Meeting Danger (Danger #1) (8 page)

“Let’s get it inside.” He took out a ramp and began attaching it to the van.

Motorcycles from another chapter rolled into the lot, and Beck walked over to greet them.

“Hey, Butch.”

Cobb?
Camden quickly looked up to see Beck bumping fists with a tall, dark-haired man of about forty, and his gaze moved past Butch. His eyes widened when he saw the woman seated on the bike Butch had just parked.

She was young and looked innocent, not hardened and jaded like so many of the brothers’ women and the club groupies he’d met in the past weeks. When she removed her helmet, her blond hair tumbled over her shoulders, a light wildflower-honey shade that glowed when the sunlight caught it. Based on the length of her legs draped over the bike, she was petite, but rather than sit up straight, she pulled her shoulders forward, as if trying to make herself seem even smaller.

Everything around him seemed to stop for a few seconds as his breath was snatched away. The girl’s wary, almost frightened body language stirred his protective instincts, and he wondered what her story was. Then she glanced his way and blinked hard, most likely wondering who he was and why he was staring.

Romeo tapped him on the shoulder. “Butch isn’t going to appreciate you looking at his woman.”

Shaking himself out of his daze, Camden turned back to the ramp, trying to focus on his work.

“Is it ready?”

Camden took in a breath. “Yeah. It’s ready.”

Romeo gave him a knowing look as he rolled his bike up the ramp. “Can’t blame you, though. She’s a looker, all right.”

Camden’s gaze was drawn back to the girl. Even though she’d turned away, a pulse of heat still shot through him, warming him from the inside out. “She’s Butch’s girlfriend?”

“Yeah.”

“How old is she?”

Romeo shrugged. “Not sure. A lot younger than Butch, at any rate.”

“How long have they been together?”

“Years.”

Years?
The girl couldn’t be much older than twenty.

“You got this?” Romeo asked.

“Yeah. I’ve got it.”

“Good.” Romeo headed for the passenger door. “Then let’s hit the road.”

• • •

Later that afternoon, the group arrived at their destination, a wooded campground in the mountains with a couple of dozen rustic cabins and some bunkhouses along with a dining hall. It had once been a popular summer camp for kids, but the camp had fallen on hard financial times in the nineties and the place had changed hands. Camden had learned that the Wicked Disciples chapters in the region rented out the entire campground each spring and fall for semi-annual meetings, and had been doing so for years.

Camden walked into the dining hall and set the bags of groceries he was carrying down on the counter. Across the room, Butch was seated at a table next to a big man who looked like a bodybuilder. They stopped their conversation and looked up.

“You the prospect?”

“Cameron Shea. You’re Butch, right?”

“Yeah.” Butch nodded at the bags. “You makin’ us dinner?”

“Ribs.” Camden had been tasked with barbecuing by Beck that morning. He took the meat out of one of the bags as the man beside Butch raised his hand in a greeting.

“I’m Hale.”

The man wasn’t wearing a cut, which surprised Camden since he seemed a little old to be a prospect. “You’re a Disciple too?”

“No. Just a friend of Butch’s.”

Hale and Cobb resumed their conversation as Camden put the groceries into the refrigerator. Seconds later, the men’s conversation became heated.

“I’m just saying you shouldn’t do that,” Hale said loudly.

Butch picked at the label on his beer bottle, grumbling something that sounded like, “Whatever.”

“Why don’t you just try treating her nicer?”

Butch pushed his beer aside. “What the fuck is this, Hale?”

Hale sat back and crossed his arms. “I’m just calling it like it is. Someone has to. You run around on her when what you should be doing is treating her like a queen. She’s a nice girl, not like the others, and deserves better.”

Butch darted an angry glance Camden’s way before turning back to his friend and lowering his voice. “How I treat her is none of your fuckin’ business.”

“I just—”

“Well, don’t.” Butch stood. His face turned red as he pounded the table. “Don’t just
anything
. Because I don’t fuckin’ want to hear it,” he bit out before he stormed from the room.

Camden set a jar of barbecue sauce onto the counter and glanced at the door Butch had slammed through before turning back to Hale. “You really pissed him off.”

