Wreaking Havoc (Dead Presidents MC Book 2) Page 13

  “Buddha,” Emily said, wedging her way between us. “Julia is not a club whore. She came with Havoc.”

  He eyed me. “I don’t see a property patch on her.”

  Emily put her hands on her hips. “I suggest you take that up with Havoc, then. But remember that lots of volunteers are here helping today, so if you could kindly refrain from hitting on them and making them uncomfortable, I’d appreciate it.”

  He looked like he was about to argue, but one of the other bikers called his name and leveled a glare at him. Looking around Emily at me, Buddha said, “I’ll see you around,” before he took off.

  Emily let out a breath, whispering, “Douchebag.”

  The biker who’d been staring down Buddha joined us, asking, “Everything all right, Emily?”

  She nodded, smiling at him. “It is now. Thanks Bull. This is Julia. She’s with Havoc.”

  Bull shook my hand. He was young, maybe in his early twenties, tall, good looking, with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Nice to meet you, ma’am,” he said, with a slight southern drawl. “Havoc’s a good man. You need anything, you let me know.”

  “Thanks. I’m not really with Havoc, though. We’re just friends.”

  “Right,” Emily said, giggling. “Good luck with that.”

  Bull stayed close to us for the rest of the setup, helping out.

  “Shouldn’t he be with the other bikers?” I asked.

  “He’s one of the prospects. That’s their rank before they become members. He’s pretty much my bodyguard for all intents and purposes. Has Havoc ‘put a man on you’ yet?”

  “You mean like saddling me with a bodyguard?” I asked. “No thanks. I’m good.”

  “Yep. It’ll happen sooner or later. Probably about the time he shreds that friend card you’re carrying around. Know that in your heart.”

  The idea of Havoc wanting more than friendship filled me with both dread and longing. Choosing to ignore both feelings, I went for a subject change. “Well, having a bodyguard isn’t too bad. At least he got here before Buddha started humping my leg.”

  She laughed. “Buddha’s not my favorite. Watch out for him. I just hope he’s smart enough not to push anything. Havoc will lose his shit. Julia, I can tell you’re uncomfortable with the topic, but you need to know that Havoc doesn’t look at anyone the way he looks at you. Be careful with that one. He’s a good man.”

  As we finished setting the tables, I let Emily’s warning sink in, admitting the truth of it. I wasn’t ready for another relationship, but I wasn’t ready to let Havoc go, either. Hoping she was wrong and he’d be content to stay friends for a while, I pushed the thoughts to the back of my mind and focused on welcoming the homeless guests as they entered and found seats.

  Havoc

  DESPITE MY CONCERNS about keeping my horny ass brothers away from Julia, dinner went off without a hitch. Emily stayed close to Julia, and Bull stayed close to Emily, scowling at anyone who got too close to the ladies. With Bull playing guard dog, I was free to do my job and stop worrying about Julia like some goddamn mother hen. I had no clue what the fuck was wrong with me. I’d always been protective of my friends, but with Julia it was different. Not only did I want to protect her, I wanted to stash her sexy ass away so only I had access to her. It was unrealistic and unreasonable, but I knew I’d found a gem and I didn’t want any other motherfuckers to see her shine and get any ideas about taking her for themselves.

  The guys and I managed to find three promising vets during dinner, which we would be vetting and deciding sponsors for over the next few days. We cleaned up, and then the dozen or so of us who stayed late stuffed a cooler full of beer and carried it out back to gather around the fire pit and shoot the shit. Eagle and I got the fire going while the prospects started bringing out chairs for everyone. Keeping one eye on Julia, I chopped up some kindling as Eagle wadded up newspapers and tossed them into the pit.

  “Julia, right?” Link asked, offering her his hand as he approached. “I’m Link. It’s good to meet you. Sorry I didn’t get around to introducing myself earlier, but I really appreciate you helping out today.”

  “Don’t even worry about it,” she said, shaking his hand. “You looked a bit busy.”

  “Yeah, these dinners are a shit-ton of work. Worth it, though. What’d you think of it all?” he asked, tucking Emily under his arm.

