Mad Max: Hounds of the Reaper MC, page 15
Jimmy Travis might have worked for an alphabet agency and been trained to lie, but I’ve been studying this man’s body language for two years. I learned to react at the barest movement from him, but in those days, it was to protect. Never once did I accuse him of shit. We might not be friends, but we established an allegiance of sorts in here together. The club has no beef with him, and he has no issues with who I’m connected to. We got along simply ’cause we both took out rapists and got fucked by the system for protecting a person it should have protected but instead let the bastards walk. Thanks to us, neither of them is walking around anymore. I might not have killed my guy like Travis, but he’s paralyzed from the neck down, and I got no regrets about that.
“You asking which side she’s on or how deep she’s in?”
“Is there a difference?”
“Yes.”
I didn’t expect his question, or the response to the one I asked. But I’m intrigued, that’s for damn sure. “What can you tell me?”
He looks at me for a long while, and I just sit there. I’m not an open book, but just like I’ve watched his mannerisms for years, I know he’s watched mine.
“There’s a price.”
“Always is,” I say with a roll of my eyes.
Nothing’s ever free with Travis. Not even when we came last time. The info he gave was at the cost of protection for Boo. An agreement I made on behalf of the club, but no one dismissed me when I agreed to his terms. Even if we didn’t talk about price from the start, like we’re doing now, Law expected there to be a fee. But none of us expected it to potentially cost us getting to Duke when we could have. We had the perfect opportunity the other night, but instead of going after him and finishing this, we made sure the fairy was okay.
“What is it?”
“To be determined after our chat. You game?”
It’s risky to go in blind like this. Club went in blind last time, but that was all of us. This is just me. There could be a chance I can’t pay up.
Do I risk it?
Is she worth the risk?
Fuck yeah.
I barely recognize my heart speaking, as it’s always been a silent asshole that just sits and beats in my chest. But ever since she showed up, it’s been beating a bit differently. Still keeping me alive and all that, but I swear it has its own tempo when she’s around or I’m thinking about her. Which is almost all the time lately.
I go with the bastard, giving it one chance. If this blows up in my fucking face, I’ll never trust the damn organ again.
“I’m in. Now tell me everything.”
He smiles, and it crinkles his eyes at the corners. “Think this is the first time you’ve spoken so much in one sitting before. Either the club broke you or someone else did.”
I don’t answer that. My relationship with the fairy is not up for debate. I already know he’ll be against it, so I’m not bringing it up unless I absolutely have to. Not hiding it, just not volunteering shit that can hurt her. The only family she has left is the man across from me. And there’s one thing I’ve learned that’s 100 percent true: that girl loves her uncle. He was the first person to accept her for who she is and not what she can do for him. Might be the only person who can say that. Even the club and I want something from her, and accepting her quirks to get the information we want is our price. Not much of the remorseful type, but I’m feeling that right now as I realize just how much I’ve used this woman without knowing it.
First time was just to get out of dealing with the bullshit at the club. The next time was to get a feeling that I’ve never had before, forcing her to take it, even if she liked it. The third is keeping her at the club against her will. She didn’t fight it, but no one likes to be caged. Trust me.
He just hums at my lack of response before he gives up what I want to know.
“The agency recruited her two years before I got locked up.”
I thought nothing could surprise me, but boy, was I fucking wrong. “The…?”
He nods, filling in what I ain’t saying out loud. “Yeah, same one I was with.”
She fucking works for the CIA? What the fuck? I know they lock their shit down, but fuck. This might explain why Flint didn’t find much on her. They clean their shit like the best of them.
“She still in?”
“No. Once I got arrested, we all made a deal. Boo wasn’t to be touched, and she would find other employment. Nothing would go on her record, and the entire thing would be swept under the rug. But….”
Fucking knew it wasn’t that simple. Leaving the agency never is, or so I’ve been told.
“But what? She didn’t want to go? They changed their mind?”
He snickers as he leans back, interlacing his fingers before resting them on his stomach. “You’ve gotten antsy since you left here.”
“Ain’t antsy, just want to know what the fuck is going on.”
“She left. She didn’t have a feeling on whether or not she should stay. She’s not one to let emotion drive her.”
“Yeah, I know,” I grunt but wish I hadn’t.
Travis glares for a second, and I feel the tension radiating off him. His jaw is set, and I know the cogs are turning in his head as he tries to figure out just how well I know his niece. He doesn’t ask, though, just continues on as if I said nothing.
“While they might have been the ones to let her go, it was also them who reached out again in the end, wanting her to do some consulting for them.”
“Consult how?”
He leans back in, getting as close as he can without the guards saying we need to separate. I lean in as well, not wanting to miss anything.
“Your club run a check on her?”
I nod. I don’t hate that we did it—it’s how we operate. Always need to check out anyone we bring into the club, especially someone who was attempting to buy a person a few hours before.
“You guys know what she does for a living?”
“Runs lie detectors. Finds cheating spouses and shit like that.”
He shakes his head, but at least he ain’t laughing at what we found.
“She doesn’t run them. She is one.”
I give it a second but still don’t get it, and I shake my head to show I’m misunderstanding what he’s trying to tell me.
