Chapter 2
CHAPTER
TWO
DARE
The Russians are a pain in my ass, and I should hate them all, especially for Chassis’s sake, but I don’t.
I actually like the fucks, which makes this whole thing that much weirder for me.
I want to hate them, but I can’t. I swore we’d never fuckin get into bed with them or any other group, but fuck me if I don’t quite enjoy this shit.
The scent of the fire roaring, the building crackling before pieces begin to crumble. It’s a beautiful disaster. Wrath walks up beside me. This is usually his part of the job and something he truly enjoys. I haven’t been part of the process in a while, and I forgot how much I missed it.
Not just the fire, but the entire process. Before I was the president, before I was bogged down with those duties, I was a guy who liked setting shit on fire. And I still do. The flames lick the sky, the smoke billowing as I watch the multimillion-dollar house burn to the fucking ground.
It’ll be a good payout for the club, for the Russians and for us. Something we definitely need—building our coffers for whatever comes our way. I don’t know why it’s become so important to get as much money for the club as possible, but it has.
Call it acute intuition, but I can feel the winds shifting, and we have families now, or maybe that’s the shift. Our club finally has families. We’re not just a bunch of single guys looking for a good time and an orgasm any longer. We’ve got houses, women, and I’m going to have a baby.
“You good?” Wrath asks.
“Never gets old, does it?”
He hums. “It’s still my favorite part of the club. Fire is my fuckin’ jam,” he murmurs.
I laugh softly because ain’t that the fucking truth of it all? We all joined the club for different reasons, but there’s no denying that we love fire in many forms—starting them, watching them rage, and then the aftermath… especially the insurance payout.
“We should get out of here. The fire department will be here soon,” Wrath murmurs. “Let’s go have a beer. Tomorrow, the Russians will want to discuss this job, because debriefing is apparently something I do with Rustik now.”
With a snort, I take a step backward, then turn around and head toward my bike. Climbing on, I feel my phone buzz in the inner pocket of my cut. I reach inside, take it out, and glance down at the notifications.
There’s a new text from Two-Pump, which surprises me. He wasn’t on any duty today. A few of the guys were going to collect some debts for the Russians, and a couple of other guys were meeting with some prospective new contracts. But Two-Pump said he was going to lie low. It’s his day off.
Sliding my thumb across the screen, I tilt my head to the side as I read, and then reread his text just to ensure I got this shit right.
TWO-PUMP: Chassis is here. Don’t know why, but she’s sitting in the clubhouse bar drinking a water. Came here to see you.
“Everything okay?” Wrath asks. Lifting my head, I look over to watch him walk his bike toward me. He’s straddling it, and he looks like a fucking idiot, which makes me laugh. But only for a moment, before I shift my attention back to the fucking phone.
“Chassis is at the clubhouse with Two-Pump, waiting for me.”
My words come out with the same amount of confusion that I feel inside, because this shit is fucking weird to me. I don’t know what to even say at this point. I can’t imagine why the fuck she would be there.
“You have no fucking clue why she’s there.” His words come out as a statement, not a question, but I respond to him anyway.
“Not a single one. And I’m not sure she should really be down there anyway.”
I think about the women, the clubwhores, and while I know that Chassis realizes who and what they are, the last thing I want to do is put her in a position that makes her feel uncomfortable in any way. She’s still pregnant, my old lady, and my wife—even if it’s all only in name.
“Let’s fucking go,” I grunt as I start my bike.
It takes me longer than I would like to get back to Boulder City and the clubhouse. The only downside to working with the Russians is that everything they do is within Vegas city limits. It’s fine. Something we couldn’t have done without their approval, since that shit would have started a war.
War.
Technically, me being married to Chassis could have and should have started a war as well. Forget the territory shit. She’s pregnant with one of their kids. They know who the father is, and I’m just waiting for them to send someone to me.
Rustik has assured me there is nothing for me to worry about when it comes to the baby and Chassis. I don’t think I’ll ever relax about that. I’ll always look over my shoulder, at least until I know who the fuck he is and until I ensure that he is no longer breathing.
I will find out so that threat will never be a threat again.