  “It was a lot… different than I imagined. The people were nice and grateful, but there were so many kids.” She swallowed and took a moment before continuing, “I wasn’t expecting that.”

  “Yeah, that shit’s rough.” He opened the cooler and started grabbing beers, passing them around the growing circle. He angled one toward Julia, but she declined. “It’s easy to forget how big and fucked up the problem is until we invite them in and get to know them as people. Everyone’s got a story, and their situations are enough to rip your goddamn heart out. I wish we could help them all, but our resources are limited, and our brothers are our priority.”

  One of the recruits set a chair down for Link, and he sat, tugging Emily onto his lap.

  “Family is everything,” he said, rubbing her back as she wrapped her arms around his neck. He kissed her forehead before seeking out her lips.

  Julia turned away from their public display of affection and rubbed her hands together before holding them out toward the growing fire. Wasp and I tented enough wood together to catch the flames from the kindling and I returned to Julia as Stocks offered her a chair. I introduced the two of them before stealing the chair and patting my lap.

  She hesitated, glancing around, her stiff upbringing no doubt kicking in.

  “It’s getting cold,” I said, offering a valid excuse. The temperature had dropped at least twenty degrees after the sun went down. June in western Washington was unpredictable at best. We were just lucky it wasn’t raining. Wearing only a thin jacket over her T-shirt, she had to be chilly.

  Accepting the excuse, she slid onto my lap, sitting sideways, and sought warmth by sliding her arms between my T-shirt and cut. Her proximity immediately began siphoning the day’s stress and tension from my shoulders and encouraging most of my body to relax. Most of my body, because my dick hardened the second her fine ass made contact with my lap. I took a long pull from my beer and tried to focus on the conversation around us rather than the way her body curved around mine.

  “Did you tell Julia what I found out?” Morse asked, sliding a chair beside us.

  Julia sat up. “Tell me what?”

  I hadn’t told her shit, because I was concerned about how she’d react. I flashed Morse a warning look, hoping he’d keep his trap shut, but his focus was on the electronic tablet in his hands.

  “I followed the feeds from the cameras hidden in your apartment, and they all have something in common. They ping here.” He showed her his screen. “It’s a warehouse in the industrial district.”

  Emily sat up as well. “There were hidden cameras in your apartment?” she asked.

  “My ex,” Julia explained. “He’s… uh…”

  “Creepy?” Emily provided. “Stalkerish? Perverted?”

  “All of the above.” Julia pointed at the screen. “That looks familiar. What’s the address?”

  Morse rambled off the address and asked, “Recognize it?”

  “I think so.” She pulled her phone out of her pocket and thumbed it on, scrolling through her pictures. “Weird. It’s not here. I transferred all my photos from my old SD card when I switched phones Thursday, but I don’t see it. I’ll have to go online to look for it, but I’m pretty sure this is where Wesley took the strippers.”

  My stomach sank. “What strippers?”

  “Before we split up, he started acting weird, like he was hiding something from me. So, I went through his briefcase while he was asleep. I found a strange note… descriptions of some girls and an address. I Googled the address, and I’m almost certain this is the same warehouse that search led me to. Anyway, the descriptions
of the girls were graphic. Explicit. Measurements, piercings, tattoos, whether they were bald, had a bush, or sporting a landing strip. That sort of thing. Disgusted, I snapped a picture of the note. Then, I flipped out and confronted Wesley. He blew up about me going through his shit. Seriously, he went crazy. I’d never seen him so pissed. When he finally calmed down, he explained that he was hiring strippers for some out-of-town businessmen. That made sense, but at the time I didn’t understand why it pissed him off so much. Now, I know he was probably hiring hookers for himself. Cheating whoreson.”

  The entire circle was staring at her as she confirmed what I’d suspected for the past two days.

  “What?” she asked, her gaze flickering around the group before landing on me. Her body stiffened as she leaned away. “What’s going on? Why do I get the feeling I’m missing something?”

  I had no choice but to tell her. “That’s one of the Kinlan warehouses, Jules.”

  Her face went through a series of emotions: thought, realization, shock, anger, disbelief. Finally, she shook herself and said, “Sex trafficking. That was one of the charges, wasn’t it?”

