22. The edge of losing it all.
Chapter 22
The edge of losing it all.
Christian
P oker night is always a busy night at Posey’s Lounge, but tonight there seems to be more people than normal. There isn’t an open seat in the game room. The main room and bar area look to be equally as crowded.
It’s loud, and the air is filled with the sweet scent of cigars and stale beer. The beer doesn’t bother me, but the cigar smoke has me craving a cigarette. I’ve doubted my decision to quit more often than not.
I lift my glass of whiskey and take a whiff. It burns my nose, masking the cigar smoke a little, but not enough to quench my craving.
Tonight is the first night I’ve seen Linden and Tanner since they came to the homestead and started a fight. To say this game is tense is an understatement.
They’re on their best behavior, though. They’re outnumbered, and they know it. Edge is to my left and Garret is to my right. Plus, every member of the motorcycle club will defend me if they start shit again.
They may be stupid enough to show up at my house to start shit, but not here. My brothers will fight fairly in a fight. The same can’t be said about the members of the MC. They fight for blood and couldn’t care less about fairness. It’s normal for them to gang up on someone in a fight. Winning is all that matters to the MC.
Don’t get me wrong, we want to win too. But it’s no fun if it’s because we outnumbered them. That feels like cheating. The Mutter men may be a lot of things, but we’re not cheaters.
If we were, this game would have been over by now.
We’ve been playing for about an hour and so far, we’re evenly matched. No one is dominating the game. As soon as one of us wins a good hand, the table turns and someone else wins the next. At this rate, we’re going to be here all night.
And I’m bored as fucked because of it.
Garret nudges my arm, and I sit up straight. I zoned out and am not paying close attention to the game. “Is it my turn?”
“No, look.” He points toward the entrance to the game room. Liam is glaring at Edge. Chase, Lina, and Charlotte are right behind him.
“Oh, shit.” I whisper.
Liam hasn’t seen Edge since the night we rescued Hannah. It’s not for a lack of trying either. Edge has been away doing damage control. Too many rumors point a finger at him in Hannah’s disappearance. No one knows what really happened that night, and we need to keep it that way.
“What?” Edge looks over his shoulder and groans. When he sees Liam walking toward us, he mumbles, “Fuck.”
“Go easy on him,” I say. “He’s never gotten over losing her.”
“Don’t worry. No one’s going to hurt your brother.” Edge squeezes my shoulder before he pushes to his feet. He doesn’t even get turned around before Liam grabs his shirt and fists it in his hands.
“Where’s Hannah?” Liam growls.
A hush falls over the bar, so thick you could cut it with a knife. Even my own breath hitches in my throat.
No one messes with Edge and lives to tell the tale. Chairs scrape across the floor, a symphony of steel and fear, as Edge’s men circle our table like vultures. This might be the only bar in town—and we’re welcome patrons—but it’s their territory, the Unholy Ghosts’ domain. We live by their rules, and Liam, in his reckless fury, just shattered one. Never, ever cross a Ghost.
Two of Edge’s men step closer, glinting blades flashing in the dim light. These aren’t fair fights with the MC. They’re executions. My blood runs cold.
Garret and I spring to our feet, adrenaline surging through us. Liam might be acting like a damn fool right now, but he’s our brother. And we won’t let him face this alone.
Edge holds up his hand, signaling for his men to stand down. Confusion covers their faces, but they do as they’re told. The knives disappear and they take a few steps back.
It’s not enough to cause me to relax, though. They’re still in a fighting position, ready to step in as soon as Edge gives them the go ahead.
I step around Liam and stand between him and the MC. If they decide to intervene, they’re going to have to go through me first.
“Christian,” Edge says my name, the tone sharp and demanding, as if I’m a soldier awaiting orders.
I look over my shoulder and glare at him. “No one touches my brother.”
Edge reaches up and pries Liam’s fist out of his shirt. It’s enough to cause Liam to snap back to reality and realize what he just did. He doesn’t back away, but he shoves his hands into the pockets of his jeans to keep himself from doing something even more stupid than what he’s already done.
“Just tell me where she is. Please.” The desperation in Liam’s voice is intense.
Edge shakes his head. “I don’t know where she is.”
“Liar.” Liam growls and lunges for Edge again. This time, I jump between them and stop Liam before he gets himself killed.
“Man, you don’t want to do this.” I push against Liam’s chest, but he doesn’t budge. “He’s the president of the MC. You can’t touch him and expect to live.”
Liam shifts his eyes to me, and I see the resolve in his expression. He knows I’m right. Starting a fight with Edge will not end well for anyone. Edge may be holding his men back, but they won’t forget this if he doesn’t back down. Liam will be marked for the rest of his life.
