Chapter 1
CHAPTER
ONE
Riptide
All of my phone calls are digitally recorded and sent to some sort of cloud that Booker set up for situations such as this.
Indiana ended up needing emergency surgery where they had to remove his spleen and he is in a cast from his knee down due to fracturing.
They’re also keeping an eye on him in case he develops clots.
He was a goddamn bloody mess so I believed his injuries were ten times worse than they ended up being.
And thank fuck for that. He was only recently released from the hospital where he was holed up for two weeks.
He’ll be laid up for another six to ten weeks, if not longer, while he recovers from the trauma the explosion had on his body, and the clubhouse is undergoing extensive renovations, so for now, we’re using Indiana and Zoey’s living room as our temporary headquarters.
“Play that again,” Indiana requests as he leans in, tilting his head closer to the laptop Booker has sitting at an angle on the coffee table.
When the female voice begins speaking, a loud clatter can be heard from the kitchen where Zoey is busy making us lunch.
“No,” we hear her whisper, only her voice sounds haunted, which has Indiana trying to get up from his laid back spot, only to crash back into the couch cushions and his crutches falling to the floor, adding to the symphony of our concerned shouting and feet hitting the floor as we stand up with the intention of running in there to make sure she’s alright.
“Zoey!” he hollers, “come here woman.” The frustration in his tone is chilling and has every damn one of us standing stock still, not wanting to add to his stress. “What’s going on?”
As she walks through the archway of the kitchen where it connects to the living room, she’s as white as a ghost. “Do you know who that is, Zoey?” I dig, surveying her only to notice that her eyes are stuck on the laptop and the female ramblings.
“Y-yes,” she replies, stumbling over the word.
Her entire body begins shivering as if she’s been stuck in an ice bath for hours on end.
Her teeth are chattering and tears are leaking down her cheeks.
Icer, who is only humane toward a few people—Zoey being one of them, slowly walks her way, his hands held out as he approaches her.
He stands in her line of sight, and as soon as the device is blocked from her view, she crumbles into his arms. My jaw drops when he starts running his hands down her hair, petting her and talking in low decibels that only the two of them are privy to.
It wasn’t that long ago that I had to drug him in order to keep him from strangling the life out of anyone who breathed in his direction. I’m not sure what special voodoo shit Elodie and Zoey have over him, but they and Letti are the only ones who, to an extent, can tame his murderous beast.
Indiana is getting redder by the minute as he struggles to reach his crutches so he can stand. “Help me, assholes. Don’t just sit there and watch me try to get on my damn feet!”
“No!” Zoey yells as she lifts up on the tip of her toes and leans around Icer so she can see her man, narrowing her eyes at him.
“You’re supposed to be off that leg for the remainder of the day.
That’s what the physical therapist said after your appointment.
I’ll come to you.” She pats Icer on the shoulder as she goes around his large frame.
“I’ll be okay,” she reaffirms, and when Icer’s shoulders loosen somewhat, she continues along the path that’ll lead her to Indiana.
He winds his arms around her middle and drags her into his lap.
She hisses, which has a smile loosening my lips. “Careful.”
“I’m being careful,” he mumbles. “Don’t like others making you feel better.”
“Neanderthal,” she quips, resting her head on his shoulder.
“Who was that, baby?” Indiana asks her. “Why did you look spooked when you heard her voice?”
She hiccups, burying her head deeper into the nape of his neck as she answers, “That’s my mom.”
The room erupts in chaos. Placing my fingers in my mouth, I release an ear-splitting whistle.
When that doesn’t stop them from rapidly firing off questions in her direction, I do it again.
This time, all heads turn my way and I snarl, “That’ll be enough.
Give her a chance to process. Damn, what’s wrong with you?
You’ve all lost your goddamn minds.” Properly scolded, they look lost for words and each sit back down, taking their previous spots.
Glancing over at Zoey, seeing her peeking at me from the corner of her eyes, I tell her, “Take your time. Whenever you’re ready, we’ll ask our questions. ”
She nods her head, saying, “I don’t know what I have to say that’ll help you, Riptide.”
“You may know more than you realize, Zoe. A little probing may help you remember things that you tucked away into the back of your mind,” I say, keeping my volume low and tender so she doesn’t go back into her shell of protection.
She reminds me of a turtle sometimes, the way she’ll close in on herself.
Letti comes strolling into the room from where she’s been standing in the mouth of the hallway observing, and clicks her tongue, stating, “She told y’all it is her mom, what else is she supposed to say that you don’t already know?
She hasn’t been in contact with the bitch for years.
I mean, with a piece of shit like that for a mother, who’d wanna be? ”
“Letti,” Icer says, but not in a scolding manner, seeing as his lips are peeled back in a smile. “This is why you’re my new best friend.”
Zoey gasps, looking thunderstruck. “I thought I was your best friend, Icer.”
He ducks his head and I swear there’s a slight blush there, but when the guys start ribbing him about it and calling him out for it, he starts letting the fists fly, hitting anyone in his proximity.
So any show of awkwardness on his part is gone quicker than it surfaced.
Now, he appears to be ready to rumble and if it comes down to that, Indiana and Zoey will have to redecorate and then reconfigure the foundation of their house because walls will be missing—probably structural ones.
“Settle the fuck down!” Slayer roars, jumping into the fray and knocking some heads together. “This is a goddamn meeting not a boxing ring. Settle your asses down.”
Hanging my head because we can’t conduct business this way, I take several deep breaths before calling out names as I point at the door.
I need the troublemakers out of here. I’ll catch them up later once the atmosphere isn’t so fucking tense I couldn’t chop my way out of it with a butcher knife.
