Chaos Bound (Sinner's Tribe Motorcycle Club #4)(101)
They took the elevator to the tenth floor and walked down the hallway to door 1147. Holt made a quick check of the corridor and the exit then nodded for Tank to knock. Ella opened the door right away and gestured him inside. She looked perfect as usual, her blonde hair sleek and shiny, her voluptuous body encased in a form-fitting white dress, and her vivid blue eyes cold and clear. The only imperfection Tank could see was a fresh smudge of red lipstick at the corner of her mouth, as if she’d been kissed only moments ago.
“James. How nice to see you again.”
Holt came up behind him and slammed the door open. “You get two for the price of one this morning, sweetheart.”
Ella barely flinched. “And you brought a little friend. Your missing friend, if I remember correctly. The one who murdered that Black Jack back in Still Water. Are you really so scared of me, James, that you needed to bring him with you? You were very much in control when we were in bed together. Or don’t you remember?”
“Shut the f*ck up.” Tank gritted his teeth and walked into the room. Decorated in dark, heavy wood, rich blue carpets, and gold brocade furniture, with a separate bedroom off to the side, the suite was at least five times the size of his room at the clubhouse.
Ella closed the door behind them and leaned against the wall, arms folded. “Don’t be rude,” she admonished. “I could have just handed this tape over to the police or aired it on the six o’clock news. I’m doing you a favor by offering to give it to you.”
“How the f*ck did you get into my phone?” Tank snapped. “I don’t sleep that heavy, and the phone was in my pocket all night. I woulda felt you taking it out.”
“Not if you were drugged.” She lifted a creamy shoulder and shrugged. “Hard to tell the difference between a man who’s had too much to drink and a man who’s been given a little something to help him sleep, so I can use his thumb to unlock his phone.”
“You f*cking bitch.” Tank started toward her, and Holt held out his hand.
“Hear her out, brother. You’re on the back foot here.”
Ella fiddled with the shiny gold doorknob beside her. “Listen to him, James. He’s the smart one. He knew enough to stay away from me the first time we met. But then he went and got himself caught by Viper and left you all alone. Poor James. So trusting. So lonely. Such easy prey without his savvy friend by his side to warn him away.”
Holt growled. “What the f*ck do you want? Spit it out or quit wasting our time.”
“We want you.” Ella gestured behind them. And f*ck, if it wasn’t the ATF dude who had been after Naiya standing in the doorway to the bedroom, his weapon aimed at Holt. Tank reached into his cut for his gun, but Ella quickly pulled a weapon from the table beside her and pointed it in his direction.
“Hands where I can see them.”
A howl of anguish ripped out of Tank’s throat. Holt was here because of him. He was going to die because he had come to help Tank. How f*cking stupid could he be? Why hadn’t he realized the whole thing with Ella was a trap?
“Ah. The loyal hound.” Michael chuckled, his bruised and battered face contorting into something like a smile. “I think he’d probably take a run at us if he thought he’d be able to dodge my bullet.” His gaze flicked to Holt and his eyes hardened. “But then, Viper said you would do the same for him, which is why it was so easy to separate you from Naiya after Ella caught him in her web.”
“What the f*ck?” Tank growled.
“Still trying to catch up?” Michael glanced over at Ella and shrugged. “You didn’t tell him?”
Her face tightened. “Tell him what? Viper didn’t confide in me. We had a deal. He gave me a story and I gave him T-Rex … among other things.” She swallowed hard. “My job is done. I got my story and paid for it with my damn soul and all my living-room furniture.”
“Why?” Tank muttered. “Why does he want Holt so bad? Wasn’t three months in the dungeon enough to punish him for saving Evie?”
“Viper doesn’t want him.” Michael smoothed his black suit jacket, and Tank wondered what had happened to the torn, bloodstained suit he’d been wearing when the Sinners tossed him in the alley behind Rider’s Bar after teaching him a lesson about touching their women. Too bad they hadn’t just offed him when they had the chance.
“He wants Naiya,” Michael continued. “But Holt rarely left her side. And every time she was alone, Holt showed up to save her. He said you were the one person Holt called for in the dungeon; the person he thought would be coming to save him. Viper figured you were the only reason he’d leave her alone.”
“You work for Viper?” Holt’s lips curled in disgust. “He’s got the f*cking ATF in his pocket?”
Michael shrugged. “He’s got everyone in his pocket. He owns most of the state police, a handful of ATF agents, judges, senators … Soon his reach will extend beyond the state. He’ll lead the Jacks not just in Montana, but nationwide. But that kind of power requires money. A lot of money. The kind of money Naiya will have in a few short months.”
Tank automatically turned his gaze to Holt. He looked calm, composed. And yet, a vein in his neck throbbed and his jaw was clenched tight.
“Naiya doesn’t have any money,” Holt said.