EXILE
Zodiac became fascinated by the dogs out back. I wasn’t sure how soon Clint Reed would show up, but I knew his appearance was a given. I walked Lyric to the bedroom where Nova stood with Lula. My niece didn’t want me to let her down.
“My pack mule,” she mumbled, hugging me tighter.
Smiling at Nova, I asked, “Did you teach her that?”
“No, Zodiac did. He said he wouldn’t be her pack mule like you were.”
Skylar shuffled into the room and climbed on the bed. “Sleep now.”
“There’s a second room with small beds for you two,” Nova explained.
“Sleeping,” Skylar mumbled, removing her sunglasses and falling face first onto the pillow. “Can’t move.”
After Skylar ignored Nova’s poking, we left her in the first room. In the second guest room, Lyric chose her preferred bed and reluctantly got down.
Lula glanced at her phone. “Clint’s on his way over.”
“Figured he’d ride in to deal with Zodiac.”
Lula gave me a weary glance. “Is he staying in Little Memphis?”
“Tonight? Yeah, but he wants to stay at a hotel.”
“I’ll leave those details to Clint,” Lula said and asked Nova if there were more bags.
Ten minutes later, we had finished moving everything from the SUV. I stood outside with Lula when Clint rolled up the block with his tiny girlfriend riding bitch. The motorcycle stopped at Ford Reed’s place two houses down. While Ivy went inside, Clint walked down to Lula’s place.
“You got here quick,” I said, trying not to sound hostile.
“I was on my way over to have dinner with my family when I got the message,” Clint said and smiled at Lula. “I see you have more visitors.”
“Exile’s sister and nieces.”
“And Zodiac,” I said, since I knew that was the reason Clint had shown up. “He wanted to make sure Nova got here safely.”
“Is he leaving now?”
“Not tonight.”
“Does he want to chat with me, or is he feeling sleepy after his ride up?”
Something about Clint Reed always rubbed me the wrong way. He had a friendly demeanor, but I also sensed he wasn’t a straight shooter. He played with people’s expectations, leaving me unsure where he really stood.
Right now, Clint teased me as if he weren’t bothered by Zodiac riding unannounced into Little Memphis only days after I did the same thing. Sure, the Crimson Guard were happy for our help, but they had a precarious alliance with the LM Jokers, who viewed us as the enemy.
“Look who’s here,” Zodiac said, strolling out of the house. “Didn’t happen to bring your pretty sister along, did you?”
“She’s helping her son with his homework,” Clint replied in a casual tone, yet I sensed he was irritated by Zodiac’s interest in Elle.
“That’s right. She shoved a kid into the world,” Zodiac said and rubbed his jaw. “Not a dealbreaker.”
“Charming,” Lula sneered, refusing to hold back. “Don’t say shit like that in front of my daughter.”
“Or what?”
“Or I’ll kick you out of my house and tell Elle you talked shit about her droopy vagina.”
Zodiac balked. “I said her droopy vagina wasn’t a dealbreaker. Then again, why would I expect a lawyer to tell the truth?”
Clint rested his hand on Lula’s shoulder. “Are Exile’s sister and kids running around unsupervised in your house?”
Zodiac instantly asked, “Are you saying they can’t be trusted?”
“No, he’s hinting that I should leave,” Lula muttered, hiding none of her anger. “But it would be best to get them settled before Dillon comes home from debate club.”
“Will your kid bully Nova’s kids?” Zodiac asked, and I frowned at him. Noticing my irritation, he shrugged. “You know I never back down. Why expect me to start now?”
Lula decided she needed a break from my president’s mouth and walked inside. Clint watched her go before sizing up Zodiac.
“Any word on the Void?”
“No, but I would guess they’re rattled,” Zodiac replied, losing his smirk.
“What happened to your snitch?”
“They’ve gone quiet to protect themselves, no doubt.”
Clint nodded. “And this person works with the Void?”
“Presumably.”
“And they found you or you found them?”
“If I found them, I’d know who the fuck they are.”
Clint smiled at Zodiac’s irritation. “So, this person called you up and said they wanted to snitch out the powerful mob they work for?”
“It was after the assholes shot Nova. You know, she fucked up the shooter, right? Attacked him with groceries, even as she was bleeding out. Real tough bitch,” he said and nodded at me as if I was responsible for Nova’s steel spine.
“But the guy got away. We had feelers out all over the state, looking for a guy with a fucked-up eye.”
Zodiac noticed movement around Ford’s house. His gaze lingered, likely looking to ogle Clint’s sister again.
Focusing on the conversation, he said, “That’s when we got a call from this guy, saying he didn’t approve of the Void hitting civilians like Nova. So, he told us where the shooter was hiding. We obviously assumed we’d get ambushed at the location. But instead, we found the guy.”
“Did he say anything of use? The shooter, I mean.”
Zodiac gestured to me, so I explained, “He was a common thug from New Orleans hired to do the shooting. He claimed a prostitute paid him, but we couldn’t find the bitch he named.”
“After that, we got tips from this snitch,” Zodiac said. “He told us about any activity in our territory. He’s also the one who mentioned the connection to your club.”
“And he told you Lula would get attacked?”
“Don’t get your drawers twisted,” Zodiac said, inching closer to Clint in a threatening manner.
“This snitch doesn’t know shit ahead of time.
He found out about the hit on your Rawlins meth house as it was going down.