The men rumble as they head out, and when I cut my eyes to Icer, his face is blank but I know that there’s no getting him out of here.
“This isn’t helping matters, Icer. You can’t just start laying into people when they embarrass you. ”
“Says who?” he asks, crossing his arms across his chest.
“Says me!” I holler. “Remember me? The man who wears this on his chest,” I state with a hiss, my fingers latched onto my president patch. “I’m in charge, Icer. I get the last say on shit, that’s why this is stitched onto my cut.”
“So what? I’m just supposed to do as told like a little bitch?” he asks with a storm raging in his eyes.
“That’s exactly what it means,” I remind him.
“You’re not anyone’s bitch, Icer,” Letti says, walking over to where she’s stationed behind him, nestling up to his back while placing her hands on his hips. “You’re our big, bad, Viking warrior.”
“I’m my own person,” Icer says through gritted teeth.
“Nobody said you weren’t,” I contend. “But that doesn’t mean you don’t hold some sort of responsibility to the Kings.
All in means exactly that. In for a penny, in for a pound.
For fuck’s sake, Icer, do you think I like bowing down to anyone?
Because I’m here to tell you, I don’t. But with all jobs, there’s always a man in charge and higher up on the totem pole. For you, that man is me.”
He shows me his teeth and I round the coffee table and go chest to chest with him.
Yes, it could mean the end of my life, but I can’t let him think he’s allowed to talk or treat me this way.
I would lose all the respect I’ve earned from my men and I didn’t shovel shit for years to lay down and let him take a piss all over me. “Wanna hit me too, Icer?”
“No, he doesn’t. He absolutely doesn’t,” Letti, the brave woman answers as she places herself between us and wraps her hands around his neck, drawing him down to her.
“Remember when we talked about boundaries?” He doesn’t verbally answer her outside of releasing a grunt, but she doesn’t let that deter her from speaking her mind.
“This is one of those times that you need to take a step back, count to ten, and breathe through your anger.”
“I don’t like it when people act like my dad,” he murmurs, rage still pouring from his eyes.
“Icer,” Elodie calls his name from the other room. “How much longer?” she whines. “I have our popcorn and movie ready.” His entire demeanor changes when he hears her voice. He nods his head at me, the only apology I’ll get from him, squeezes Letti’s hands, and turns his back on us as he walks away.
“She’s like a balm,” I mutter. “Letti, never… ever, do that again.”
“What?” she asks, using her innocent act on me.
“You know what,” I scold her. “You could get hurt and he’d never forgive himself for it.”
“He won’t hurt me. I’m safe, you however, are not. I did you a favor, you could say thank you instead of getting onto me,” she suggests.
“Not happening, woman. This is why females aren’t supposed to get involved in club shit. It’s my fault for having this meeting with y’all around. It won’t be happening again, I can promise you that.” Turning around, I look at Zoey and ask, “What can you tell me about your mom?”
“Nothing and everything. They always kept me out of the loop, especially after I got pregnant with Elodie. But I did hear them talking when they were behind closed doors about the Onyx Dragons. It’s how I figured out they were involved with them and it’s the main reason I skedaddled as fast as I did.
My parents… they’re evil, Riptide. They don’t have a good bone in their bodies.
I don’t remember much, but what I do all revolves around the church and the town’s senate. ”
“I’d like you to do something for me, Zoey,” I say.
“What’s that?” she inquires, looking ashamed. Only this isn’t her shame and we need to remind her of that as often as we can.
“Start a notebook. Jot down anything that comes to mind. No matter how simple or inconsequential you think it is. Friends names. Addresses of places they went that you can recall. Parties they’re involved with, those types of things. Do you think you could do that for me?”
“Yeah, I can do that,” she confirms, her pronunciation still wobbly.
“Thank you, Zoe. You guys get some rest, I’m going to go make a few calls.
” I give Zoey a smile before turning a leering look toward Letti.
That woman has balls of steel because she doesn’t even flinch.
Instead, she squares her shoulders and keeps eye contact with me.
I shake my head and sigh. “You can’t save him all by yourself, Letti. ”
“Watch me,” she snaps, waggling her finger through the air, “I won’t give up on him because it’s the easier thing to do. He’s worth the work.”
“He is, Letti. And if you think you can be his miracle worker, you have my support. But don’t get caught in the crossfires in the meantime. Are we clear on that?”
She snorts, telling me, “I’ll do what’s necessary to keep y’all from drugging him to make him more amenable.” With that, she twists on her feet and heads toward Elodie’s room.
“Well, now I feel like a horse’s ass,” I admit. Indiana, being a smartass, whinnies at me. Shaking my head, I remind him of what he is. “Asshole.”
“Always,” Indiana retorts as I walk through the door, shutting it behind me.
As I swing my leg up and over the saddle of my Harley, I look back at the front door, mumbling to myself, “I’m the fucking ringmaster of a circus full of clowns.
” I fire up my engine, rev it for good measure and haul ass out of their driveway leaving skid marks behind, my destination is the clubhouse where I have other men waiting on me to give them the come to Jesus dressing down they deserve.
They know better than to rile Icer up. He has to be handled with kid gloves and they forgot that for a brief second.
Bet they don’t again after he pounded their faces and split their flesh.
Luckily, it was the communal room and kitchen that were demolished when the bomb detonated so our personal quarters are still intact. The structure is still sound, so that was meant to send a message not to completely destroy our clubhouse.
I may not be able to watch the games on the big screen with my brothers, and we may no longer have a bar to sit at and relax while tossing back a few drinks, but at least I still have a place to lay my head each night.