Deadline to Damnation (Sons of Templar MC 7)

“We thought we had a problem with a civilian witnessing our hit, but now we’ve got a fucking rat,” he seethed, spitting the word at me. “Club doesn’t need this shit right now. Club can’t have this shit right now.”

Liam was steel. “Don’t think I know that?”

“Well, we need to get rid of the rat.”

I was under no illusions about what that meant.

I’d known it could go this way. Half of me had expected it to go this way. I’d always had a strange certainty I’d die for a story. Funny that it would be the past that killed me.

Liam had his hand on his gun the second Claw moved toward me, presumably to kill me. “Unless you want a bullet in your kneecap, you’ll stop right there.”

Claw blinked some of the hatred from his face, but anger still remained. “You’re fuckin’ protecting her? You know better than anyone what needs to be done for the club. Is this ‘cause she’s a woman?”

“No,” Liam replied. “Because she’s my woman.”

Both Claw and I jerked in unison at Liam’s words. It would’ve been impressive, the synchronicity of it, were the situation not so dire.

Hansen chose that moment to appear in the open doorway. His eyes flickered between the two men facing off, then to me, then back to Liam. “Church,” was all he said before turning on his motorcycle boot and walking off.

I guessed that’s how it was when you were president.

The air was wired as Claw stalked off, not keeping his glare from me and Liam not letting go of his gun. I almost wanted Claw to lunge at me, just to see if Liam would really shoot his brother for a girl he used to know.

But he was gone and Liam’s hand left his gun. He eyed me. “Let’s go.”

I raised my brow. “Is this my execution hearing?”

He flinched. “I’d never let anything happen to you, Caroline. I promise.”

“Well then I better start digging my own grave, because we both know you don’t keep your promises,” I shot.

Then I walked to ‘church.’

I knew I wouldn’t find any god there.

Even the devil had forsaken this place.

“You want to start explaining?” Hansen asked after Liam shut the door behind him.

He was regarding me coldly, clinically, with none of the anger that was present from Claw, the only other patched member in on the meeting.

I was sitting straight in my chair, trying to ignore the fact that Liam was so close to me I could feel the warmth of his body. His gaze was zeroed in on Claw, as if he expected him to launch himself across the table and slit my throat.

His expression didn’t do much to help that. Nor the way he was gripping his knife.

“I’m a freelance investigative journalist,” I replied. My eyes went to Claw. “Which means I don’t work for anyone. No one has hired me to gain intel on you for reasons to hurt or ruin your club from some preexisting rivalry. I found out about the club after Christmas and the small amount of press coverage that followed. I sensed a story. Having just come back from Iraq—”

“Iraq?” Liam demanded, something sounding like panic threading through the single word.

I didn’t look at him. “Yes, I was there under contract with Reuters. But that contract ended, and I couldn’t obtain a longer visa in the country so I came home. I don’t do well not working. So I came here.” I gave Hansen a meaningful look. “Under my own volition. No one else knows where I am or what I’m doing. Nor am I feeding information to anyone.”

“How the fuck do you expect us to believe that?” Claw demanded.

“I don’t expect you to,” I replied, glancing to him. “Your entire club was almost wiped out. You’ve got a powerful heavyweight in the underworld looking to do whatever damage he can. You’ll protect your club at all costs, and I doubt you’ll take any chances or take a stranger at her word. I knew that coming in.”

Claw blinked twice, some of the fury flickering from his face. I guess he expected me to cry or plead for my life.

It was Liam that spoke. “You knew that coming in?” he repeated, slowly, purposefully.

Still, I didn’t look at him. I nodded. “I’ve known that on every story I’ve ever covered that there’s a chance, a high one, that I won’t be alive to write it.”

Another flinch. I saw it from the corner of my eye. Then his fist slammed down on the table. Even Claw jumped, not expecting it. I didn’t move. Because I was half expecting a gunshot.

Hansen was unflapped too. He was regarding me with furrowed brows. “You’ve done your research. You see a lot. And no, I cannot take you at your word, because you’ve proven that you’re willing to lie to the club for personal gain.”