Page 26

Montana

As I sat there, I observed Charlotte, who nervously took a seat beside Fury, her gaze darting around the room, taking in the faces of those who stared intently back at her.

I got it. We could be an assuming bunch of hard asses when we needed to, but it wasn’t my intention to scare the woman.

Charlotte amazed me. There was a quiet strength in her, a gentle power that was both surprising and captivating. It was as though an unseen force, a compelling drive, propelled me to act as her protector, to shield her from any harm that might befall her. She wasn’t like Delany, who had that fierce momma bear’s strength about her. With her soft-spoken voice and tender nature, Charlotte stood out from the rest of us, exhibiting a unique and endearing personality. Considering the individuals who raised her, and the values instilled in her upbringing, I found her actions peculiar and unexpected, which surprised me.

No, Charlotte was definitely something special, and if Fury wasn’t careful, this life would destroy her.

“Does Reaper know about you?” I broke the silence, getting straight to the point.

“Yes, sir,” she quickly said, fumbling with her fingers.

“Charlotte, look at me, sweetheart.”

When she looked up, I added, “Take a deep breath. No one here will hurt you. We just want to ask you some questions. That’s all.”

Nodding, she did as I asked, then answered, “Yes. Maxwell knows about me, though we only officially met once. It was after the club killed Mother and the rest of her co-conspirators.”

“Why didn’t you stay with the Golden Skulls? You were free,” Mercy questioned.

“Because I wasn’t. I’m still not. Well, not technically.”

“What does that mean?” Torment asked, confused as he looked at her then back to me.

“Because I know things. Things I shouldn’t. That’s why I’m here. I believe somewhere in all this information Shame gathered is the answer to something I’ve been looking for and need to find.”

“That’s not what Mercy asked, Charlotte,” I carefully stated, leaning forward in my chair. “Why are you not safe?”

Looking around the room, her eyes landed on Fury who, like the rest of us, waited for her answer. Taking a deep breath, she whispered, “Because I know the truth. He was there the night my house caught fire, along with your dad, Montana. If it wasn’t for Shame, he would have killed me and my son.”

“Who was there?”

Charlotte shook her head, refusing to answer me. Leaning back in the chair, I took a deep breath as I looked at the woman. She was a treasure trove of information, and I was fully aware that she would only share what she knew with me if she trusted me. Unfortunately, because of her training, Charlotte had developed a deep-seated distrust of everyone she encountered, which presented a significant problem. And begged the question: how in the hell did Fury get Charlotte to trust him, let alone marry him?

“Charlotte, will you tell me how you met Fury?” I asked, moving to sit on the coffee table in front of her.

She smiled, looking at Fury, who nodded, taking her hand in his.

“I first met Fury in Central Park on Halloween night. He was watching Andi climb a rock wall, and Bri was begging for a turn. He introduced himself, and then we watched Bri and my son climb the wall next.”

“Did you two ever go on a date?”

“No,” she whispered. “It’s not like that between us.”

“What she means is, we haven’t had the time,” Fury quickly added.

I glared at my brother, knowing damn well he was keeping something from me.

Digging a bit, I asked, “Charlotte, when did you marry Fury?”

“This morning,” she muttered as Fury slowly closed his eyes.

Yeah. That’s what I thought.

Nodding, I got to my feet and said, “Fury. Office, now.”

The second Fury was in the office, I slammed the door shut and shoved him up against the wall. “What the fuck is going on, and don’t tell me it’s love, ’cause I won’t fucking believe it. That woman out there has lived a sheltered life and doesn’t trust anyone, yet she just up and married you. Just how in the hell did you fucking get your hands on her?”

“I didn’t. Shame did. He was protecting her.”

“Why?”

“I don’t fucking know!” Fury shouted. “That’s the million-dollar fucking question. What I do know is, the second I met the woman, my life turned upside down. I’ve got people coming at me from every corner. You, the Valentinetti’s, the fucking Irish Mafia. Hell, even her old man threatened my ass.”

“Mitchell?”

“No,” Fury groaned, rubbing his hands down his face. “Her birth father. Shane Keller.”

“Fucker’s dead.”

