The hunt for Talley was wearing on Judge at this point. His thoughts grew darker each day. Every mile that took him farther away from the Boneyard was like a stab into his soul.
Judge had stressed he’d rather be with the crew staking out Latour’s place, but the idea was shut down as quick as he thought to ask. Chalice was with Latour and the temptation and strain on Judge’s emotional state would be far too stressed if he was given the post he asked for.
Instead, a host of both immortal and mortal bikers were camped outside Latour’s compound in a silent standoff as Judge and the others rode out to capture what they needed to get their ultimate target—Talley. The goal was to catch Akan. Using Akan as bait would attract Miah, and reason stated Miah would be able to find Talley.
“You good?” Talon asked in a flat tone.
“Fucking peachy,” Judge said, before he pulled in the last drag of his blunt. His words were sharp as razor blades, alluding to his foul ass mood.
An exhausted smirk emerged on Talon’s lips. “No matter what, we’re riding back tonight. At this point it’s better to let them make the first move—they’re exhausting us this way.”
“Do I look fucking tired to you?” Judge asked as his harsh blue stare landed on Talon.
Talon had not let Judge out of his sight. Night and day, for a week solid they had been side by side.
Echo and Thames were with them too, but those two would ride ahead and scout the path. Both of them could track a shifter like Akan far sooner than Talon or Judge.
Talon thought he was keeping Judge in line but all he was doing was proving to Judge that his fearless leader was in a bad way.
Having a conversation with Talon, looking him in the eyes for a few minutes or so would never lead you to believe anything was off about him, but when you were side by side days on end you saw it—the crazy ass beast inside of him rattling his cage, right along side the phoenix that was engulfed in vengeful flames.
Judge picked up on the fact Talon’s eyes were darker, how his taut body stayed tense constantly, how languid he would be at times. How it didn’t take much to cause his anger to flare up. He was downright salty about most matters.
Judge had strained to talk to him about the shit he was going through, even mentioned the vision of the perishing Phoenix again, and each time Talon would blow him off and bring up the shit Judge was going through.
“I’m tired,” Talon confessed, and he was. Zen became harder and harder for him to reach. It was always that way during war times, but this go ‘round it was worse because Ambrosia was there, calling him into death. He didn’t have time to die now, that much he knew.
“You’re admitting that now?”
“Look, son,” Talon said, with a bite. “My only fucking problem is I need to get a piece of ass.”
You and me both, Judge thought to himself. Instead of agreeing he glared at Talon. “Must be nice to only have one problem.” He looked Talon up and down. “Well, I take that back—it’s gotta be fucked to know that you’re your own worst enemy. That getting caught with some nasty piece of ass made your woman step out.”
The first three times Judge had thrown a comment like this at Talon they went fist to fist, then Talon figured out Judge wanted the fight. It was giving Judge a place to air his aggression and pushing Talon to justify his actions. That’s how Judge handled everything, always looking to solve as many issues as he could at once with simplicity.
For the past few days Talon had outright ignored Judge’s comments, even when Judge had the audacity to say them in front of the other boys. His doing so infuriated Judge.
“Not my woman,” Talon said, hoping the sting of those words didn’t outwardly show.
“She was yours then,” Judge snapped.
“You want to compare sins, boy?” Talon growled, meeting his eyes. “From the second I saw Reveca until our first break I didn’t step out. What the fuck did you do when you saw Adair? Tried to get over it. How did you do that again? Few Club whores?” Talon smirked. “Then you got your shit straight for all of five minutes—actually manned up and loved your woman.” His dark stare grew grave. “Then you sent her away. Made sure that no one could have anything to do with her.” Talon leered. “But then again with her gone, all alone out there, you kept yourself occupied didn’t you? ‘Bout time for another tempest to pop up, ain’t it now.”
Judge nearly hit him but held back.
Talon was well aware Judge had been basically innocent over the last few years. But when it came to Adair basically wasn’t good enough for Talon or any of the boys. It didn’t matter the tempest was his only downfall, and all the game he talked with the other guys was bullshit.
The first time Judge gave in to his tempest was not even an hour after seeing Adair with another man. Talon charged in the room and pulled the girl from her knees and kicked her off the Boneyard property. Then he slammed Judge against the wall. “When she comes back you will answer for that shit.”
Talon’s words were twofold, they shamed Judge, and they gave him some hope the tide would turn and Adair would be able to come home again.
Judge knew what Talon was doing now. He was trying to get him to say it, to come out and say Adair was his—not in the property slash claim way, but in the I can’t breathe without her and I will have her back way.
Judge couldn’t. He refused to let any of them see how ripped he was on the inside. How tested he was. It was bad enough they kept looking at him like he was going to break at any second. And maybe he was, but that was his business.
His Dove…his peace—no matter what she’d always be his, even if only in his dreams.
“She’s never been mine,” Judge said, feeling the lie burn his lips as the words escaped.
Talon shook his head knowing that was bullshit. “So I just backed your ass up and laid down Talley for the hell of it? Because you decided you didn’t want an Ol’ Lady after all?”
