Circle of Death (22 page)

“The two men who flagged Dev down in the casino,” Juliet says, thinking out loud. “Were they preppy guys? Real slick and well kept? One with light hair, the other dark?”

“Yeah...Yeah, they were,” I say, recalling the scene of last night. “Do you know them?”

“They sound like these two guys who came sniffing around the Circle of Death headquarters before we headed out here,” she says, her eyes narrowing. “From what Packer tells me, they were trying to recruit the MC to run jobs for some big company. The Leviathan Corporation, that’s what it was.”

“What would some huge corporation want with a gang of outlaws?” I ask.

“Distribution. Sounds like Leviathan has some less-than-legal product it wants moved along the East Coast. They’ve been hounding our boys for months.”

“Dev mentioned some group that was trying to buy off a smaller Circle of Death chapter...” I say, putting the pieces together. “Do you think that was Leviathan, too?”

“I wouldn’t be surprised,” Juliet scowls.

“Can you ask Packer if he knows anything?” I plead, “I don’t even know where Dev is right now.”

“That’s the thing,” Juliet says, shaking her head, “I was coming to see if Dev knew where Packer had run off to. He slipped out of the room about an hour ago, and I can’t find him anywhere. I can’t find any of the brothers, for that matter.”

“Oh my god,” I breathe, “Do you think something’s happened to them?”

“No,” Juliet says confidently. “They’re the Circle of Death. Things don’t catch them off guard. My guess is that they’re convening somewhere out of reach, figuring out how to proceed. If Leviathan is getting this aggressive, it might be time to take some serious action.”

“What kind of action?” I ask, almost afraid to know the answer.

“Getting off this rock, for starters,” Juliet says. “We’re going to want to get as far away from those fuckers as possible. They’re not just some big shot conglomeration looking for some creative distribution strategies. The stuff they’re into is fucked up. They’re not just running drugs and guns. They’re running girls, too.”

“Girls? Like trafficked girls?” I ask incredulously.

“Exactly,” Juliet says, nodding solemnly. “Devlin would never let the MC get mixed up in that shit. But if Leviathan has no qualms about kidnapping underage girls and selling them off one by one, I’m sure they won’t be shy about their methods of intimidating us into working with them. Or trying, at least.”

“We’re not safe here, are we?” I ask, my voice quiet with encroaching fear.

“Not as long as Leviathan is here too,” Juliet confirms, gripping my hands tightly in hers.

“Do you think...that’s why Dev was trying to scare me back to the mainland?” I ask, hope cutting through my terror. “Was he just trying to keep me safe by getting me on tonight’s boat?”

“That’s my guess,” Juliet nods.

I let out a relieved sound that’s as much of a sob as it is a laugh. I knew Devlin was trying to drive me away on purpose. He wanted me out of harm’s way if things went south with this shadowy corporation. He was just trying to protect me, even if it meant hurting me in the process. That means he still cares about me...or did, until I went and told him about the article. Now it’s anyone’s guess whether he’ll even be able to forgive me.

“We have to find the guys,” I say resolutely, “Just let me change, and—”

“If the brothers have gone off somewhere to meet, we won’t be able to find them,” Juliet tells me.

“Well then, what the hell are we supposed to do?!” I cry.

“Last I checked, you had a boat to catch,” Juliet says with quiet resolution.

I stare at her, uncomprehending. “You...you want me to leave, too?” I ask.

“I want you to be safe,” she corrects me, laying a hand on my cheek. “You’re my baby sister, Logan. If anything happened to you here, under my watch, I’d never forgive myself. If Dev thinks it’s best for you to get back to the mainland for now, I trust his judgment.”

“But what about you?” I shoot back, “What about your safety?”

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but I’ve been dealing with bad guys for years now,” she laughs, “I know how to take care of myself. You’ve only just stepped into this life. You’re not ready to face the worst of it head on.”

