Chapter Thirty
Creed
The Rivet Knights are a thorn in our side, but they’ve gone underground.
Fingers and his ol’ lady, Nerd, are on it, but so far, nothing.
Either they’ve left Jacksonville or they’re plotting to hit back at us, but without Hector Sanchez bank-rolling them, I’m leaning toward ran.
We’ve got chapters all over the country and I’ve sent word out I’m looking for them.
They’re a small club, maybe thirty men, numbers matter, and they don’t stand a chance.
I sit outside, watching my woman and Jet in the redneck pool.
They’re drinking Fireball out of plastic cups, sunk in the back of a truck that’s been lined with a tarp so the water stays put.
Music’s playing, Devil keeps hitting replay on The Grinders song, “Heaven.” I swear I’m about ready to shoot her phone or the Bluetooth speaker if she plays that damned song one more time.
“Yo, Prez!” Winchester is coming toward me, phone held over his head like a flag.
“What?” I say, not taking my eyes off my woman as she laughs.
“Rock, president of the Durango, Colorado chapter, wants a word.” He hands me the phone.
“Winchester, what are you doing answering my phone?” I ask.
He shrugs. “It rang. You weren’t around, so I answered it.” He walks off like I’m the idiot.
“We aren’t done,” I call after him. He flips me the bird without looking back. Then he sighs and stops.
I put the phone to my ear. “Rock? It’s Creed. How goes it?”
“Moving and shaking trying to earn a living. You?”
“Good, man. Sun’s shining. I’m relaxing in the shade with a cold one, watching my woman in a bikini.”
“Still with that little Aussie?”
I chuckle. “Yeah — Devil. She’s a handful. What can I do for you?”
“Is this a clean line?”
“No.”
Rock makes that noise it sounds like sucking air through his teeth. “Can you ring me back on a clean line?”
“A little paranoia never did anyone harm. Give me a minute.” I end the call, finish my beer, and stroll over to Devil.
“Hey, babe.” She leans up, and kisses me.
“Have you got sunscreen on?” I ask.
She rolls her eyes. “I come from the skin cancer capital of the world. Of course I have sunscreen on.”
“Don’t stay out too long.”
“Party pooper.”
“Maybe I want a different kind of party?” A wicked grin splits her face and she looks at me soft. “I could get out now,” she says.
“Gotta make a call, but I’ll see you in thirty.”
“Okay, honey.” She kisses me again. She tastes like Fireball and I playfully bite her lip. “Half an hour.”
Jet laughs. “That was hot.”
“Yeah, and he’s all mine.” Both of them burst out laughing.
Winchester’s still waiting when I walk by. “Come with me,” I tell him.
“Aww, shit, Creed. It’s just a phone. I only answered it.”
Ignoring him, I head for the meeting room. “Take a seat.” I scan the clubhouse until I find Reaper, who’s staring at me. With a tilt of my head I gesture for him to join us. Lucy’s on his lap talking to Highway, he slaps her ass, she stands, yelps and rubs it.
“You’re an ass, you know that?” she snaps.
Reaper smirks. “Yeah, babe. I know and you love it.” He saunters over with Lucy, glaring daggers at his back.
“Why does she stay with you?” I ask.
“It’s my winning personality,” he says, sitting at the table. I close the door, and take my place at the head. Winchester folds his arms and raises an eyebrow. “Seriously? You’re so pissed I answered your phone we’re having a meeting about it?”
“You answered his phone?” Reaper asks.
“It was ringing.”
“Even I wouldn’t answer his phone.”
Winchester huffs and I shake my head. “Rock rang and needed a clean line. I came in here where we have burners and figured you’d both want to hear what he wants.”
Reaper laughs as I dial Rock back and put the call on speaker.
“Creed?”
“Yeah, Rock. What gives?”
“We’re working a deal to sell a lot of guns to a buyer out of Florida and need you to check him out. It’s a lot of hardware, we need to know if he’s legit.”
“We can do that. Text me what you’ve got and I’ll have my boys run him.”
Winchester clears his throat. “Rock, is Memphis still with you?”
“Yeah, man. Looks like he’s staying.”
“Met him in New Orleans once had a hell of a time with him during Mardi Gras. Glad he found a place to settle.” Rock chuckles. “Sounds like him. I’ll shoot you the info.”
“We’re on it,” I say and end the call.
“Guns?” Reaper asks. “With all the heat on us, should we be near that?”
“We’re not in it, only vetting. You and Winchester check it out.”
“And what are you going to do?”
I wink. “Spending time with my ol’ lady.”
“So you get pussy duty and we have to work?” Reaper shakes his head.
“After what you did to Lucy, don’t expect any for a while,” I tell him. He looks at Lucy, she gives him the finger. “Try apologizing. And chocolate, Devil loves chocolate, but not ours. She wants that stuff from New Zealand, costs me a fucking fortune.”
“Why get it then?” Winchester asks.
“Because she likes it.”
Moving out of the room, I head to our room.
Devil’s fast asleep, wet hair fanned on the pillow, her skin still warm from the sun.
She’s beautiful when she’s dead to the world, one arm thrown over my side like she owns it.
I lean down and kiss her temple. She tastes like Fireball, sunscreen and sin.
For the first time in weeks the weight in my chest eases.
The club’s running smooth. Jet’s healing. Justice finally smiles again. For now, everything’s quiet.
But quiet never lasts long in this life. The Rivet Knights maybe hiding, but ghosts don’t stay buried. And with Rock calling about gun deals out of Florida… yeah, peace never lasts long.
I pull off my cut, climb into bed beside my woman, and wrap an arm around her. She stirs, murmurs, “You smell like trouble.”
A slow grin curls my lips. “Always do, baby.”
Then I close my eyes, knowing the storm’s coming and that when it hits, the Royal Bastards will be ready.