36. Havoc
Havoc
“That’s the third time this week the feds have shown up. I’m taking that as a compliment.” Soul leans back in his lounger on the front porch, watching the car drive off the compound.
“Monroe thinks we’re in the clear, but we need to stay under the radar for the time being. At least until they’re done investigating.” Steel pauses at the railing. “Zane’s pissed he lost his lackeys. He’ll do everything he can to pin it on us.”
Soul smirks, and I shake my head. But we don’t say anything, even here.
Just to be safe.
The number of federal agents swarming Vegas has the club on edge, and since we are at fault for what happened to the Iron Sinners last week, we need to be careful.
“We’ll handle it,” I assure him.
Steel nods, turning to walk off the porch .
“Taking off early, Prez?” Soul asks.
“I promised Austin I’d take him for a ride this afternoon. Call me if you need me.”
“Will do.” Soul salutes mockingly, and Steel shakes his head, climbing onto his bike.
We watch as he rides off toward the neighborhood.
“It’s still a fucking trip seeing Steel all domesticated.” Soul stands and meets me at the railing. “Not that you’re any different.”
“True.” I rub my thumb over the hourglass tattoo on my ring finger, and it catches on the ring that also sits there now.
After waiting our whole lives for each other, Aimee and I didn’t see the point in waiting any longer to make it official in every possible way. Three days after we burned down the Iron Sinners clubhouse, Aimee and I took a trip into Vegas and got married at a drive-by chapel without telling anyone.
Reagan refuses to acknowledge it until she can throw us a proper ceremony at the clubhouse to celebrate, but it was perfect.
Just me and my girl, finally getting our future together.
“Well, count me out of that shit.” Soul shakes his head. “I’m staying single until my dying day.”
“You’re tempting the universe by saying shit like that.”
“Have at me.” He stands up tall, waving his arms out like he’s talking to the gods. “The day I settle, it will be in my grave.”
“That’s fucking depressing.”
“Is it?” Soul catches sight of a few patch bunnies walking out of the clubhouse. “I think it’s pretty damn lovely.”
He slaps me on the shoulder as he walks by, chasing after the girls who are smiling at him like he’s the center of the fucking world.
Maybe Soul is right, and he won’t ever settle down. If it weren’t for Aimee, I wouldn’t have. But as I make my way into the clubhouse and find her on the back patio with a camera aimed at the desert, I’m happy it didn’t come to that.
I step outside, shutting the slider behind me. “You got my gift.”
“I did.” She smiles, holding the camera up between us. “It’s been a long time since I’ve taken any pictures.”
“No pressure.” I shrug, wrapping my arms around her waist. “You just mentioned you missed it, and I thought—”
She cuts me off with a kiss. Her lips meet mine, and I can’t contain the growl that climbs my throat. There’s nothing like the feel of this girl. The smell of her. If it weren’t mid-morning with the club buzzing around, I’d lie her out right here and fuck her.
“Thank you.” She sinks back on her heels, breaking our kiss. “Speaking of pictures, I have a question for you. What are those pictures on the wall in church?”
“The ones of the road?”
She nods. “Are they anything in particular?”
“We all take a picture on our first run as a ranking member and hang it on the wall. It’s a way to mark becoming a leader in the club. ”
“I love that.” She smiles.
“I thought you might.” Leaning in, I brush a kiss on the apple of her cheek.
“Maybe I could start something similar, but different, of course.”
“What were you thinking?”
Her gaze drifts inside. “There’s an empty wall in the kitchen. I was thinking we could fill it with pictures of the club. The guys, their families. Something to make this place feel more like home.”
“I told you we could build our own home if you want.”
Aimee doesn’t know it yet, but I already negotiated a piece of property with Steel, so we have a spot whenever she’s ready.
“I know, and we can when the time is right. But that would be our home. This is different. It’s for the club’s family.”
“Hmm.” I look over my shoulder and glance through the glass.
Chaos is playing darts with Luna, while Ghost sits on a couch working. A few members and patch bunnies are walking around talking. I love that my girl is finally seeing the club for the family it is.
“What do you think? Will Steel approve of it?”
“I think he’ll love it.” I hug her tighter. “And I love you.”
She giggles when I bury my face in the corner of her neck. “I love you too.”
“Good.” I pull back and notice her face fall when she spots Patch inside. “Did you go speak with your father this morning?”
While I was dealing with the feds and finding ways to keep them out of the clubhouse, Aimee decided she was finally ready to face her father, who has been in Patch’s care since we saved him from the Iron Sinners.
“It didn’t go well.” She frowns.
“How so?”
Aimee sighs, slipping out of my grasp to drop into one of the chairs on the patio.
“He told me everything that happened. How he’s worked for them since I was born.
How he used their blood money to pay for almost everything we had, and how that’s the real reason Mom left.
He explained how he messed up some documents and that Titan took a big loss because of it.
He finally admitted that he was the reason Titan kidnapped us that night.
It had nothing to do with the Twisted Kings.
Titan didn’t even know about my ties to you until later, when his men searched my father’s house and found our letters. ”
“That’s a lot to process.”
“It is.” She sets her camera down. “But when he was done, he still had the nerve to ask me why I’m staying. He wants me to leave with him.”
Amusement falls from my face.
“I told him no, of course. He’s lucky the club is showing any leniency after what he participated in.
But he argued with me until I finally left.
” She sighs. “I just don’t get it. He’s the one who was working with them all these years, but he thinks he can judge me for my choices. You’re nothing like Titan.”
“Maybe he can’t see that yet.” I reach for her hand. “You were there for a year, but he was there longer. I don’t know that he’ll ever understand bikers can be anything other than what the Iron Sinners were.”
“Maybe you’re right.” She glances inside. “But he’s no better.”
That much, I agree with. But I’ve been trying to temper my thoughts on Anderson since he’s Aimee’s father.
The only reason the club is letting him walk out of here is because of her.
That and the fact that we know his name is now on the FBI’s radar, so he’ll get what’s coming to him eventually without me having to piss my girl off in the process.
“I’m glad you talked to him, regardless of the outcome.”
Aimee pops up from her seat. “I did, and now I’m done.”
“My wife…”—I step closer, grabbing her chin—“is a fucking firecracker, and I love her for it.”
“That didn’t sound like a compliment, Mr. Colson.”
“You want a better one, Mrs. Colson?” I lean down to whisper in her ear. “Get in bed and spread your legs, and I’ll compliment you all day long.”
“You promise?” She grins, taking a step back. “You know I’ll hold you to it.”
She’s backing away again, but she doesn’t take her eyes off me. If the clubhouse weren’t humming with people, I might tell her to run so I could chase her. Instead, she lures me inside with lust in her eyes.
“You better,” is all I say as I follow her to our bedroom.