I heard Sloane arguing with her sister over the phone in her room and I rolled my eyes. I backtracked into my own room and closed the door, hoping beyond all hope that I wouldn’t have to listen to them bickering like small children every fucking day of the damned week. But, I didn’t even get to relish how comfortable the fucking bed in this place was before I got a text from Tanner.
And I didn’t like what it said.
Tan: Brooks has called church. Meet us in thirty.
I stood to my feet and found myself between a rock and a hard place. Did I bring Sloane with me? Did I leave her here? Surely, they wouldn’t want me to leave her vulnerable, but did I drag her along like a fucking puppy dog?
She can take care of herself and you know it.
So, against my better judgement, I left the hotel and started back toward the house.
“About damn time,” Porter said as I walked inside.
Brooks nudged him. “Plans are constantly shifting and pivoting. Cut him some slack.”
Porter furrowed his brow. “Since when do we cut anyone slack?”
I rolled my eyes. “Since you decided to bring a fucking detective into this whole damn thing to try and figure it out.”
Porter shook his head. “That was Tanner and Summer, not me. Don’t saddle that shit on me.”
Tanner cleared his throat. “Are we going to get this meeting underway? Or, are we going to sit around with our thumbs up our asses?”
Archer pointed at me. “He’s right. We need to make this concise so that he can get back to the hotel.”
Cole piped up. “Where are you guys staying, anyway?”
Brooks held up his hand. “Let’s get back on track. I have that information, and that’s all that matters.”
The room fell silent as Brooks drew in a deep breath.
“I’ve gotten intel from one of my contacts that Chops has resurfaced.”
That got my attention. “Where?”
Archer cocked his head. “How long has he been above ground?”
“Was he with anyone?” Porter asked.
I furrowed my brow. “Wait, you didn’t even know?”
Brooks glared at me. “I just got this a few minutes ago, that’s why I called church. He wasn’t spotted with anyone, and he was spotted on Baron Street.”
Archer blinked. “You’re fucking kidding me.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose. “You think he’s recruiting more prostitutes from the red light district?”
Brooks shrugged. “Josie thinks it’s likely.”
I slowly stood to my feet. “Wait, wait, wait, Archer’s Josie?”
Archer chuckled. “Yep. My Josie.”
I furrowed my brow. “She’s your contact?”
Brooks clicked his tongue. “Josie has some several friends still from working at The Body Shop for the stint that she did, and a few of those women went into prostitution for money. They graduated, so to speak, from the club to Baron Street, and Josie’s friend claims she was propositioned by Chops himself.”
Porter raked his hand through his hair. “Jesus.”
I slid my hands down my face. “Is her friend okay?”
Brooks nodded. “She’s all right. She didn’t take Chops’ offer and managed to snap a picture of his profile while propositioning another girl.”
Tanner paused. “What exactly was his proposition?”
Archer cleared his throat. “According to her, Chops said, ‘I’ve got a place where you could make money beyond your wildest dreams. All you need to do is prove your talents to me.’”
I wrinkled my nose. “Ugh. Gross.”
Brooks chuckled. “You’re telling me. She left the second she snapped a picture of him and sent it to Josie, which got routed to me. That’s how we know.”
I shrugged. “So… what does this mean? Was Chops just wanting to get laid and using the club to help him along? Or, is he really out there recruiting on behalf of his fucking club?”
Porter chuckled. “Million dollar question, huh?”
I shot him a look. “Well, it’s one that we need an answer to, and fast.”
Tanner turned to Archer. “Was Chops wearing his leather cut when he was out there on Baron Street?”
Archer shook his head. “The photo’s too grainy to tell.”
“Fuck,” I murmured.
Then, I felt Tanner’s eyes on me. “Any updates from Sloane?”
Apparently he doesn’t know about their fight. “No, no updates. I’m actually waiting for her to settle in her hotel room before I start poking and prodding her.”
Brooks pointed toward the door. “Well, you’ve heard all there is to hear from this meeting. Get back there and make sure she’s all right.”
I started backing toward the front door. “Fill me in if more comes up?”
Brooks grinned. “You know I will.”
And with that, I was back out the door and racing toward the hotel on my bike.
I parked my bike as quickly as possible out of sight of the road, then booked it back up to my room. But, it wasn’t until I got into the shared alcove of me and Sloane’s front doors that I heard Summer practically shouting in her room. I furrowed my brow as I stood there, listening to the two of them argue.