Fury looked at me and deadpanned. “You sure about that? ’Cause as of this morning, the fucker stood not five feet from me and watched as I married his daughter. She’s looking for something. That’s what she said. She researches. She told me she was looking into William Doherty’s past when I told her about Kathleen Doherty, William’s sister, going missing. Something about what I said got her excited. The next thing I know, we’re getting married and flying here.”

“That makes no fucking sense. Doherty was as bad as my dad. What else is there to know?”

“I don’t know, but she’s pretty damn adamant there is something in Shame’s research.”

“If that fucker wasn’t dead, I would kill him myself. Did you know he was investigating everyone?”

“Not right away, no.”

Pacing the office, I let my head run wild with all the possibilities and shit. There were too many things happening at once. I couldn’t concentrate on everything, especially with the table breathing down my neck.

Someone knocked before the door opened and Mercy slipped inside. “Charlotte went back to digging in Shame’s computer, so I told the guys to do the same. Would help if we knew what we were looking for though.”

“None of this shit makes sense,” I groaned, leaning against the desk. “We have Steele, this Gray fucker, Popeye, Sinclair and his fucking crew, now the Irish Mob and the table all breathing down our necks. Then, I learn Shame has been gathering information on everyone for who knows how fucking long. Now Charlotte is digging around in shit that’s long been dead. Why?”

“Don’t forget Benson Graves is still running loose,” Mercy added nonchalantly.

Growling, I muttered, “Not helping, Mercy.”

“Maybe it’s not about them,” Fury spoke up. “But what they have in common.”

“Tired of the fucking guessing game, Fury. Just tell me.”

“Thena Hartley,” he stated. “They are all looking for Thena Hartley.”

“I’ve had it with that bitch. Whoever she is, she’s pissing me off,” I grumbled, reaching for my phone.

“Who are you calling?” Mercy asked curiously.

“Asshole.”

“You can’t!” Fury shouted. “He doesn’t know I married Carly.”

“Sucks to be you.” I chuckled, dialing his number. “I hope he beats your ass black and blue.”

“Oh, come on, man!” Fury complained. “You protected Storm.”

“He didn’t shoot me,” I deadpanned as Reaper answered the phone.

“Go away, fucknuts. I’m in a good mood.”

“Thena Hartley.”

“What about her?”

“Tell me what you know, and I will consider granting Vicious dual membership.”

“And I’ll consider forgiving you for breathing.”

Rolling my eyes, I groaned, “Maxwell.”

“Fine,” the fucker sighed. “I probably know about as much as you at the moment. All I know is, Sinclair wants her bad. Said she belongs to him. Fucker even asked me to look for her. I know she hails from the Trick Pony, like Sinclair. Apparently, she’s also Popeye’s daughter, and I’ve recently learned that this woman helped my wife escape her captors along with one other. As for how she fits into this clusterfuck, I don’t know. But you might also find this interesting. The Trick Pony wasn’t just a BDSM Club. It was also a brokerage house used by the Society. That fucktard Scott used his affiliations with the Society to infiltrate the underworld to gain access to not only your club but the entire Biker Federation.”

“To what end?”

“No fucking clue. Look, Montana, complete transparency here. I had Ghost look for the woman. He found nothing. Every lead turned up jack shit. In the end, I called it off. Whoever this woman is and if she’s alive, she’s good at covering her tracks. Almost as if she’s made hiding an art form.”

“Thanks,” I muttered, then asked, “By any chance, do you know why Carly would be researching your family history? More specifically, a woman named Kathleen Doherty?”

“Never heard of the woman. Who is she?”

“Apparently she was William Doherty’s sister.”

“That motherfucker never had a sibling. Well, none that I ever knew about. What’s Carly’s interest in her?”

“Was kind of hoping you’d tell me that.”

“When it comes to Carly, I tend to just let her do her thing. Her mind works differently than ours. She’s a lot like Kitty in that way. Girl loves puzzles. My advice. Brace. Because when Carly finds what she’s looking for, that generally means shit is about to hit the fan. I need to go. Keep me informed.”

Before I could reply, the asshole hung up.

Sighing, I looked at Fury’s perplexed face. “What?”

“Since when do you have a fucking civil conversation with Reaper?”

“Since my brother shot me and left me for dead,” I snarked, heading for the door.

“You’re never going to let me forget that are you?”

“Never.”