“Bunny’s back in Thorne?”
Lila nodded. “Yeah, for about a year now. Her … dad died.”
Everything in him stilled at hearing that.
“We only saw each other a few times, but Spike knows about her. But I stayed away from her after the threats Spike made, afraid to get her involved. But once I had the baby I tried calling her, warning her about him and what he might do. I tried to get her to come with me to see you, knowing we’d be safe. But I haven’t been able to get a hold of her.”
“Shit.”
“Yeah.”
“Damn, Lila. I haven’t talked to Bunny since … it’s been a long fucking time.”
“I know, Brendan.” She exhaled. “I don’t know what happened between you two all those years ago, but hasn’t enough time passed? You were upset, and she was just … gone. She refuses to talk about it, even now, but I can’t leave her alone, not when I know Spike and his crew might hurt her to get back at me.”
“No one is getting hurt, Lila. No one.” He said those words hard, not meaning to sound that way, but he would die before he let anyone hurt the people he held close. He might not have spoken to Bunny for years, and they might have ended in some fucked up way, but he’d loved her once, and he still cared about her. “We’ll figure this out. We’ll make sure everyone is safe.” He’d find out everything, and when he had all the facts, he’d gather his club, his new family, and he’d hunt down the asshole that had hurt his sister.
Tank thought about getting the club involved, about the lengths they’d go to solve this. He stared down at the table, thought about his past, the people he’d connected with. His club could find shit out, but he needed to get some of his old connections up and running. This concerned his sister and niece, and possibly Bunny, and he wasn’t taking any chances.
He’d need to have someone help that could find out all the lowdown dirty shit going on with Spike and that wannabe club, and he knew exactly who to call.
“I’ll get a hold of Wrath.”
Lila’s eyes widened for a moment. “Wrath?” She stuttered out his name. “Do you still talk to him? Do you think calling him is the best option?”
Tank shook his head. “I haven’t spoken to him since right before he went into the joint, but I know he’s out now, has been for about a year.”
She licked her lips, and he could see her nerves heighten by her expression.
“Do you really think you need to get Wrath involved?”
Tank saw the way her pulse beat harder at the base of her throat. “I think we need Wrath involved, Lila.”
She broke eye contact for a second. “He’s dangerous, Tank, always was, even when we were younger.”
He grunted. “That’s why we need him.”
She looked back at him. “How do you even know he’ll help? If you haven’t talked in years—”
“He’ll help, that I have no doubt, especially if it concerns you. It doesn’t matter we haven’t spoken. If it includes getting his hands dirty, and protecting you, I know Wrath will be in.” Wrath was dangerous, but he’d always had this soft spot, or as soft as a man like him could have, for Tank’s sister. He’d even go as far as saying Wrath loved Lila, again, as much love as a man like Wrath could have. But Tank knew Wrath would have killed anyone that messed with Lila back in the day, had even beaten a guy unconscious for grabbing her arm in a drunken move. No matter how dangerous Wrath was, when it came to Lila, he was always there, whether she knew it or not, and no matter how much time had passed.
That’s one of the things Tank had liked about the man, because he knew Wrath would lay down for anyone he cared for.
She swallowed, her throat working, her eyes slightly wide. “He was scary before going to prison, Brendan. I can’t even imagine how he is now, all these years later.”
“You knew he would have done anything for you back in the day.”
She nodded. “Things change, and time makes people different, even more dangerous.”
Yeah, Wrath had been one scary motherfucker in the past, but that’s why he and Tank had gotten along so well. Wrath didn’t care about anything but getting a job done, but over the years they’d drifted apart as Wrath got more in the underground scene, and then even more so when he went to prison. The man started getting into the heavy shit, things that included drug trafficking, cooking up meth, and running guns.
That was when Tank decided he’d back off, both of them going their own ways. They’d parted on good terms, and that—and because of Lila—was why he was sure Wrath would have no problem helping out. Of course he wouldn’t know until he got a hold of the man. For all he knew Wrath was royally fucked from the years of working dirty, and then going to prison. But he needed to reach out, because Wrath had mad skills on getting all the dirty information on someone.