Page 17

Sypher

February 17, 2024, in an apartment at the Harbor on 5th.

“Danny, talk to me. What happened?”

When I walked away from Dante’s apartment, lost and without a plan, I had no choice but to seek assistance from the only family I had living in this city.

So, I paid a visit to my older brother, Ace, whom I hadn’t seen since we had our big blowout. As soon as I entered the Harbor on 5th, carrying my bags, Ace immediately and wordlessly took the bags from me, leading me directly to his apartment. He forwent any questions, understanding my need for solitude, and instead generously afforded me the quiet space I needed to collect my thoughts and work independently. The silence between us spoke volumes, and the understanding in his gaze confirmed he knew what happened without my needing to speak. Even when Bailey and Stella called, frantic and upset after receiving the dean’s letter about my expulsion, Ace reassured them calmly, promising to handle the situation.

He stayed by my side, his hand firm and warm against mine as I cried uncontrollably. The agony tore at my soul like a thousand shards of glass. The silence between us was shattered by the ragged, heartbreaking sound of my sobs. Despite everything, his silence offered a profound comfort, a quiet strength that I desperately craved. Although Ace possessed considerable patience, even he, a man known for his remarkable tolerance, finally reached his breaking point by the third day, his frustration mounting as the desperate need for answers overwhelmed him.

“If that fucking punk did something, you need to tell me. I can have him taken out before dinnertime. Just give me the word, Danny.”

With a dramatic roll of my eyes, I looked across the table at him, the silence punctuated only by the clinking of silverware. “No. You will leave him alone. He didn’t do anything. It’s my fault.”

“Bullshit,” Ace scoffed. “You are the nicest fucking person on this goddamned planet. What the fuck could you have done to deserve this kind of treatment?”

“I lied to him.”

Confused, Ace put down his fork. “Danny, you don’t lie. Like ever.”

I sighed, a sound of utter frustration and disgust, as I pushed my plate away and groaned at the food in front of me. “I didn’t actually lie. More like I didn’t tell him what I was doing. He asked me not to look into his past, and I technically did. He found out and kicked me out.”

“I don’t understand. Why does his past matter?”

Looking at my brother, I clearly said, “Because he was there. I told you he was at the Trick Pony. For several weeks, he was beaten, whipped, tortured, and sexually abused, and I found evidence of it on Valentine’s night when the shit kicked off with Satan’s Angels. I was so engrossed with helping everyone else, I failed to protect the man I loved, and it cost me everything.”

“Jesus Christ,” Ace groaned, hanging his head. “That’s why you wanted into the Trick Pony’s mainframe. You wanted to find the person who hurt him.”

“Yeah.”

“Just give him time, Danny. I’m sure he will come to his senses.”

I shook my head, a gesture of frustration or perhaps resignation, before rising and carrying my plate to the sink to wash it. “No, he won’t. Dante is a very private person. You should have seen him the night he told me about his past. It took him days to recover. I knew he didn’t want me looking into the Trick Pony, but I brought it to Reaper, who gave me the okay. With everything pointing to the Trick Pony, I couldn’t stop myself. Mainly, I wanted to find the bitch who hurt him.”

“Getting into the mainframe won’t be easy, Danny. You have to physically be there to access it.”

“I know.”

“The only one with access is Devlin Scott and that fucker doesn’t trust anyone.”

“I know.”

Leaning against the counter, Ace said nothing more as I washed my dish and his before putting them in the dishwasher. Reaching for the hand towel, I dried my hands when Ace spoke up.

“How far are you willing to go to get Dante back, Danny?”

“It doesn’t matter. The only way to do that is to get into the mainframe and last I looked, there is no way into that club.”

“What if the front doors were wide open and you could walk right in?”

Looking at my brother, I asked, “What the hell are you talking about? Devlin Scott won’t let me walk into his server room.”

“You can’t,” Ace said slowly, turning his head toward me, then smiled. “But I can.”

“You want us to do what?” Matthew Law glared at the both of us as the rest of the Harbor Security team looked on in disbelief.

“I want access to your files to compile everything you have on Devlin Scott and the Trick Pony and send it anonymously to the FBI.”

“Are you fucking crazy?!” Jonathan Savage roared while I stared at the man. When I learned Ace left the military along with his team and started a security firm, I did my due diligence and learned everything I could about the men who started Harbor Security.

I knew every op the government assigned them.

Every kill. More importantly, I knew who they were—their histories—and the burning ambitions that drove them.

Jonathan Savage wasn’t merely a military man. His steely gaze and the faint scent of gunpowder clinging to his clothes hinted at a life lived on the edge. He was a Soulless Sinner by blood, a fact chillingly evident in his cold eyes. Brother to Grudge, the imposing president of the Alabama Chapter, and also brother to Matrix, my brother in the Golden Skulls. Although Jonathan’s primary loyalty remained with his team, his extensive underworld connections proved instrumental in propelling Harbor Security to a position of international prominence and influence within the global security landscape.