The air crackles with tension, charged and heavy. I can almost taste the fear in the air. It’s suffocating, each breath a struggle. Edge’s men, their faces hardened, step closer to us, their unease palpable. Liam is unpredictable and volatile—rightfully so—and they’re not convinced he’ll back down.
“Stand down,” Edge says. His voice is deep and gravelly. It sends a message of authority, and his men relax. Then he clamps his hand on my shoulder. “It’s okay. No one is getting hurt.”
I stare at Edge, studying his expression. There’s truth in his eyes. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about Edge over the years, it’s he’s a man of his word. If he says no one is getting hurt, then he means it.
I nod. “It better stay that way too.”
“I promise,” Edge says. “He’s right to feel the way he does. I’d do the same thing in Liam’s position.”
“Do you even understand my position?” Liam spits out. He’s calmer than he was when he first arrived, but his anger is still evident.
“I do.” Edge steps closer and lowers his voice. “Have you ever heard the story about my wife and two sons?”
My eyes widen in disbelief. Edge doesn’t talk about them. Ever. Very few people even know the truth behind their disappearance. I’ve often wondered if they had something to do with Edge’s secret side business of saving lives, but I’ve never found the courage to ask.
Liam shakes his head. “What does that have to do with anything?”
“It has everything to do with this.” He rests his hand on Liam’s shoulder and points toward his office. “Let’s go talk.”
Liam hesitates and looks at me for an answer. People outside of the club rarely get invited inside Edge’s office. And if they do, it’s not a good sign. But that’s not the case this time.
“It’s okay,” I say to Liam. “You can trust him.”
He nods, and Edge turns toward the table of men we’re playing poker with. “You’re going to have to continue this game without me.”
No one objects because it’s Edge. This is his bar and his game night. He does whatever he wants and no one can say anything about it.
He heads toward his office with Liam right behind him when one of his men speaks up. “You sure about this, boss?”
Edge spins around and looks the man in the eyes. The question came from Spider, one of his high-ranking members and Edge is pissed. Spider should know better than to second guess the decision of the club president.
Edge’s expression is hard and reeks of power. Under different circumstances, this situation would have resulted in punishment. It still might once we’re all gone, and Edge is alone with his members.
He may have cleaned up the club and stopped most of their illegal operations, but that doesn’t change member expectations and potential punishment for questioning the authority of the president.
“Yes,” he growls.
Then he spins around and takes slow, deliberate steps toward his office. It’s a power move. One that exudes strength and danger. When the door shuts behind them, I take a deep breath. I hope Liam knows what he’s getting himself into. We may not be members of the club, but once we know club secrets, the same rules apply to us.
Talk and you’ll pay with your life.
It’s been about thirty minutes since Edge and Liam disappeared into his office. They’re still there. I hope this means Edge is telling him the truth about Hannah and Cameron. If Cameron really is his son, he deserves to know what’s going on.
Liam can be trusted. Clearly, he can keep a secret. We’re all still shocked that he and Hannah were together around the time Hannah married Charlie. I don’t know if it happened before or after the wedding. Liam isn’t talking about that.
To distract myself from my brother, I glare at Badger. Fucking Badger. He’s sitting in the corner talking with some friends. I should pretend he doesn’t exist, but I hate the smirk on his face, like he has the upper hand. He doesn’t have shit, and he never will.
“Raise,” Garret says before he tosses a few chips into the pot, raising Linden’s bet. I snap out of my thoughts and refocus on the game. Letting my anger toward Badger distract me is pointless.
The game has gotten more interesting since Edge bowed out. It’s a close call between Linden and me as to who has the highest earnings. Tanner has already lost all his money. He’s been out for the last three hands.
Garret, however, is still hanging in there.
I peek at my cards and grumble. This might be the shittiest hand I’ve been dealt all night. “Fold.”
Linden snorts. “What’s the matter? Can’t hang?”
I glare at him. He’s gloating, and I hate gloaters. “Nah. I’m just smart enough to know when to call it. That’s something you’ve never understood. Is it a family trait?”
The smile on Linden’s face instantly vanishes, and he matches my glare. He’s trying to look mean, but he just looks like an asshole instead.
“My winnings tonight say you’re full of shit.” He counters.
I look down at his pile of chips. He’s done well tonight. As much as I hate to admit it, Linden is a decent poker player. Not as good as me, but he does alright. I’ll never admit that to him.
“Nothing but luck,” I say.
“You’re an asshole, you know that?” Linden says.
I shrug. “It takes one to know one.”
Linden has a weird smile on his face. It’s not a pleasant smile. It’s untrusting and leaves me with an uneasy feeling in my gut. He leans forward like he’s about to say something private that he doesn’t want anyone else to hear. “Since we’re both assholes, what do you say we make this more interesting?”
I raise an eyebrow, more than a little curious about what he’s got to say. “Go on.”
