CHAPTER TWELVE
I push open the heavy wooden door to the chapel and instantly get hit with five pairs of eyes all locked on me like lasers.
The knowing smirks on their faces tell me everything I need to know before a single word is spoken.
“Jesus,” I mutter, making my way to the head of the table.
Bane, sitting in his chair to the right of mine with his busted face looking even worse now that the bruising has set in, grins like the cat who ate the canary. His eyes are practically dancing with glee despite the stitches in his eyebrow.
“You fucked her,” he says, not even bothering to phrase it as a question.
I keep my face neutral as I drop into my seat, though I’m fighting the urge to smile like a damn teenager who just got his first piece of ass. “Shut the fuck up.”
Journey snorts from his spot across the table. “Look at this fucker. He’s glowing.”
“Glowing?” Bash chimes in, his dark eyes lit with amusement. “Man’s practically radioactive.”
“All of you can go fuck yourselves.”
They don’t need to know she’s in my bed right now, naked and thoroughly fucked.
Gator slides a beer across the table to me. “How was it?”
I pop the tab and take a long pull, considering my answer. Truth is, it was fucking mind-blowing, but I’ll be damned if I’m giving these assholes the satisfaction.
“I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about,” I say instead.
The door swings open again, cutting off whatever smartass remark Bane was about to make.
My old man walks in with Red right behind him. The atmosphere in the room shifts immediately, the teasing grins fading as everyone straightens up.
Pop takes his seat at the other end of the table, his weathered face serious.
“Let’s get this shit started.” I meet my men’s eyes around the table. “We got problems that need sorting.”
Red settles into a chair near my father, his wild auburn hair and beard making him look like a Viking warrior despite his age. His piercing blue eyes lock onto mine. “Fill me in.”
I nod, setting my beer aside.
As much as I’d rather be back at my house, buried deep inside Foxy, we’ve got serious shit to deal with.
The rest of the officers file in—Story, Cyber, Banks, and Bishop—taking their usual spots around the table. Once everyone’s seated, I bang the gavel, officially starting church.
“We got ourselves in a clusterfuck of a situation,” I begin, looking around at my brothers. “Mayor Camden was found executed in the VIP room at Kitties. Shot point-blank in the head.”
“Motherfucker had it coming,” Gator mutters.
“Maybe so,” I concede. “But the timing is suspicious as fuck. Last week he’s demanding more money, threatening my family, and now he’s dead in our club.”
“There’s a new king in town,” Bash quotes the message left on the wall, his face grim.
I nod. “That ain’t fucking happening,” I growl before moving on to the other bullshit we’re dealing with, “And then a few hours later, Bane was jumped by Sinners in the alley beside Dave’s.” I turn to my brother. “Tell them what happened.”
Bane leans forward, wincing slightly as the movement pulls at his ribs. “Got off my bike and thought I saw someone peeking from behind the building.”
“You should have fucking said something before going back there,” I say, interrupting him. It was fucking stupid. I was right there. He should have let me know.
“Anyhow,” he says dramatically. “Three Sinners were waiting—Skid, Hammer, and some tattooed fuck I didn’t recognize.”
“They were waiting for you specifically?” Story asks, his brow furrowed.
“I don’t know. But I got the feeling they knew we would be there,” Bane says. “Said some shit about paying for what we did.”
“What the fuck did we do?” Banks asks, looking confused.
“Hell if I know,” Bane shrugs. “But they were pissed. Got the drop on me, and they were about to put a bullet in my head when Foxy showed up.”
A surge of pride hits me in the chest, and the grin I’ve been fighting breaks free. “Tell ‘em what she did.”
A slow smile spreads across Bane’s face, despite his split lip.
“Man, you should’ve seen her. She came around the corner, guns drawn—both of them pink, by the way.
” He chuckles. “These fuckers laughed at her. Then she charged Skid like a goddamn bullet, slid across the ground, and shot Hammer point-blank in the gut.”
