Chapter 92 The recording
Ryder's POV
I broke every speed limit between the clubhouse and the house, my mind racing faster than the engine as I tried to piece together what was happening. Dante moving up the deadline wasn't just pressure tactics anymore. He was trying to force Sage's hand.
When I pulled into the driveway, Sage was already waiting on the porch with a blanket wrapped around herself. She looked more exhausted than I saw her that morning, the kind of bone-deep tiredness that came from carrying too much weight for too long. I was out of the truck before the engine fully died and she met me halfway across the yard, walking straight into my arms without saying a word.
"Jaxon's upstairs in Dad's office," she said against my chest. "I wanted to wait for you before we talked to him about Dante."
I pulled back to look at her face and saw the fear there. "Did Jaxon say what he was doing in the office?"
"No, just that he wanted to do some work and he wasn't ready to go to the clubhouse for the day yet." She took my hand and led me toward the house.
The house was quiet when we stepped inside, and we went upstairs to meet Jaxon. “I guess you're no longer restricted from entering your dad's office.” I shrugged as we got to the foot of the stairs.
She gave me a look. “Since when did that ever stop me?”
We took the stairs two at a time and found Jaxon sitting at their dad's desk with something small and black in his hands.
"What's that?" Sage moved to stand in front of her brother, and I saw her eyes looking confused.
"A tape recorder." Jaxon turned it over in his hands, showing us the dust on the surface that meant it had been hidden for a while. "I bent over to find my pen that fell under the chair and when I looked under the chair, I saw something taped to the underside of the seat. This was wrapped in plastic and duct-taped to the underside so that you'd never find it unless you were specifically looking for it or got lucky like I did."
My pulse started to hammer in my ears. "Vincent hid it there?"
"Had to be him. Nobody else would have had access to this office for long enough to hide something this carefully." Jaxon put the recorder on the desk and we all stared at it like it might explode. "I haven't listened to it yet though. Maybe it's recorded evidence on someone he was planning to give to the feds."
Sage reached out and picked up the recorder. "Well let's play it and see what's on it."
She pressed play before either of us could say anything else.
There was static for a few seconds, the hiss and crackle of an old recording that had been sitting unused for months. Then Vincent's voice came through the small speaker, clear and unmistakable despite the tinny quality of the playback.
"You're asking for too much, Dante. I already got you what you wanted."
Another voice responded, smooth and cold in a way that made my skin crawl even through the recording. Dante.
"What I wanted was your cooperation, Vincent. And cooperation means you keep giving me what I ask for, when I ask for it." A pause. "Or have you forgotten what happens if you refuse?"
"You'll expose me as a federal informant. Yeah, I remember the threat." Vincent's voice was tight with barely controlled anger. "But getting you medications from Martinez is one thing. What you're asking for now is something else entirely."
"I'm asking for my future, Vincent. My security." Dante's tone shifted, becoming almost conversational. "You made a deal with the federal government. You give them information on other MCs and in exchange, they protect you and your children and their spouses for life. Complete immunity, new identities if needed, witness protection if things get dangerous. That's quite the insurance policy you've got there."
Sage grabbed my arm, her nails digging into my skin. I could see the pieces clicking together in her mind the same way they were clicking together in mine.
"What does that have to do with the drugs?" Vincent asked, but there was a weariness in his voice like he already knew where this was going.
"Everything." Dante laughed, a sound without warmth. "See, I've been thinking about my long-term prospects, and I've realized that being married to your daughter would make me one of those protected spouses. Part of your federal deal. Which means no matter what happens, no matter what evidence anyone finds against me, I walk away clean because the government has to protect me to protect you."
"You're out of your mind if you think I'm going to let you marry Sage."