Page 50 of The Lies We Tell

“Miller,” Weicker warns.

Davis straightens his shoulders. “Could be some kinky sex game gone wrong and the two of them have already made up, given she’s not here right now as a witness.”

“You better make sure I never hear you spouting that bullshit again. It’s no wonder she doesn’t want to come forward when a senior member of the ATF is wondering whether she was making it up. I’m leaving.”

With that, I walk out of the building so I don’t punch Davis in his bloated face.

I ride back to Asbury Park, everything churned up in my mind. I itch to see Briar. I want to reassure her that there are some good people who would believe her and center her in any conversation about her assault, but after today, I’ll struggle. I believe Briar. I believe what she told me about hearing there are two police officers on the payroll. And I’m furious Davis believes there is a narrative where Briar brought this on herself.

Fucker is lucky I didn’t punch that smug, sweaty face of his.

But I know I need to appease my bossesanduse the club to help find the roots of the trafficking organization. They’re like trip wires. Pull on one and you alert the others with the explosion.

There’s a damaged car on the side of the road, and I see a woman helping Iris, the woman Spark is all messed up over, into a different vehicle.

I wonder if Spark knows.

I should message him, but then, I’m already on the wrong side of this conversation by even thinking about helping Spark and Iris like I’m cupid or some shit.

I don’t need another reason for King to be pissed with me. I assume that he knows most of what happens on my phone through Vex.

Instead, I simply ride on to the club and hope I’ll find my salvation along the way.

19

SAINT

The sharp wind cuts through my leather as we drive towards the Allentown clubhouse of the Iron Outlaws Pennsylvania chapter.

Briar has been in my life a week.

That’s it.

And I hate that I had to leave her.

She’s flipped my world around in seven days. I remember my sister going on a rant once about how the leading couples in suspense and action movies find the time to have sex in between saving the world and avoiding assassins. Her view was: if she were being chased or caught up in some life-threatening drama, sex would be the last thing on her mind. She created an adrenaline-stops-me-doing-it list that included showers and food shopping.

She also said guys wouldn’t have time to be led around with their dicks.

I disagreed and said most men are led around by their dicks regardless of the situation.

Now I can prove it. Even at the very worst of times, when you know it is quite probably the most ridiculous thing you can do, you can still find yourself boning a woman you’re building feelings for.

In just seven days.

I’ve never believed in love at first sight. Lust at first sight, I can totally get behind. But love? It takes effort and too much sacrifice.

Not that I’m thinking of Briar as the love of my life.

Not at all.

She’s skewered right between a major inconvenience and ... feeling so good against my body that I can’t imagine not having more of her.

And if that were all there is to it, I wouldn’t be so concerned she wasn’t going to be home when I get back. That she might have decided to return to her life without saying goodbye.

As we pull up our bikes, a bunch of prospects head out of the clubhouse to keep an eye on them as a couple of brothers work with Halo and Niro to unload the weapons we brought. I haven’t told Weicker.

If I had, the ATF could have hit the club on the road. Confiscated all the weapons.