Holy fuck, did Tanner know Summer was over here?
“Underage? You seriously figured out that they’re using underage girls now and you didn’t tell me!?” Summer shrieked.
Sloane shushed her. “If you can’t keep your voice down, this conversation ends now.”
Summer lowered her voice, making me step closer to the door. “How the hell could you keep something like that from us. The only place to find underage girls in this area is Baron Street. He’s probably trolling that place looking for new recruits.”
She wasn’t wrong, but Sloane was quick to fire back. “Summer, you’re not part of the crew I’m supposed to be updating. I have no obligation–legal or otherwise–to update you.”
“You do if this affects my daughter.”
“Oh, so now you want to think of the wellbeing of your daughter?”
The two of them started bickering again and I groaned beneath my breath. I inched my way into my hotel room silently, making sure I didn’t startle them just in case they started talking about shit that mattered again. And after they got more yelling out of the way, Sloane’s voice leveled out.
So, I perched against the wall and continued listening in.
“Summer, I know you won’t like this, but I want to get you and Cheyenne out of here,” she said.
The hairs on the nape of my neck stood on end as she responded. “What? What do you mean?”
Sloane sighed as her voice grew serious. “This is absolutely insane. I know you love Tanner, and I know you’re trying to reunite your family, but what if you get killed in all of this? What if these guys go after CheyChey? I mean, she’s a target now.”
“You said she’d be safe with Mom and Dad. You told me that yourself.”
“That was before I knew exactly what we were dealing with because you sure as hell didn’t turn over all of the facts when I needed them. You told me what I needed to hear to get me out here, and in the process of figuring out just how bad this is you’ve put me in an impossible position. You and CheyChey need your own place far away from here until this heat dies down. This Chops guy? He’s grosser than you could ever imagine.”
Summer scoffed. “Trust me, we know.”
“Summer, this isn’t up for debate. None of these guys that you’re hanging around with are safe.”
Her sister’s voice grew harsh. “They’re a hell of a lot safer than any cop in this damned city who’s been working this case for months without reproach.”
Sloane didn’t back down, though. “If you get killed, who’s going to raise CheyChey? Because the last I checked I’m the designated guardian, not Tanner.”
“Oh, I get it. This is to get me away from Tanner, isn’t it?”
“No, Summer. This isn’t about your love life and who’s fucking you. In fact, this isn’t about you at all. It’s about my niece and her safety, which you threw out the window the second you decided to prioritize Tanner over her.”
“You take that back,” she glowered.
Sloane’s voice mounted in volume. “You have rose-colored glasses on when it comes to that man and you’re not seeing the danger that you’re putting yourself in, or your daughter. You want to care about Cheyenne? Then do what’s best for her for once.”
“Take that back,” Summer growled.
“You want me to prove it?”
The argument fell silent and I hung onto every word as if I were watching some sort of botched soap opera.
“What?” Summer asked softly.
Sloane snickered. “Do you want me to prove to you just how bad all of this is? Just how bad this crew is? Fine. I’ll prove it to you. I’ll get you bonafide evidence on just how dangerous this is for you and CheyChey. But, when I bring you that proof, you have to promise me that you’ll do as I ask without another question asked.”
Summer snickered. “And how the hell do you think you’re going to do that.”
Yeah. How the hell are you gonna do that?
Then, Sloane dropped a bomb that even left me breathless. “I’m going undercover on Barron Street tonight. I’m in the process of preparing everything and getting my contacts into place. And once I have the evidence I need, Chops, the Black Flags, and likely the Dirty Misfits are all going down.”
Summer gasped. “You wouldn’t fucking dare.”
Sloane’s voice lowered to an almost predatory tone. “You knew exactly what you were doing when you brought me here, and you above everyone else knows exactly how passionate I am about my job. In some ways, I’m inclined to believe that you reaching out to me was a desperate call for help, because I know you’re not stupid enough to think even for a second that I’d compromise my career and my morals and my integrity on the force just to play this fucked-up game of house with you. I know you’re smarter than that.”
And when Summer didn’t respond, anger rushed through my veins.
I mean, what the absolute fuck? I backed away from the wall before I put a hole in it with my fist. As the lies she had fed me rushed over me, and the more I thought about things, the more I saw this for what it was.
Some sort of detective act to earn our trust.
And if that bitch thought she’d be going alone to Barron Street tonight, she was sorely mistaken.
Because I’d follow her every step of the fucking way just to prove my own damn point.
