Whiskey: Devil's Rose MC #2

Chapter 19: Beatrice Cooper

"You're telling me that you haven't been in contact with Whiskey for two days, and you haven't told me!?"

"It was club business. You have to understand."

"I don't give two fucks about club business, Alpha! This man is the love of my life, who means more to me than your stupid fucking rules. So, you will tell me what the hell is going on before I find out for myself in a way you probably won't approve of."

"I'm getting major deja vu."

"Maybe that means you should change some traditions."

"It might be time."

He sighs, guiding me to the seat in front of his desk. He explains Eli's childhood, in broad terms, since he declares that my man should be the one to tell me all the details because it's not Alpha's place to say. That I understand. 

He then goes on to explain the troubles that Eli had while trying to get out of the home situation he was in, a few not-so-honorable things that he did in the new bad situation, and how he got out of that. So, he was a pretty awful person.

 I had a feeling that he didn't have a good childhood or anything stable in his life, but I didn't know just how turbulent it was. And clearly, I haven't heard the full story. Then, I learn about Victoria - or Claws as she calls herself now. 

I can sympathize with her need to get revenge - if it were me who was exchanged by my ex-boyfriend to a gang-boss for freedom, I would probably be just as pissed as she is - but it's been six years. Why now?

Is it only because she has the firepower now? She has the protection and the loyalty, maybe she didn't have that before. Playing the long game? Here's another thing. Why go to such lengths? It's clear that she wasn't injured physically and, even admitted herself, she wasn't hurt at all. 

I think she liked being a part of it. Having the power that she has now, she has someone backing her up which means that all that firepower may not be hers. And, if she was supposedly given to the gang-boss person or whatever, why did he want her specifically? Wouldn't he have done more damage with someone that Eli cared about? 

Victoria was his ex-girlfriend after what was a fling in the words of Alpha and Eli it seems. So the gang boss must have had other plans for Victoria. It wouldn't be crazy if I thought that the gang-boss liked Victoria romantically and used Eli's want for freedom exchange to hide the fact that he actually just wanted Victoria around him, so they could get together? 

And maybe now that they are together, the gang-boss guy is allowing the woman he loves to get revenge on an ex-boyfriend rather than the man who exchanged her?

That isn't the craziest thing I have thought about or discovered today.

"Do you know where he is?"

"Yes and no."

"What the fuck does that mean?"

"We have a location, one that hasn't moved, but it's very much possible that she knows about the tracker and left it there as a trap. Or they are both there, but it is still a trap. Or that's where they both are, and we can save him and do whatever else we need, but we still have to get into the building since she knows we are coming for him. It's not simple."

"Nothing about this is simple. And the tracker is because you knew about Victoria?"

"We wanted to make sure we had tabs on his location at all times in case anything went wrong."

"It has. What's being done to rescue him?"

"Everything we can at the moment. We are checking if there have been any new defensive systems, tracking any new movement, seeing what else is going on with any other members of the gang."

"Have you tried anything with Whiskey's old boss?"

"No, why would we?"

"Whiskey also backed out of the gang, so maybe there is a personal and professional issue with both the gang-boss and Victoria. They had time to spend together, they could have been planning this together."

"I hadn't thought of that. Traditions certainly do need to change."

"Besides Whiskey, what about the people that Victoria was selling? They are all pretty much lingering around here, and you are acutely attentive to one woman in particular."

"Some of the boys don't want to go home, and that's their decision, so they are thinking of becoming prospects. Some of the women too, which is breaking tradition, but I enjoy it. The woman I am acutely attentive with has shown that she needs more help than the others."

I hum in reply, wiggling my eyebrows teasingly while simultaneously distracting him with me continuing to dig through his desk for any more information that might help me save Eli from everlasting torture with that brute of a woman. He catches my wrist, effectively stopping me, but he gives me determined yet kind eyes. 

I huff and roll my eyes to add my dramatics as I step away, finding his stare once again. I must look desperate - true to my feelings - because he reaches for his phone to get any updates on the situation. When that doesn't bear good news, I force myself to leave the office, the enclosed space seeming to suffocate me. 

I don't understand why he hid something like this from me. Just two days ago, we were waking up together, spending our days with a complicated grace. Now...now, he's gone, and my realist self is telling me that the man I knew two days before isn't coming back. 

I don't think Victoria is merciful, and I can only imagine that kind of hell that he's going through. Hell, that's going to change him...again. But I'm not going anywhere. Not now, not ever - my love for him is eternal.

I glance over at the bar, my mind sending me through the moments that Eli and I spent there. Whether it was us talking or not saying anything but being in one another's presence, it always deemed itself to be comfortable. Even when we had broken up. 

Yes, it was awkward for a couple of minutes. But then, I sat there drinking a cosmopolitan - my favorite - without saying a word, and the two of us spent time around one another. We were always good at that, even when we were at our lowest relationship point. 

Sitting together in silence with each other's presence being enough. I miss that, I miss him. More than I thought I ever would. And with Navy asking where he is...life sucks right now. I'm grateful to have such a supportive group around me, but if I'm being honest, I'm not sure that's going to help much this time. 

The only thing I need is to have him back with me, alive. He won't be whole, or the way he was before, but at least he'll be alive and breathing.

"Beatrice?"

"Yes."

I turn around to see Poison standing there, a manilla folder in hand. He holds it out to me with uneasy eyes, and I know I'm not going to like what I see. I open it to see that Victoria and he had finally left the warehouse, handcuffs around his wrists and a sullen expression. 

The back of his t-shirt looks darker than the rest of the material, demonstrating the wetness of the fabric. I bite my bottom lip as I think about the reasons that the back of his shirt might be wet.

"We are going for a rescue mission. If we get Victoria, that's great too, but Whiskey's top priority."

"Who's going?"

"Reaper, Bullet, Tank, and Carbon."

That'll get the job done.

I nod my head in comprehension, my hands shaking with frustration at how long this took the MC. I know and I get that it's complicated, but I'm allowed to be a bit angry that a resume mission hasn't happened sooner. 

Poison steps back, most definitely sensing my mood, but doesn't comment as he turns away to do whatever job assigned to him. Someone guides me to a booth seat, setting a hamburger, fries, and water in front of me. 

I glance up to see Major for a quick moment, saying 'thank you' politely, and run my fingers over the black and white photo of the man I love with all my heart. Oh gosh, I hope everything goes smoothly. Like anything ever does. 

My eyes flick back over the bar, my breath wobbly, anticipatory tears filling my eyes already. I curse under my breath and take a large bite of the hamburger.