That’s why we got there quickly. He found out about Lula’s attack after it went down while the hired guns were headed toward the handoff location. ”
“Why do you think the Void is rattled?” Clint asked after a long moment of eyeing Zodiac.
“They must know someone within their inner circle is talking. Until they can shake out the rat’s identity, they’d be wise to lay low.”
“Wouldn’t it make more sense for them to make a move to smoke out the snitch?”
Zodiac gave Clint an annoyed scowl. “These guys aren’t like you and me.
They hide in the shadows and likely have a small circle of people they trust. Imagine if you knew someone in your club was snitching to the enemy.
There’d be only so many options, right? How could you plot against the rat if the people you’re plotting with could be the one sabotaging you? I think they’ll chill now.”
“Of course, there’s a problem,” I said, considering the snitch who helped me save Lula and catch the guy who shot Nova.
“We won’t know when the Void is making a move until they’ve done it, just like with Lula.
Hell, we won’t know if the Void caught the rat until we get hit without anyone giving us a warning call. ”
“So, you think we ought to assume the next few days could be the only quiet we get for a while?” Clint asked and glanced in the direction of approaching motorcycles.
“Rock has added people to watch the security cameras around Little Memphis and Rawlins. We’ve made a list of soft targets like the courthouse and schools.
Our snitches are looking for anyone checking into hotels like those two teams did the night before the attack.
No one in our club rides alone anymore.”
“What about this neighborhood?” Zodiac asked as Lula’s siblings and Sabrina’s girlfriends parked in front of the house next door.
“We’ve got people at the entry points. That’s who alerted me to your arrival.”
Zodiac cocked an eyebrow. “But no one stopped me.”
“My dad has had you in his sniper scope since you arrived. Hell, he might still be watching us from the attic,” Clint said and waved toward his parents’ place.
Zodiac looked at me and rolled his eyes. “He’s showing off.”
“I see that,” I replied, “but I’m glad our allies are ready to go to war.”
“What happens now that Nova is safe here?” Clint asked Zodiac. “Are you returning to Baton Rouge?”
“I just fucking got here. My damn bike’s engine is still warm.”
Clint cracked a smile. “Yeah, but I remember the last time Tricky and you were in the same location.”
“I’m not worried about your boy,” Zodiac sneered. “He didn’t do much more than shove me when he thought my club attacked Rawlins. I can’t imagine he’d be any scarier on his turf.”
“You’re about to find out,” Clint said and frowned behind us. “As soon as you arrived, everyone in the community knew, and Tricky’s parents live here.”
“Am I supposed to be pissing my pants right now?” Zodiac asked, and I inched closer to him.
“He’s all worked up over his ex-girlfriend getting hurt in the attack,” I told Zodiac as we watched Tricky ride toward Lula’s place.
“Tricky is a bitch,” Zodiac replied. “If it wasn’t his banged-up girlfriend, it’d be some other damn thing. He doesn’t think about shit. He just lashes out like a fucking child.”
Clint didn’t respond to Zodiac’s complaints.
His gaze remained on Tricky pulling up in front of the house.
I wasn’t sure how to play this situation.
Zodiac expected more appreciation from the Crimson Guard, especially Clint.
In my president’s mind, these people ought to be treating him like a fucking king.
Zodiac was my president and friend. I viewed situations through his eyes. But over the last few days, I had gotten a sense of the people here in Little Memphis. The cocky, detached vibe from Clint was a con. He seemed over his head or passive, but he was testing people and making them wonder.
Right now, I suspected he was playing the angles. Zodiac was Clint’s ally, but Tricky was a man who shared a zip code. Whose ass should he protect in this situation?
Tricky was a bear of a man with long, strawberry blond hair and a thick beard. Unlike in the condo’s courtyard, he held himself today with barely contained aggression.
“What the fuck is this?” Tricky asked, climbing off his motorcycle.
Clint shook his head. “They’re here for personal reasons, making it none of your business.”
“Personal, huh?” Tricky said and rubbed at his thick beard. “The rumor all over town is that Lula’s got one of these fuckers shacked up in her house.”
Maybe beckoned by the mention of her name, Lula came storming outside. She walked right up to Tricky and frowned.
“Get off my property.”
“Are you really sharing your pussy with this Louisiana fucker?”
Before I could rush the asshole, Lula slapped Tricky hard and fast.
“Don’t you talk to me like a clueless whore hanging around your clubhouse,” Lula sneered as she held her own with the much larger man.
Tricky’s demeanor shifted, and his hostility exploded. He got right in Lula’s face. When I ran at Tricky, Zodiac and Clint grabbed me by the shoulders to keep me back.
“You’re why Cher got fucked up!” Tricky hollered in Lula’s face.
For a second, Clint’s grip on me eased. I sensed he wanted to let me handle Tricky so he wouldn’t need to be the bad guy. I had no issue tearing up the asshole trying to intimidate Lula.
She backed away and shoved her hand in her pocket. I thought she might pull a weapon. As I struggled to break free, an alarm went off on Clint’s phone.
Suddenly, the armed Reed family poured out of Pax and Ford’s houses.
“Get away from my girl!” Pax hollered and pointed his pistol at Tricky. “Your dad already lost one son. Are you gonna make Joker lose another?”
Tricky froze at the sight of them charging at him.
His blue-eyed gaze slowly shifted to Lula, who stood very still a few feet away.
She didn’t smirk in triumph. Her gaze was pure steel.
This was the woman who rode with an outlaw biker club.
Her unflinching stance was the sexiest damn thing I had ever seen.