Judge was off his bike and nose to nose with Talon.
Talon lifted his chin. “Not fun when someone lays out your sins before you, is it? Fucking sucks when they use every opportunity they have to make you taste your hell over and over.”
Judge glared. “If you think for one fucking minute that if I was with Adair as long and you and Reveca were together—built the family you built—that I would step out on her with any piece of ass then you sure as fuck do not know me.”
“My sins are worse than yours?”
“Yours make no fucking sense.” Menace dripped from every word Judge spoke.
“And yours do?”
“Fuck off,” Judge said, stepping back. He hadn’t gotten anywhere with this argument in days and he was just about sick of it.
“I asked you four days ago if you were ready to turn ‘round and go at this a new way. You said no. Not because we were out here making a difference, but because you’re avoiding Adair like last time when you were trying to stop yourself from feeling pulled to her. You may not be balls deep in some cunt like you were back then, but you’re still pushing her away.”
Judge lit another blunt hoping it would take the sting out of his soul.
He feared that Adair had remembered more of him, of them, by now. Even though it killed him—stabbed his soul—he was staying away for good reason. He didn’t want to hear her say they were over, said and done, that he’d fucked up.
The Sons had voted to wait a few days before they helped her unlock her memories. They wanted to give her time to process what she knew now. They were sure adding fresh memories of the final days might break her.
However, Reveca warned them that even if Thames didn’t lift a finger to help Adair, if Reveca didn’t, that her mind was strong and would find its own way back. “You’re cursing yourselves this way,” Reveca warned. “In time she will remember all of you, her life here—but the emotion she had for all of you will be void. This is a ticking time bomb, think before you vote.”
Clearly her words didn’t sway the vote. She was th
e only one who voted against the stay. It was hard for Judge to tell why the others went with his wishes then, if they were being loyal to him or if it really was the best for Adair. He was sure Rush being the first to vote for the stay helped matters. Rush was the one who saw the darkest side of Adair’s grief. He was the one she spoke to about it all.
“And you had no problem avoiding Reveca at my side,” was Judge’s instant comeback.
Talon didn’t bother to respond.
“She and King, is that real now?” Judge asked in a hoarse whisper. It was nearly impossible for him to ever imagine either Talon or Reveca with someone else. In his mind if they couldn’t make, who could?
“Real enough that you need to stop acting like you’re fucking two and your parents are getting a divorce.”
“Why? That’s what’s fucking happening.” Judge looked up at the night sky as he blew out a long smoke filled exhale. “I just gotta know, boss. I gotta know that you’re good with this, that she is, that this isn’t some fucked play by some unknown enemy.”
“What does that sight of yours tell you?” Talon asked in a more approachable tone, the fatherly one he always used with Judge when they broached deep topics such as this one.
“She was his first,” Judge said, squinting his eyes and hating that he knew that from the first time he laid eyes on King.
“Right.”
“It doesn’t make it right. You and her have a life. It shouldn’t matter that someone from her past is back.”
Talon reached for Judge’s blunt, and took in a long drag. “I’m always going to do what’s best for her, for this Club, and this is it. That’s all I’m saying.” He blew out a cloud of smoke. “So either you shut your mouth about it, or you and me will keep throwing sin-filled daggers at each other.” His dark eyes rose to meet Judge’s. “My path is set the way I want it, no going back. If you don’t get your fucking head clear you’re going to royally fuck up your life.”
“I am clear. I’m doing my job, following this karma bullshit—waiting for my turn to avenge my family and Adair.”
Talon sighed as he carefully looked over him. “We’re going to play this right, Akan is going to make good bait. One way or another we’re going to make that fuck work for us.”
“Never thought I’d see the day,” Judge grumbled, pointing out that once again the Sons were crossing another line of bullshit. The reason Akan and Zale were tight back in the day was because they were just alike—couldn’t trust a damn thing either one of them said.
Talon looked down at his phone as a text came in. “Ready?”
“They sure?”
“Brunette, black lace.” Talon shook his head as he stood.
“What?”
“Blondie is in here. Echo said it’d be best for you to instigate, get her to hook you up with our brunette.”
Judge squinted his eyes closed as a curse whispered across his lips.
When he heard Talon laugh and felt him tap his shoulder he opened his eyes only to glare in his direction.
“What? It’s not like you got an Ol’ Lady or some shit.”
Judge flipped him off knowing that Talon was going to keep pushing his buttons until Judge manned up and dealt with this shit between him and Adair.
The pair of them began their approach toward Polyamorous. It was an old gambling boat that had been turned into a floating strip club which indulged the illegal side of the naughty life. It only docked deep in the swamp, hidden from the legit world.
The setup was perfect. If the law ever got wind of what was going down on the boat just moved on to a different undisclosed location. Sometimes they moved for the hell of it, it kept the outlaw cliental exclusive in some way.
There was some prostitution in the mix, but the biggest lawbreaker was the drugs. Anything you wanted, you could get.
