Bones
The club had gone to great lengths to ensure our families' safety. We had nine-foot fences topped with barbed wire and multiple guards at the gate who were constantly watching and waiting for any potential attacks.
To discover that we’d been breached was alarming.
It was even more alarming to discover how we were breached. Bruton had used drones to drop incendiary devices throughout our compound. The devices were filled with thermite—a powder that creates a brief burst of heat and high temperature, but the flame is short-lived.
It was a smart move.
The drop was quick and effective, and it made a hell of an impression.
It had us all scrambling. We had no idea what was coming next, and that had us all on edge.
We were doing what we could to put out the fires when Cotton called Two Bit and Diesel over.
“Go in and gather the others in the family room. Have them wait there until we figure out what the hell is going on.”
“You got it.”
They both headed inside, and I was about to go over and help Stitch and Rooster with Clutch’s SUV when I heard my phone chime with a message. My entire body tensed as I reached into my back pocket and pulled out my phone. I looked down at the screen, and my blood ran cold when I read:
Unknown Caller:
Let him go.
Or the next drop will be on the clubhouse, and I will burn it to the ground.
I immediately turned to Cotton and showed him the message. Needless to say, he wasn’t pleased. “Fuck this guy.”
Noting his anger, Maverick and Guardrail came over to see what was up. Cotton held up my phone, and as soon as he saw it, Maverick scoffed, “I say let him go. Hell, he’s no good to us anyway.”
“He’s right,” Guardrail agreed. “The kid doesn’t know a damn thing. No sense in keeping him here.”
“But what kind of message does that send.” The vein in Cotton’s neck pulsed as he growled, “I don’t want this motherfucker thinking he can play us.”
“I get that, but damn, Prez.” Maverick sounded torn as he told him, “Our hands are tied on this one.”
“Goddamn it. This motherfucker is gonna pay for this shit.” Cotton shook his head and sighed.
He lowered his head, thought for a moment, then inhaled a breath and said, “Let him go, but I want a tracking device on him—one that Bruton won’t be able to find.
That way, we can get the kid back if we need him. ”
“Shouldn’t be a problem. Big and I can take care of it,” I assured him. “Just need a few minutes to get it set up.”
“Get it done.”
I nodded, then followed Big inside. When we got to the office, Big took one of the smaller trackers from our safe and said, “This should do it.”
It wasn’t much bigger than a pen head and could easily be hidden anywhere. “Yeah, I should think so.” He handed it to me, and I started prepping it. Once it was ready, I handed it back to him and said, “It’s all set.”
“Good. Let’s get it to Cotton.”
By the time we got to the playroom, Stitch and Wrath had Ben cleaned up, but he still looked like hell.
He was black and blue, and his eyes were swollen like he’d been in a boxing match and lost. They were in the process of giving him some clean clothes when Big walked into the room and grabbed his shoes, secretly slipping the tracker into the bottom sole.
Once it was secure, he tossed them on the floor next to Ben’s feet.
We all watched as he bent down to get them and groaned. The guy was in bad shape, which led Big to ask, “You think he’s up to driving?”
“He’s gonna have to be.” Cotton gave him a once over and grimaced as he reached over and placed his palm on Ben’s forehead, forcing his head back so he could get a better look. “Maverick can drive him into town. From there, he’s on his own.”
“I’ll be fine. I can make it.”
“We’ll see soon enough.”
“You should consider yourself lucky. Most folks don’t leave here breathing. Best do what you can to steer clear because if there’s a next time, you won’t be so lucky.”
“Don’t have to worry about that. I have no intention of crossing paths with you guys again.”
“For your sake, I hope you don’t.”
Ben put on his shoes, then followed Stitch and Cotton out to the parking lot. Ben was about to get into his car when Cotton stepped over to him and grabbed him by the shirt collar. He pulled him close as he growled, “Tell your grandfather I’m coming for him.”
“I still don’t understand what’s going on with all this. Why do…”
“Just tell him.”
