I hated this house. Every time I walked through it, I was reminded of all the terrible things that had taken place behind its front door. The people that lost their lives and the blood stains that never saw justice.
I thought about her. My ex.
And how I still wanted to wring her stepfather’s fucking neck.
“Hey. Finn.”
I heard Tanner’s voice and I turned away from the ocean view in front of me.
“Yeah?” I asked.
He jogged up to me. “I called Summer’s sister, Sloane.”
I blinked. “And?”
“I need your help convincing the guys to let her help.”
I furrowed my brow. “Sorry, what?”
Tanner placed his hand on my shoulder. “I know it’s a shitty position to put you in, but–.”
I shrugged his hand off. “You’re damn right, it’s a shitty position.”
“What’s a shitty position?” Archer asked.
Tanner glared at me. “You owe me. You know that.”
I stood my ground. “Why is it that every time you want to run my ass through the wringer, you bring up the fact that you helped me become a prospect? You know damn good and well they’re gonna chew your ass off for this, and I’m not going down with you. Not this time.”
“Down for what?” Porter asked.
Tanner rolled his eyes. “Come on out of the woodwork, everyone. We gotta talk.”
I turned back toward the ocean and thought about all of the blood that had been washed away upon its shoreline. I thought about all of the shadows and terrible memories that would strangle me so long as we were in this house. It was because of those shadows–because of those demons–that I couldn’t sell the house off. Because believe, I’ve tried.
But, what was the use in telling the crew that?
Not like we had anywhere else to go.
“What’s going on? What’s the fuss about?” Brooks asked.
I rolled my eyes. “Great.”
Tanner cleared his throat. “We need help. More help than we can provide for ourselves. So, I called Sloane.”
“Who the fuck is Sloane?” Porter asked.
I peered over my shoulder. “Summer’s sister. You know, the cop.”
The room fell silent and I felt their anger seeping from their pores. Tanner nudged me, but I kept my back to them because I sure as hell wasn’t gonna be roped into this fucking scheme. I didn’t owe Tanner shit. Not after all of the messes I’d had to clean up ever since I became a prospect with the Dirty Misfits.
He could clean this one up by himself.
“I’m sure you meant well,” Porter said as he tried to keep his voice calm, “but bringing a cop into the mix right now really isn’t a good idea.”
Tanner scoffed. “It’s the only shot we’ve got, and you know it. We need someone from law enforcement on our side. Someone who’s going to take some risks. And I believe that person is Sloane. I mean, she works in the Special Victims’ Unit for crying out loud. This is her arena.”
“In Santa Barbara, sure,” Brooks said with a shrug, “but not here in Santa Cruz.”
Archer nodded. “Yeah, her jurisdiction is over four hours away.”
Tanner shook his head. “Not if she is granted special permissions by the local department. Then, she can come and go as she pleases.”
I sighed as I finally turned around. “It’s a shit idea, and you know it. The only reason why you didn’t run it by us before you placed that phone call was because you knew we’d all react this way.”
Archer furrowed his brow. “Aren’t you supposed to be on his side?”
I threw my hands into the air. “The man introduces me to the crew and now I’m his bitch? You guys should know me much better than that by now. I’ve been a prospect for almost two damn years.”
Brooks grinned. “Yeah, longer than any of us were.”
The guys chuckled, but I didn’t find it funny. They were always teasing me about stupid bullshit and coming up with reasons as to why I couldn’t be made a “full member” yet.
I was a few steps away from leaving them all in the dust, to be honest.
“Look,” Tanner groaned, “if we can get Sloane on our side, she can get the cops to focus on the trafficking part of the case. That’s where the focus needs to be. Taking down the Black Flags isn’t about slaughtering them and pushing them out. It’s about stopping their only source of revenue in the city. And you know we aren’t equipped to take down a fucking sex and human trafficking ring.”
“I don’t know, he’s got a point,” Cole murmured.
“I don’t want that fucker in jail,” Porter glowered, “I want him dead. I want to put a bullet between his eyes and watch him bleed out at my feet.”
Brooks nodded. “Same. That jackass doesn’t deserve another shred of the light of day.”
I pointed at the two of them. “That. That right there is what we need, Tanner, not some fucking cop.”
