The Lone Wolf (12)

Cracker’s POV

“You should report it,” Grace snarled angrily over the phone, and I could practically feel the steam coming out of her ears, even through the speakers. “That’s seriously messed up! You could have gotten hurt!”

“They were each other’s alibi,” I deadpanned, throwing the ball down the road one more time for Max to fetch. After my little incident with the cops, I went straight home. Took a long, calming shower and was now sitting on my front porch, nursing a cold beer.

What? I’m a nervous drinker!

Don’t judge!

“And who would I report it to? They’re the authority around here!” I huffed. “Besides, you know how cops are! They’d rather bite a bullet than turn on each other,” I said, unfortunately speaking from experience. I sighed. “And here I was thinking it was only big-city cops who were assholes! What happened to all the nice, fat little sheriffs that loved doughnuts and coffee?”

“I heard they’re excavating their bones now, along with T-rex,” Grace replied dead serious. I laughed. Ah! Girl talk! Better than three hours of therapy, that’s for sure!

“I’m serious, though,” she continued, and I could hear the worry in her voice. “You should at least tell Steel. He’s an MC enforcer! He could put the fear of God into those jerks.”

Yeah, I’d been thinking about that too, but---

“No,” I shook my head, taking the drooly ball from Max and throwing it down the road again. “If what those thugs told me back in New York is true, the MC is already getting enough heat from the cops. I don’t need them to go out and do something reckless.” I sighed and leaned back in my rocking chair, which was quickly becoming my favorite. “Especially not if---”

I let the sentence hang, knowing she knew what I was talking about.

“You’re talking about Jasper,” she sighed, and I could practically hear her roll her eyes. He was her little brother, too, but I know she had a different approach to this whole thing than I did. “Crack, you got to confront him and if it’s true, get his ass out of that club! If they’re that reckless with their drops, it’s only a matter of time before he’s doing some serious jail time, along with ‘daddy dearest’!”

I snorted but appreciated the sarcasm.

“I know! I know,” I groaned, getting up and going back inside. “I just don’t get that vibe from them, you know?”

The second I got home, I’d dug out the files I already had on the club. I was good at finding stuff that others wanted buried, and the Wolf Riders MC was no exception. Before leaving NY, I’d done my research, hoping I could save my brother for the same fate that had befallen my father. If it meant saving his hide, I’d sell my soul, without second thought.

Only---

“The bad-guy-vibe?” Grace snorted, still not a believer in ‘The Gut’-feeling, and I could practically hear her rolling her eyes. “Erm, newsflash! They all got that going for them!”

“You know what I mean!” I said, just avoiding telling her that my ‘gut’-feeling was telling me, that they weren’t bad guys! “Ok, get this,” I said, picking up a random member. “Old-Man is married, has been for 35 years, has 3 grown kids and 5 grandchildren.” I put the paper down again. “How on earth does that translate into criminal mastermind?”

“OK,” she drawled, and I knew she was chewing on her lower lip. A habit of hers. “But he might just be an exception?”

Now it was my turn to roll my eyes.

“They’re all party-animals and have a clubhouse filled with whores, drugs and alcohol,” I deadpanned as I wasn’t about to draw a glossy image of their lifestyle. “And yes, several of them have criminal records, but nothing like--- THAT!” I groaned, rubbing my temples in frustration and just feeling lost about this whole thing. “And Jasper’s really happy there,” I sighed like a crybaby bitch. “They’re like real brothers for him and he’s always going on and on about how happy he is since he joined the club.” I grabbed Max’s ball and threw it out the door, listening to his thundering footsteps. “He never had that growing up and---”

“And you feel bad, taking him away from something that makes him happy, although he’s all grown now, and yada-yada-yada…!” she cut me off, mimicking my whiny voice. I mentally sighed.

Was I that obvious?!

“I know and seriously, Cracker, you need to stop guilt-tripping yourself like that!” Grace continued dealing out her tough love. “You saved his life! If anything, he owes you one, not the other way around!”

She was right. I knew she was right, but…

I sat my ass down by the kitchen island and let my eyes scan over the papers on the desk one more time.

Was I really missing something?

“What are you going to do now?” she asked, her tone serious, as if thinking the same thing I did. I knew that had it been her, she’d march right up to Jasper’s face and demand an explanation. But she was letting me do this my way and although I wasn’t afraid of confrontations, I wanted to know all the facts before I went in there and asked…

The familiar buzz of a motorcycle reached my ear and I looked out. And grinned when I saw the best piece of male God ever created. Steel was coming up the lane, Max in tow, and he was looking good! Seeing his cut being draped over his black work-shirt and messy pants only widened my smile, knowing that he’d come here straight from work.

Perhaps my worries could be left for another day?

“I’m going to fuck Steel,” I told her bluntly. “He’s here.”

At that, Grace’s voice boomed with laughter.