Chapter 13
Rayne sat on the couch covered in a blanket, scowling at all of us. Smudge sat beside her, blissfully unaware of what was happening. Ethan cast a longing glance at the cat but didn’t attempt to pet her. The two had made peace, even if it was tenuous. One night, when Ethan fell asleep, I watched as Smudge curled up beside his chest. The problem had always been that he had tried too hard to make the cat love him.
Rayne understood she couldn’t go with us tonight after her visit to the hospital. Dr. Matthews’ words had hit her harder than she wanted to let on, but I had seen her face. She wouldn’t do anything to impact the health of our baby. Her health was an entirely different matter. When she wasn’t pregnant, she lived solely off of spite and caffeine.
When Victoria arrived to keep her company, each of us kissed Rayne’s forehead. Victoria’s kids were spending the night with Oliver and Marie so that Rory could tag along with us. His shoulders were tense.
The night could go several ways. Butch could hypothetically listen to us, let go of his daughter, and leave us alone. That was a best case scenario and unlikely to occur. More than likely, he would lose his shit when we told him what we wanted, and he would try something. What, I wasn’t sure.
Just like Rayne had said, sitting at lunch with us at Duci’s the first time we met, we knew the risk every time we took a job. And every time, we knew there was a possibility that we wouldn’t be coming home–even if we didn’t say it out loud. How Oliver had managed to live as long as he had, I didn’t know.
“Call me if anything happens. We’ll just shoot everyone there and deal with the repercussions,” I told Joey as I grabbed my suit jacket. All I wanted to do was sit on the couch beside Rayne and pull her into my lap while reassuring her that everything would be okay. Unfortunately, duty called.
Joey gave me a stiff nod. “You just worry about getting back here in one piece. Killer will be all right. I wouldn’t let anything happen to her, and you know it.”
It didn’t hurt that Phillip was still our head of security. He had come in for an extra shift when he found out about Rayne. Loyalty was something that I valued above all else. Phillip had proven he’d be willing to die for our girl despite having a child of his own.
“Ready to do this?” Hunter asked as he checked the gun holstered on his chest. Like me, it would be concealed beneath his jacket, just in case.
I grabbed my keys and strode across the room, giving Rayne one last kiss. “Everything will be fine,” I whispered in her ear. She’d never been overly emotional. Bouts of rage, yes. Tears though? Pregnancy had brought out a side of her I had never seen. It was softer and gentler. It also made me want to protect her even more.
Enzo and Rory sat in the back seat of the SUV with Ethan as we pulled up to the abandoned building on the edge of town. We’d agreed to meet at a neutral location. Inferno wasn’t operational. Their clubhouse was a logistical nightmare. The last thing I wanted to deal with was thirty pissed-off bikers and their significant others. Duci’s wouldn’t work if things went sideways, and neither would Jupiter Financial. Plus, I wanted Butch as far away from Rayne as possible.
As expected, a row of bikes was parked directly in front of the building. A cursory glance told me that at least seven men sat inside, likely heavily armed. “Let’s get this over with,” Enzo mumbled as he reached for the door handle. When we got out, we straightened our clothes and took a deep breath before looking at the others. Even though we dreaded how the meeting would go, it was a necessary evil. One that would keep each of our families safe.
I wasn’t foolish enough to assume that we could just leave the life destiny had given us. Once Rayne had been given the keys to the kingdom, I knew that the only way out was death. The same went for Rory and Enzo. Through twists of fate, this was it for each of us.
I took the lead, Ethan and Hunter flanking me on each side. It was a show of force, the same way that we had all dressed impeccably in three-piece suits, despite realizing that this scenario had the potential to be drenched in blood. It was to tell everyone involved we were better. We hadn’t earned the nickname the Three Kings for nothing.
The streetlight flickered nearby as we strolled to the building, casting the parking lot in an eerie glow. Slowly, I swung open the door and stepped inside, my eyes darting around the open space. A table from a bygone era sat in the middle of the room, scratches marring its once pristine surface. Rickety chairs surrounded the table. In four of them sat members of Satan’s Sinners.
