, and he held Sunny’s gaze calmly. Honestly, Sunny had to admit life had been hard on Primal, but there was a calmness around him. The raging asshole seemed to have faded, but that could be a ploy, and Sunny was watching.

“What truth?” Chance demanded.

“Like Sunny was set up. Enigma wasn’t killed by Zeus.”

Primal dropped his bombshell. Neither was a surprise to Sunny, but Chance didn’t take the second statement well.

“What do you mean Enigma wasn’t killed by Zeus?” Chance gritted out. Chance was stiff with anger and warning.

“You all believed Zeus had taken Enigma out. He hadn’t, but he capitalised on it,” Primal replied.

“Who shot my father?”

“An…” a loud shot rang out, followed by three more. A searing pain hit Sunny’s arm as he dropped to the ground. Bear tackled Chance, taking him down as blood sprayed them both. Chance was cursing up a storm as Sunny glanced about. He couldn’t see a shooter, but his eyes met Primal’s.

Primal lay near him and was trying to talk. “Who killed my father?” Chance yelled from under Bear’s massive bulk. Primal spat a glob of blood out as his mouth formed words. They could only make out one.

“Sunny…”

Primal’s eyes rolled up, and Sunny scrambled over. He yanked his belt off and used it as a tourniquet to cut off the bleeding in Primal’s leg. Sunny applied pressure on the wound in Primal’s chest.

“Ambulance is on its way,” Diesel called.

“Anyone else hurt?” Bear demanded, sitting up carefully.

“A Harley sped off,” Harlequin cried, running towards them.

“Are you injured, candidate?” Chance asked.

“No. The shooter was a man on a black Harley with a gun. I couldn’t see his face as he wore a mask.”

“Did the bike have any distinguishing marks?” Diesel inquired.

“No.”

“Sunny’s shot,” Bear said, and Sunny blinked. He was?

“Shit, Chatter, take over from Sunny. Sunny, sit your ass down,” Chance ordered as he got up.

In the distance, they could hear the police and ambulance rushing towards them. Sunny looked down at his shoulder and cursed. The bullet had skimmed the top of it, and he’d need stitches but nothing else.

“He alive?” Sunny asked hoarsely.

“Got a pulse, but it’s weak, and he’s unconscious,” Chatter replied.

“Make sure he stays alive,” Chance ground out. “I want his information.”

Sunny was looking around. He was taking note of who wasn’t present. His jaw locked. Levi and Shotgun were missing from those suspected of being traitors. Sunny’s eyes locked with Chance, and Sunny saw suspicion in them.

Sunny was already considering Banshee and Tiny out of the running. But then again, they could be working with someone. Shit. He hated this, but it was necessary. None of them could be ruled out, but Shotgun and Levi had made it to the top of his list.

Bear

He watched as Sunny and Primal were loaded into ambulances, despite Sunny’s protestations.

How convenient that just as Primal was about to spill the beans, he was shot?

Fuckin’ convenient. Even stranger was Primal giving Sunny’s name.

Anyone else would think it was a father calling to a son. But Primal had never been Sunny’s dad.

“What are you thinking?” Chance asked as he watched Edwards and Cross approach.

“Sunny might be dirty,” Bear murmured, and Chance nodded.

“I agree. No reason for Primal to call out to Sunny. Sunny may have returned to cause trouble in the club and tear us apart,” Bear added.