Jackson (MC Sinners #7)

9 – Serenity

“ I t’s blowing up,” Addison says, turning her phone in my direction considering I don’t have my own. It’s not worth the risk.

I see a post on Instagram and TikTok that is going viral. It’s Halo telling her story, telling the world what happened to her best friend and showing the photo she has, comparing it to a photo of Gerard she managed to find. It’s a good match—even though the photo Ciara found doesn’t show his face, their body type is identical.

Halo has a soft way about her, and, as she speaks, it’s hard not to be captivated by her gentle demeanor. She wipes away tears as she talks about Alyssa and how losing her has impacted her life. It’s not an act; her emotion is genuine, and watching her breaks my heart. Nobody should have to lose a friend.

People are already sharing, liking, commenting, and vowing to help her solve the case. She outright called out Gerard, using his name, his status, and giving as much detail as she can about him. She tells everyone he is in hiding, being protected, and that he is going to get away with a crime because of who he is and how clever he is.

It’s going to work; I just know it.

He’ll never be able to sit back and let this happen.

“This is such a good idea.” Ciara flicks through her phone. “I can’t believe we didn’t think of it. You’re a genius, Serenity.”

“Why thank you.” I smile. “I just hope it’s enough to get him out of his little cave.”

“If he’s the kind of man I think he is, it’ll work.” Ciara nods. “He won’t be able to help himself.”

“Good, because I don’t want to spend any longer here than I have to,” I say, sitting on the sofa and tucking my legs up to my chest. “I miss my baby.”

Addison gives me a warm smile. “We’re going home today to see how everything is going. I promise I’ll give her so many kisses for you.”

I offer a smile, but it’s weak. “Is it safe for you to go home?”

“The cops are going to be looking at the club no matter what we do, and we have a plan to get in and out safely.”

“You two don’t have to be here, you know,” I say, giving them my best smile because I am so grateful to them.

Ciara waves a hand. “Girl, we would never leave you alone. No way in the world.”

“Exactly.” Addison nods. “We’re a team.”

“I love you two, so much,” I say, trying to stop my voice from shaking.

“Oh my gosh!” Ciara squeaks suddenly, her eyes widening as she stares down at her phone. “Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!”

“What?” Addison and I both cry at the same time.

“He commented. That dumb fucker commented.”

I’m pushing to my feet before she can even finish her sentence, rushing over and coming to a stop by her side. She’s right, there is a comment on there from an account that I didn’t even know existed. It’s under the name Ger_Sir24 , and it’s clear as day that it’s him, because his profile picture is on display.

“What did he say?” I ask, trying to lean over Ciara to see.

He wrote, “ This is a false accusation and there has been no proof that I have done anything wrong. A person has already been locked away for trying to murder me, and I’m in protection for my own safety. This needs to be removed or I’ll be seeking legal advice.”

“I knew he’d cave!” Ciara squeals, clicking onto his profile which is locked. “He can’t help himself.”

“How are we going to draw him out further?” I ask, biting my lip. “We need to get our hands on him.”

“What about an event?” Addison says, her eyes widening. “We could have Halo organize some kind of memorial, or rally, or something in honor of Alyssa’s name and justice. He wouldn’t be able to help himself, he’d have to show up, even if he didn’t want anyone to see.”

“That could work,” I say, my heart racing as a plan comes together. “We can have eyes all around. All we need is to find him and follow him to know where he is. Then he is ours.”

“It’s genius, I’ll call Halo!” Ciara rushes out of the room.

This might work.

This might actually work.

Ava, my baby, I’ll be home soon.

“IT’S GOT A SOLID CHANCE of workin’ because that fucker can’t help himself.” Spike nods. “He’ll need to see what people are doin’ to seek justice. He’ll need to know they don’t have any kind of proof. He won’t show himself, though. I can almost guarantee it, which is why we need eyes everywhere.”

“We’ll make it in a place we can get full coverage,” Jackson agrees. “That fucker won’t get away this time.”

