Chapter 18
Danica
I was too restless to stay in my room. Or the apartment for that matter.
Smokehouse had left not long after I’d slammed the door to my room, shutting myself in.
I crept downstairs, hoping not to run into anyone.
It was as though I couldn’t keep a hold of my emotions anymore.
Yelling at him, and getting angry over our conversation, hadn’t been in my plan, but I was all over the place.
My emotions were on a seesaw. One minute I was up, then I was down, with no neutral ground to be seen.
If Smokehouse was left reeling by my outbursts he was doing a good job of taking them in stride and not letting it show. I wasn’t doing as well. I swear I’d never cried as much as I had in the last few weeks, and Eli had done his best to give me things to cry about.
Still, I needed some fresh air, even if it was like someone was blowing a hair dryer directly at my face.
Summer was almost here—which in Tucson just means you go from hundred degree days to hundred and ten degree days—and soon enough the soaring heat and pouring monsoons would be upon us.
I loved the summertime, even though I missed the kids while school was out.
I called in sick today, even though we were so close to the last day of school.
With the guys being arrested, I’d hardly gotten any sleep and couldn’t imagine going into work.
It was a day off for the kids anyway, it gave the teachers a chance to finish up on grading and getting everything together before we sent the kids off to enjoy their summer, so I didn’t need to be there.
It wasn’t like I needed to creep through the clubhouse.
I lived here, for now, and I was allowed to go wherever I wanted.
It didn’t matter that Smoke didn’t like when I didn’t tell him where I was going.
I was mad at him, so he could just deal with it.
It didn’t matter that I knew it wasn’t his fault I was mad.
I knew I was being ridiculous, but I couldn’t seem to help myself.
The man was just trying to get to know me and somehow he’d stumbled on years of insecurities.
He was going to think I was a nutcase. There wasn’t much I could do about that at this point.
Eli hadn’t sent him running, so hopefully my mood swings and constant vomiting wouldn’t either.
Pausing in the main area, I watched as a small blonde woman poked her head out from behind a door.
She looked left and right before emerging.
Cocking my head, I continued to study her while she crept behind the bar.
She looked guilty as hell, though I wasn’t sure what she was up to, or where the door she’d been behind led.
I knew she was one of the sweet butts. One of the women had introduced us one day.
Pixie. Her name popped into my head as I watched her start to wipe down the bar.
I made a mental note to keep an eye on her.
Something about the way she was acting just bugged me, but I didn’t want to tell Smokehouse if it was nothing.
She gave me a sullen look as I walked past her toward the door.
Sucking in a lungful of dry air, my shoulders relaxed as soon as I stepped outside.
Sometimes you just needed to see the sky to know everything was going to be okay.
I walked along, admiring the thick grass that the club maintained at the back of the property.
There were picnic tables back here as well as two grills. It was where they had their barbecues.
I leaned down and began to untie the laces on my shoes. Walking barefoot in lush grass wasn’t something you got to do often in Tucson. It was difficult to keep grass alive here and the golf courses frowned upon you walking around without shoes.
A loud sound ripped through the air, making me jerk upright. Looking around, I shaded my eyes. “Was that a car backfiring?” I mumbled to myself, searching the parking lot and the road beyond. There were no vehicles in sight. I stuffed my feet back into my shoes.
Scanning the property, the sound had been so loud it had to have been close, my gaze stopped on something just on the other side of the fence. A man was standing, facing away from me, and beside him lay another man, and six children, lined up on blankets side by side.
I ventured closer, and eventually the man standing barked out something and another shot split the air.
Jumping nearly out of my skin, I gasped as I realized what was happening.
Now I could see the targets that had been placed out in front of the group lying on the ground. They were shooting weapons.
It was Butcher and Toxic. Butcher was currently scooting to the next child and helping them pick up the rifle they had beside them. I watched with a slack jaw as they aimed in together at the target. It didn’t matter that I knew the sound was coming, it made me flinch again.
Scanning the back of their heads, I realized it was Gabby, Taylor, Cassie, and Caitlyn—Priest’s girls—and Dex and Sean. My stomach cramped with worry. They were all way too young to be shooting guns. Hell, I myself had never even touched one. In fact, they kind of frightened me.