The man in the center had a black goatee with silver dispersed throughout. He had shaved his head, and the light that swung above shined off of his skin. The cut he wore had a patch that said President, and I assumed that was Butch, the man we wanted to speak with.
The other three men were unimportant to me. I didn’t care what their official titles or names were as long as they stayed out of the way. Each of them cast me an uneasy look, and Butch crossed his arms over his chest. “Where’s my daughter?”
I gave him a smirk. “Skye won’t be coming. That’s why we’re here. We need to discuss terms of a ceasefire.”
His brows furrowed at me, and he pursed his lips before standing. “I’m only here to get my daughter. You have no right to get involved with the personal affairs–”
Ethan, impulsive as ever, acted faster than I anticipated. I didn’t have a chance to intervene as he flew across the room, and a knife sank into Butch’s hand. A scream reverberated in the room before all hell threatened to break loose. Every man pulled a gun from his person, including Ethan. His opposite hand held a revolver that was pressed against the MC president’s temple.
I’d always considered myself a methodical person, the type who considered every option before acting. Life was like a chess game, and every choice you made had the potential to impact the next move. What I never seemed to factor in was Ethan. Hunter had been born into this world. He knew the value of being patient. But Ethan...
Whenever something like this happened, I would speak to him afterward and he would look sheepish, promising he would never do it again. He could never keep his word.
The silence was deafening as we stared at one another, our hearts pounding. I knew it could be a bloodbath, but for some reason, I had assumed that we would first talk and lay our demands on the table. Then, they would lose their temper, and things would go south.
“This is how it’s going to work,” Ethan murmured quietly as the sound of weapons being cocked echoed in the room. “Take a glance up.”
Everyone’s eyes wandered to the metal balcony that overlooked the interior. Standing there were Tony, Liam, and several other guys I didn’t recognize that belonged to Rory or Enzo.
“Now, there are only four of you. How many of us are there? Perhaps you should put your guns away and listen to what we say. It would be unfortunate if I blew Butch’s head off.”
Butch swallowed roughly. Despite the knife sticking out of his hand, he leveled me with a look of pure hatred. “Boys, put your guns away. Then I want you to call your guard dog off.”
I gave him a curt nod, and all semblance of friendliness faded away. Before speaking, I waited for his men to deposit their weapons back in to their holsters, which had been carefully hidden inside their cuts. Butch’s hand seeped crimson liquid from around the silver blade. He would need medical attention of some sort after we left.
But first, we had things to discuss. “Ethan, enough. Leave the knife until we’re finished, but put away your gun.” I glanced up at Liam. “That doesn’t apply to you.”
It was a strategic advantage that I planned to use. The last thing I wanted was for Butch or any of the other men to get the idea that we were weak. Or that they could try something.
“You’re fucking crazy,” Butch muttered, and I cocked my head to the side before allowing a smile to encompass my face.
“I’ll take that as a compliment. You should be glad Rayne isn’t here to deal with you. I’ve watched her gut a man for less than what you pulled lately. What were you thinking, setting her club on fire?”
He stayed silent, and I cleared my throat before speaking calmly. “We want you to leave Skye alone. She told us everything that happened to her. Prior to the past several months, we pretended you didn’t exist. You stayed on the outskirts of the city doing whatever you wanted. We’d like for it to return to that arrangement.”
Enzo was the one who stepped forward, brushing past me like a ghost. “Here are the terms I’d like to propose. If you decide at any point to violate our unspoken agreement again, I will personally burn down the hovel you call a clubhouse while ensuring that every man in your club is trapped inside.” His eyes went dark as he continued, flexing his fingers casually at his side. “Any survivors will be cut off regarding guns or drugs. I’ll also spread the word to Donovan Black.”
The man sitting to the left of Butch reached into his cut, but before anything could happen, Enzo pulled his gun out in one swift move and pulled the trigger. The bullet hit his head, and he slumped over slowly before anyone could react. “Do you understand what I am saying?”
It was brutal and used more force than I expected, but it sent a message. All I could hope was that we gained a semblance of peace for a few months—at least long enough to see my child be born.