Ben nodded, then got in the car. As soon as Maverick started the car, Cotton leaned down to the window and ordered, “Get him to the town square. He can get home on his own from there.”
Maverick nodded, then drove through the gate and Two Bit followed close behind. As soon as they were out of sight, we headed back into the clubhouse. We gathered in the conference room and had just sat down when Cotton turned to me and ordered, “Message him back. Tell him we’ve released the kid.”
“On it.”
As I reached into my pocket, I was hit with a thought that had been weighing on me from the very beginning.
I still didn’t get why Bruton continued to message me instead of Prez or Stitch.
Hell, he could’ve messaged any one of the brothers, and it would’ve made more sense than contacting me.
Just thinking about it had me turning to Savage.
“You said Ben didn’t know anything, right? ”
“Yeah, he was oblivious.” Savage leaned back in his chair and toyed with his ballpoint pen. “Like I told ya before, he had no idea what Bruton was really up to and had no idea what he wanted from us. Just said that he wanted him to see what he could get from Elsie.”
“So, it was a bust. He didn’t get anything from her.”
“Just the contact information on her phone, but Bruton already had our contact information.”
“But he didn’t have my burner number.” I held up my phone. “He definitely has that now.”
“That he does.” He glanced down at the screen. “Did you message him?”
“Yeah, I sent it.”
It wasn’t until I glanced down at the screen that I noticed Bruton had responded.
Unknown Caller:
Smart move
I think it’s time for us to meet.
You and your president, at my place tomorrow at 2.
Come alone.
“Shit.” I took my phone and slid it over to Cotton. “He messaged again.”
Cotton picked up the phone and looked down at the screen, and as soon as he read the message, he ran his hand over his thick, gray beard and cursed, “Son of a bitch. This motherfucker’s got balls telling me where to be and when.”
“He asking for a meet?” Guardrail asked.
“Tomorrow at 2. He wants Bones and me to come to his place alone.”
“Don’t give a fuck what he wants,” Stitch growled. “That shit’s not gonna happen.”
“We gotta find out what the hell this guy wants with us.”
“Yeah, but not like this. It’s too fucking dangerous.”
“Then, we’ll take protective measures.” Cotton’s tone grew fierce as he said, “He attacked the clubhouse. He put our women and children in harm’s way, and there’s no way in hell I’m gonna let him get away with that.”
Tempers were high, so I had to tread lightly as I asked, “But what if today wasn’t about an attack?”
“What else could it fucking be?”
“A message... A means to an end.” I might’ve been way off base, but I truly believed it when I told him, “Up until today, he hasn’t done anything to us that we haven’t done to him.
He got information on us. We have it on him.
He roughed up Q and Rooster, and we worked over Ben.
Tit for tat. Might’ve stayed that way if Ben hadn’t been his grandson. ”
“That’s a bit of a stretch, don’t ya think?”
“The fact that he not only used thermite, but also knew to use it should give us pause. So, no. I don’t think it’s a stretch. Today could’ve been a lot worse if Bruton wanted it to be.”
“Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t give a fuck what it could’ve been. He fucking torched my SUV,” Clutch roared. “I say we give this asshole a taste of his own medicine and burn his house to the fucking ground.”
I wanted to argue and tell him that he was letting his anger get the best of him. Thankfully, I didn’t have to say a word. Cotton said it for me. “We’ll get him. You don’t have to worry about that, but first, we need to find out what this fucker wants from us.”
“You really think it’s a good idea for you and Bones to go over there alone?”
“We aren’t going there alone.” Cotton turned to Maverick and Stitch as he said, “You boys are coming with us to make sure nothing goes down.”
Stitch was quick to reply, “To do that, we’re gonna have to find a position that’s far enough away that he won’t spot us but close enough where we can make a move if one is needed.”
“Do what you gotta do. Just make it work.”
“We’ll get it covered.” Maverick turned to Big as he said, “We’re gonna need eyes and ears on them when they’re inside.”