Echo and Thames had been on board for so long that Judge was sure the pair of them had become distracted by the view and surely indulged in the offers thrown their way. The boat lived up to its name to say the least, with that many people tripping on E, and everything else they could find, at times it was basically an orgyfest, especially this late at night.
The bouncer at the door was patting down a few guys heading in before Talon and Judge. When he saw them he nodded for them to go on, not even daring to disarm them. It didn’t matter where the Pentacle Sons went, they were known, respected, and feared by those on both sides of the law.
Inside they started to make their way to the center lounge. Poles with nude girls riding them lined their path. Along the walls, on the wide couches, men and women alike were either fucking or doing lines chased by shots.
Talon’s stare tracked each person looking for the most dominant one in the group as Judge looked in each mind. You’d think at this point in Judge’s life that little to nothing would shock him when he saw where intentions were leading souls, but as far as he was concerned he still had his humanity about him and it sickened him when he received a front row seat into the vilest of minds.
Judge didn’t expect to find sunshine and roses in the thoughts of those lurking in a place like this, but at the same time he had his limits.
The old bastard lingering in the shadows watching the action was no doubt a sick fuck—he was hunting. Not for a piece of ass, but for a kill. Apparently he only got off if death was the end result of a sexual encounter.
If Judge didn’t have other business to handle right then he would have laid the fuck down. Instead, he glanced back to the bouncers and then nodded to the man. When they pull him out they’d find a bloodstained knife he had strapped to his thigh and handle it accordingly. The boss who ran this boat may have been all for sex and drugs but the last thing he needed was blood on his hands—which is why he hired men that were quick to make issues like that sleaze vanish without a trace.
The second Judge saw the man being led down a side hall never to be seen or heard from again, he moved forward at Talon’s side.
“Black is all over this place,” Judge said at a volume that only Talon’s immortal ears could pick up on.
Nearly every soul he had looked into was plotting to get another hit of it.
“And no clear dealer,” Talon answered in the same fashion when they entered the main lounge.
“You got a twenty on him?” Judge asked, not caring about the dealer but Akan. That’s who they were hunting tonight.
Judge hadn’t crossed him near as many times as Talon had, and so far he had not picked up on any immortal in this place beyond their crew.
He wasn’t really surprised. Being able to lay low was one Akan’s many tricks.
Talon barely shook his head no, then he nodded for the bartender to set them up. “What about Blondie?”
“You really want me to go there?”
“I don’t give a fuck where you stick your dick, man. Echo said for you to tell Blondie you wanted her and the brunette—they had to have seen something.”
Judge had his doubts. Echo and Thames had been aiming to put Talon in a better mood, knowing a piece of ass was their only immediate option.
For days the four of them had been tracking sin pits like this one, and each night either Echo or Thames would find some hot piece of ass to saunter up to Talon.
He turned every one of them down which dumbfounded Judge and halfway gave him hope that he and Reveca were just going through some shit right now, and he was trying to keep his ass clean of further fuck ups.
“That or they’re lining that shit up for you,” Judge said under his breath as he did spot Blondie, known by her stage name Buttercup. She wasn’t hard to miss center stage in nothing but a thong, crawling slowly toward an eager, stoned crowd of men.
All at once she looked up at Judge, and a glint of excitement flashed across her eyes. Judge had been there and done that, more than once. She use to linger near one of the local chapters in these parts. She was the entertainment at their private parties. He had told her she needed out of this life, that she wasn’
t cut out for it, he even gave her the cash to strike out on her own. She ended up spending it all on God knows what and landed right back on stage a town over. All of that bullshit was a good ten years ago when she was eighteen.
“I don’t feel like burying a girl tonight,” Talon said as he swallowed his beer in one long drink, the temptation around him burning deep inside.
“Into one—or literally?” Judge asked with one arched brow.
“Literally.”
“That’s why,” Judge said almost to himself now getting why he had seen Talon turn down more ass than any man could be asked too over the last week. He was afraid he wouldn’t have control over his strength. Unlike the others, Talon never had to hold himself back. Reveca was immortal and strong as fuck.
Talon only nodded slightly.
“You don’t have to be inside to have a good time, boss,” Judge said, passing a wink to Buttercup as she started to gather the money across the stage.
“Do your shit, man,” Talon said as he nodded for another beer.
“I did,” Judge said, grunting through the guilt in his gut. It didn’t take much to get Buttercup to come begging.
Talon almost laughed as he shook his head. It was enthralling to see Judge this miserable, his mind back at the Boneyard and not on the flesh around him. It meant Talon was right—he’d always been right. Judge was made for Adair.
“I’m not doing this alone,” Judge swore.
“Then you better go find Thames. I’m not playing tonight.”
Judge smirked knowing Thames and Echo were well occupied somewhere on this boat, surely trying to blend in.
Not even a minute later Judge saw Buttercup emerging from the side of the stage and making her way to him.
“You and me, or let’s bail,” Judge said harshly, knowing this girl might solve more than one issue if Judge played his cards right.
“This is as close as we have gotten to Akan. I’m not letting you fuck it up. Deal with her.”