Daniel (Kings of Korruption MC) (4 page)

He nods silently and holds out a wrapped package. I look up to see another man on a bike, idling at the side of the road. Bikers. Travis is a member of the Kings of Korruption MC and goes by the name Tease. I instantly recognize the man at the corner as Bosco, the King’s newest prospect. I’ve been profiling the Kings for over a year now, so it’s no surprise that I hate my sister being tangled up with this guy.

“Tell Laynie I said thank you,” I say.

He nods again. “Will do.” Turning, he takes a single step down the stairs to head back to his bike when Gabby rushes out the door, knocking me out of her way. She charges past Travis and heads straight for Bosco.

I watch in shock as she says something to him, her arms gesturing wildly. He stares at her in surprise, his eyes amused, before he shrugs and nods. Gabby throws her leg over the back of his bike and climbs on. I break out of my daze and hurry down the steps to the sidewalk. Just when I reach it, Bosco revs his motor and peels off down the street. I watch in anger and desperation as he carries her away, and am shocked even further when Gabby turns around and raises her arm, staring right at me as she gives me the finger.

A chuckle from behind me reminds me that Travis is still standing there. “Damn, man. You pissed that bitch off.”

“Where’s he taking her?” I demand, turning and getting in his space.

He smirks. “I don’t have a fuckin’ clue, man but you best take a step back. Whatever you did to piss her off is not my problem.” He steps around me and walks towards his bike. “Look. If you want, I’ll go to the clubhouse and see what I can find out, okay?”

I grit my teeth and nod, not wanting to rely on his help with anything, but not having much choice in the matter. Travis nods in return and climbs onto his ride, leaving without another word.

I stare after him, my mind racing. The Kings are notorious around here for being more dangerous than the Crips. Hell, they’re the most dangerous club in the country. Surely Gabby wasn’t that clueless to think that she’d be safe with them. But she must be, because why else would she ride off on the back of a bike belonging to a King?

Gabby

O
kay, maybe leaving with this biker wasn’t the best idea, but when I’d seen the Kings of Korruption logo on his leather cut, the idea came to me and I ran with it. Besides, Daniel was being an asshole. Admittedly, he was probably right, and I probably just proved him right again that I have a tendency to not think things through. It doesn’t matter though. I have been impulsive all my life. I know how to handle myself.

The bike pulls to a stop in front of a large building surrounded by motorcycles. The front part of the building seems to be a garage and there are several tattooed, hairy men milling about talking and working on cars and bikes. I look around in awe, taking it all in.

“You gonna get off the bike, Sweet pea?”

His voice startles me, and I swing my eyes to his. He sits in front of me on the bike, his torso turned so he can look at me, a smirk plastered on his handsome face. My eyes widen and I scramble off the bike, instantly aware of how dishevelled I look. My hair is still a mess, my makeup is likely smeared across my face from the night before and my dress is rumpled. He laughs at my awkward dismount and gracefully gets off himself.

“Come on, girl,” he says on a chuckle. He grabs my hand in his and starts walking towards a door near the back of the building. Bikers are everywhere and it seems every eye is on me as we walk.

“Um… ”
Shit. I don’t know this guy’s name.
“Sir?”

He turns and stares at me, bursting into laughter. “Sir? Alright, I can deal with that. What can I do for you, Ma’am?”

My cheeks flame. “Maybe this isn’t such a good idea.” I tug on my hand, attempting to pull it from his. “I think I’ll just go home, actually. Thanks for the ride, but … ” My voice trails off as I stare at where my hand is trapped in his.

“Look, Sweet pea. If you are who you say you are, this is definitely a good idea.” He sighs and squeezes my hand. “Listen, just go in there and say what you gotta say, and if after that if you still want to leave I’ll take you home myself, okay?”

I stare at him, my eyes filling with tears, and nod. My heart pounds in my chest. I don’t know if I can do this. I don’t know if I
should
do this. Reluctantly, I follow him. I don’t have much choice seeing as my hand is still trapped in his. He gently guides me through the door and into the building. We enter directly into a room that looks just like a seedy bar. Considering it’s barely nine o’clock in the morning, there is nobody around.

He walks me even farther, pulling me down a long and narrow hall. I look around, trying to ignore my pounding heart as I take in everything around me. Finally, he comes to a stop just outside a wooden door at the end of the hall. Knocking on it, my breath catches in my chest while we wait for an answer.

“Come in.”

The voice comes from inside and my heart jumps into my throat, racing the entire time. I tug on my hand again as the biker pushes the door open, but he just gives it a reassuring squeeze and pulls me inside.

The room is large and dingy, paperwork stacked untidily on every surface. The walls are covered in naked and half-naked women, and a large wooden desk sits off toward the back of the room. It’s the man behind that desk that is causing my body to tremble.

He looks almost exactly the same as he did the last time I’d seen him — back when I was only six years old. Sure, he’s a little older looking and has more tattoos than he did back then, but there’s no doubt that this is him.

The man stands slowly, his brow furrowed in frustration. “What the fuck, Bosco? You know I don’t let bitches back here! Who the hell is this?”

My body locks tight at the sound of his voice. If there was ever any doubt in my mind, it’s completely gone now. I still hear that voice in my sleep sometimes.

“Funny you should ask,” Bosco drawls. He turns to me and gives me a reassuring smile. “I’ll be out in the hall.”

