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I found her upstairs in Royal Road sitting with Opry at one of the tables, a map spread out between them. Dressed and looking well rested, she left the basement way earlier by the looks of her. Her hair was damn perfect. Did she have her nails done differently?
Taking her by the arm, I carted her up from her seat.
She yelped.
Opry complained.
“I just need a minute,” I said to him, tearing her away to the corner to talk.
“Who let you go? Are you working with someone?”
“I let myself go. What? You don’t think I can get out of some cheap chains? I’m a goddamn contortionist.”
“You said you ain’t that good.”
Her eyes rolled back. “Newsflash, I lied.”
Noticing Opry’s glare, I walked her outside, out to the edge of the tree line so no one could overhear us. To them we would look like two lovers arguing.
“What else have you lied about?” I asked, even though I’d read her texts to Killer, the leader of my enemies. “And where have you been?”
“Been in the city this morning with the other girls, having a spa day.” Maren wiggled her fingers, showing off her new black nails. “I’m not sure they’ll last till Halloween.”
Shit. She even left the property. Smelled like a million bucks, too. Bitch was fucking gorgeous as always, made what I planned to do to her all the harder.
“I can out you right now,” I informed her. “You’ll look pretty in your casket.”
“But you said you wouldn't if I fucked you. I took that big dick of yours. You’re welcome.”
“Barely. I notice you can walk today. Maybe you are a whore.”
“Fuck you. Paisley slipped me a pain pill. I woke up sore as all get out because of your mutant dick.”
“Could’ve been worse. I could’ve killed you like you deserve.”
Maren crossed her arms. “You said you’d let me live.”
“That's before I read your texts.”
Fear crept up, taking over her smug look. Her chest heaved, moving her arms. I could only think of her amazing tits.
“You know our plans?”
“Killer wanted you to make me fall in love with you?” I asked, my confusion clear in my voice.
“Yeah.”
“Nice job,” I said, laughing.
“I didn’t have time. You were off babysitting that basket case of a President.”
“Why wait until afterwards to tell me you're a spy? Why was that part of his plans?”
“I don’t fucking know. To hurt you the most, I guess. I’m only a prospect. Do you think a man like Killer is taking my advice? I’m nothing to him.”
“He told you I would kill you. And you were willing to do that? Die?”
She snorted. “Hell no. My plan always was to escape your wrath somehow.”
Her naivety infuriated me. Seizing her arms, I took a hold of her. “How the fuck do you think you would escape me if I wanted to kill you?”
“I escaped last night. Didn’t I?”
“I won't make that mistake again. You’re not leaving my sight.”
“What are you gonna do about that when you’re guarding your President?”
“He's shacked up with his Ol’ Lady now. He ain't leaving her anytime soon. The girl is still healing up. I've got all the time in the world to keep an eye on you. Now back to Killer and his plan. I already know, but I wanna hear more. Your life depends on it.”
“Just kill me now,” she said, testing me.
“I won’t. I won’t kill you. I’ll just tell my brothers about a spy, and you’ll have fifty men wanting a piece of you. I doubt they’d kill you right away. But if you liked last night, maybe that’s what you want, to be raped and tortured out in our barn. You’d rather be dead.”
Maren scowled, pouted but looked a bit excited. Fuck. She was nuttier than squirrel shit. But maybe not. Thankfully, she gave me what I wanted.
“I told you I don’t know much, but from what I understand, Killer needs an excuse to slaughter everybody in this club. He's looking for the right to do it. His boss demands it.”
“You’re talking about Scar, that young pussy.”
He sounded just like our Prez, looking for a justification. A way to enact his vengeance without getting his hands too dirty. They wanted no retaliation. Fucking pussies.
“I reckon. The President of their Mother Chapter has his own rules, and all the Chapters of the Asphalt Gods MC are bound by them. They run a tight ship.”
Goddamn, I’m glad no one micromanaged us but Kingpin.
“They didn’t used to run a tight anything,” I said. “When they killed my sister, the General was in charge of Killer and let him run wild.”
“Yeah, Killer doesn’t want to start a war only because his new superior doesn’t want one. He’s thirsting for revenge. But Scar would replace him in a heartbeat.”
“Revenge for what?”
“Y’all running him out of Tennessee. Humiliating him.”
“He killed my sister all because one of his men impregnated my wife, twice, and once I found out I beat him to a bloody pulp. Running his club out of the state was fucking mercy.”
“Just so you know, I didn’t know any of this when I took the job. Nothing about your sister. Or your wife.”
“Went in blind, did you? Agreed to kill a whole mess of innocent strangers for nothing. And they call me a monster.”
“I was told you would murder anyone who claimed to be associated with my motorcycle club. You admitted as much. How are you any better than me or Killer?”
“You think I’d kill someone I fell in love with?”
“By all accounts you would. You said so yourself, you’d kill one of their women to hurt them. You wanted to kill Eve.”
“Well, it's a good thing I didn't fall in love with you.”
“I'm not even one of their women. I'm one of them, a prospect. A patched member if I had succeeded. An Asphalt God in my own right. I don't belong to any man in their club. They have their whores but also a place for women who ride and can fight.”
“We have them too. Our Ol’ Ladies.”
“Your Ol’ Ladies? Just like your Ol’ Lady. She was out banging the rival club for a reason. Maybe she wanted a man who was faithful.”
“No, she was just another whore. Just like most of the women around here. Just like you.”
“Well, I'm not a whore, I'm a biker.”
“You’re still Killer’s whore.”
“I'm probate which means I will do anything for my club to earn my patch. Just like any man. Just like you did. You’re Kingpin’s whore.”
