King of Tides (The Immortal Iron Brothers #3)

Chapter 6

Shut It Down

I chew on my gum as I watch the warehouse down at the docks, which I was able to connect to the Immortal Iron Brothers club. It took some doing, but I was finally able to uncover the connection. Still no real connection to Ricci, but I’m a hundred percent that it’s owned by the bikers.

A few guys in cuts step out of the warehouse and I take a few photos. I’ll run them through facial recognition later. The odd thing is, I’ve been surveilling this place for two weeks and taking photos of these guys as they come and go. They’re a biker gang, but not a single one of the guys I’ve photographed has come up in the system.

How can they be affiliated with Ricci and be this clean? I place my camera down and take a few notes. I look at the time. I wish I could sit on this place all day, but I need to get to work for my shift.

I go to start my car when two bikers pull up. Quickly, I reach for my camera. My breath catches as I see it’s my neighbor and a redhead. The two look a lot alike except for the hair. The redhead also has a fuller beard as opposed to my neighbor’s mustache and goatee. They even move alike—that easy stroll and swag that oozes something dark and sexy.

My anticipation begins to build. I’ll finally learn more about him if his face comes up in the database. I can at least figure out his age.

I know, I know, I should just ask the guy all these questions I have brewing like a normal person. I just haven’t been able to since I crashed into him the day he moved into the building. That day, for the first time ever, I felt a real attraction to a man.

I probably would have explored it too, if not for the memories that rushed me of that night when one of his brothers saved my life. I shake my head as I remind myself it had to be one of his biker brothers because it couldn’t have been him.

While his face is sharp and hard, it still has a youthful look. I’d peg him for his midtwenties, early thirties, max. I may not remember everything, but the one who saved me was a man. This guy would have been around my age back then—still a boy.

I have no idea why I saw him in that vision. To be honest, I don’t know what to think of anything I saw that night. I’ve been going on a hunch even coming here.

I jump and yelp as my phone rings. My camera drops into my lap as I chide myself. Glancing at my phone in the cup holder, I curse and place a hand over my chest to calm myself.

“Damn, this is the last thing I need,” I mutter as my captain’s name flashes across my screen.

I wipe my suddenly sweaty palms against my thighs. A quick look back toward the warehouse tells me the bikers are gone. However, I don’t know if they went inside.

I bite out another curse and pick up the call. “Hello.”

“Salvado, why aren’t you in my office? I thought I told you to get in here early today. I need to talk to you now,” Captain Gates growls through the line.

“Sir, I’m sorry. It slipped my mind. I’m on my way,” I say quickly.

“For your sake, you better hope you’re not getting into any more shit I have to clean up. I have enough on my plate. I don’t need to babysit your ass.”

I jerk my head back and look at the phone with a frown on my face. We’ve always clashed when it comes to the Ricci organization, so I haven’t mentioned anything about my investigation. I plan to have them dead to rights before I reveal my hand.

“Not sure what you’re talking about, but I’ll be in soon,” I mumble.

Just as I go to hang up, my neighbor and the other biker step from the building with a woman who looks a lot like the one from my vision. I bite my lip, trying to decide if I should remain and try to learn more or if I should get to the precinct for the dress down that’s waiting for me.

I roll my eyes and mutter to myself as I take off. I’ll just have to come back. At least I have a location, and I know for a fact this woman is real.

I still have time to save her from Candido. Now, if only I could figure out the connection to the biker club.

Ardan

“New receptionist?” Bradan asks as we go to leave the warehouse after our meeting with Kai.

I glance back over my shoulder. An older woman is at the main desk. I narrow my gaze as I take the woman in.

“I guess so,” I say to Bradan as I turn back to look forward.

“Is she registered? She’s not human and I didn’t receive paperwork for Amadeus to take on a new super as an employee,” Bradan says.

“That’s on me, brother. Kai and Ocean have been handling the place in Amadeus’s absence. I’ll let them know they have to file the proper paperwork and clear her as an employee through the brotherhood.”

“What did Kai say her name was?”

“Shit. Was it Gü? or Pouch or something like that?”

“Gü?, that was it,” he says and chuckles. “Pouch. Get the fuck out of here with that.”

“What? I wasn’t really paying attention, and she only called her name, like, once.”

“Normally you would have caught it that once.”

“Well, I didn’t this time. Besides, when was the last time you heard of someone named after one of the gods,” I mutter.

I wasn’t paying attention before but now that he’s brought attention to her name, I do find it odd that she has it. Granted, the supers haven’t completely forgotten the gods, but not many honor them as they used to. Not like the wolves honor the moon goddess.

Some are too afraid to utter their creator’s names. My brothers and I don’t use our father’s name by choice. He abandoned us. I, for one, have no use for his name.

“Truth, but that’s still not like you. Everything okay? You’ve been staying at your apartment more lately. Anything you want to talk about?”

“I’m all good,” I reply. “On second thought … let me ask you something.”

I’ve been wanting to bring this up for a while now, but I didn’t want my brothers to question me. It’s already odd that I’ve purchased the apartment building and chose to live elsewhere.