That didn’t mean I had the luxury of chickening out when I thought these guys were putting the kids in danger. I made my way over to the little gate that opened up into the empty space behind the club’s property, fully ready to give these guys a piece of my mind.
Strong arms caught me and pulled me back against a hard body. “Don’t even think about it, Wildcat,” Smoke rumbled into my ear.
“It’s not safe,” I protested, struggling against his grip.
“Yeah, it is. Those guys might fuck off a lot, but they’d never hurt those kids.
Butcher was a range master in his day. He had to keep his team up to date and didn’t have the luxury of waiting on others to do it.
He’s got all kinds of awards and certifications that claim he’s safe in this situation.
Besides, Gabby and Sean are shooting .22s and the younger kids only have BB Guns.
It’s completely safe. Even Butcher and Toxic know better than to have young kids shoot anything more. ”
I didn’t know what much of that meant, but my muscles relaxed as I saw Priest go storming past.
“Seriously, you assholes?” Priest hollered at them from the other side of the gate. “I told you no fucking horses, so you do this instead?”
“Good time to learn. You were slacking on teaching them,” Toxic called out. “Butcher.”
Butcher shifted over to the next kid and helped Gabby take aim. He spoke too softly to the girl to hear what he said, but a determined look crossed her face.
Smokehouse cursed, then slapped his hands over my ears just before Toxic yelled ‘fire’ and the rifle exploded.
Even through his palms, my ears rang at the sound.
The men and kids on the other side of the fence were all wearing hearing protection and safety glasses.
Those of us on this side weren’t so lucky.
“Cut it out, Dickhead,” Priest snapped. “I’m not finished.”
“Lockout approved an impromptu range day,” Butcher said with a shit-eating grin tossed over his shoulder.
“He told you that you could teach my kids to shoot today?” Priest asked, skepticism barely contained.
“He said a lot of words. After some consideration they sounded like approval,” Toxic replied.
Priest’s eyes narrowed. “You mean after some careful rewording. You two said you’d watch the girls today since there wasn’t school. You didn’t say shit about shooting.”
“Oh…well, we asked Gwen,” Toxic answered.
“She said yes?” We all turned and watched as Ricochet, Hellfire, and Riptide walked up. “I wouldn’t have thought she would. Figured I’d have to hound her to let me teach him.”
“Hold up.” Priest said. “I know this trick, what did you ask her?”
“I asked if we could teach them safe handling practices. She said yes. Can’t learn how to be safe if you don’t know how to shoot.” Toxic snorted.
“And there it is. Double meaning in every sentence,” Priest responded.
I was starting to realize that Priest’s frustration was less about the shooting, and more about him not being invited.
“Guns on the ground,” Butcher ordered, even though they were all still lying there, “on your feet.” All six kids obeyed. “Go play over there for a few minutes, then we’ll start back into it.”
The men waited until the kids ran off and started playing a rough game of tag before speaking again.
Watching the girls made me smile. When they got older they were going to be a force to contend with, and if any boys managed to win their hearts, they’d have to win over all these tatted up, burly men.
I didn’t envy the men who fell in love with Priest’s daughters, or Gwen’s for that matter.
Grace and Sean belonged to these men now, too.
It was easy to see. Staying quiet, because it really wasn’t my place to be involved in the argument, I listened.
“The girls have been asking to learn,” Butcher stated. “Now that Sean’s here, he’s expressed interest as well.”
“Yeah, he asked me, too,” Ricochet said. “I was just trying to figure out how to bring it up with Gwen.”
“Why don’t you come join us?” Toxic asked. “You can work with him while Priest, Butcher, and the others work with the others?”
“Would love to.”
Priest glared at Butcher, but made his way to the other side of the fence along with Ricochet and Hellfire. “They’ve been asking me to learn, too. I was getting to it.”
“We got there first,” Toxic told him with a grin.
“Yeah and what? You’re going to give them everything they want? What if they ask to throw a grenade next?”