Torque by Gillian Archer (10 ebook reader txt) 📕

know what the fuck I was doing. The guy was on a bike wearing a helmet. I wouldn’t be able to pick him out of a lineup. But I could probably ID his bike.

I pulled open the door to ask a cop if they had pictures of motorcycles when Maddie and her dad came around a corner toward me.

“Maddie. I’ve been so worried, baby. Are you okay?”

She just shook her head, looking at me with disgust when she pulled away from her dad and headed for the exit.

Greg sighed. “You might want to give her a little time.”

“I didn’t just run off. I was trying to get the fucker. I swear I stopped and made sure she was okay first. I swear I did.”

“I know. I know. Just…” He sighed. “You’ve got to give her some time.” He patted me on the shoulder, turned, and headed in the same direction Maddie had gone.

I clenched my fists in frustration. I’d never felt so helpless. I hadn’t been able to stop that fucking King and I hadn’t been able to catch him. Now Maddie didn’t want anything to do with me. Although she was pretty pissed with me before we even got on the freeway.

Dammit.

I ached to turn and slam my fist into the wall, but even I knew that a police precinct wasn’t the place to have a hissy fit. Instead, I tried Ryan’s anger management bullshit and counted to ten. Then twenty.

I was somewhere around thirty-three when I remembered what Maddie had said on the side of the freeway. Her roommate was having run-ins with the Kings. Something she claimed he’d told me weeks ago.

Dylan.

He’d never told me a damn thing.

Fuck, why did lately everything seem to be about him lately? And why was he tangled up with the Kings? He should know better.

I flagged down the officer who’d left me with the mugshots. “I’m sorry, but nothing’s standing out. I didn’t a look at his face. Do you have any photos of bikes? I’d be able to ID his motorcycle in a second.”

“Uh, I don’t think so. But I can check. In the meantime, Detective Harris would like to speak with you in interview room two.”

I closed my eyes with a muttered curse. “Of course he does.”

I already knew what was coming.

But I still let the officer escort me to the tiny room with the one-way mirror and sat opposite a tired-looking man in a cheap suit.

“Thanks for sitting down with me, Mr. Burns.”

I tipped my head. “Uh huh. Can we hurry this along though? I have to go see my girl.”

“Right. Right. So tell me again what happened on the I-5 today.”

I went through the story again, leaving out the fight at my condo, but detailing everything I saw and how I was certain it’d been a King.

Detective Harris took a few notes. “Now what can you tell me about the business that your brother has with the Kings.”

“I don’t know anything about his current dealings with the Kings. Last time I spoke with one was before they tried to kill my brother, Ryan, outside of our shop downtown. You might’ve caught footage of that on our show or any of the major news outlets.”

Our producer, James, had been working late and hid on the roof of the shop, where he’d filmed the whole attack after he called the cops. It was the reason that no matter how much shit he gave us about filming or receptionists or whatever, we still kept him around. Ryan owed him his life.

“Well that’s not entirely true is it?” The detective asked with a glint in his eye.

“What part? Everything I’ve said is true.”

“You did run into a King outside of your brother’s condo about a month ago. At least according to Ms. Roberts.”

I winced. “I forgot about that. No, that’s true. I did run into a King outside our condo.”

“Our?”

“Me and two of my brothers all own condos in the same building.”

“Right. And you were there when a King threatened Ms. Roberts. And just…what? Walked away? Didn’t care? That’s the kinda man you are?”

It took everything in me not to lean across the table and bash the fucker’s face against the table. “Of course I care about Maddie. But I didn’t know that fucker had been threatening her. I thought they were dating and I let her know exactly what I thought about that when he left.”

“Right. Because you guys do not have any dealings with the Kings Motorcycle Gang.”

“We don’t. They fucking burned that bridge when they came after Ryan. We have no business or personal dealings with the Kings.”

“Except for Dylan apparently.”

I raised an eyebrow and didn’t say anything.

“And you know nothing about that. Despite the fact that you live next door to your brother and work with him?”

“That’s what I said.” My rage was simmering, and if I wasn’t careful, it’d boil all over the detective in front of me. My jaw ached from the amount of biting back my words I’d been doing. “If you don’t have any more questions about the assault on my girlfriend, I’m gonna go.”

“Oh, we’re just getting started.”

“I don’t think so. I’ve told you what I saw on the I-5, who did it and where you can probably find them. Unless you’re arresting me, I’m out. Any other questions about my brothers, you’ll have to direct to our lawyers. I’ll make sure they have your number.”

I pushed back my chair with a screech and left. Detective Harris didn’t try to stop me.

As soon as I reached the parking lot, I pulled out my phone and made a call.

Ryan answered after two rings. “You really have the worst timing, you know that?”

Fliss cried in the background.

“I need you to round up the troops. Grab Dylan from whatever hole he’s hiding in and have everyone at Aunt Wendy’s ASAP. Shit has hit the fan.”

* * *

When I rolled up to Aunt Wendy’s house, I could tell by the cars out front that most of