Chapter Eighteen
Krampus
“Can we make this quick? I got some shit to do.”
Voorhees kicks me under the table, making me grunt. “Don’t be an asshole. Respect your Prez.”
Folding my arms across my chest, I force myself to listen, even though I’m distracted by thoughts of Mindy.
“Want to explain what your attitude is all about?”
Gremlin laughs. “He’s going through withdrawals, Prez. The man’s got a sweet tooth that can’t be fulfilled without visiting a certain someone.”
“Shut the fuck up,” I roar, making Gremlin slightly flinch. It only lasts a second before he starts running his mouth again.
“Damn,” Gremlin continues, grinning like he’s got a death wish. “You’re so damn touchy. You’d think someone stole your last cookie and drank half your milk.”
Chupie snickers from against the wall. For some reason, Drac called a meeting with all members, and I forgot how annoying the prospects can be. “Nah, man. He looks like someone replaced his sugar with kale chips.”
Wolfie laughs. “That’s grounds for murder in my book.”
“Prospects,” Pinhead snaps from his spot near the door, arms crossed in annoyance. “If you wanna keep your teeth, maybe you should shut the fuck up.”
Gremlin mimes zipping his mouth, then immediately whispers to Frankie, “Worth it.”
Frankie stifles a laugh. “Absolutely worth it.”
Jaws leans back in his chair, boots hooked around the bottom rungs, the old wood groaning in protest as he rocks back and forth.
“Leave the prospects alone, Pinny. They got a point. The man’s been pissy for two weeks now.
Hell, he’s barely been around the club. That ain’t sugar withdrawals.
That’s feelings, and we all know that Krampy over there doesn’t do feelings well. ”
Creature grunts in agreement. “Yeah, I think VP’s got it bad for little Miss baker.”
Jigsaw smirks. “Aww, I didn’t think Krampus had a heart.”
Bates laughs, adding dryly, “Oh, he has one; it’s just marred with scars and rage.”
I slam my palm on the table. “Are you all done laughing at my expense?”
Bigfoot chuckles. “Relax, Krampus. If we can’t bust your balls at Church, this shit would be boring as fuck.”
Drac raises his hand, cracking the gavel against the table in anger. “Enough!”
The room settles down, but the prospects are still chuckling, going on and on about different sugar withdrawal synonyms.
Drac clears his throat, grabbing everyone’s attention.
“We need to discuss a couple of things before we get into the heavier shit. Word around town is that the Misfits are holed up somewhere in Fallon. They’re not our problem right now, but I want us to keep our guard up.
Just because they’re in Fallon doesn’t mean they won’t come back to Fernley. ”
Phantom nods. “Fallon’s a dead-end town, anyway. They won’t last there long, but at least they aren’t breathing down our necks.”
Hannibal scribbles a note on his pad. “Good. Less noise for us.”
Drac’s gaze hardens. “Now, we need to talk about Moseley and his sudden resurgence. I knew he wouldn’t stay dormant for long, but I never expected this…”
The air changes instantly.
Drac continues, “He’s escalating. They put cameras on the warehouse in Silver Springs. Not just on the warehouse itself, but on other buildings as well. It’s going to be difficult to keep pulling recon on them with that many eyes on us.”
Pinhead scowls. “That’s a challenge.”
Voorhees leans forward, elbows digging into the worn wood of the large oak table. “Or it’s a cover for what he really has going on. Tell ‘em, Krampy.”
Everyone’s heads swivel my way.
“Krampus?” Drac questions.
I don’t answer right away.
Every instinct in me wants to keep this locked down, dead and buried where it can’t touch her, but Voorhees is watching me, and Gremlin won’t meet my eyes.
Drac’s voice drops. “What’s going on? Is this about what you heard that night?”
Silence stretches.
Finally, I exhale through my teeth. “Moseley’s trafficking women.”
The room erupts into mumbled chaos.
“The fuck?” Jaws snarls, half-standing up out of his chair.
Bates curses. “Say that again?”
Gremlin finally looks up. “He’s selling women.”
Voorhees’ jaw tightens. “And it gets worse. Krampy’s little baker is on his list to sell to his new hired gun. Rico.”
Chupie mutters under his breath, “That’s fucked.”
“No,” I growl, my voice rising in anger. “What’s fucked is he thinks he can get away with this.” My fists pummel the table, breathing increasing to violent puffs.
Drac holds up a hand, forcing order. “What aren’t you telling us?”
I drag a hand over my face. “I may have sorta got into an altercation with his hired gun a few weeks ago. He took a couple of shots at me but didn’t land a hit.”
“Fuck, Krampus, why didn’t you say anything?” Drac scolds.
Gremlin pipes in because the bastard can’t keep his mouth shut. “Because he’s trying to be some kind of hero and doesn’t think he needs his club to back him.”
That lands harder than anything.
I didn’t realize how much I had pulled away from the club over the last few weeks.
“Bottom line is that Moseley has plans to traffic Mindy, and I’m not going to stand for it.”
Pinhead’s knuckles crack. “Moseley signed his own death warrant with that one. No one messes with a man’s sweetie and gets away with it.”
“She is not mine!” I correct him, voice rough with emotion. “At least not yet. But that doesn’t change the fact that she’s in danger and Moseley wants to harm her.”
Creature lets out a growl, catching everyone off guard. The man barely talks most days. “That’s some cowardly shit right there.”
Jigsaw shakes his head. “You know we don’t protect club-adjacent women, Krampus. So, what exactly are you asking?”
“To fucking back me up and help me get her out of this mess.”
“But she’s not part of the club. Hell, she ain’t even an Annie,” Bates grumbles quietly.
“She may not be part of the club, but she’s fucking mine, and if I want to protect her, I will. With or without you assholes!” I snap.
No one laughs this time.
Drac studies me carefully. “And what about Moseley?”
“He’s making things worse. He doesn’t want me hanging around her shop anymore. He’s in control of this whether we like it or not.”
Phantom exhales. “He’s not in hiding anymore. He’s daring someone to stop him.”
Bigfoot jumps to his feet. “Then we stop him with a bullet right through eyes.”
Drac nods slowly. “But we need to be smart about it. Taking down Moseley might start a war we aren’t prepared for.” Before he can say anything else, his phone chirps. Then it starts chattering across the table.
He looks down at the screen and pales.
“Shit,” he breathes, his eyes meeting mine briefly.
I feel the pull immediately. It’s like a hook caught under my ribs.
I knew I shouldn’t have left her.
Drac answers the call and walks away from the table. “Amber, what’s wrong?”
His voice softens, urgency bleeding through. “Whoa, whoa, slow down. Tell me what happened?”
The room goes dead silent.
“What do you mean she’s hurt?” Drac asks, eyes snapping to me. “And this happened outside the bakery?”
My chair scrapes back violently as I stand.
Drac turns fully toward me, covering the phone. “She’s hurt. Something to do with that man named Rico?”
That’s all I need.
I grab my keys off the table and dart for the door.
Drac’s voice hollers out after me. “Krampus—”
“I know,” I shout back, already moving. “But that bastard crossed a line, and now he’s gotta pay.”
Every man in that room rises to follow me, because Moseley didn’t just cross a line. He stepped into a fucking war.