  I nodded.

  She leapt off my lap and started pacing in the space between Link and Emily’s chair and mine. “You think Wesley was involved in sex trafficking.”

  “I’m so sorry, Julia,” Emily said.

  “But the FBI seized those warehouses. How would the signal still be pinging there or whatever?”

  “It’s not exactly in the building,” Morse explained. “The city has a small satellite dish on top of the building.”

  Julia stopped pacing and cradled her head in her hands. “That son-of-a-bitch. That son-of-a-disease-infested-maggot-ridden-whore was sex trafficking. Of all the depraved, messed up shit he could have possibly been doing. No wonder he pushed me away. I was asking questions, and he knew I’d find out sooner or later. I always did.” She wrapped her hands around her stomach. “That’s what they trained me for. But, this is too much. I wouldn’t have stood aside and let him do this shit. He knew, so he fucked around on me, making sure I found out and left. I always wondered why my parents didn’t force me to go back to him. Why they continued to allow my payments even though I’d broken the terms. Either they knew what he was doing, or Wesley had told them it was okay.” She shook her head.

  Emily jumped to her feet and rubbed Julia’s back.

  “Mom had to know. She’s like me, and she wouldn’t have let it go. She fucking trained me.”

  I watched Julia shove the pieces together, wondering what to do. Emily’s expression was hopeless as she continued to pat her back.

  “Now that it’s all over and the Kinlans have been dealt with, Wesley needs me back so he can keep an eye on me.” She ran her hands through her hair and cradled the back of her neck, looking up at the sky. “Fuck! That’s why he planted those cameras. Here I thought he was just a pervert, but no. He’s been watching me this whole time to make sure I didn’t put two and two together.”

  “You said you have the picture online?” Emily asked.

  “I should. All my photos are supposed to be saved.”

  I had a bad feeling about where this was all going, so I stood and grabbed Julia’s shoulders, forcing her attention onto me. “Are you sure you want to go down this road? The Kinlans died over this shit. What’s to stop this asshole from coming after you?”

  “He’s already coming after me.” She pulled up the messaging app on her phone and passed it to me. There were several texts from an unknown sender asking her where she was, what she was doing, and when she was coming back. Reminding her that she only had until the end of the weekend.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked.

  “My ex is not your problem. I already told him we aren’t getting back together. It’s not like he can force me to change my mind.” She turned to Link and asked, “Is there a computer I can use to check my online storage?”

  Link glanced at me.

  Knowing Julia wouldn’t be deterred, I nodded.

  Soon, Link, Emily, Julia, Wasp, Eagle, Morse, Tap, and I were all huddled around Link’s computer, staring at Julia’s photos.

  “It’s not here,” she said, sounding devastated. “I shouldn’t be surprised, but I am. He must have hacked my account and deleted it.”

  I, for one, was relieved. “Sounds like there’s nothing more you can do.”

  She didn’t look so convinced, but she let me lead her back out to the fire pit.

  “I feel so stupid,” she said, climbing back on my lap. “I should have looked into it, but everything fell apart after that.”

  I’d been trying to tamp down my temper, but the entire situation was screwing with my mind. Wesley was dangerous, and she didn’t seem to realize that. Afraid of her getting too ballsy and doing something stupid, I squeezed her against me, reassuring myself that she was okay. “I’m glad you didn’t pursue it. Jules, the Kinlans did not hang themselves in some sort of father-son suicide pact. They aren’t the type to go out like that. Emily said they were trying to cut a deal.”

  “I know,” she admitted.

  Yet, she didn’t sound scared. “You’re not bulletproof.”

  “I know.”

  Still not scared. “You can be poisoned, strangled, stabbed, suffocated, have your pretty little neck snapped, and he wouldn’t have to do any of it. He could send someone to take care of his dirty work for him. Someone could walk right in your store, pull out a gun, and put a slug in you before you even knew what was happening.”

  She shuddered. “I know.” This time her voice was shaky. Good. She needed to understand the severity of the situation.

  “If he doesn’t leave you alone, I’m gonna lose my shit and kill him.”