He sits back in his chair. His smile grows like he’s a proud man, although I’ve no clue what he’s got to be proud of. “You and me. One on one in a poker match. It’s time for the Kochs to be back on top.”
I snort. “When hell freezes over.”
He spreads his arms out wide and chuckles. “Well, I guess that day is today.”
“What the hell are you going on about?” Garret grumbles. “Are we going to play or not?”
“Oh, we’ll play alright,” Linden says. “But not with you.”
“What?” Garret rears his head back with a deep furrow in his brow. He’s clearly confused and offended by Linden’s comment. I can’t say I blame him. Garret always plays with us.
“Will you get to the point?” I insist. I’ve no clue where he’s going with this, but I have a feeling it’s not good.
Linden’s grin grows as he stares at me like I’m his prey and I’m about to be destroyed. It’s laughable that he thinks he can take me down. “I’m challenging you to a high-stakes game. Just you and me. It’s time to correct the mistakes of our ancestors.”
I laugh. It’s such a rare thing for me to do that those around us fall silent and stare at me like I just transformed into a different person. “You have lost your mind.”
“What’s the matter?” he asks. “Afraid you can’t beat me.”
“Oh, no,” I chuckle. “I know I can beat you.”
“Then what’s the problem?” He picks up his beer and takes a long pull, keeping his eyes focused on me.
“I don’t have any say over what happens to the homestead. I’m not on the deed.”
Now Linden is the one to laugh. “Who said anything about the homestead?”
I furrow my brows. “You said you wanted to correct the mistakes of your ancestors.”
I emphasize your clarifying that the Mutter ancestors weren’t the idiots that made such a stupid gamble. He doesn’t seem to catch on to that detail, further proving just how stupid he is.
“I did.” His grin turns wicked. He’s up to something and I don’t think I’m going to like it. “But not by winning back the homestead.”
I let out a frustrated sigh and lean forward on the table. I’m tired of this cryptic conversation. “Say what you want, asshole.”
He matches my position and meets my glare. “If I win, you break it off with Lia. You never see her again. And if you win, we’ll back off and you get to keep her.”
“What the actual fuck!” This comes from Lina, who’s sitting at a table right behind Garret and me with Charlotte and Chase. “She’s not a piece of property.”
“Stay out of this.” Linden glares at her, his voice low and threatening. It causes Chase to hop to his feet and puff out his chest.
“Don’t talk to her like that.” He growls.
Linden laughs. “What are you going to do? Kick my ass.”
“Keep talking like that to my girl and find out.” Chase takes a step forward and crosses his arms over his chest. He’s easy-going until you mess with someone he loves. Then the gloves are on.
“Sit down, Chase. No fights in the bar,” Garret says. That’s another rule of the MCs. No fights unless you want them joining in, and like I said, they don’t fight fairly.
Garret shoves Chase back before he turns around to face Linden. “No one here is stupid enough to fall for your bullshit, so shut it and play.”
“You scared he’ll lose?” Linden stares at me, daring me to argue otherwise.
“I’m not scared of you,” I say. “I can beat you at poker with my eyes closed.”
“Prove it.” His voice is calm and confident. Way too confident for him.
I stare at him for several seconds, and when I don’t immediately turn him down, Lina pipes in. “Don’t you dare. Lia will be pissed. Hell, I’m pissed for her.”
“She doesn’t have to find out,” Linden says.
Charlotte snorts. “In this town? I bet the rumor is already spreading. She’ll know about this before you even deal the cards.”
“Yeah, because I’m going to call her.” Lina digs her phone out of her back pocket, but Tanner jumps up and grabs it from her before she can even unlock it. “Hey!”
Chase charges Tanner and snatches it back. He raises his fist to punch Tanner, but Garret is faster and grabs his arm.
“No fights,” Garret growls.
“Everyone relax,” I say, holding my hands up in a calming motion. I hold my gaze on Linden and fight the smile that lifts my lips. “I’ll take your bet and enjoy every moment of kicking your ass.” I lean forward and narrow my gaze. “And when I do, you will never bother me again.”
“You fucking idiot!” Lina yells. She snatches her phone back from Chase and barges out of the room.
“Hundred dollars she’s calling Lina,” Charlotte sing-songs in a cheery tone.
They’re both right. But I’ll deal with that after I wipe the floor with Linden’s face. After tonight, he’ll never bother me again.
I stuff my hand into my pocket for a cigarette but come up empty-handed. My entire body tenses with irritation and need. Smoking always has a way to calm my nerves, but I gave that up.
A crowd gathers around our table, including Badger. He’s standing behind Linden with his arms crossed over his chest and a smug grin on his face. He thinks if I lose, he’ll get Amelia all to himself. I’ll kill him before that ever happens.
I look back at Linden before I toss back the last of my whiskey. He leans forward, looking proud and confident. “Well, what’ll it be?” he asks.