CHAOS (A Lords of Sin MC Novel) (Motorcycle Club Bad Boy Romance) (15 page)

“Amber, do you see this?” I gasped.

“Yeah.” She looked at the carving in Skeeter’s back. “Don’t all of the Lords have their own symbol?”

“No, and if they did, it wouldn’t look like this.”

“Like what?”

“When they become a fully patched member, they get a tattoo, but he was only a prospect so he wouldn’t have the tat yet. This was carved with a knife, like the other victims.”

“You know, if it weren’t for you pointing these symbols out, I probably wouldn’t have picked up on it, and I sure as hell wouldn’t have known what it meant if you hadn’t explained it to me.”

Her comment got me thinking. Who would have access to that information? Besides the MCs and law enforcement, I couldn’t think of anyone else who would recognize the various symbols of the MCs. The Lords of Sin had been actively working with the other local coalitions, and they seemed genuine in getting to the bottom of things. Nothing made sense anymore. Matty said all along he’d suspected that Chaos was behind everything, but I knew that wasn’t true. And even if I would have ever doubted him, there was no way he’d murder one of his own, especially Skeeter. He’d been a hang around for a long time, according to Chaos, and he’d sponsored him from the very beginning. When I first started hanging around the MC, he gave me a lot of insight on all of the members—prospects included. I felt terrible about how torn up he looked when he saw Skeeter’s corpse on my exam table. The look on his face was pure devastation. I’d never seen him look so defeated and withdrawn. I’m sure Matty chiming in didn’t help the situation, he’d been quite the jackass.

Even with everything going on, I had problems of my own. While working on Skeeter’s autopsy, I kept replaying the voice message in my head.
Who would have access to the club’s symbols and knowledge that I was Chaos’s old lady?
He’d made it official with the club that I was his old lady, but I hadn’t said a word to anyone. I don’t know what scared the hell out of me more: that someone new my status within the club or the fact that they had access to me—or at least my phone number at the office. Hopefully that’s all they have access to. Suddenly, I felt unsafe as I wondered what else they knew about me.
Was it someone only trying to scare me? Or was it someone who wanted to hurt me?
I’m pretty confident that I made the right decision telling Troy about the message, but what if I didn’t? For a second—just a
second
—I considered telling Matty, but decided against it. I could picture him tracing it back and fudging the info to pin it on Chaos, and right now, that might be all the protection I have. I couldn’t risk him being behind bars. On a whim, I decided to give Matty a call and ask him to come to the lab to play nice with him for a change, soften him a bit. It didn’t take long for him to come running either. He was back in my office within the hour.

“Did you find any new information about the prospect?” his tone was clipped and cool. It was evident that I’d pissed him off.

“Actually, yes. I know that you and I see things differently, but I really want us to work together and get along.”

“If you think I’m letting you back in the loop in these investigations, you’re nuts!”

“Look Matty, I wouldn’t ask you to do anything that would jeopardize these homicides. I only want to offer my help. You don’t have to tell me anything.”

His facial expression began to relax and soften. It was like a light bulb went off in that thick head of his. His furrowed eyebrows eased up, his tense jaw unclenched and his posture stooped a little. Those beady eyes of his even twinkled a bit.
And I’m back in!

“You see,” I continued, “Amber pointed something out to me today that I’d not thought of.” He was listening intently, hanging on to my every word like a lost puppy. “She made the comment about how she wouldn’t have known what the symbols were if I hadn’t told her. Who else might know more about the MC world than just the MCs? Are there any gangs who have beef with any of them? Or an ex-member who might be trying to stir the pot?”

My questions seemed to perplex him. He was in deep thought, his hand rubbing his chin as he swayed back and forth on his heels. “You know, I honestly hadn’t thought of an ex-member or any of the local gangs.”

“It was an idea. I don’t know that I’m on to anything, but it had crossed my mind.”

“I’ll look into those avenues and see what turns up, though I’m not so sure about those ideas.”

Good, as long as Troy’s not under the microscope, that’s all I care about.
Showing him that there might be other things to consider could buy Troy some time to figure things out, and give the Lords a break while they’re trying to bury one of their own. “I’m sure you will. Thanks Matty.” I leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.
Hey, I might as well go all out!

§

At the clubhouse that night, there was only one prospect manning the gate—Griffin. His slumped posture and sad eyes said he’d already heard the news about Skeeter. Giving him a half-hearted smile, I waved as he opened the gates. The clubhouse was silent and motionless, the complete opposite of the loud, thumping music, dancing and pool tournaments that were usually taking place. Chaos was sitting at the bar with Vic and Zipper, drinking beer as they reminisced about Skeeter. I slid into the barstool next to him.

“How’s it goin?”

“Shit’s been better, I can tell you that. You get his autopsy all finished up?”

“Yeah, sorry I didn’t call you. I came straight over after work.” I scanned the quiet room, everyone was within earshot. “Can we go somewhere to talk?”

He pushed out his chair and nodded toward the corridor leading to his room. Once the door was shut, he slumped down in the chair, rubbing his temples. “Lay it on me, babe.”

I filled him in with the rest of the information I learned from the autopsy, the broken ribs, fractured sternum, the crushed hyoid bone and the ligature marks. Pain filled his face as I told him all the details. “Jesus, I thought it was bad enough looking at his face.”

“I know.”

Sitting on his bed, I told him about the remark that Amber had made during the autopsy and what I’d said to Matty. He was pissed that I’d consulted with him, but when I explained why, he understood.