“Girl might be running the machines, but I’ve never known anyone to be able to tell a person is lying like she can. The machines are the front. She’s the actual one measuring the outcomes of a person’s answers.”
I’m just not getting it. “You telling me she knows when I lie?”
“More than that. The girl can sniff out a liar from twenty feet away. She’s got this gift. She might not know what they’re lying about, but she knows they are. She started the polygraph company to ask straight-to-the-point questions. As I’m sure you know, my niece doesn’t do subtle very well. Ain’t mad about that, as it lets me know what she’s really thinking, and I don’t have to guess like I do with others in this world. She realized that once she knew a person was lying, she just couldn’t let it go, so she set up the storefront so she can be as obvious with the questions as she wants. Everyone thinks they’re trying to beat a machine and not her. In the end, she doesn’t have to solve a puzzle of what a person was lying about through all the other bullshit that was thrown her way. Polygraphs are strictly yes-or-no questions. No other bull to muddle through.”
I let it sink in as I mumble through my thoughts out loud. “She’s meeting with the buyer to catch them in a lie.”
His eyes widen a fraction. “Boo’s doing field work? The agency wouldn’t have cleared her for that.”
Now it’s my turn to give him a look. One I hope conveys that I think he’s an idiot for not seeing what I do about a person he claims to know well. “You really think she’s asking for permission?”
It doesn’t even take him a full second before he’s looking down and shaking his head in defeat. “Shit. No, she’s out there doing it to solve a stupid puzzle. Someone wiggles a carrot in front of her and the girl doesn’t know how to let a mystery go unsolved. Been like that since she was a kid. I’ll bet my entire life in this place that the person who reached out knew that about her.”
“Could it have been the agency? Using her without paying, in a way?”
He shakes his head easily, but I can see him grinding his teeth about his former employer. “Nah, not with her. Anyone else, I would believe it, but they need her too damn much. They bring almost every person they can to her. They know her skill level and keep her in business as much as possible. They wouldn’t risk her ’cause there’s no one else like her.”
Don’t I know it. Thank fuck I’m able to keep my thoughts to myself.
“From what she told me the last time she was here, the agency is aware of the situation but has shit leads to go on. Boo is smart and probably took what I gave her, the agency’s info, and what the contact sent over and worked shit out on her own. If she’s meeting with people, she’s confident that she’s talking to the right person. But, son….”
He waits a beat, and I feel the importance of what he’s about to say before he says it.
“She’s badass in her own right, but she won’t make it when she gets caught. And before you try to argue, know it’s always a ‘when’ and not an ‘if.’ I did the business for over twenty years, got caught more than I can say, but I had a team that backed me. A fucked-up team that eventually sent me here, but they covered me and supplied what I needed when I was their golden boy. She’s got no one, and she ain’t the best at blending in.”
“She’s got us.” I don’t even blink as I say it. I know this hasn’t been brought to the table. I know several of my brothers still don’t trust her. But I also believe without a doubt that when shit goes down, the club will stand with her and not apart.
He sinks back in his chair as he lets the weight of my words pass between us, softly drumming his fingers on the metal table. I feel anything but relaxed, while he looks like he just ate Thanksgiving dinner and is enjoying life.
“Time to pay up.”
“What do you want?”
“Everything.” The twinkle in his eye has me glaring. “Tell me everything.”
My heart stops beating for fifteen solid seconds. I can’t betray the club. Telling him everything will strip me of my very soul, for that’s what being a Hound of the Reaper means to me.
“What are you and Boo up to?”
I swallow hard. I think I’d rather betray the club than talk about me and my fairy. But the price needs to be paid. And out of everything he could have asked for, he wants to know this. This. Something he can simply kill me for, and I wouldn’t blame him.
At least the club would be spared. It’s my only reprieve before I start talking.
“We’ve….” I search for the right words. Hooking up or fucking doesn’t seem right. Not because I’m talking to her uncle about this but because each time meant more, even if I wasn’t expecting it to. “Gotten to know one another,” I finish.
“Interesting. Go on.”
I breathe hard as I try to say this right. Has nothing to do with not wanting to be crass, but I’m muddling through my own thoughts and feelings as I’m talking it out. It’s the first time I’ve allowed myself to put words to what’s going on inside me, being with her.
“I didn’t even know who she was even though I watched over her a hundred times while in this place. She saw my tat and then said she was glad I was out. She noticed me before I could even connect the dots, and I got to say, that’s a first for me. I don’t think I meant for it to happen, but it did. Her date was an ass, and I enjoyed putting him in his place, but I think I enjoyed the fact that she wasn’t with him anymore. Another first, as I ain’t the jealous type. When I saw that the asshole had a key to her place, I didn’t even think twice about getting the locks switched to keep her safe. I decided to stay away. But then I saw her here, and at a coffee joint. Each time she left, I wanted to follow, but I didn’t. When we saw her at the buy, I hated not knowing more about her. Not knowing if could trust or her not. But once the bullets started flying, all I could think of was getting to her and making sure she was safe. I have no clue that I’m staring at her half the time until she looks at me.”