  “I know.”

  “Morse, tomorrow morning, will you have time to set a couple of those cameras back up in Julia’s bookstore?” I asked.

  Julia’s brow furrowed. “You want to put them back up? Why?”

  “We’ll monitor the feed. Make sure he doesn’t try anything while you’re working. Also, I’m putting a man on you.”

  Her gaze snapped to mine. “Who?”

  Something about her tone and reaction set me on edge. “Probably Stocks, why?”

  Her gaze fell to my chest. “No reason.”

  “We said no lies, Jules. What happened?”

  She snuggled closer to me, splaying her hand across my chest. “Please just let it go.”

  “Emily?” I asked, shifting my attention to her. “Did something happen today that I need to know about?”

  The girls shared a look and I got the feeling neither of them would tell me shit. Thankfully, they didn’t have to, because Bull stepped in. “Buddha was hitting on her. Emily told him Julia was with you, but it didn’t stop him. He wouldn’t leave her alone until I stepped in. A couple of the other guys heard him, too.”

  “Motherfucker.” I couldn’t do a damn thing about Wesley right now, but Buddha hitting on my woman? That was something I could handle. I sprang to my feet, setting Julia down.

  “Stop,” she said, stepping in front of me. “He’s your brother. Don’t go and do something you’ll regret.”

  The look I gave her should have made her cower in fear, but Julia’s eyes darkened with lust instead. If I wasn’t so pissed, I’d carry her ass upstairs and fuck that out of her, but Buddha had disrespected me, and I couldn’t let that shit slide. Sidestepping her, I headed for the back door.

  “Isn’t anyone going to stop him?” Julia asked, sounding frantic.

  “Nope,” Link said, standing. “Wasp and I will follow him and make sure he doesn’t take shit too far, but this is between the two of them. Buddha should have backed off the second Emily told him to, but if he thinks he’s man enough to take on Havoc… who are we to stop him?”

  “Buddha needs to be taught a lesson,” Wasp added.

  I couldn’t hear anything else, because blood was rushing to my eardrums as I entered the station and headed upstai
rs to Buddha’s room. I didn’t bother to knock, and he hadn’t bothered to lock his door, so I got an eyeful of a club whore named Kim going down on him as I stormed into the room. The door slammed against the wall, getting his attention.

  “What the fuck, man?” Buddha asked over his shoulder.

  “Kim, find somewhere else to be,” I growled.

  She released his cock and stood, squeezing past me to scurry out the door.

  Buddha tucked himself back into his pants and zipped up, backing away from me toward his bathroom. “I had no idea the broad was yours, Havoc. She wasn’t wearing a property patch.”

  His lies were making the edges of my vision blur. I stepped forward, ready to lunge for him. If he thought he’d make it into the bathroom and lock me out like a pussy, he had another think coming. “Bullshit. Emily told you what was up and you kept talking, disrespecting me in front of my woman and my club. You think I’m gonna let that shit slide?”

  He took another step back, his hands raising as his gaze scanned the room. The motherfucker was looking for a weapon. Sure enough, he reached for some sort of trophy on the top of his dresser. I sprang forward, tackling him as he grabbed it. He swung at my head and I blocked, taking a hit across my forearm. Blood pounded in my ears and my vision went red. I ripped the trophy from his hand and threw it across the room before nailing him with an uppercut to the jaw. His head fell back, smacking against the hardwood floor as he brought his hands up to protect his face. Fine with me. Buddha had a nice round beer gut that made a great target. I punched him in the side, gaining a grunt before he recovered and tried to take a swing at me.

  “You wanna hit me?” I asked, standing and gesturing him forward. “Get your ass up and do it.”

  Watching me, he stood, raised his hands, and hopped around like we were about to box. I welcomed it, wanting a fight. A challenge. I didn’t want to beat the shit out of him, I wanted us both bloody. He wanted Julia. Wesley wanted Julia. I needed someone I could sink my fists into. I didn’t want to give in to battle rage. I wanted to remember every single swing, so I could feel like I’d done something to earn her, but the bastard wouldn’t stop bouncing around.