Chapter Twenty-Two
Prospect duty had been more fun with Rocket, but now he was patched back in, he wasn’t loitering at the gate with me anymore.
In fact, today it was just me, while the other prospects helped lug building supplies back and forth.
At least they were getting a workout, while I stood here growing carbuncles. It was boring as hell.
“Pouting, prospect? It’s like you think you’re hard done by, or something,” Micro said as he passed by with Harley, both of them looking over designs or something.
“You want me to take a shift there, and let one of them rest?”
Micro snorted. “They’re all working off bad behaviour. You’re my only well behaved prospect, although,” he grinned at Harley, “he’s kinda whiney, right? Poor me standing by a gate all day. Poor me not getting punishment duty like the others.”
I flipped him off, but apparently that wasn’t enough to get me off the gate either.
“Can you at least get some guys to come and go more, so I get to open the gate a few times?”
His laughter faded as he and Harley kept walking, but then Micro was heading back over to me alone.
“Look, I get that this is a boring job, but you’re getting the easy life as a thank you for all this,” he gestured to the temporary housing I’d supplied, “I’m sure you’re Phoenix material, only we’ve had complaints that we’re letting people in too fast, and you’re new to everyone.
Try to interact more with them, because just hanging with Rocket and chatting to the other prospects isn’t exactly mingling. ”
I gestured at the building site in progress with frustration.
“Hang where? We have no clubhouse, and I’m not giving up my home for this. Every fucker who comes in heads straight for my supposedly secret man cave!”
Micro grinned. “There are these things called pubs, and people can hang out in them and shoot the shit. Tell you what, you organise something to get a group of brothers hanging out, and not just the ones you like, and I’ll shave another week off. How’s that?”
“Two weeks,” I countered, and he snorted.
“Ten or more brothers, and I’ll agree to two weeks.”
Fuck yes. I grinned at him, and dug out my phone. I knew exactly where this could go down, and be a great night out. This was going to be epic, and I knew just who to enlist to help me plan too.
“Glory? You wanna help me out with something?”
That night, we had a planning session at the local pub, just me, Glory, and Rocket with V. Harley and Caroline were supposed to come, but opted for dinner with her mother instead, and kept Nixie the pup with them.
“So, we’re helping you with ‘Project Escape Prospect Phase’ because you’re too good to be a prospect?”
V laughed. “I’d probably go for a shorter name. ‘Project Petulant Prospect?’ All the alliteration.”
I flipped them both off, and turned to see how Glory was doing.
She was doing better than I’d expected for finally being out in public after Sean was removed from the equation.
She still seemed shy and nervous around people, but this was how we’d draw her out of her shell, or at least that was the hope.
“If you two have finished with your double act, we can get on with this.”
“Buy me another beer and I’m all yours,” Rocket said with a smirk, so another round later, he finally knuckled down.
“You said you have a venue in mind, right?”
I nodded. “Great place, it’s just on the outskirts of town, but I know the owner and he’ll be up for it. He’s cool, you’ll love him.”
“It’s not some pretentious posh place, right? A lot of our guys are more down to earth than that.”
“I’m not posh, and I’m not planning something fancy, dammit.
It’s a place with great music, and atmosphere, and you’ll all love it.
Now, look. Where I need your help is getting people to want to go.
Micro wasn’t wrong, I’ve kind of been isolating myself and limiting my interactions to you, Harley, Stag, Grease, and the prospects.
That’s not making me a well-rounded brother. ”
Rocket leaned to the side and stared at me.
“What?”
“You’re getting pretty well rounded, brother. You might wanna start working out again.”
“Prick!”
V moved her chair closer to Glory’s. “They’re going to be like this all night, you know. Men can’t just have a normal conversation. It’s all baiting each other and acting like dicks.”
My girl smiled back at her. “It’s fun. I’ve missed people just acting like themselves, instead of how they think they’re supposed to.”
“Focus, man. Look, I can bring people, I’m sure of it. A few at least. How many did you say you need?”
I leaned back in my seat and groaned. “At least ten, and apparently that doesn’t count you and Harley. Or more accurately ‘not just the ones I like’.”
“Awwww you like me.”
“I’m serious…”
I trailed off as I saw not one, or two, but three leather clad guys moving past us toward the bar. Not Phoenix bikers. No. They were from another club, and not a good one.
I nudged Rocket, but he was already watching them too.
“Jesus. Those bellends. Chances of them not starting shit?”
I sighed heavily. “About one in a million. Shall we just cut our losses?”
He glanced at me incredulously. “You’re shitting me, right?”
My grin was one of pure fucking anticipation of a damn good release coming up.
Under the table, I cracked my fists, knowing this wasn’t ever going down quietly.
I’d probably be disappointed if it did. I wasn’t prone to violence, but I was up for a fight to defend our honour against assholes like them. Especially if it kept our women safe.
“It’s like you don’t know me at all.”
I turned to the women. “Head outside, no scratch that. Go to the ladies room. Stay back no matter what.”
They exchanged an incredulous look, and turned to look at Rocket who nodded grimly. This was definitely turning into a beef, and outside wouldn’t be safe in case there were more of their crew showing up.
“V, get on to Micro and let him know we’re about to have a beef here. Mention the double Ds. He’ll know who you mean. He’ll want to send guys. Go now. Please.”
She nodded, practically dragging Glory out of her seat and heading toward the bathroom.
Thank fuck they listened and didn’t argue, because three sets of eyes just landed on us from the bar, and I could already feel the animosity coming our way from the fuckers.