So, it didn’t shock me when he added, “That will destroy everything we’ve worked to build. If word got out that we betrayed a client, no one would ever work with us again. We’d be blacklisted.”

“Jon’s right, Ace,” Zach piped up. Zach Walsh, known for his quiet demeanor, possessed surprisingly powerful physical capabilities, a fact he showed off regularly. Standing nearly seven feet tall, Zach possessed a devastatingly powerful strike. I’ve heard accounts describing the impact as akin to being hit by a two-by-four. Though lacking intellectual prowess, the man possessed considerable physical strength and proved to be quite adept in a brawl. He was the only brother who didn’t date, preferring the solitude of his own company. “Hate to agree, considering what we know about the fucker, but Jon’s telling the truth.”

“What I want to know is, why?” Shane asked. The brains of every operation, Shane West, was responsible for the creative planning and execution of each scheme, displaying exceptional intelligence and strategic thinking. With his wickedly clever mind, the man had a knack for navigating any problematic situation and always seemed to find a way out. With four college degrees and a mastery of several languages, Shane was clearly better suited to the rigorous world of academia than to the demands of a military career. Moreover, the man’s appearance was far more evocative of a high-fashion model featured in GQ magazine than of a hardened soldier.

Ace looked over at me and I admitted my truth. “Because my boyfriend was there.”

“Well, I didn’t see that one coming.” Jon whistled as he leaned back against the sofa.

“But does it change anything?” Matthew asked, the silence punctuated only by the rhythmic ticking of a grandfather clock as he leaned against the wall, arms crossed, his gaze sweeping across the room. Matthew Law, the team leader and Alpha, commanded attention with his sharp gaze and unwavering confidence; he was a force to be reckoned with. His seriousness and unwavering resolve meant he never played games. His word was absolute, unquestionable law. A single father, Matthew was a serious man who avoided games and focused on his responsibilities. He ruled his team with an iron fist, brooking no dissent and demanded absolute respect.

With a mastery of hand-to-hand combat techniques and the ability to effectively wield any weapon they found, each member of the team was a highly skilled and dangerous fighter. Through cohesive teamwork, marked by dignity and honor, they achieved their shared objective, successfully completing every job they took on.

“Depends,” Zach clearly said, looking directly at me. “You love this boy? I’m not talking about a one-night stand or summer fling, kid. I’m talking about the till death do you part kind of love. ‘Cause if it’s the former, then I’m sorry. I won’t sign off on this crap. So, you better be damn sure he’s the one.”

“I love him,” I admitted. “I never gave much thought to where my life would take me. Hell, I’ve been on every agency’s radar since I was ten years old when I broke into the DMV because they failed Ace on his third driving test.”

Ace groaned. “I didn’t fail. The instructor hated me.”

“Sure he did.” Shane laughed as I continued.

“For the longest time, all I ever cared about was computers and the dark web. I felt safe within the ones and zeros. They made sense to me when other shit didn’t. Then I met Dante, and it was like everything started to make sense. It was confusing at first, but Dante was patient with me. He didn’t force me. He allowed me to come to terms with what I was feeling on my own, and when I did, I never looked back. So yeah. He’s my one. I claimed him. He’s mine, forever.”

“What do you need us to do?” Matthew asked as the rest of his team grinned, including my brother Ace.

“Ace got me thinking when he said he could just walk into the Trick Pony undetected, which opened several new avenues for me. I’m still working everything out, but first, I need to set things in motion because I don’t just want to bring down Devlin Scott and the Trick Pony. I want to eradicate everyone associated with that place. When I’m done, I want the underworld to cower in fear and think twice before ever contemplating anything so fucking sadistic ever again.”

Matthew frowned, pushing off the wall. “What exactly are you asking of us, Sypher, ‘cause I don’t like the look in your eyes?”

Shane chuckled. “I’m intrigued, Law. I want to know what’s going on in the kid’s devious mind.”

Staring directly at Matthew, I said, “I want to buy Harbor Security and umbrella your company into my system.”

“And why would we do that?”

“Because only you and your team can pull off what I need without being detected. I’m constantly being watched. Harbor Security isn’t. You can go places I can’t.”

“And we can kill,” Matthew growled.

“Yes.”

“Danny, what the hell are you talking about? I thought you just wanted in the servers.”

Shaking my head, I got up and started pacing the room. “I do that and it’s like putting a Band-Aid on a gaping wound. You know even if we take down the Trick Pony, another place will pop up overnight. I want to stop the cycle and the only way to do that is to get rid of everyone from the top down. I’m not saying we kill all of them, but I’m tired of people I care about being hurt by these nasty fucks. And it’s not just me who thinks this way. Reaper agrees with me. Hell, Ace, we barely had a fucking break after taking down the Society before Satan’s Angels showed up, and now this shit with George Stone and his allegiance to those sick fucks. It’s never going to end until someone has the balls to stop them.”