Tanner snickered. “What is with you and the police? You still mad that you got tagged and went to juvie?”
I growled. “You have no idea what the fuck you’re talking about, so can it, Meathead.”
The room fell silent until Archer spoke. “If we kill Chops, you know we run the risk of some other fucker in that crew retaliating and causing more problems for us.”
Tanner nodded. “And if we get the cops involved, we can put the whole damned club in jail and get them off the streets.”
Cole cleared his throat. “Then, if you want, I can pool together my contacts on the inside and have Chops taken care of since they won’t be able to retaliate after that.”
I shook my head. “Not you too, Cole. Come on.”
Brooks and Porter looked at each other, and it didn’t give me a good impression of what was about to happen. But, once Porter nodded his head, Brooks fell in line like the good little slut he had become.
“All right. Let’s get her on our side,” he said.
Tanner turned to me. “Finn?”
I opened the sliding glass door I had been standing at. “Not like my opinion matters to this group anyway. Do whatever the hell you want.”
I stepped outside and closed the door behind me before walking down toward the beach. I needed to get away from these meathead assholes before I punched my fist through one of their throats. I felt my anger mounting. I felt my heart surging out of control. And as my heart rate skyrocketed, I stood at the edge of the water and gazed out over the horizon.
As my mind pulled me back to memories I wanted to forget.
“Mom, what’s going on?”
She rushed to me and took me in her arms. “Let’s get you upstairs. Theres’s a lot of–.”
I shoved her away. “A lot of what? Dad? Why are all these police here?”
“Upstairs,” he said curtly. “Now.”
“No!” I exclaimed as I rushed down the hallway. “What’s going on? Why are they all out back?”
I shoved my way through the crowd and knocked a police officer on his ass trying to figure out what was happening. I smelled blood before I set foot outside, and the second my eyes laid themselves onto the scene out on the sand, I wanted to vomit.
And as I bent over, hurling up the dinner I just had with my best friend at the diner down the road, I felt the cold metal of handcuffs come down around my wrists.
“What the–Mom!” I exclaimed.
“You’re under arrest for the murder of Melody Hartman,” the officer said as he pulled me upright, “and I suggest you keep your mouth shut while I read you your rights.”
I folded my arms over my chest and closed my eyes. If I concentrated long enough, I could still smell her blood, still warm as it dripped from the lifelessness of the rest of her. Bile crept up the back of my throat. I felt like I was going to be sick. But, I swallowed it down, refusing to let the guys see me as some sort of weakling that couldn’t even handle his own damn memories.
Then, I heard footsteps behind me.
“You want to talk?” Brooks asked.
I shook my head. “Nothing to talk about.”
He sighed. “We know you don’t like cops.”
I looked up at him. “It’s not that I don’t like them. I just don’t trust them.”
He nodded. “I know.”
I turned my eyes back toward the water. “And yet, here we are.”
He placed his hand on my shoulder. “We can’t stop doing what’s best for this crew when one of our guys–.”
I shrugged off his touch. “I really wish you assholes would stop touching me.”
He turned his gaze out toward the water as well. “Some of the guys are ready to kick you, you know.”
I snickered. “Figures. Can’t handle a guy with a bit of balls around here.”
“It’s got nothing to do with that, and you know it.”
“Then, why don’t you tell me what this is actually about? Because for the life of me, all I’ve done is devote my time, my sanity, and my talent to this crew for two damn years, and what the fuck do I have to show for it?”
He slowly turned to face me and I felt his eyes drilling a hole into the profile of my face. “Maybe start by thinking about someone other than yourself for a change, and you’ll see us change around you.”
Then, I turned my head to look at him. “Then maybe, you should start with yourself. Because I’m pretty sure we got out of the predicament we were in only a few days ago because I was selfless enough to come back to the one place I told myself I’d never be ever again.”
He furrowed his brow. “What do you mean?”
I turned my back to him and started inside. “Earn my trust and stop making shitty decisions, and maybe I’ll actually feel compelled to open myself up to a bunch of guys that are ready to toss me to the wind.”
And as I started inside, only one thought crossed my mind.
If they gave me the job of babysitting that pig, I’d have all of their asses.