Then I heard a laugh from behind us, near the entrance, and I knew it was more of their brothers.
We might just have ended up out of our depth, so thank fuck the ladies were out of the way.
“Lookie what we have here, Knight. Some Phoenix pussies. Must need their asses kicked all the way back to where they came from.”
Yep. Definitely trouble.
Glory
My heart was thudding in my chest as we headed for the bathroom, watching Henley and Rocket smirk at the guys at the bar, and then seeing several more of them step through the doors and immediately set their eyes on our men.
“Oh god!” I grabbed V’s arm and pointed, and she groaned, lifting her phone to her ear.
“Yes, yes, screw the pleasantries, Micro. Henley and Rocket are about to get into a fight with… what did he say? Double Ds? Does that mean… oh okay, okay, yeah, there are at least six of these other bikers here, and I think it’s already brewing. Please. Hurry.”
She rattled off the pub name, shoved her phone back in her pocket, and we both watched as Henley and Rocket chatted among themselves like they weren’t in danger right now, and Rocket even lifted his beer at the guys at the bar, like he was saluting them.
Fucking idiot! The guys from the door were laughing, and loitering there like they were intentionally blocking the escape route.
Rocket and Henley both suddenly dug their phones out and read something on them, grinning widely at each other as they tucked them away again. Oh god. What?
“That will have been a call to arms message, Glory. That’s the club channel. It’s telling other bikers to get here asap.”
“You get them too?”
V shook her head, but she looked frustrated.
“No, and I really think old ladies should be in the loop too. The other chapter does it.” Her phone buzzed just then, but was it making a liar out of her, or was it something else on top of this.
My eyes stayed glued to the men from the bar who were now approaching the table, while our guys just lounged in their seats and bantered.
“Why aren’t they getting up? They’re so prone while they’re sitting!”
“Ugh… it’s Caroline. She’s asking if we’re okay. Help’s on the way right now. Wait, does that mean she gets these fucking messages and I don’t?!” She tapped furiously at her phone, while I gaped at her.
“Why aren’t you more worried? They’ll get killed!”
V grinned evilly at me. “You’ve never seen our guys fight, don’t worry, they’ll be fine. They’re tougher than they look.”
“Against six guys, V! At least six, there could be more, oh my god!” I ran to the window, looking for more bikers amassing out there, but there were no more, just a neat row of motorbikes belonging to these guys.
“They’ll have dealt with those three before these bellends ever get anywhere near them!” V declared loudly, and that’s when I realised our mistake. I’d moved closer to the spare bikers by the door, and they’d just heard her words.
“Is that right, love? You’re with those two losers?
Fucking Phoenix. They’re not man enough for women like you.
” One of them approached us, something predatory in every step, as if he knew he’d be freaking us out.
Clearly his goal was to scare us, and consider it mission accomplished.
I was terrified, but V? Oh god, she was just glaring back at him.
“V! Get the fuck out of here!” Rocket yelled from the table, and that’s when people started moving.
The landlord yelled out that he was calling the police, but it was barely heard over the shouting of insults between the biker clubs.
“Wow, the double Ds, I thought you guys lived out in inbreeder territory.”
“Yeah, isn’t your old lady also your sister, mate?” Oh god, Henley, why would you say that? At least they were both standing now, but things just went from tense to deadly, as non-biker patrons started disappearing, being herded out the back by the pub staff.
Rocket started laughing. “Nah she’s his mum, brother. As long as they keep it in the family, innit.”
“I’ll fucking break your face,” the guy snapped at him, and my heart clenched in my chest. The fight was imminent, and we were powerless to stop it, plus the guy V pissed off was almost here, and she was already getting in his face.
“You couldn’t handle a real woman, dipshit, so why don’t you go play with your brothers.”
Oh god. “V!”
Rocket was distracted, and that was going to put him in danger.
I pushed in front of her, holding up my hands to the asshole.
I’d been on the receiving end of male fists before, and I could take it again if it meant protecting her, or our men.
It’d probably take more to break me than they’d expect. I mean, bruises heal, right?
“GLORY!”
I turned to see Henley stepping in my direction and a guy jumped at him, and the next thing they were brawling and I was trapped between V and some big stranger, so I did the only thing that came to mind.
I slammed my knee into his groin, and shoved him as he put all his focus on protecting his junk.
He crashed into a chair and hit the floor, and the two guys who’d been guarding the door took a moment to laugh at him, before another one headed in our direction.
“Fucking sluts, think you’re gonna take me down too? I’m not as easy as him.”
I shot a glance in the direction of Henley, and saw him slamming a knee into one guy’s face, while Rocket went crashing down with another, and the third? I couldn’t see him anymore.
“Glory, Glory, back up, dammit!” V had hold of my sweater, dragging me backward, and I balled up my fist, trying to remember what that Jeffrey guy told me. Go for soft areas. Well, that’s what I did to his friend, right?
“I’ll punch you right in the dick!” I yelled at the guy advancing on us, and V barked out a laugh, tugging me back with her, heading for the ladies room.
“Stop! He’ll follow us in!”
V chuckled, still moving. “Well, he probably has no balls, so that makes sense.”
“Cunt!”
Someone grabbed that guy and threw him backward, and I met Rocket’s grinning face before he turned and started fighting the next guy, but where was Henley?
He had his arm around the neck of one guy from behind, and he was laughing. Laughing. We’re in the most dangerous situation ever, and he’s laughing. Sick bastard. Something about the entire situation had me giggling suddenly, and that set off V too.
“Why are we laughing?” She gasped out, and I shook my head at her.
“I have no idea!”