Ties That Bind (Ruthless Sinners MC 1)

“You know why.”

“Tell me.”

I looked down at Delilah, relishing her lust-filled eyes, and I couldn’t imagine wanting a woman more. Even though I wanted to tell her the truth, I couldn’t. “I was doing my job.”

“That’s not the only reason, and you know it.”

My memory of our exchange was cut short when I pulled through the gate and found Axel outside talking with Viper. As soon as I was parked, I went over and asked, “Is everything still going down as planned?”

“Yeah. We’re planning to head out soon,” Axel answered. “Where you been?”

“I had some business to tend to.”

A smirk crossed his face. “Your business have something to do with your girl being out partying last night?”

“Menace has a big fucking mouth.”

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

Concern crossed Viper’s face as he warned, “This isn’t the time for distractions, brother.”

“It’s been taken care of.”

“Good to hear.” When Shotgun came out with Danny in tow, Viper started walking towards the SUV. “Let’s get this thing done.”

It was a seven-hour drive to Texarkana, so it was no surprise that Viper was eager to get on the road. In order to avoid any unwanted suspicions, we’d gone by Danny’s place earlier and picked up his car. Shotgun and Danny got in it. With Widow driving, Viper, Axel, Menace, and I followed close behind as they pulled through the gate and out onto the main road. The guys were quiet as we made our way to the interstate, and they remained silent as we crossed the Tennessee state line into Arkansas, giving me time to get lost in my thoughts once again. I found myself thinking of the moment when Delilah had pushed me to tell her the real reason why I’d shown up at the bar. I never actually said the words. Instead, I kissed her, hoping that and what followed would be enough of an answer for her, and it was—at least for the time being. I had a feeling that she would push me to my limits at every turn, but it wasn’t something I couldn’t handle. This thing with her might be new terrain for me, but she’d learn soon enough that I was a man who could only be pushed so far.

My focus was drawn back to the brothers when Widow asked, “So, when we get this guy back to Nashville, what do you think he’s gonna say? I mean ... you really think he’s the one who’s behind all this bullshit, or are we gonna have to take it a step further?”

“Won’t know until Shotgun has a go with him.”

Viper was right. We had no idea what the days ahead would hold until we got this guy to talk, and I had a feeling it was going to take some real persuasion on Shotgun’s part to get him to tell us exactly what had gone down, especially knowing what was coming to him the second he opened his mouth. Either we’d kill him for swindling us, or his distributor would feed him his balls for ratting him out. The guy was in a no-win situation, and while that might make it more difficult for Shotgun to get him talking, none of us were worried. We all knew he’d do whatever it took to get the information we needed.

When we got closer to the meet location, Shotgun pulled the car over and got in the SUV with us. Danny was wired so we could listen to every word that was said between him and Miller. Menace had also set him up with an earpiece, in case we needed to intervene. As soon as Danny pulled off, Menace got on his mic and warned, “Don’t try anything stupid. Make the exchange and leave everything else to us. Understood?”

“Understood.”

We followed him a mile down the road, and when he turned off down a deserted road, Widow eased back, giving some distance between our vehicles. As planned, Danny drove behind the old, abandoned Whistle Stop and Go car wash and parked. As we drove by, we noticed a thick wooded area directly behind the car wash—a perfect place for us to hide out during the exchange. Once we were certain Danny was in position, we drove several blocks down the street and parked the SUV behind an empty warehouse. Knowing we didn’t have much time, we quickly got out and headed towards the woods, making sure we were close enough to make our move but far enough to not be seen. We’d just gotten settled, when a black Mercedes pulled up to Danny. Danny got out of the car, and as he approached the Mercedes, he was greeted by a tall Hispanic male with long black hair and a thick, burly beard. Listening through his wire, we heard the man ask, “What the fuck happened to you?”