Staring into his eyes, I nod gratefully, glad that he’s not abandoning me entirely. Bosco nods in return and winks before he backs out of the room and closes the door. I stare at that door, wishing I could run through it myself and never look back. But I’m here now, and this is my best shot. I need to take it.

Turning, I face the angry looking man behind the desk and paste on a phony smile. “Hi Daddy,” I whisper.

Daniel

As much as I hate my sister’s boyfriend, he’d been decent enough to text me this morning to let me know that Gabby was safe. About an hour ago I received another text from him, letting me know that she would be home shortly.

So here I sit, on her front step, waiting. I can’t believe she just hopped on the back of that guy’s bike and took off. And gave me the finger. We will definitely be talking about that. I don’t know what it is about this girl that gets me so uptight but when she left with him, I just about went crazy. If it weren’t for Travis reassuring me that she was fine, I just may have.

The roar of a motorcycle snaps me from my thoughts. I look up from my spot and see Gunner, the president of the Kings of Korruption MC, pull up with Gabby on the back of his motorcycle. Her eyes widen when she sees me, but she says nothing. I stand from where I’m sitting and watch as she climbs off the bike and the two exchange a few words that I can’t hear from where I am. I watch as Gunner says something to her, his face soft. She nods her head and turns to face me. Over her shoulder, Gunner narrows his eyes at me and shakes his head. Then he pulls away from the curb and is gone.

I look to Gabby and see her approaching. “What are you doing here, Daniel?”

I walk towards her, slowing to a stop when I get to where she stands with her hands on her hips. I know she’s still pissed at me for this morning, but I don’t care. I’m pissed at her, too. Her narrowed eyes and angry posture just about pushes me over the edge. Grabbing her arms, I pull her into me and look down into her angry eyes. “Fuck, Gabby! I was fucking worried! What the hell? Do you ever think before you do crazy shit?”

She stands on her tiptoes, getting right back into my space, eyes flaming. “Yes I think! And why do you even care? Your job is to find my brother, not play babysitter to me!”

I don’t know what makes me angrier. The fact that I still don’t know why the hell she went to the Kings or the fact that she’s right. What she does
is
none of my business —
so why do I care?
“Why were you with the Kings?” I snarl.

“Because Gunner is my father,” she snarls right back.

We both freeze.
Her father? Gunner Monroe is Gabby’s father?
She’s still up on her tiptoes, looking slightly less angry, but still not backing down. I realize now that her chest is pressed against mine and we’re both breathing heavily, causing our chests to brush against each other.

“Your father? Why didn’t you tell me that?” I ask, all my anger is gone and now I'm just confused. I profiled Gunner Monroe myself and never once had I discovered that he had children.

She drops back to her feet, moving herself out of my space and nods. “Because I haven’t seen or spoken to him since I was six years old. I didn’t even think of it until I saw that biker on your front step. When I saw that younger one sitting on his bike, I just told him who I was and that I needed him to take me to my father.” Her eyes fill with tears. “Asking Gunner for help was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.”

Her impulsive actions in the last twenty-four hours, while admittedly crazy, kind of make sense. The girl is desperate to find her brother. If Laynie ever went missing, I’d stop at nothing to find her.

Taking her hand, I lead her to the front step of her house and together we sit side by side. “What did he say?” I ask, careful to keep my voice gentle.

She sniffs and wipes away a stray tear. “He was happy to see me. When I told him about Derrick, he said he’d help right away. I think he’s worried too, which is weird considering he hasn’t even seen Derrick since he was about a year old.” A sad smile flits across her face. “When I was six and my brother was just a baby, my parents fought… a lot.” The quiver in her voice makes me want to pull her into my arms and comfort her, but I don’t. I sense she needs to tell me this on her own. “Since I’ve grown up, I’ve learned that my mom wasn’t happy with my father’s biker lifestyle. She gave him an ultimatum, and he chose the Kings. After he left he sent money to my mother every month, but at her request, he never attempted to contact us.”

I reach out and wipe away another tear from her cheek. Having been raised in a stable home with both parents, I can only imagine what she is going through, how much courage it took to go to him after he’d abandoned them like that. “Gabby, you didn’t need to do that. You don’t need them. I’m
going
to find Derrick for you.”

She snorts without humour. “You can’t promise me that.” Her eyes meet mine. “Look, Daniel, I know I shouldn’t have gone to them, and I know that they’re way of doing things is a little … ” She looks off to the right as she searches for the right word. “Different than yours, but I need to know that I’m doing everything I can to find him. I’m the only one that even notices he’s missing. I’m all he has, and he’s all I have.”

I barely even know this woman, but seeing her so worried tears me apart. I hate that sad look on her face. I hate knowing the desperation she feels. Reaching over, I wrap my arm around her and pull her into my side. “I can’t promise you that I’ll find him, but I can promise you that I’ll do everything I can. And if that fails, I’ll do even more.”

She looks over at me then, a ghost of a smile playing across her full lips. “Thank you, Daniel. And I’m sorry I gave you the finger.”

I chuckle. “Yeah, that wasn’t very nice.” She laughs with me and nudges me with her shoulder.

“You were right, though,” she says. “I’m kind of impulsive.” She gives me a sheepish grin. “I tend to act first, think later.”