Page 4 of T-Bone (Steel Demons MC #11)

T-Bone

A cop. The last fucking thing we needed, on today of all days, was a visit from a fucking cop.

She might be hot as fuck underneath the cheap suit and thick chestnut ponytail, but she was still a cop.

The enemy. A complication we didn’t need, not now.

Steel Thunder started in an hour and Diesel would kick our asses if we showed up late.

She was looking for Pike for some reason and she wouldn’t say until she saw him, I could tell that much by the way she stood, tall and proud. I stepped up first before one of my brothers did, my tall frame towered over her. “No cops.”

She wasn’t petite, at least five feet five inches by my estimation, and more than that she wasn’t scared of me. She didn’t flinch, which would’ve been hot as fuck if she wasn’t a goddamn cop.

“You lost?” She had to be if she was showing up here. Alone.

She shook her head and looked at me head on. “I’m not a cop.” Her voice was low and smoky but shot through with a heavy dose of steel.

My hands clenched into fists. “So you’re a reporter in search of dirt? Sorry honey, we don’t have shit for ya.” Reporters showed up regularly, especially after saving a doctor and an elementary school teacher.

The woman studied my face carefully and I wondered what she saw.

Did she see a criminal and a biker, or did she take one look at my size and assume I was a goon?

“I’m not a cop and I’m definitely not a reporter, I’m just someone searching for Will Kutner.

” She stood tall—five-seven to my six foot six frame, I realized—and she never wavered.

Her green eyes watched me closely, in search of any sign that I was the man she was looking for. “Are you Will Kutner?”

“Nope.” I crossed my arms and smiled. “What I am is looking for ten million bucks, top shelf tequila, and a bungalow on a Mexican beach.” I glanced at her outfit, plain white shirt, black pants and a black jacket that screamed cop . “Looks like we’re both shit out of luck.”

Her jaw clenched and her green eyes darkened. “I’m told that Will is the half-brother of Ashley Monroe. Is that correct?”

Shit, Ashley. “Why are you asking about Ashley?”

The woman took a step back and studied the rest of the guys who were now watching with keen interest, sizing her up, checking her out and wondering what the fuck she was doing here at the worst possible time.

I didn’t know what she was looking for, but she locked on Sniper first and then Pike.

I watched as her eyes bounced back and forth between them before she sighed again and turned back to me. “You’re not Will.”

It wasn’t a question, but I shrugged. “Could be.”

She shook her head. “Fine, we’ll do this your way.

” She turned back to the boys and watched each of them like a teacher in front of class.

“I stopped at Red Rock PD hoping they’d be more helpful given the circumstances, but they wouldn’t even turn over the case file.

So I thought maybe Will would be more helpful in figuring out who murdered his half-sister. ”

A wrench fell to the ground in a loud clatter that echoed on the concrete floor and bounced off the walls. The silence was louder than I ever knew silence could be. Pike was there on shaky legs, tears brimmed in his eyes even as anger took over. “Murdered?”

The woman’s expression softened and filled with sympathy. “They haven’t reached out to you yet?”

“Obviously fucking not,” he snarled now that his anger had a target. “Who the fuck are you and why are you here?”

She nodded as if that was an expected question.

“My sister Chloe was in an abusive marriage, and three years ago she was murdered. At least that’s the story.

Anyway my niece was three years old at the time, and she disappeared.

There’s been no trace of her since, until now.

Gemma’s hair and DNA were found in Ashley’s house.

” She rolled her eyes. “Red Rock PD declared it a murder-suicide, Chloe’s death I mean.

But they didn’t seem to give a damn about Gemma. ”

“What the fuck,” Pike snarled and stormed off, Sniper and Vandal followed him but not before they shot a glare in the not-a-cop’s direction.

She took a step forward. “Mr. Kutner, please. I think we can help each other.”

I put a hand on her shoulder, it was surprisingly delicate for such a sturdy woman. “Give Pike a minute,” I told her, my tone softer than I meant it to be.

She shrugged off my touch. “I can’t believe they didn’t notify next of kin. Fucking Maynard,” she grumbled under her breath.

“You talk a lot like a cop for someone who isn’t a cop.”

“Anymore,” she said and turned to me. “I’m not a cop anymore .

I’m a private investigator.” Her green gaze was so serious but underneath it a hurt that slammed into my chest. “I quit after what happened to Chloe and Gemma. I knew something didn’t smell right about all of it, but Red Rock PD closed it quickly and even my own PD tried to convince me the Red Rock narrative was the right one.

” Her hands balled into fists, the only real display of emotion she’d shown since she got here.

I observed the woman who was more than serious. She was determined even though she was pinched tight and strong. She was beautiful too even if she worked hard to downplay her looks, and her pain. It came out sometimes, visceral and bone deep, but she kept it sealed tight behind a steel wall.

I understood it, all of it. Too fucking well. I had my own sister I’d lost too soon, except I got answers and justice, and guess what? It didn’t make me feel any fucking better. My mouth opened and before I could think better of it, the words were out. “I’ll help you.”

She froze and took a step back to look me straight in the eyes, her gaze heavy with suspicion.

“Why? What’s in it for you?” Before I could answer she opened her mouth and said the last thing I expected to hear.

“Let me guess, Ghost Riders is a rival MC and if you get a chance to take them out, you will?”

She was smart as hell, which was attractive as fuck. I smiled and shook my head. “Not even close. I have my own reasons for wanting to help, take it or leave it.”

She folded her arms tight around her body and glared back at me. “And if I take it?”

“Then you listen to me. You do what I say, and I’ll open the necessary doors to get you the answers you need.” She didn’t need to know about Alina or that Pike was my best friend.

She bristled at the idea of ceding control, which gave me a thrill. This might even end up being fun. “I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself.”

“Noted. But this is my world and if I say stand down, you stand down. Got it?”

She nodded.

“I need to hear you say the words.”