We do it from time to time, but it’s not often and normally happens after we’ve been through something traumatic. Reilly was the last one to break off to take some alone time from the family. However, we never stay apart for long.

“Go on,” Bradan says as he straddles his machine.

“Have you ever felt a pull somewhere, like that’s where you always need to be?”

“Sure as shit have and still don’t know why. Shit is driving me crazy.”

I think his words over. It dawns on me that I have noticed he’s been taking off at random times over the last few months. We are close, but I haven’t questioned him on his comings and goings, as Bradan tends to need to blow off steam every now and then.

We all get that and try to back off to give him his space. Kendrick believes Bradan has a hidden place. I know he does. As his twin, I can feel when he goes there to fully release. However, I know that’s not where he’s been taking off to, because I don’t feel him releasing his powers while he’s gone.

“Is it me, or does it feel like change is coming?”

Even as I ask the question, there’s something in the air telling me the answer. As if for the first time since I was a young boy, the gods have tuned in to listen to my words and feelings. My brothers and I haven’t just felt the absence of our mother and father. They have all gone silent on us.

“I’m no Kendrick or Reilly, but I feel it. Something’s brewing.”

I shrug. “Maybe we’re just getting anxious for the bond to run out. I think we’re all at the end of our rope with Ricci.”

“I know I’m ready to be done with them, you feel me?”

“Oh, I feel you, brother. He has a lot of fucking nerve asking us to do shit for another family as if he doesn’t know the rules.”

“He knows the fucking rules. If it’s not in direct connection or a direct benefit. It’s our call and we can deny it.

“He knows how much we hate the drug and sex trafficking business, so he knew we would say no. How much you want to bet his pussy ass tries to go around us?”

“You know I don’t like to lose, brother. I wouldn’t take that bet for free,” I say then climb on and start my bike.

“Let’s go,” I say through our mind link.

Billy

This is not my damn day. Traffic was a beast and added at least another hour to my travel time. I didn’t even have time to eat.

My stomach growls as I walk to Cap’s office. I can tell by the vibe in the precinct that Captain Gates is on one today. That man can sour everyone’s mood by breathing.

To be honest, it could be worse. Our cap can be a dick, but I’ve heard stories of real tyrants who are a trip to work under. Gates will get in your ass, but he’s a decent guy when he wants to be.

I knock on his door and wait for him to call out. “Yeah,” he rumbles.

I pop my head in. “You wanted to see me?”

“Come on in.”

That doesn’t sound too good. I take a deep breath and step in to take a seat. I already have a feeling I know what this is about.

“Salvado, can you explain to me why I’m getting calls about you sticking your nose places I’ve told you to stay away from? Tell me you’re not using city time to investigate innocent people when you have plenty of cold cases and cases fresh off the streets that need your attention. Cases like that young couple who went missing two days ago or that homicide from the other night,” Captain Gates bites out.

He’s right. I do have those two cases on my desk. While I’m still digging into the homicide, the missing couple is bullshit. I’m not wasting my time with those two. I could see from the moment I stepped on the scene at the apartment of those two it was a game they were playing with the friend who made the call.

“Cap, with all due respect. That couple was wrapped up in a love triangle. The friend who made the report is just the last to find out the other two decided to go it solo. Or should I say as a duo.

“The blood .” I make air quotes with my fingers. “Was pig’s blood and I tracked the two to a little house upstate. Both breathing and looking like they’re living their best lives.”

He purses his lips at me. “Fine, and the homicide?”

“I’m circling back to the restaurant owner. He failed to mention he was dating our vic. Our pregnant vic, who I’m sure was carrying his baby. Which will be easily proven with a DNA test. If he didn’t do it, it was the wife. I’ll be able to nail the truth down as soon as I log in for the evening, Cap,” I say with a bright smile.

I do my fucking job. I have never allowed my investigation into Ricci to deter me from getting my job done. I don’t know who’s trying to blow the whistle on me, but they can suck it.

Gates sits back in his seat. “Good job, just stay the fuck away from Ricci. Whatever you’re up to, can it.”

“What makes you so sure he’s clean?” I say, getting pissed.

“It’s above my pay grade, which means it’s way above yours. Candido and Pauly Ricci are off-limits. Stay away from them. That means their properties and any connected to them—that includes the docks and warehouses surrounding theirs.

“Drop it, Salvado, or I’ll be forced to suspend you. Since I’m already short-staffed and you’re one of the best I have on the squad, I’d appreciate it if you could just listen for once.”

Gotcha. So the Iron Brothers are connected somehow. I know it.

“Understood,” I mutter.

“Now get the fuck out of my office and do your job. I want your reports on my desk first thing tomorrow morning.”

I go to leave until I realize what he just said. He has lost his damn mind. There’s no damn way.

“But I won’t be able to get all that done before the end of my shift and get out in the field to make that collar,” I protest.

“Looks like you’ll be earning some overtime. Don’t tell me you went out and got yourself a boyfriend.”

I have to bite down on my tongue to keep from cursing him out. If I were a male officer, he wouldn’t dare say some shit like that to me.

“Fuck off,” I say under my breath.

“What was that?”

“Nothing. You have a safe shift, sir.”

Asshole.