“And you think that’s you?” Matthew challenged.

“Yes. I’m the only one who knows where the bodies are buried.”

Walking toward me, Matthew sneered, “You do this, kid, there is no going back. No surrender. We don’t stop until it’s finished. So, if you are having any fucking doubts, voice them now.”

Shaking my head, I straightened and steeled my shoulders. “I’m doing this with or without you.”

“Then get out your fucking checkbook, because my company isn’t going to be cheap.”

Looking at the man, I frowned, knowing damn well he caved too easily. Cautiously, I muttered, “Thought you would at least put up a fight or something.”

Matthew shrugged. “I know a good deal when I see one.”

Glancing past him, I scanned the rest of his team, noticing that every one of them, including my brother, all had shit-eating grins on their faces. Narrowing my eyes, I looked back at Matthew and sneered, “What aren’t you telling me?”

Matthew whistled loudly, and moments later, the front door of Ace’s apartment opened and in walked Jason Collins, also known as Merc. More importantly, he was Phantom’s brother. With him, the rest of his team filed in—Declan, Jonas, Trey and Hunter—but it was the last person who walked in that had me stumbling back a few steps, as I stared at a ghost.

“Hey, Sypher!” the dead fucker happily greeted.

I couldn’t stop staring at him.

He was alive. Sitting across the table from me.

“So, how have you been, man?” Gadget smiled when he leaned forward in his chair, his fingers wrapped around a can of soda. “Sissy is gonna lose her shit when she sees me, isn’t she? Not to mention the rest of the brothers. I wanted to reach out so many times, but Jason wouldn’t let me. Said it wasn’t time. So, what’s been happening since I died?”

Shaking my head to make sure I wasn’t hallucinating, I growled, “How the fuck are you alive?”

The conflict between Steele and the Satan’s Angels devolved into a brutal free-for-all when Daphne found herself hunted by a relentless stalker. After a car crash left her disoriented and vulnerable, her stalker abducted Daphne. The club wrongly assumed the Satan’s Angels were responsible for the attack and mistakenly targeted them, resulting in injuries to Gadget and Torque. Torque, in a selfless act, died protecting his sister, while Gadget struggled to stay alive from multiple gunshots. Gadget’s supposed death left the club in shock and horrified.

“What can I say?” My formerly dead friend smirked. “I’m a lucky son of a bitch.”

“Not fucking good enough, Gadget. Do you know what the club went through when you died? What your sister went through?”

Sighing, Gadget leaned back in his chair and told me everything.

“I know, and I’m sorry. The doctors didn’t think I was going to make it. My wounds were life-threatening—but Reaper really didn’t give them or me a fucking choice. They either saved me or he would kill them. While the club waited anxiously for news, my brother and his team waited in the wings ready to transport me here if I survived the operation. When I finally woke up weeks later to the smell of antiseptic and the low hum of machinery, Reaper stood over me, his voice a low growl as he issued me a mission he knew only I could accomplish. I despised deceiving my sister and the brothers, but Reaper adamantly insisted that such deception was the only way to ensure the safety of everyone involved. You see, when Babyface returned and handed over his dad’s journal—which contained the key you needed to access Pop’s thumb drive—Reaper knew the war with the Society would pale in comparison to what lay ahead for the club. And he was right, because when you started decrypting Pop’s files, Reaper sent me on a wild goose chase. While you’ve been doing your part, I’ve been collecting the data that verifies everything you have uncovered so far.”

“And them?” I asked while Matthew and Jason’s team all sat listening to us talk.

“Well, they’ve been helping me while maintaining their security front. There is a lot we need to discuss, Sypher, but you need to see this first,” Gadget said just as his older brother Jason slid a file toward me.

“Before you go down this road, you need to know exactly what you are getting yourself into.”

Opening the file, I read the contents slowly, my eyes scanning page after page.

When I was done, I closed the file and shut my eyes.

“How did you get this information?”

This couldn’t be happening.

Dante would lose his fucking mind if he ever found out.

“How do you think? I’m good at disguises. They never suspected.”

“Where is she?”

“Hidden in an undisclosed off-site military instillation,” Phantom’s older brother spoke up. “One that my team has tried for months to break into—unsuccessfully, may I add. The place is impenetrable.”

Narrowing my eyes, I glared at the fucker. “Nothing is impenetrable.”

“Was hoping you’d say that, ‘cause I need you to get me in there. There is someone else they are hiding in there, and Reaper wants her out like yesterday.”

“Who?”

Gadget smirked. “You wouldn’t believe me even if I told you.”