“No shit?” Bank’s eyes widen.
“No shit,” Bane confirms. “Saved my ass.”
“She’s one hell of a woman,” I say before I can stop myself, getting knowing looks from around the table.
Pop clears his throat. “Roxy’s taken quite a shine to her. Says she’s got good energy.” He fixes me with a pointed look. “You better not fuck this up, son. That woman is a goddamn keeper.”
I shift uncomfortably in my seat, not used to my old man weighing in on my love life—not that I have one. “Pop—”
“And you,” he continues, ignoring me as he turns to my little brother. “You need to find yourself a woman like that. Someone who can handle her shit.”
Bane rolls his eyes. “Don’t need a ball and chain, Pop.”
Red slams his hand on the table. “Enough talk about fucking bitches. We’ve got bigger shit to worry about. Like the Sinners making moves in our territory.”
“Red’s right,” I say, grateful for the redirection. “The mayor getting whacked in our club and the Sinners showing up out of the fucking blue can’t be a coincidence.”
Someone’s playing chess while we’ve been playing checkers. The question is, who?
“What about that message on the wall?” Bishop asks. “There’s a new king in town. You think they mean literally?”
I drum my fingers on the table, considering. “Could be. Someone taking over from Camden, maybe. Or it could be a direct challenge to us—the Kings of Anarchy.”
“Either way, we need to tighten shit up,” Bash says firmly. “Double security at all our businesses, especially the trucking company. We can’t risk them hitting our shipments.”
“Agreed,” I nod. “Cyber, I want you monitoring police channels, social media, anything that might give us a heads up on Sinner movements.”
Cyber nods, already tapping away on his phone. “On it, boss.”
“Journey,” I continue, “coordinate with the prospects. I want eyes on Sinner territory. I need to know if they’re mobilizing.”
“You got it,” Journey agrees.
“Banks, make sure all our legitimate businesses have their security up to date. I don’t want any fucking surprises.”
Banks gives a curt nod. “Already started upgrading systems at Kitties after what happened. I’ll get on the rest tomorrow.”
“Good.” I look around the table. “We need to be smart about this. No retaliation yet. We gather intel first, figure out what the fuck is happening, then we strike.”
The sound of a phone ringing cuts through the tension in the room. My phone. I pull it out of my pocket and feel my stomach drop when I see the name on the screen.
Chief.
Fuck, he knows.
I take a deep breath and answer. “Tacoma.”
“Where the fuck is my sister?” Chief’s voice booms through the speaker, loud enough that everyone at the table can hear him.
I close my eyes briefly, weighing my options. Lying will only make shit worse.
“She’s at my house,” I admit, bracing for the explosion I know is coming.
There’s a beat of silence, and then, “YOUR HOUSE? WHAT THE FUCK IS SHE DOING AT YOUR HOUSE?”
I pull the phone away from my ear, wincing at the volume. Bane snickers across the table, and I flip him off.
“She decided to stay in town for a few days,” I say, keeping my voice even.
“Bullshit,” Chief snarls. “She’s not answering her fucking phone.”
That’s because she’s passed out in my bed, exhausted from me fucking her six ways from Sunday.
“She’s probably sleeping,” I say instead. “It’s been a long day.”
“Why the fuck is she sleeping at your house?” Chief’s voice is dangerously quiet now. “You fucked my sister, didn’t you? You motherfucker. I told you—”
I feel my temper rising. Who the fuck does he think he is, telling me who I can and can’t stick my dick in?
“Listen, motherfucker,” I snap, my patience gone. “I respect you. You’ve earned that. But this is my fucking territory. I decide what happens here. Not you. And newsflash, asshole, your sister is a grown fuckin’ woman.”
“She’s twenty-four, you piece of shit!” Chief roars. “You’re old enough to be her father!”
That stings, but I push past it. “Age is just a fucking number.”