“I’ll take care of it.”
“We’re also gonna need to get blueprints of the house and an aerial view of his property and of those nearby.”
“On it.”
Big pulled up his laptop, and it wasn’t long before they were forging a plan that they hoped would keep Cotton and me out of harm’s way.
But I knew no such plan existed—not when you were dealing with a guy like Bruton.
It seemed he was always one step ahead, and that had me concerned.
I was still struggling with the fact he wanted me in on this meet.
It was one thing to send me messages.
It was another to want a face-to-face.
I couldn’t help but think there was something he wanted from me, but I had no clue what that could be.
It was something I couldn’t stop fixating on.
My brothers were hammering out plans and securing our safety while I sat in a complete daze, going through all the possible reasons for his interest in me.
I could remember seeing him in high school. I knew he was a history teacher. I never actually had him, but from what I’d heard, he was decent and fair. Only time would tell if that was still the case. Thankfully, the meet was just a day away, so I wouldn’t have to wait much longer to find out.
The guys had been at it for hours. It was getting late, and everyone was growing both tired and irritable. Realizing that it was time for a break, Cotton announced, “It’s time to call it a night. You boys get some rest, and we’ll start back here first thing in the morning.”
“I’m gonna say it again. I don’t like any of this,” Stitch announced. “I don’t care what precautions we take. It’s too fucking dangerous.”
None of us knew how things were going to play out.
Cotton and I could go there, and we could come to some kind of understanding with Bruton, or he could kill us on the spot.
There was no way any of us could know for sure.
Cotton knew as well as I did that we had to go, so I wasn’t surprised when he replied, “It has to be done, brother.”
“I don’t know. I’m thinking Clutch had the right mindset,” Stitch scoffed. “We should just burn his place to the ground and be done with this guy.”
“It wouldn’t be that simple, and you know it.”
“Yeah, I know.” Stitch turned to me as he said, “I just wanted my sentiments to be known.”
“Understood.” Cotton gave Stitch a pat on the shoulder as he assured him, “I’ll keep a close eye on your boy.”
“I plan to keep an eye on you both. We all do.”
With that, Cotton dismissed the meeting, and the brothers called it a day and dispersed to their rooms. And I was more than ready to do the same. Even more so, I was ready to see Elsie.
It was selfish of me, but if there was even the slightest chance that things could go south, I had to let her know exactly how I felt about her.
I needed her to know I loved her and wanted to spend the rest of my life with her.
It was that thought that weighed on my heart as I headed to my room.
When I opened my door, I expected to find her sleeping in my bed, but that wasn’t the case.
The room was completely empty, and that had me charging out of my room and heading back down the hall.
I’d been waiting all day to see Elsie, all fucking day, and I wasn’t going to wait for a second longer.
I charged down to her room, and without even knocking, I opened her door and stormed inside.
I stepped over to her bed, and the second I pulled the comforter back, her eyes flashed open.
It took her a moment, but once she saw that it was me, Elsie gasped, “Wyatt! What are…”
Her mouth clamped shut when I leaned over her and quickly lifted her out of bed, cradling her in my arms. She didn’t resist; instead, she slipped her arms around my neck and rested her head on my shoulder. Damn. That’s all it took.
The tension I’d been carrying around began to lift from my shoulders. When we got to my room, I kicked the door shut and lowered her feet to the floor. I towered over her as I growled, “I thought we had an understanding.”
Her eyebrows furrowed with confusion as she asked, “What understanding?”
“That you would move in with me.”
“Okay, but you never said when you wanted that to happen.”
“I want it now.” I stepped forward, pinning her against the wall. “I want you in my room, in my bed, from here on out. You think you can manage that?”
She nodded with a smile. “Yeah, I can manage that.”
“Good.”
I looked down at her and my chest tightened at how beautiful she was. She was perfect, every fucking inch of her, and she was mine.
Mine to cherish.
Mine to protect.
And I was going to do exactly that.