Page 12 of Loki’s Spellbinder (Hunters Creek Archangel’s Warriors MC #14)
When that door opened and I saw her, my whole body lit up, and I drank in the sight of her.
It was hard not to let my emotions show.
Walking in and having to be nice to Chaos had been a challenge.
I wanted him nowhere near her. I saw the concern on all their faces.
They were worried for Braelyn. It was obvious Chaos cared for her.
My gut had tightened. Christ, had I made a terrible mistake?
Assuming I might’ve, I forced myself to get them to leave to allow me to speak to her alone.
I had no clue what to say to get her to reveal the man’s name.
Now, she was in my arms with tears in her eyes.
She was scared more for others than herself.
She was trying to protect everyone else.
I couldn’t allow it. I meant what I said about getting Outlaw and Crusher to work on it.
They’d sniff out who it was. And if they couldn’t, I knew Smoke in Dublin Falls could.
Where calling her Brae-Brae came from, I didn’t know, but it fit.
If I couldn’t protect her, I’d lose my mind.
Whether she ever saw me as even a friend didn’t matter.
Only that she was safe and alive somewhere.
I had to fight my desire to kiss her. I wanted to know what her lips tasted and felt like, but that wasn’t important at the moment.
Making her safe was. Reluctantly, I put space between us.
She clung to me, making it so I couldn’t part us too much.
I liked it. I wiped away the tear running down her cheek with my thumb.
Her skin felt like silk. I rubbed back and forth.
“Who is he? What are you afraid of?” I whispered. I sensed she was right on the cusp of breaking.
Braelyn took a shuddering breath and then answered.
“His name is Cedric Alves. He’s the president of an outlaw motorcycle club. Now do you see why I don’t want any of you involved?”
Her admission filled me with a type of madness.
I knew what outlaw clubs were capable of.
We’d dealt with more than one since I’d become a Warrior.
Most had no morals and would do anything to protect themselves and their way of life.
Killing someone they thought was responsible for their leader being imprisoned was nothing.
Why hadn’t the Pagans known? She was in more danger than anyone guessed.
“What the fuck, Braelyn?! The president of an outlaw club is after you, and you don’t want the Pagans or any of us involved. Which club is Alves with? What chapter? Why do the Pagans have no clue?” I barked.
She frowned at me and tried to step away, but I held her there.
“Don’t take that tone with me, Loki. I should’ve never told you. And they don’t know because if they’d known I was going after outlaw bikers and their clubs, they would’ve lost their minds. It’s my job,” she snapped.
The way she said clubs and bikers made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. “Braelyn, he’s not the only one, is he? You’ve done it before or are in the process of doing it again. We have to know who. You know how dangerous they can be,” I growled.
“You guys can’t be involved,” she said, jerking to free her arms. I let go because I didn’t want to bruise her.
“Why? And don’t tell me some crap about it being too dangerous for us. You know what we’ve done. We can take care of ourselves as long as we know the danger. You hiding it puts us at risk. It doesn’t help protect us or yourself.”
I watched her pace. She was deep in thought, and as much as I wanted to badger her until she told me the rest, I held back. If she withheld the information, I’d have to take drastic measures. I wasn’t above kidnapping her and taking her somewhere no one would find her until it was over.
Finally, after what felt like forever but was more like five minutes, Braelyn paused and faced me. “Cedric is with the Brutal Rebels MC in Alpharetta, Georgia. He was convicted of the rape of a young woman. I was the prosecuting attorney in the case. He was sentenced to fifteen years.”
“And you’re not done, are you? Are you after more clubs or just his? Rape is barely skimming the top of the barrel for things they’re involved in.”
“You’re right, it is. They’re suspected of being involved in many illegal activities.
It’s crazy. They’re not the only club that is.
Most never get caught. If they do, they don’t get convicted.
They give other clubs that don’t do things like murder-for-hire, drug running, trafficking, and more a bad name.
Look at how people treat the Warriors, the Pagans, the Marauders, the Punishers, and the Horsemen.
I know once upon a time, your clubs were one-percenters, but even then, you refused to do the truly heinous things. ”
“How can you be going after them yet know what you do about us and we’re safe? We still eliminate people, Brae.”
“I know you do. The way I can make the distinction is this. You don’t hurt the innocent, and the ones you kill are those who will, time and time again, escape justice, no matter how many of us fight to ensure it’s done.
Justice isn’t blind. I want them to pay one way or the other.
Corrupt cops, government officials, and others let them go.
Most of the time, it’s for the money they pay them. ”
“Is the Alpharetta chapter of the Brutal Rebels your only target?” I repeated.
Slowly, she shook her head. “There are others. If we can get proof to convict the other clubs, we’ll take them down, too. It might be one at a time, but we’ll do it.”
“Who is the we?”
“I can’t tell you that. I can’t. And you can’t tell Wrath and the others this.
If they know, they’ll go crazy, and I won’t be able to breathe.
If I’m being watched, seeing me suddenly surrounded by bikers will paint targets on the club.
My mom is part of that, Loki. I won’t get her or the others killed. ”
“I can’t hide this! For Christ’s sake, they’ll kill you. I don’t know how they haven’t done it already. You put their leader away. Why did you get called back to Georgia and have to go to South Carolina for a week?”
Braelyn wearily walked back to the couch and plopped down. I followed and sat next to her. She rubbed her forehead.
“There was a witness who saw Cedric drag that young woman into an alley. He then rode off with her on his bike. She was screaming and struggling, and he was laughing. She was taken back to their compound, where he raped her repeatedly for days. After he took a break after the last time, she escaped and went to the police. The witness had gone to the police but didn’t know who the young woman was.
The witness recognized him as her kidnapper.
She’d been scared to go to the cops, so it took her a few days.
No one had reported the woman missing. However, everyone knew the Brutal Rebels in that town.
“As for why I went to South Carolina, I was in Charleston. Once the witness identified Cedric and testified, she left the state and moved there. Eli and I went to see her because she’s now recanting her identification of Cedric.
She says she was mistaken. They got to her.
Why now and not then, I don’t know. His conviction was largely possible due to her testimony.
He’ll get out and go free if she sticks to it. ”
“We’ve got to tell the Pagans and my club. There’s no hiding this. I’m calling them back. They didn’t go far knowing them.”
She tried to argue and make me change my mind, but she gave up after half an hour and then lapsed into a cold silence. I didn’t allow it to bother me. She could be pissed at me forever as long as it kept her alive.