“I’ll pull our business. I swear to God, Tacoma. The Kings will never move another ounce of product through Saints territory.”
“Chief—” I start, but I’m interrupted by a woman’s voice in the background.
“Baby, you’re being a hypocrite. You’re seventeen years older than me.”
Chief’s voice grows muffled, like he’s covered the phone. “Cora, stop eavesdropping on my calls, woman.”
“I’m just saying,” the voice continues, sounding amused. “You can’t get mad at him for the same thing you’re doing. And didn’t my brother tell you the same thing?”
I can’t help the grin that spreads across my face. “Sounds like your old lady’s got a point, Chief.”
There’s a growl of frustration, then Chief’s growls. “Woman! I’m gonna spank that ass—”
The line goes dead, but not before I hear his ol’ lady giggle on the other end.
Jesus.
Shaking my head, I set my phone down on the table, meeting the amused stares of my brothers.
“Well, that went well,” Bane drawls.
I run a hand through my hair. “Fuck off.”
Red shakes his head, looking disgusted. “What the fuck were you thinking, sticking your dick in Jacksonville’s pussy? Chief’s little sister, no less.”
“Fuck off, Red,” I snap, my patience obliterated. “I don’t answer to Chief. I don’t answer to any-fucking-one. That includes you.”
“Except maybe Foxy,” Journey mutters, earning a chorus of chuckles around the table.
I bang the gavel, bringing everyone back to order. “We’ve got more important shit to deal with than my love life.”
“Love life?” Bane repeats, his eyebrow shooting up. “It’s like that, huh?”
I ignore him, pushing on. “We need to vote on our next steps. All in favor of increased security and intelligence gathering before any retaliation against the Sinners, say aye.”
“Aye,” comes the unanimous response.
“All opposed?” Silence.
“Motion passes. We move cautiously, we gather intel, and when the time is right, we strike back hard.”
The brothers nod in agreement, the mood sobering once more.
“One more thing,” I add. “No one goes anywhere alone. We travel in pairs until we figure out who is targeting us. Got it?”
“Got it, Prez,” Bash confirms, the others nodding along.
I bang the gavel again. “Get the fuck out of here.”
As the brothers file out, I stay seated, staring down at the table. My mind is racing, juggling the threat of the Sinners, the mystery of Camden’s murder, and now the complication with Chief.
Pop hangs back, waiting until we’re alone before speaking. “You really like this girl, don’t you?”
I look up, surprised by the question. “I just met her.”
He shrugs, his weathered face softening. “Sometimes that’s all it takes. I knew your mother was the one the moment I laid eyes on her.”
“It’s not like that,” I protest, though the words feel all wrong.
Pop raises an eyebrow. “No? Then why are you sitting here looking like you’d rather be anywhere else?”
I can’t help but smile.
The old man can always read me like a book.
“She’s... different,” I admit finally. “I can’t explain it.”
He nods sagely. “You don’t have to. Just be careful, son. These are dangerous times to be distracted.”
“I know, Pop.”
He claps me on the shoulder as he passes. “Go on home to your woman. Just keep your head on straight.”
I watch him leave, his words echoing in my mind. My woman. Is that what Foxy is now? After one day?
Standing up, I head out to the bar where several of the brothers are already drinking. I grab a bottle of Jack from behind the counter.
“Heading home?” Bane asks, a knowing smirk on his face.
“Yeah,” I admit, not bothering to deny it. “You good?”
He nods. “Go on. I got things handled here.”
I don’t need to be told twice.
With a quick nod to the others, I head out to my bike, the bottle of whiskey secured in my saddlebag.
As I fire up the engine, I can’t help but smile, thinking about the blonde waiting in my bed.
Chief can go fuck himself.
The Saints’ business is important, but right now, all I care about is getting back to Foxy.
I tear out of the compound, the night air hot against my face as I head home to my woman.
My woman.
Yeah, I like the sound of that.