I’m staring at my hands. I wasn’t expecting to say half that shit, but I guess I needed to talk it out to someone. Someone who wouldn’t judge. Not that my brothers would, but they would still question it. And I’ve got enough rattling around in my brain, still trying to deal with whether I can trust her or not.
I look up and see a smug smile on Travis’s face. And I just want to roll my eyes. He couldn’t have possibly known I was in so deep with his niece, but that’s what his look is giving off.
“When you going to tell her?”
I furrow my brow. “Tell her what?”
“That she means something to you. That you love her.”
Chapter 19 – Cheyanne
It’s only happened twice, but I think I’m used to waking up alone after a night of sex with Mad Max. I know I didn’t dream the amazing sex. Hell, as I wiggle out of the covers, I can still feel a bit of him running down my leg that he missed during cleanup.
The bathroom is my first stop. I borrow his toothbrush, not caring if a clean mouth and no morning breath gets me into trouble with him. Hygiene is very important, and I’m pretty sure you can’t get an STD from using another person’s toothbrush. I might have to look that one up. Never had to google that one before. Guess it shouldn’t matter, since we’ve already had sex a few times anyway.
I gather my clothes, the ones I had on when I came in here. I don’t see my packed bag anywhere, so still no clue where that is. I opt out of panties, mostly because I can’t find where he flung them at some point, and who knows how wet they are from yesterday anyway. The skirt works, but it’s too cold to wear the off-the-shoulder number this early. I always get cold in the morning, no matter the temp. It’s weird, I know.
I have zero shame as I go through his drawers. There isn’t much that won’t make me feel like I’m swimming. I settle on a wife beater that I knot in the back and a zipped-up black hoodie. It still covers most of me, but at least it looks more like a long jacket than oversized men’s clothes on me. Okay, it looks like that, too, but I’m not trying to impress anyone. Well, not anyone who didn’t have his dick inside me less than ten hours ago. And from what little I know about him, my lack of fashion sense is not why he keeps putting his hands on me.
His room is the first one down the hall, so it takes me no time to get back to the main bar. I don’t see anyone, but noise is coming from behind the bar. I pass through swinging doors and ignore those in the room going silent as I open the industrial-size fridge and look for breakfast. It’s pretty stocked, but I’m not in the cooking mood. Actually, I’m never in that mood. I prefer the type of food that takes very little effort and is almost impossible to ruin. I might be a certified genius, but a cook I am not.
I poke my head out and look around, grinning when I find what I’m looking for. I grab the milk, search for half a minute for a bowl and spoon, and then grab the Cocoa Puffs off the open pantry shelf. I might not mind being the center of attention, but there isn’t a place to sit in here, so I take it all back out to the bar and pour myself a very large bowl of yummy goodness.
“Think Kooper’s going to shit a brick when he sees you eating his food.”
I shrug as Casper sits beside me. “Shouldn’t have left it out if he didn’t want to share.”
“Never thought we needed to tell someone not to take another’s food before.”
I look at him, spoon halfway to my mouth as I tilt my head, trying to read him. I get that he still doesn’t trust me. Probably trying to put me in my place or something. Not really sure, but I get that he’s trying for intimidation. Too bad it isn’t going to work.
“Pretty sure that’s Roommate 101.” He raises an eyebrow for me to continue. I roll my eyes as I stuff my face, munching around my words as I go. “Label your stuff so people don’t steal your things.”
I see the smirk on his lips out of the corner of my eye but say nothing more as I continue eating. I glance at him as I pour a second bowl, but he just shakes his head as he plays some game on his phone.
I’m not trying to start a fight, just hungry. All there was to eat at the family event was seven different types of chips and dip. Don’t think they planned very well, but despite all my family’s faults, they raised me to keep my mouth shut when something isn’t on the table and you want it. My parents didn’t withhold food, per se, but they didn’t add things I asked for unless it was something they’d already planned. The whole “you get what you get and don’t throw a fit” was a staple in our house. As for my uncle, his philosophy was “if you want something, take it.” As long as it was in the house, it was free rein. So that’s what I’m doing here. I’m not stealing anything, just having breakfast.
I’m half surprised that Casper doesn’t follow me back into the kitchen when I put my stuff away and clean up. What does surprise me is my cell phone on the bar next to him when I get back. I haven’t seen it since I got here. They took it and the burner cell I had with me the other night almost immediately. I know I’ve told the truth since I’ve been here, but unless something happened that I don’t know about, I’m not sure why they’re giving it to me.
But as I grab the phone and turn it on, I understand what I was missing a second ago.
“Funny.”
“I thought so.”
He shut off the Wi-Fi and did something to my phone so I can’t access my data. I’m literally stuck to only what’s downloaded. It’s worse than Airplane Mode, I swear. I don’t even know where my laptop is, but at least I synced everything to a private drive before I came here. Even if they do manage to swipe my laptop, I’d still have a way to get to my backup drives. Thankfully, my paranoid uncle taught me that little trick at an early age. Then again, the guy’s stuff was confiscated, and he was forced into jail, so maybe paranoid isn’t the right word. Maybe psychic.
