Illusive (Storm MC 5)

“Not yet, but he said he’d be here soon with some information when I texted him this morning.”

His eyes revealed his concern when he said, “We’ve gotta get to the bottom of everything, Griff. I’ve got a bad fuckin’ feeling about some of this. And I think Ricky’s tied up with it all.”

I agreed with everything he’d said.

&

nbsp; And on top of all that, I had a bad feeling swirling in my gut about the shit from my past. I needed to deal with that, too, and fast.

* * *

“So, you’re telling me we’ve got nothing to worry about where those two are concerned?” Scott asked Wilder after he’d filled us in on what he’d found out about the two guys we’d seen outside the Eclipse Bar yesterday.

Wilder nodded. “Seems to be that way. From what I’ve heard, their gig is robberies here and there, but nothing that impacts us. Arrived in town a couple of weeks ago but aren’t connected to anyone of concern.”

“Thank Christ. We don’t need anyone else to worry about at the moment,” Scott said.

“No luck with the restaurant fire?” Wilder asked.

“Not a damn thing. Brisbane’s not fuckin’ talking. And Hyde hasn’t been able to uncover anything either,” Scott replied.

Wilder frowned. “Can I do some digging today? Or do you need me on other things?”

“You got an idea who it might be?” Scott asked.

“No, but I know someone who might know something.”

“Who?” Scott urged.

Wilder fidgeted which was unusual; I’d never seen him fidget before. “I can’t say, sorry man.”

Scott’s shoulders tensed. “Wilder, you’re a patched member of this club now. Your loyalty is expected to be one hundred percent with us, and that means if you know something, we expect you to share that with us. Regardless of who it affects.” He paused for a moment, his eyes boring into Wilder’s. When he spoke again, his voice was harder than usual. “The only people you should be worried about now are members of your club. Are you reading me?”

Wilder stood across from him, his body now also tense, as if he was preparing for a fight. “I read you, Scott, but I’m gonna need some time, because if this person does know something, the blowback on her won’t be pretty, and I refuse to put her in that situation without preparing her for it. I will give you her name, but not yet.”

After contemplating that, Scott asked, “How much time are we talking here?”

“A day.”

Scott nodded. “You have a day, but within twenty-four hours I want that name and that information.” It stunned me that Scott gave him that, and it showed me the respect he had for Wilder.

“You’ll have it,” he agreed.

As he walked away from us, Scott called out, “And Wilder?” Wilder turned back to look at us, and Scott continued, “This is the first and last time we have a conversation like that.”

Wilder gave a nod of understanding and then left us.

My phone rang at that moment, distracting me because of the name on the caller ID. “Josie. Everything okay?”

“Michael, I’ve hurt myself. Can you come now, please?” Her voice was off, and alarm coursed through me.

“I’m on my way,” I replied.

* * *

I jogged up Josie’s front stairs, worried as fuck for her. She never begged me to come and help her. I half expected to find her passed out when I walked through her front door.

Her front door that was open right now. That was odd.