“You don’t know what I’m capable of,” I say quietly, my voice steely with determination.

“And you don’t know what these Leviathan fuckers are capable of,” she says sternly. “Please, Logan. Just do as Devlin says and head back to Boston. When things calm down, we’ll find you again. You can come along with us, just like we planned.”

“You can’t promise me that,” I say, shaking my head.

“Yes I can,” she says fiercely, her dark eyes blazing. “I’ve already lost you once, Logan. I’m not going to do it again.”

She pulls me into a swift hug, and I wrap my arms around her slender body. We hold each other tightly, wrapping up our promise in this embrace. I know that I should listen to Dev and Juliet, head back home until things calm down. They know what’s best, here. I have to trust that.

“All right,” I whisper. “I’ll go.”

Chapter Twenty

Devlin

Earlier That Morning…

I black out for the better part of the night. Between my encounter with Lester Klein, the strain of feigning indifference to the most incredible woman I’ve ever met, and her wrecking ball of a confession, it feels like the entire world is crumbling beneath my feet. I’m not sure how long I tear through the forest after leaving Logan’s room. All I know is that the sun has already risen by the time I get my wits about me again. I find myself standing at a far corner of the rock, looking out across the choppy Atlantic. I’ve wasted enough time in this thick fog of rage. It’s time for action.

Holding my ground at this secluded corner, I shoot off a few texts summoning my brothers to me. I make sure not to mention specifics—god knows, Leviathan could be monitoring our phones, too. As the Circle of Death mobilizes, I scope out the surrounding woods for cameras and microphones. There aren’t any that I can find, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t really there. After seeing that bank of monitors in Klein’s office, I’m not taking anything for granted.

One by one, my men appear out of the woods. The day is still new, but the second they catch sight of my set jaw, they wake up right quick. I don’t have to say a word to telegraph to them that serious shit is going down. When Otis, the slowest-moving of our members, finally arrives, it’s time to convene. I beckon the men as close to the crashing waves as possible, hoping the sound will drown out our conversation should the woods be bugged.

“What’s going on, Dev?” asks Packer, his brow stormy.

“Nothing good,” I reply gruffly. “I ran into some old friends of ours last night. The Leviathan reps who showed up to headquarters. They introduced me to their boss, Lester Klein, who was pretty insistent that I rethink my decision to stay away from the corporation.”

“Pretty insistent?” asks Dean, crossing his arms. “What does that mean?”

“Not scared to shove a few handguns in my face, for starters,” I tell the men. “And certainly not above threatening us and our people.”

“We should let The Club know they’ve got a vermin problem,” Leon snarls.

“I’m sure they wouldn’t take too kindly to a bunch of suits threatening us on their rock,” Lobo goes on.

“I get the feeling that The Club is well aware of Leviathan’s presence. Klein has a mother-fucking office in the watchtower, there.”

As one, the brothers’ gazes swing up to the imposing tower, looming over the tree tops.

“We’re going to need to move up our departure time,” I tell the men.

“That’s for fucking sure,” Otis nods.

“What’s the plan, then?” Xan asks, “Sounds like The Club isn’t too welcoming of unannounced arrivals and departures.”

“That’s true. The docks are watched pretty carefully around here,” I reply.

“We came here in our own damned boat,” Brutus says gruffly, “Let’s just jump in and get the fuck out of here.”

“The Club docks guests’ boats way out in the water,” I reply. “It’s like a goddamn yacht valet service. Luckily, we know the man holding all the keys.”

“Titan,” Packer says.

“Exactly,” I reply, “The gatekeeper. He’s a former outlaw himself. He’ll be sympathetic to our needs.”

“So, what’s the plan?” Chip asks eagerly.

“There’s a yacht of schoolgirls coming in tonight,” I tell the men. “That will be our cover. After all the kiddies have come ashore, we’ll all board, highjack the yacht and drive it out to where our boat is anchored. We’ll jump into our own boat, make sure the captain of the yacht keeps quiet, and get the fuck out of here before Leviathan can stop us. If we wait until morning, I know they’ll have put us on lockdown.”

