He put his badge in his jacket. “Nothing untoward here. Just curious as to what a journalist is doing so heavily involved with an outlaw motorcycle gang that does not take kindly to rats,” he said.
“Club,” I corrected without thinking. “They’re a club. Not a gang.”
He smiled wider. “Ah, so you’re obviously fond of the club. The fact they’ve kept you around shows they’re fond of you.” He paused. “I wonder if they’ll be so fond if they found out that you were writing a story on them.”
I narrowed my eyes. Was this guy for freaking real? “What do you want from me, Detective?” I said instead of replying to the open threat.
“I just want you to know, that you can make a statement at the same time as writing a story.” He glanced outside where Elden was leaning against the door of the SUV he drove me in. Liam had made a directive that I was not to be on anyone’s bike but his. I didn’t fight him on it.
I was done fighting with him.
“I’m not interested in making a statement, that’s the whole point of being a journalist, I don’t take sides.” I tried to move and leave him standing there surrounded by tampons, but he moved to block my way.
“Ah, but it looks to me that you’ve taken sides,” he said, no longer smiling. “What would that do to your stellar reputation as being one of the fairest journalists out there?”
I gritted my teeth. “You’re brave,” I said instead of replying to that.
“For going after a criminal organization that spans the country and who we suspect to be running weapons illegally throughout the country? That’s justice, ma’am.”
“No, that’s not brave. Nor is it justice, by the looks of the way you’re going about it. It’s stupidity. What’s brave is you walking up to me, seeing what I’m holding in my hand, obviously using your detective skills to deduce what time of the month it is, and with prior knowledge of me facing off with men much more intimidating than you, and with all of that information, you still decide to threaten and accost me. You deserve a medal for that, Detective.”
On that, I pushed past him and went to pay for my tampons.
“No women in church,” Claw growled as I flung the door open, somehow skirting the prospect that had tried to stop me doing so. It’s not like he had much time to react when I all but jumped out of the moving car and rushed into the clubhouse. I’d intended to go to Liam, but the doors to church were closed. So I did what I always did when men shut themselves in a room to discuss things and tried to bar me from the conversation, I bowled right in.
All of the men stopped whatever they’d been talking about to put their hands on their guns and prepare for a threat. Even though there was no way a threat was just going to waltz through the door with all the security they had.
“Well, since the 19th amendment granted the women the right to vote, we’ve been in the cabinet since 1933, have been able to serve in the military, allowed autonomy over our own bodies when we got birth control in 1960, we’ve been in space since Sally Ride went up there in 1983, I think we can say that my vagina isn’t stopping me from stepping into any place I want,” I shot, raising my eyebrow in challenge at the men in the room.
My gaze touched on Liam, the corner of his mouth turned up in amusement or appreciation, I wasn’t sure.
“I was threatened today,” I said.
Liam lost all amusement.
He prowled over to me. “What the fuck?” he hissed, glaring at Elden. “Where the fuck were you?” he demanded. He didn’t wait for the answer, he snatched my upper arms, searching my body for something.
“I said I was threatened, not assaulted,” I clarified.
That didn’t make him let me go. “Fernandez?” he hissed.
“Nope,” I replied.
He froze. It was bad enough when a threat they were expecting made it through their defense, these guys didn’t do well with the unknown.
“This one was on the other side of the law.”
The air in the room turned wired.
Liam let me go. He turned to Hansen. “Whose radar are we on?”
Hansen clenched his fists. “No one’s.”
“If I may?” I interrupted.
Hansen’s eyes widened slightly, but he nodded for me to speak.
“I know it’s meant to be clandestine and I’m not meant to actually know this, but you’re currently engaged in a war with one of the biggest human traffickers in the world,” I said, stating the obvious. “And you’re engaging in this was as any outlaw would, with killing, torture. And surely he’ll do the same. Because he’s an outlaw too.” I paused, looking from Liam to Hansen. “But he’s also a monster. One that has connections with other monsters inside the law.”