Warlords MC: Book 5 – Joker : Chapter 6

An hour later in the company of all five brothers, Rowen placed her call. When she got Stafford on the line, she greeted him with, “Stafford, I’m still here and I’m free.”

“Oh thank god.” Stafford sounded anxious. “We’ve been looking for you for over a week. Where have you been?”

“Someone broke into the mansion and took me from my bedroom. How did that happen? Why didn’t the alarms go off?”

“Because whoever it was that took you, knew the fucking codes,” Stafford told her.

“What?” she exclaimed. “How?”

“We think Jared told them,” Stafford admitted. “He was the only person other than you that knew them.”

“Grandpa knew them,” she reminded him softly.

“No Rowen, you know he wouldn’t hurt you, not like that,” Stafford told her softly.

“I know.” She sighed sadly. “An MC took me, an MC that is running a human trafficking ring. If this was Jared behind this, he wanted… no, he expected the MC to sell me to someone who lived outside the country. Either that or he wanted me dead. Either way, would work for him.”

Stafford cleared his throat and said, “I think I should tell you that Jared has moved back into his dad’s place. He’s there living the high life.” He paused then added, “And he’s got some wicked bodyguards. They aren’t the kind of people I would surround myself with, I can tell you that.” He paused then said, “I think you need to come in. The police can protect you until the hearing next week.”

“Are these guards, the Eagle’s Talon’s MC?” She had to know. She ignored the rest of his request.

“How did you know that?” Stafford asked.

“Because they are the ones who held me for over a week.”

Stafford swore. “How did you get away?” he finally asked.

“I don’t know really, all I do know is that I got out of there. I can’t tell you where I am right now, but I can tell you I’m safe.” She paused then said, “I don’t think I should come in right now. I’m safe right where I am and I plan to stay that way.”

“Ok honey, I get it. Jared isn’t going to be happy that you’re still around. He thinks he’s getting everything his dad left.”

“And I keep hoping Grandpa is still out there somewhere,” she stated softly. “I would rather have him back than anything else. I want my family back. Money just won’t keep you warm and safe at night when the demons come for your soul.”

“Rowen, there might be more news on your parent’s accident.”

Rowen frowned. “What kind of news? That accident happened fifteen years ago.”

“I know but the police got a call from the old man who might have run them off the road,” Stafford explained. “He didn’t know at first that he did anything wrong. Then it appears he got a lot of money after the deed was done. He’s an old man now but he told the police he was actually drunk that night and he didn’t remember doing it but when he got the money, he just kept it and didn’t say anything. Now, he’s dying and he wants to set the record straight. He swears he doesn’t know who gave him the money but he does remember a man sitting with him in the bar that night. He described a man that sounds just like Jared. What was so strange was this guy told him how to get home that night.”

“But how would he know we would be on the road right then?” she asked.

“Your grandfather told me after he buried your mom and Dad that the accident was his fault because he called them to come over that night. They were on their way to meet him when they were run off the road.”

Rowen gasped. “That’s ridiculous, the accident wasn’t his fault. Wait a minute, are you telling me someone set us up? Is that what you’re telling me? Someone set the accident up and didn’t care that three people were in that car?”

“That’s what it sounds like.”

“He killed my parents and put my life at risk, does he understand that?”

“Yeah, sweetie he gets that. He told the police he hasn’t been able to spend the money all these years. He’s lived with this for fifteen years and he wanted to die with a clean conscience.”

“I see.” She sighed again. “That doesn’t help me does it? I’m sorry to be so selfish but his confession doesn’t help anyone but himself right now. Why did he stay silent for so long? Why didn’t he come forward before now?” Tears ran down her face.

Joker pulled her onto his lap. He held her for a moment then she turned back to the call. “I’m sorry Stafford but I can’t think right now. I just wanted you to know that I’m still alive. Do what you can to stop Jared. He thinks he’s got the whole thing sewn up and while I can’t stop him, I just don’t want him to have it. Give him what Grandpa wanted him to have but not a penny more. God, I wish that old man was still here. I miss him so much.”

“I know honey. I’d like him to be here too. I wish he would walk through the door and throw his kid out on his ass.”

“If I could prove it, he’d be sitting in jail,” Rowen told him with anger in her voice. “If I could prove it.”

“Rowen, you know something right?”

“What’s that?” she asked.

“If your grandpa was still alive, there wouldn’t be a battle for control,” Stafford pointed out.

She tisked under her breath in disgust and replied, “I told Jared many years ago, I wanted nothing from my grandpa and I still don’t. I have a job that makes me enough of a living, so I’m not going to be homeless or hungry. I had everything I wanted or needed when I had my grandpa. Fuck Jared and fuck you, if you think for a moment, I’d take Grandpa’s money. It’s only paper after all. I miss his arms around me when I need a hug, I miss his wise words and his awesome smile. I miss hearing his laugh. I just miss him.” When she finished, she was sobbing. She ended the call and turned her head to Joker’s chest.

Joker just held her while he glared at his brothers.

They all heard the pain in her voice towards the end of the call. One by one, the brothers got up and left the room, leaving Joker holding her while she sobbed.

By early afternoon, a commotion sounded from outside the house. Out in the field somewhere.

The brothers all got up and went to the door, their weapons in hand.

Joker patted Rowen’s hand as she sat on the couch with a piece of blueberry pie and whipped cream that Charli had brought to her. “Wait here.” He got up and followed his brothers to the front entryway.

She stopped chewing and stared at them all.

They had guns out.

King stood next to the window and peeked out through the curtain. “Helicopter,” he reported in a flat voice.

Joker grabbed a weapon from the back of his jeans. “Would they have one of those?”

Deuce scoffed. “They had that tracker, so maybe.”

The men all gathered at the windows and watched.

Rowen had stopped eating the pie as she stared at them all. They didn’t remind her at all of bikers really. Especially, not like the Eagles. Those men drank, swore a stream, smoked, and acted rude. Yes, these men had tats and leathers, but just now, she thought they looked like soldiers. How odd. Then she felt scared as she realized they all looked on alert. Could this be an attack? One she had brought here to this peaceful sweet farm?

Then as she stared, they all seemed to relax as they put their weapons away. She cocked her head at them.

Ace opened the door and stepped back.

The other brothers stepped back as well.

Now, she could really see it. Soldiers as they all suddenly seemed to stand at attention. Her curiosity grew over this.

Then a man strolled in. Light hair and hazel eyes. Tall and leanly muscled, a bit older than the brothers, a smidgen of grey at his temples, but still a striking looking man. Not huge like Ace, King and Deuce but powerful looking, nonetheless.

The men in the room then all did something odd. In unison, they stomped their boots, stood ramrod straight and saluted the man.

Her eyes grew round.

The man who came in stopped and stared at each side at their salutes. “Oh, will you cut that shit out!”

The brothers all then dropped their hands to their sides and snickered, chuckled and or grinned.

“Fuck, you are never going to let me live that down are you?” he asked them as a group.

“Naw,” King replied. “We aren’t.”

“No fucking way, Shay,” Deuce stated.

“Never gonna happen,” Joker added.

“Nothing doing, Captain,” Jack added with a grin.

Shay shook his head and looked over at Ace. “Can’t you like put them in their place or something?”

Ace laughed at his frustration. “Not on this.”

Rowen watched them all. They are or were military! How strange and now, they’re bikers?”

The man, Shay finally trained his intense eagle eyed gaze onto her.

Rowen scooted down in her seat, as she felt nervous. The man had a way about him. Like you knew he could probably get any secret from you or you would gladly tell him what he wanted to know, just so he would stop looking at you the way he looked at her right now.