I holster my gun and cross back to Kayla in three long strides. The moment her hands are free, I pull her against me, crushing her to my chest. Her arms wrap around me, her whole body trembling as she presses her face into my neck. I bury my facein her hair, breathing in the scent of her, alive, safe, here in my arms.
“Where did those first shots come from?” Dragon asks, his voice cutting through the moment. “Those didn’t come from our men.”
I lift my head reluctantly, looking in the direction I last saw Todd. As if on cue, he emerges from behind the barrel, his gun now pointed at the ground. His face is a mask of calm professionalism I’ve never seen on him before. Gone is the goofy car salesman with his eager smile and earnest demeanor. This man moves with confidence.
“Todd?” Kayla’s voice is small and confused against my chest.
“Who are you?” I demand, keeping one arm wrapped firmly around Kayla’s waist.
Todd looks at me for a long moment, his expression unreadable. Then, he reaches into his pocket with his free hand and pulls out a leather wallet, flipping it open to reveal a badge.
“Agent Todd Grant,” he says, his voice steady and authoritative. “FBI.”
37
Chapter 37
Roman
Todd’s announcement has left us all stunned. I tighten my arm around Kayla’s waist, feeling her body go rigid against mine as she stares at the man she dated for nine months. I scan the warehouse, taking in the tableau of shocked faces: Dragon standing near Molly, his golden-green eyes narrowed to slits; Demon with his hand hovering near his weapon; Gray as expressionless as ever but with tension radiating from his still form.
The silence stretches. No one seems to know what to say. What to do. This whole time, we’ve had a fed in our clubhouse. Eating our food. Watching us. Learning our secrets.
Finally Kayla gives herself a little shake and pulls away from me. I reluctantly let my arm drop as she steps forward, her eyes locked on Todd’s face.
“Todd, what the hell?” Her voice is steady, but I can hear the tremor of anger underneath. “Was I just an assignment to you?”
Todd meets her gaze. “I know you all deserve explanations,” he says, glancing around at our tense group. “But we don’t have much time. I need you to listen.”
“You need us to listen?” Kayla repeats, incredulous. “After using me for information? Evidence?” Her voice cracks on the last word. “Was that all I was to you? A means to an end?”
I want to go to her, to pull her back into the safety of my arms, but I don’t think she’ll welcome that right now. I can see it in the rigid line of her spine, the way her hands are clenched into fists at her sides.
Todd doesn’t answer her directly. Instead, he takes a deep breath and begins speaking. “Deputy Colton from Redbird always suspected there was more to Kayla’s abduction by Demon than she told him.” He glances at Demon, who bares his teeth at him. “When Roman and Kayla left for Billings and Roman became involved with Dragon, Colton was convinced there was something happening between the two clubs.”
I shift my weight, acutely aware of the gun in my holster. One word from Dragon, and Todd won’t leave this warehouse alive. But Dragon remains silent, his face an unreadable mask as he listens.
“The deputy didn’t have evidence,” Todd continues. “Just theories. But he kept his eyes open, tracked the activities of the Devil’s Rejects. Eventually, he found enough evidence that they were involved in the type of criminal activities that, well… brings me in.”
Kayla holds herself so rigidly, I worry she is going to shatter. I can see her processing each word, trying to understand, to know how deeply the betrayal goes.
“We could have taken out the Rejects then and there,” Todd explains, “but we wanted to know who they were working with.And there were questions about how Demon fit in and whether Dragon and his club were involved.” His eyes flick to Dragon. “Colton believed you were all in cahoots, but it soon became apparent that Colton just hated all bikers.”
“How convenient,” Demon drawls, his fingers still twitching near his holster.
Todd ignores him. “While we were investigating, Naomi put her first hit on Kayla.” He looks at her, and for the first time since revealing himself, genuine emotion flashes across his face. “The man she initially hired took her money and went straight to us. It gave more weight to Colton’s belief that Kayla knew something and hadn’t told him everything about her abduction.”
“That’s bullshit,” I growl, unable to stay silent any longer. “Kayla didn’t know anything. Naomi wanted her dead because of me.”
Todd nods. “I know that now. But all we knew was what I just told you and that locals reported the Rejects harassing Kayla after her abduction, and then abruptly stopping. It raised questions.”
Kayla’s voice is barely above a whisper when she speaks. “So you were sent in to… what? Investigate me? Because you thought I might have been involved in something illegal?”
Todd has the grace to look ashamed. “Yes.”
Kayla takes a step back, her face paling. “I met your mom,” she says, the words hollow with disbelief. “We ate dinner with her twice a month.”
Todd winces, shaking his head slightly.