“Fuck, babe. I don’t know what to fucking do. Losing Skeeter really fucked my head up. Those guys from the other MCs, they didn’t mean shit to me, but Skeeter, he was my boy. I hand picked him myself. And now this shit with you and the voicemail, I don’t know what to think anymore.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to put all of this on you, but it’s just that—I’m scared. Honest to God fucking scared. If they can do that to a biker, what will they do to me?”

“Babe, you don’t ever have to worry about that.” He took a deep breath and let out a sigh. “I’m gonna tell you something, but you cannot—I mean
DO NOT
—repeat this to that fucking pig, okay?” I slowly nodded my head, not sure if I really wanted to hear what he was about to tell me. I suddenly knew how he felt earlier this morning when I led him into the lab to show him Skeeter’s body. “We got some intel that there’s another MC trying to move in on our area. Our club was supposed to go stake it out today, see what dirt we could dig up, but I decided to go on my own last night.” I gasped, thinking of what danger he’d put himself in by doing that. “Chill out. Anyway, they’re setting up shop down on Fifth Street so I went there. While I was there, I got the feeling someone was watching me. Sure enough, it was Skeeter.” My head cocked in confusion as I tried to figure out where this story was going. “Drew had seen me leaving last night and I guess he figured I was up to somethin’ so he sent Skeeter to trail me.”

“Oh my God, I don’t know if—”

“Listen, babe. Let me tell you my story. The other MC, their name is the Dirty Dozen—they’re out of Shaver Lake—and they were setting up shit in this abandoned warehouse. I was watching them right before I spotted Skeeter. He told me what he was doing so I gave him some shit. I told him that if he wanted to watch someone, he could watch them. It’d be a way to show the club he’s in it one-hundred percent, he could earn his top rocker by bringing back anything he saw. Ya know?”

“Mmm, not sure where this is going.”
Nor do I want to know!

“Matt said something in the lab that really made my hair stand on end. He asked who was the last person to see Skeeter alive.” I looked at him, my eyebrows shot up. I already knew the answer. “It was me. I left him there, alone. And then I went home, had a beer and headed to bed.”

“Well that doesn’t make you guilty of murder. You think it was the Dirty Dozen? Maybe they saw him or something?”

“That’s what the club’s trying to figure out right now.”

“Wait a minute.” A million thoughts were clouding my mind, but one stood out from all the rest. “That doesn’t make any sense.” I shook my head. “Nope, not any sense! How would the Dirty Dozen know that I do the autopsies and that I’m involved with the Lords? And have access to my work number?”

He thought it over for a minute, taking a long drink from his bottled beer. “I don’t know. Anyone can look up the number to the medical examiner’s office.”

“And listen to the menu prompts to get my extension? Why not Amber’s extension or our clerk, Mr. Evans, who makes copies of the death certificates and handles the calls? Why me?”

“That’s something we’ll have to figure out together, babe. For now, I think it’s best that you camp out here for a while until we get to the bottom of things.”

I looked around his dirty, dusty room with stale sheets crumpled on the bed. It wasn’t exactly what you’d call “homey” or comfortable. The place wreaked of beer and cigarette smoke—and that’s when they weren’t blazing up joints, blunts and bowls. Hell, when you walked through the place your feet stuck to the floor half the time from God knows what that was stuck to the tile and concrete. Not that my place was the Hilton, but it was clean…all right, semi-clean and it didn’t stink. At least at home, the sheets were fresh, the floors were clean and I had a nice shower to get in to.

“I appreciate the offer, but I’d rather stay at my place. Why don’t you stay with me instead?”

“No, Raven. I need to be here with the club. What if something happens and we need to head out ASAP?”

“You have a phone.”

“You’re staying here. End of story.”

“I’ve been pretty compliant with all of your demands and requests. The least you can do is let me be comfortable in my own home. I’m not staying here.”

“How do you expect me to keep you safe? If I’m not here with the club, I can’t do my job, which means I’m not protecting anybody. I’m the enforcer here and—”

“I know, what you say goes. But I’m not staying here.”

“Don’t tempt fate, babe. If you don’t wanna wind up like the guys you work on, you’ll be staying here with me. Now let’s get in that foreign piece of shit you drive, go to your house and get you some clothes.”

I looked at him not quite sure what to say. He was dead serious and there was no budging him on this one. Before I could contemplate my next move, he scooped me up like an infant, carrying me in both arms. “I said
NOW!”

Kicking and yelling at him to put me down, he made his way through the Commons with me and carried me out to my car with everyone staring. Embarrassed, I pouted in the car as he tossed me into the passenger seat and drove off the lot. Lecturing me on the way to my house, he told me how foolish I was being and what a pain in the ass I was.

“You wouldn’t like it if someone told you that you couldn’t live in your own house and made you stay someplace you didn’t like.”

“I’m not the one needing protection, babe. You’re my old lady and you’re gonna listen to what I say. Plain and simple, that’s just how it is. If you don’t like it, you’ll have to learn to get over it.”

Pulling up to my house, we got out and stood on the porch as he fumbled with my keys.

“Here, let me” I took them from his hand and unlocked the door.

“Pack what you need.” He said as he walked into my bedroom and started rummaging through my closet. After finding a duffel bag, he threw it on the bed and began unzipping it. “Bring about a week’s worth of clothes and whatever girly shit you use to goop up your face. I don’t wanna have to make extra trips back here because you forgot your black purse instead of the tan one or whatever favorite shoes you like to wear. We won’t be coming back until you’re completely out of clothes.”

“You aren’t really going to force me to stay with you.” I was trying to call his bluff, but it wasn’t working. He reached into my underwear drawer and started tossing socks, bras and panties in my bag. “All right! I’ll pack.” Shit, the way he was tossing stuff in there, I’d never have to come back. As I was getting clothes out of my closet, I noticed him laying on the bed watching me with a grin on his face.