Sweet remained locked up for the rest of the night through early the next day. He’d been solitary in his cell, mostly left alone except for the guard who’d smuggled him a bag of lollipops, and finally questioned half-heartedly by the detective who had to answer to the FBI who roamed the area looking for RICO cases.

“Nothing personal, Sweet,” Detective Connelly told him as he sat across the interrogation table.

Whenever they got to this point in his arrest, Sweet knew he was just about to be let go for lack of evidence. The understanding between Havoc and the local law had always been an uneasy partnership, but most of the cops understood that Havoc was a necessary evil to keep the drugs and guns and gangs away from their city.

Havoc also stimulated the local economy with the shops they ran off the Havoc compound, which also helped keep the local politicians from coming down too hard on them.

One of Havoc’s biggest moneymakers was porn, which was filmed, cut, and distributed on Havoc’s property—completely legal and up to code. Taxes paid. Another was stealing expensive cars from wealthy buyers. “I know. Too bad I didn’t see anything.”

Connelly stared at Sweet’s bloodied knuckles and shook his head. “A damned shame.”

Now, nearly twelve hours post-arrest, with Tug and Ozzie escorting him home, Sweet dialed Gypsy.

“They finally got tired of you?” Gypsy asked.

“About fuckin’ time.” He needed a shower, sex, and sleep, in that order. “Bram okay?”

“Apart from the nightmares?”

“How bad?”

“Bad, Sweet. But he made Linc’s shirt. I left it out purposely.”

Sweet’s anger rose but he wasn’t sure exactly why—it was a smart move on Gypsy’s part. “So he passed your test.”

“Go fuck yourself, Sweet,” Gypsy muttered. “Come get Bram and get him the hell out.”

Gypsy was the only man on this compound who’d talk to Sweet that way. Their fights didn’t last long though, and Sweet always cut his friend slack.

“What the hell’s got you so spooked?”

“How about the fact that this guy’s got you wrapped,” Gypsy told him.

“Guess it runs in the family,” Sweet retorted and swore he could hear Gypsy’s growl through the phone. “Hey, I trusted you about Linc.”

“And look where that got us.”

“Maybe. Maybe not.”

“Bram’s fucked up, Sweet. We both know it. Just because you’re looking for someone to save . . .” Gypsy trailed off as Sweet’s blood ran cold.

He stared out the window and hung up on Gypsy before he said something he’d regret, figured his friend was more pissed—and guilt ridden—over Linc than anything at the moment, and Sweet’s choices were an easy target.

But Gypsy was dead wrong about Sweet wanting to save anyone. He’d learned long ago that it wasn’t possible, and he lived daily with regrets over things he could never take back. But he’d learned from what happened with James, aka Jimmy-Boy, and after losing the love of his goddamned life, Sweet refused to make the same mistake twice.

Still, he pondered on the value of keeping Bram on the compound until they could figure out what the fuck was happening. Because Sweet had administered a test of his own, one his closest MC brothers definitely noticed. By Sweet’s pretending not to see the knife, he’d forced Bram’s hand to see if he’d jump into the fight . . . and ultimately, it’d forced Bram farther into Havoc. It was done to ensure that Linc would come back, or to at least find out once and for all if Linc had betrayed Havoc. And if Bram was planning on doing the same.

This plan would screw Bram with the Pagans, and it might end up doing the same to Sweet. But he’d risk it to ferret out any signs of infiltration from outside enemies into his camp. Havoc trusted him implicitly. They depended on him. He’d never let his club down.

 

About Running Blind

An ATF agent who lives for danger finds what he craves from an outlaw biker.

It’s impossible for a one-percenter motorcycle club member to simply walk away—and no one knows that better than undercover agent Bram, who’s almost killed for trying. His cover isn’t blown—yet—but it’s only a matter of time. The Heathens won’t be satisfied until he’s dead, so he decides to lay low and heal.

But when his younger brother’s disappearance throws a wrench into his plan, Bram ends up in Shades Run, a town ruled by the notorious Havoc MC. In less than twenty-four hours, Bram finds himself at the mercy of Sweet, Havoc’s president, as he throws himself into the undercover role of a lifetime: himself. A man who’s never belonged anywhere, and who will do anything to protect his younger brother.

When finding Linc seems impossible, Bram is torn between Sweet, Linc, and revealing his true identities . . . and there appears to be no way out. Once again, he risks it all trying to save it all. Only this time he’s got no backup to save him if he falls.

Running Blind is available from Riptide. And don’t miss book one in the Havoc series, Running Wild!

 

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About SE Jakes

SE Jakes writes m/m romance. She believes in happy endings and fighting for what you want in both fiction and real life. She lives in New York with her family, and most days, she can be found happily writing (in bed). No really…

SE Jakes is the alter ego of New York Times bestselling paranormal and romantic suspense author Stephanie Tyler.

Connect with SE:

• Website: sejakes.com
• Tumblr: sejakes.tumblr.com
• Twitter: @authorsejakes
• Facebook: Facebook.com/SEJakes
• Email: authorsejakes@gmail.com
• Goodreads author page: goodreads.com/S_E_Jakes
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To celebrate the release of Running Blind, one lucky person will win an ecopy of Running Wild, the first book in the Havoc series! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on September 29, 2018. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following along, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!