“Looks like.” Hale shook his head and took a sip of beer. “Why do you even want to join this club?”

“What?”

Hale sighed. “Forget it.”

Camden cast about for a conversation starter, not wanting to lose this opportunity to learn more about the Newburgh chapter and Butch Cobb.

“How do you and Butch know each other?” he asked, deliberately keeping his tone nonchalant as he busied himself with starting dinner.

“We grew up together. Went to school together.” Hale snorted. “Not that either of us got much out of it.”

“Do you ride?”

Hale nodded.

“But you don’t want to be part of the club?”

“Considered it before I met my wife. Now I’ve got no interest.”

“You live in Newburgh?”

“Yeah. Right near Butch. My wife and I were living in Alaska, but we moved back here last year. Jobs dried up, and the wife wanted to be near her family.”

“What were you doing up in Alaska?”

“I ran fishing tours. Here I drive a truck. How about you?”

“I’m working at the Wrench in Scranton.”

Hale nodded.

“Is your wife here this weekend?”

“Nah. She and my daughter stayed home.” Hale frowned and looked toward the door. “And I’m beginning to wonder why I’m not with them.” He stood and walked out, calling his good-bye over his shoulder.

Camden watched out the window as Hale disappeared down a dirt path through the woods that led to some cabins. What were the chances the man could be turned and used as an informant?

He quickly shook the thought away. Loyalty around here ran deep. Even if Hale did know what the club was doing, he and Cobb had history. He wouldn’t just turn.

In a way, the loyalty was admirable. Too bad it was on the wrong side.

Scranton, Pennsylvania

Camden walked inside the Wicked Disciples’ clubhouse when he got off work on Wednesday, trying to keep his spirits up. Nothing much had changed in the three weeks since the trip to the Poconos, and he was frustrated.

It was early for church yet, and there were only a few brothers and their women in the common area when he walked through. He nodded to one or two who looked up from their pool game as he passed. Deciding to hit the bathroom before he grabbed a beer at the bar, he headed down the hallway to the back of the building. As he passed a storeroom, he paused for a second, surprised to hear a banging noise coming from behind the door.

He opened the door cautiously and was shocked to find a man inside, bound to a chair and gagged. It was Joe Mann—the Helmsman who was seeing Blade’s ex.

“Mmph!” Mann’s eyes widened and he struggled against the duct tape binding him, yelling through the tape covering his mouth.

Shit!
Camden’s heart thundered at the dilemma he faced. Free the prisoner and risk blowing his cover, and therefore the whole operation, or look the other way. His conscience quickly made up his mind for him.

Just as Camden stepped forward to free the man, Grizzly stormed into the room behind him.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” He circled around Camden as he glowered at him, backing him out of the room. “You’re not allowed in here.”

“What’s going on?” Camden asked as Grizzly slammed the door shut. “Why is he here?”

“Nothin’ you need to know about. And we don’t need you here for church tonight, so just go ahead and get out of here.”

Camden clenched his jaw and gazed at the storeroom door.

“Now!”

With no other choice, he followed Grizzly out to the back door. As he hurried through the dark parking lot to his bike, his mind raced. Could he rescue Mann himself, or would he need to bring in help? One or the other would need to happen quickly, because the brothers surely hadn’t tied the guy up just to have a friendly chat with him.

He started his bike and rode a short distance down the hill and around a curve until he was out of sight of the clubhouse. Pulling over to the side of the road, he reached for his phone and texted his team.

I’m at the clubhouse and need backup. But stay silent until I give the signal.

Immediately after sending the text, Camden erased it from his S
ENT
M
ESSAGES
folder as he always did when he was undercover. It was dangerous to leave anything incriminating in its memory—no telling who might pick up his phone.

Planning an excuse in case Grizzly was still standing guard, Camden turned his bike around and drove slowly back up the hill. Luckily, Grizzly had gone back inside. Camden parked his bike and slipped in through the back door, relieved to find the hallway empty. Keeping an eye out for anyone coming out of the meeting, he crept back to the storeroom.

