Total pages in book: 73
Estimated words: 69993 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 350(@200wpm)___ 280(@250wpm)___ 233(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69993 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 350(@200wpm)___ 280(@250wpm)___ 233(@300wpm)
Knowing he was beat, Doherty nods and ambles back to his patrol car before slowly rolling out of the Ace Motors parking lot.
We all stare after the patrol car until it disappears from view just to make sure he doesn’t swing around and interrupt Club business.
Ace says, “To The Chamber. We need to settle this with Braden.”
“Sooner rather than later,” Coop adds, leading the way through the garage and to the hidden metal door that takes us to The Chamber.
“Oh, God, I thought you’d forgotten about me,” Braden snivels as soon as he sees Coop. “Uhm, what’s going on?” he asks when he spots the rest of the MC.
"We're here to talk, Frank. That's all," Coop says in a voice that brooks no argument.
Frank nods and swallows hard before asking, "What do you want to talk about?"
"Your betrayal," Ace says in a dangerous tone. "You went behind our backs and made a deal with the Kings."
Frank shakes his head vehemently. "No, I didn't. I would never do that."
"Fucking Liar. Why were you meeting with them?" Coop asks. "What was so important that you had to go behind our backs?"
Frank looks around wildly as if searching for an answer that might save his life. “I can't tell you."
"Can't or won't?" I ask.
Frank looks at him pleadingly. "Please, don't make me say anything. They'll kill me."
“Scared, Pastor?” Shades grunts the words and gets in Braden’s face, towering over him to make sure he’s good and intimidated. “I wonder why that would be.”
“Maybe because I’ve been locked up in here for God only knows how long,” he spits back, as angry as he is afraid.
“This is your doing, Braden. Not God’s,” I growl at him. “Yours alone, so just tell us what we want to know, and maybe you’ll delay meeting your maker for a little while longer.”
Braden sucks in a breath, and his eyes go wide with genuine fear. I think he realizes there are no allies for him in this room. No friendly faces.
“No,” he begs.
Ace nods and flashes an angry smile. “Tell me about the money you stole from me.”
“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Braden shakes his head, and a bead of sweat runs down his temple.
“You were skimming money from the club funds, Braden,” I say. “You were stealing from us, and then you had the audacity to go behind our backs and make a deal with the Kings.”
Braden shakes his head again, but he can’t deny what we’re saying is true.
“Why?” I demand. “Why would you do that?”
“I-I don’t know. I just…thought it would be a good idea, I guess. I didn’t mean to hurt anyone. I was just trying to make some extra money.”
“So you could do what? Buy more drugs?” Ace sneers at him.
Braden shakes his head furiously denying it. “For the church. I didn’t steal your money, I swear. I only accepted the money you gave me in exchange for helping you.”
“Bullshit,” Shades snarls, still standing close and towering over him. “We want the truth,” he says with deadly calm.
“I am telling you the truth.” Braden looks around at all of us, his eyes wide and pleading.
Ace nods and steps back from Braden. “If we find out you’re lying to us, or if you so much as breathe a word of this to anyone, you’re dead. Do you understand?”
Braden nods quickly, his Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat. “I understand. I won’t say anything, I promise.”
“Once we’re satisfied you’ve told us everything and have been truthful about it, Ace will decide what to do with you.” Coop smirks at his ominous words and their effect on Braden.
With wide eyes, Braden turns to Ace. “What does that mean?”
Ace shrugs. “It means exactly what he said. Now, do you have anything else you want to say?”
“I didn’t steal from you,” he says, an air of resignation about him.
“You just borrowed the money without asking?” Coop’s derision is clear, and Braden is rightly afraid of the man’s anger.
“I-I was going to pay it back.” Braden pleads with us, but it falls on deaf ears.
“And the deal with the Iron Kings? What was that about?” I ask again.
“It was just a mistake. I was forced into doing it by Hector Santos and his crazy second-in-command.”
He’s talking fast now, spilling some lie about how he needed to test Gia’s skills for the Iron Kings, and that’s all it was.
“Why would you agree to something like that?” Coop asks, his brow furrowed in confusion.
“I-I don’t know. I was just trying to stay alive and I thought this was a way I could do that. I didn’t mean to hurt anyone. They threatened my wife for God's sake!”
“And what about the information you gave them?” I ask.
He shakes his head, and I can see the wheels turning in his head as he tries to come up with a believable lie. “I didn’t tell them anything and I told Gia to put the money back, and if she didn’t, that’s not on me.” He looks at each of us, his eyes pleading.