“I want to come,” I say, rubbing my hands together. “I’ll stay hidden, but I need to be there, I need to help.”

“If you get seen, Serenity, you’re goin’ back to prison and nothin’ we can do will help,” Cade points out, carefully.

“I won’t be seen.”

They hesitate.

“Please. I can’t sit here and just do nothing.”

“You don’t appear anywhere, you hear me?” Jackson orders. “No matter what happens, you do not come out of the truck.”

I nod. “I promise.”

Jackson turns to Cade. “Get onto Muff. Set it up and get a status report on the police situation, see if they’ve come knockin’ at the club yet.”

Cade nods, turning and pulling out his phone.

Spike drapes an arm around Ciara’s shoulder. “This better work, baby.”

Ciara grins. “Oh, it’ll work. He won’t be able to help himself.”

“Let’s get this plan into motion, the quicker we can trap him, the better,” Jackson orders. “Ladies, you can organize the event, we’ll do the rest.”

Gosh.

I hope this works.

HALO ORGANIZES A RALLY to fight for justice for Alyssa. It works, and before we know it, there are over a hundred people turning up. The club has everything planned to get eyes on every single angle, and all we need to do now is lay eyes on Gerard and try to figure out where he’s hiding.

It’s a good plan, but anything could go wrong.

I’m in a truck that Jackson has hired under a false name so that no police presence will suspect it is us. Even though they have no proof the club helped me escape, they do know that I’m part of the club, and therefore they suspect it could be them, however, with nothing, they can’t make an arrest.

Muff advised that they did show up to the club, but he turned them away, telling them that without a warrant, they can’t come in. There is a chance they’ll get one, but they won’t find anything. Jackson has organized to be there if they do come back in with a warrant, giving them even more reason to wonder if I’m with them. If he is there without me, it might throw them.

That’s when he plans on telling them that Hound has something to do with it.

It might take the pressure off.

For now, I’m on the floor of the truck so nobody can see me as we drive into town.

It takes more than a few hours, and my legs are aching by the time we get there, but I don’t complain. I want to be part of this. That fucker is the reason I’m in this situation as it is, and I’m not about to let him get away with it again. Not this time. I want to go home to my family, and I’ll do whatever it takes to make that happen.

We find a shaded parking spot where I can see the group, and the guys get out and find a secure position so that they can watch over everything. Then, we wait for it all to start. It doesn’t take long for people to begin showing up, and little by little, people rally around, talking to Halo, signing petitions and making quite the scene.

I’m scanning the crowd for Gerard, but, so far, I haven’t seen him.

The guys have a way of communicating with one another, but I have nothing. It’s not safe for me to have a phone. So, I’m stuck simply watching. I let my eyes constantly scan the crowd, seeing if I can locate him, but I don’t see anything. Exhaling, I hold my aching body up and keep looking.

That’s when I notice a man.

He’s standing with a group of people, and he’s barely noticeable except for the fact that when he lifts his arms to wipe sweat from his brow, I notice a tattoo on his stomach, a tattoo that looks scarily familiar to the one that Gerard is said to have, the one that runs up his neck just enough to have been seen in that photo. It’s a risk, but something tells me that the man standing there is him.

He's wearing a hat, shades, and a long shirt, so it’s hard to tell anything. Just glancing at him, you wouldn’t think it was Gerard, but something inside me is screaming that it’s him. The fact that he’s with a group of women tells me that he has more back up than we first thought. He’s hiding in plain sight.

Desperately, I wonder how the hell I can let the guys know, but I have no way of communicating with them.

When the man and the group of women turn and walk away from the crowd, my heart jumps. If that’s him, there is a good chance we will lose him. Biting my lip, I glance around, wondering if it’s worth the risk. The group walk over to a car and get inside, and I know I can’t let them go. I have to follow them.

Launching into the front seat, I pull the truck out as the car disappears down the street.

I know Jackson will see me, I know they’ll freak out, but I can’t let this man go.

I just know it’s him.

He’s not getting away this time.