I sure as hell wasn’t. Not anymore. “Since when can you ride or fight?”
“You don’t know anything about...”
“Spooky, is it? Why that road name?”
She blew out of her nose like a bull. “It’s a long story. Let’s just say I have demons that push me past my limits.”
“Why should I let you live?” I asked her, but I was really asking myself.
“That's up to you.”
Part of me wanted to kill her. But she wouldn’t matter much to Killer and his club. But yeah, she’d be an excuse for them to wipe us out. Just like Eve would’ve been. It bothered me to no end that Kingpin had been right about leaving her alone.
Maren perplexed me. She hadn’t had a hand in my sister’s murder, and she had no idea what those men were capable of. However, ignorance wasn’t a defense. She came to Royal Road planning to kill this whole damn club.
“Why are you even still here?” I asked.
She had the chance this morning getting her nails done to disappear. Was she still loyal to the Gods?
“Do you think I can return to Arkansas without completing my mission? Fireball is here in Nashville watching me. And there’s another spy here too, at Royal Road.”
“Don’t worry about Fireball.”
“What did you do with him?”
I wouldn’t tell her I got what I could from him, gave him some false information and he escaped me. I hoped he took the information back to Killer. I was sure he wouldn’t reveal what info he gave up to me. He’d get his ass kicked for it.
I focused on something else she said. “Another spy. Who told you that?”
“Killer. You read his texts. You have to read between the lines with him.”
I didn’t tell her we hadn’t recovered them all. “Why would you believe anything he says? I saw that he assured you he’d only be killing the men here. What did you think he’d do with the women and children he found?”
Maren put her hands on her hips. She grimaced. “Honestly, and I am being truthful, I really hadn’t thought about it until I got here. I was only following orders. I signed up to prospect.” Looking dejected, she wrung her hands. “See, I’m a bit impulsive. Manic, really. But I'm loyal. Frankly, I didn't know what being probate would entail. I didn't know what Killer would demand of me. I thought I was going to be fucking cleaning toilets. And getting hazed. Even doing something illegal but not killing anyone. I had no idea he would send me on a suicide mission. But I know better now. I also know something else, if it doesn’t seem like I have you in the palm of my hand, the Gods are likely to kill me off. They have someone here watching me who is likely to take me down. You've got to help me.”
“I don't have to do nothing. You think I'm gonna put my whole club in danger for you?”
“Tell them right now then. You said what would happen to me. What the Royal Bastards will do to me. You act like I'm horrible, when this club would do exactly the same to me, the same thing the Gods did to your sister.”
After seeing Kingpin kill that nurse, Penelope so easily, without a second thought, I knew the club would have no mercy on a spy even if it was Maren. Prez proved more brutal when it came to his wife and child.
And besides, I'd already planned to use her myself. I knew Killer’s plans now. I knew Maren was supposed to call them to our club once I tried to kill her. Therefore, I would make a move when she least expected it. I’d scare her. I’d let her escape with her phone. Let her contact the Gods. But me and my brothers would be ready for them.
Nonetheless with her helping Opry with this damn Halloween carnival, I couldn't do it anytime soon. I'd have to wait until after Halloween. Or fuck, on Halloween. I’d tell my boys to be ready. When the Gods got here, we would kill them instead. I would lure the enemy in just like they wanted, but they all would die.
Maren would be my bait. I’d set my snare, but she couldn’t know.
I lifted her chin. My expression tempered. “Maren, you don't know anything about me. I wouldn't do that to you. I wouldn’t let my brothers hurt you,” I lied. Stepping in close, I seized her in my arms like I had before. “You're not one of them. Not yet. I'll keep your secret for now. But they killed my sister. If I help you, you can help me get my revenge on them.”
Her body collapsed against me. “Oh, thank god. I’ll help you if you continue to play like we’re together.”
“It’s a deal,” I said into her soft hair. I couldn't trust her.
I knew something else after interrogating Fireball. There were enough Asphalt Gods in the area to be here quickly. I just needed Maren to throw them off my scent. Taking a step back, I studied her face. She’d bought my act. I gave her back her phone.
“Good. If I don’t answer Killer every day, he’ll send in the Calvary,” she said.
“Tell Killer I’m on track to fall in love with you or whatever. But I haven’t yet. You plan to break my heart after Halloween night, November first. I’ll tell my boys that morning to be ready for them.”
“Why wait?”
“I don’t want to ruin Prez’s party. You’re helping with that right?”
Maren nodded.
“Man needs cheering up. We all do. And I'm not gonna let you out of my sight. Whoever this spy is at Royal Road, they're going to think I'm falling in love with you because you're going to spend every night in my bed.”
“Don't expect me to fuck you again.”
I captured her again. Maren responded best to threats. It made her pussy wet. I’d use it to my advantage. She’d be eating out of my hand come November.
“Oh, you will. You stray from the plan, I’ll know. I will kill you if you betray me. And if I ever have to be away from you, even for one second, you should know I have some allies I can trust. I have whores here who will do anything to please me. They’ll all have eyes on you now after your stunt this morning, leaving the property. You’re not to leave again. You got that?”
“I got it,” Maren said, breathlessly, convincingly.
“And don’t go thinking I won’t be fucking your pussy for real. Because if I'm not fucking you, I'll be fucking one of the whores, and then your spy will know you're not doing your job.”
Maren trembled in my arms, and I couldn't wait to have her tonight.
For now, I had to let her go back to Opry and make their Halloween carnival plans. As I sat at the bar, drinking whiskey, I thought of my own plans to have as much fun with her as I could before I betrayed her. And killed her whole club.