Mann’s head jerked up when Camden opened the door, hope brightening his features. Camden quickly raised a finger to his lips, making sure the other man knew to stay silent.

If all went as he planned, the brothers would think Mann had escaped by himself. Camden would then be able to call off his backup and continue with the assignment. There would still be a shot at uncovering where the drug operation was based.

He pulled his pocketknife from his pocket and cut Mann free before gesturing toward the storeroom window. The last thing Camden wanted was to risk running into Grizzly or one of the other brothers.

“This way.”

It was only after Mann stood up that Camden noticed he was clutching his arm.

“You’re hurt?” he whispered.

“It’s broke.”

Camden cursed under his breath. Going through the window wouldn’t work. His stomach churned as he moved back to the door and ducked his head out to peek down the hallway. Still clear.

“Stay quiet,” he said in a low voice before motioning for Mann to follow. They headed for the back door and exited the clubhouse quietly. Once outside, Camden urged Mann toward the woods, hoping it would give them cover until they reached his team.

By now, his backup would be parked down the hill at the staging area they’d agreed upon weeks ago when Camden first infiltrated the chapter. Agents had been rotating in and out, stationed just a mile or two away for weeks now, assisting other teams remotely while waiting for their chance with this case.

He debated calling them closer but rejected the idea. There was too much of a risk that the team’s SUVs would be heard or seen.

He and Mann had just made it into the cover of the woods when the back door of the clubhouse slammed open.

“Where the fuck is he?”
Beck
.

Camden grabbed Mann’s good arm, propelling him forward. The moon was bright tonight. Would the trees provide them enough cover?

“There! He’s gettin’ away!”

Damn it.
Camden and Mann ducked behind a tree, but the brothers had already spotted them. One of them, Camden couldn’t quite see who, had grabbed the shotgun from behind the bar and was aiming it toward the woods where they were hidden.

“Who’s with him?” someone shouted.

Camden turned toward Mann and pointed into the woods. “Go! The police are down the road.”

As Mann turned and crashed through the underbrush toward safety, Camden moved behind another tree and pressed the button on his phone that served as an emergency signal. When his team received this signal, backup would come in blazing.

He pulled his weapon from his ankle holster and moved out from behind the tree. Aiming his Glock at the dark silhouettes in front of him, he shouted, “Federal agent! Drop your weapons!”

“You’re a fucking cop?” Beck sounded livid as he spoke from several yards away. He pulled a pistol from beneath his cut and aimed it steadily at Camden.

“You don’t want more trouble than you’re already in, Beck. Now, drop it!”

Where are the sirens?
He should be hearing them by now. A drop of sweat slid down Camden’s back as the brothers ignored his warning and advanced on him.

He reached into his jacket pocket with his free hand and again pressed the button on his phone, twice this time to indicate a dire emergency. Too late, he realized that Romeo had doubled around. Camden stumbled forward as he was struck from the side. He clutched at his temple, disoriented for a second as he scrambled to keep from falling.

Romeo came at him again, this time joined by Grizzly, and they took him down to the ground. Yet another piled on top of them. Beck.

Camden’s hand was pinned beneath their weight. With no choice left, he released his hold on his gun.

“Get up!”

His heart pounded as he rose. Romeo and Grizzly grasped his arms, holding him tightly as he steeled his expression. “Backup’s on the way.”

Beck didn’t acknowledge the warning as he scooped up Camden’s pistol and stuck it in his own pocket. “You fucking pig! Wait and see what we’re going to do to you.”

Camden looked at the men surrounding him. Men who had drank with him, played pool with him, and joked around with him for the last several weeks all now stared at him with contempt.

Beck stepped forward and swung his fist. Camden deflected that blow but a punch by Romeo caught him in the kidney. Grizzly kicked into the back of Camden’s knees, and he went down. His arms were pulled roughly behind him and zip-tied.

He ducked his head, trying to protect himself as he was dragged to the parking lot while the men continued beating him. By the time he was dumped into the back of the crash van, he’d nearly lost consciousness. Beck crawled in after Camden and leaned his back against the side of the van, watching him.