“What if they’re ready for us to pull something like this?” Dean asks.

“That’s what we have guns for, my friend,” I say grimly.

Silence descends on the group. None of us were expecting a battle when we came out here for a retreat.

“I’m sorry it’s come to this,” I tell the guys, “But I’m sure this is the best way out. All we’ve got to do is make it to our boat, and we’ll be home free.”

“What about our girls?” Leon asks, “We’ve got a couple of sweet butts to worry about.”

“Not to mention Jules and Logan,” Packer points out.

“We can’t fill those two in on the plan until it’s underway,” I say sternly. “Logan knows she’s getting on that yacht, but not that we’ll be there too.”

“Why not just tell her, so we can have a clean game plan?” Lobo asks. “There can’t be any room for confusion, here.”

“Klein threatened to kill her if I didn’t cooperate,” I snap. “I had to stage a whole blowout in our suite for the security cameras’ benefit. They won’t hurt her if they think she and I are through. She has to think I’m done with her. Packer, you’ve got to keep Jules in the dark, too. If they’re ready to hurt Logan, they’ll be ready to hurt her too.”

“All right,” Packer says reluctantly, “But I don’t usually keep things from my old lady.”

“Just tell her she needs to make sure Logan gets on the yacht. That will get her down to the dock,” I offer. “I know this is a shit situation boys, but we’ll make it through.”

“Of course we will,” Otis growls.

“We’re the Circle of fuckin’ Death,” Xan adds.

“No way we can’t outsmart a bunch of fucking suits,” Leon goes on.

I look around at my assembled brothers, each one ready to follow my lead. My splintered heart swells with pride. I can’t think about what happens after we make our escape from this goddamn rock. Whether or not there’s still any future for Logan and I now, after last night’s revelations. We can figure that out when we’re safe again. We will be safe again.

“The yacht will be here at 9PM,” I tell my brothers. “Be outside of the walls of The Club, ready to move by then. Leave behind anything you’ve brought, we can’t have Leviathan knowing that we’re getting ready to move. This is our one shot to get out before they’ve locked down the island. Let’s not blow it.”

“We won’t, Dev,” Packer says, clapping me on the shoulder. “You can count on us.”

“Fucking right I can,” I grin. “Get back to The Club. Live it up for the next few hours, because this place is about to be far behind us.”

Just as they arrived, the men stalk away, staggering their paths so that no suspicions are aroused. Only Packer remains behind with me, standing at the rocky shore of the island.

“Be straight with me, Dev,” he says, looking out beyond the breakers. “What kind of a shot do we have at getting off this rock unharmed?”

“Honestly Packer, I have no fucking idea,” I admit, my teeth gritted. “Klein and his boys aren’t alone on this island. Who knows how many of The Club’s employees belong to Leviathan, this island is probably owned by the corp. I don’t know who I can trust, save for you boys. But this is our best shot. That you can believe.”

“I do,” Packer nods. “You know I’ll follow wherever you lead, Dev.”

“I know,” I tell him, “And I thank you for that. Now get on back and make sure Jules is ready to go. She’ll want to make sure Logan gets on the yacht when it rolls in, but no need to tell her that we’ll all be getting on, too. She and Logan are practically telepathic. We can’t let either of them know the whole truth yet.”

Packer nods wordlessly and turns to go. I know he’s uncomfortable lying to his old lady, even if it’s only a lie of omission. But Logan has to think that she’s out of my life. If Klein doesn’t see her looking distraught, beside herself, he’ll know that he can still use her to hurt me. And that is not going to happen. Not if I can help it.

Now I have to put on a happy face, let Leviathan think they’ve got a shot at wooing me. Reluctant to leave my remote corner of the world, I turn to trudge back to The Club.