Chapter 34
Chapter Thirty-Four
DREW
Iwas getting goddamn sick and tired of every nice moment I tried to create being ruined by some fucker who had no clue how to stop themselves from pissing me off.
Owen was a rat, the Mayor was corrupt, and the one thing I held close to my heart, besides Ayda and the club, was about to be ripped out from right under me so they could… what? Turn those green fields I loved so much into more gray asphalt that held no meaning.
Over my dead body.
And I meant it. Over my dead body is where they’d have to roll to touch a single blade of motherfucking grass out here.
Ayda had tried to calm me, but the tension and the pressure of the last few weeks and months were building, rolling and creating a huge thunderstorm in my mind that had the potential to be catastrophic.
It tore at my gut every day. There were only two people who’d ever been able to get me through those kinds of emotions, and both of them were dead.
It was time for me to step up and lead the way Pete and Harry believed that I could.
Without any shame.
Only action.
The next morning, I told Slater and Jedd to gather every man they could find into The Hut. I wanted them all in there together, no exceptions. My VP and Sarge had asked me what the hell was going on, but a sly smile and shake of the head had convinced them it was nothing serious.
“Ayda pregnant?” Slater joked.
“Guess you’ll find out later,” was all I said in response.
Ayda was in the bathroom when I stepped back inside it, tugging down the edges of my cut and pulling the hood of my hoodie out of the back, so it hung loose.
When she turned to look at me, standing there in only her underwear, her eyes wide and her face carrying an edge of uncertainty I was convinced she was trying to hide from me, I leaned down to kiss her on the cheek.
“Another day, another battle,” I whispered against her ear before I pulled away again.
Reaching out, Ayda’s hand found mine and tugged. I barely moved, but she managed to get herself closer to me, one palm on my chest as she blinked up at me. “This is more than a simple battle. This is a war. What do you need from me today?”
“What do you want me to need from you today?”
“I’m behind you Drew, a hundred and ten percent. If you need me, that’s where you’re going to find me. Simple as that.”
I blew out a long, tired breath and offered her a comforting smile.
“The whole town knows where you stand, Ayda,” I reassured her.
“Every man in this building knows where you stand. More importantly, I know where you stand. But I need you to do something for me here in The Hut while I’ve got every man riding out with me, and I need you to know that you’re the only one I trust to do it. ”
Ayda glanced up at me, her eyes intent. “And what’s that?”
“I need you to be the one to go through Harry’s room… alone.”
Breaking eye contact, her eyes fell to her hand covering my heart. Her breathing moved her chest but never changed as she considered what I was asking her to do. “It’s the only time the Hut will ever be that empty,” she admitted without looking up.
“You’re the only one who can look through his things without anyone else knowing.
I need to find something. Something that Harry kept close to him.
Something he wanted us to find in plain sight.
Something that gives us facts about Owen—without Owen being in this damn building.
Something I can shove in that bastard’s face right before I tear the skin off his back. ”
“You want me to find the files he had on Owen.” She glanced up at me again, resolution clear in her blue eyes. “I can do that. I don’t like not being there with you today, but this is important, and it’s the only opportunity to get in there.”
“I knew you’d understand.”
“What are you going to tell the guys, about my not going?”
“They won’t ask. They’ll be too engrossed in me telling them what we’re doing today. You’ll have the whole place to yourself.”
“Works for me. I’ll get dressed and be right out.” She smiled, but it didn’t meet her eyes. She didn’t like what I was asking her to do. Staying behind clearly bothered her, but she’d promised to do anything, and she was sticking by that, even if it meant watching us all ride out without her.
“I love you.”
“I love you right back.” She kissed my neck and pushed me playfully.
I stumbled back, a huff of laughter falling free before I reached for her waist, grabbed her and pulled her to me for a hungry kiss that said everything words could never say.
I loved her.
I was sorry I was asking her to do this.
She better stay safe.
I loved her a bit more.
When I pulled away, I cradled her cheeks in my hands, and I winked at her.
Not needing to say anything else, I turned and left, my smile slowly slipping away with every footstep I took away from her.
The loving fiancé side of me had to remain inside that room with her.
Out here, walking through The Hut, I had to be Drew Tucker—The one everyone thought they knew.
The men had gathered inside, the noise rising as I walked into the bar, stopped and looked around at everyone there.
Men of old, young, and new congregated around like they were at a damn wedding.
Each had a smile on their face and were laughing and joking with one another.
I scanned the room, seeing Slater, Jedd, Kenny, Deeks, Moose… Owen.
Owen was there with his greasy hair slicked back, his eyes narrowed and his corruptive smirk firmly in place.
He had a face you wanted to smack with a shovel just to rearrange it into something less sleazy and irritating.
As I looked at him wearing the patch on his skin and back, I tried to see how the hell he’d gotten so embedded into the club.
The guy had a habit of being in the right place at the wrong time, and the thought of all the shit he’d spilled to our enemies made my skin ripple with a need to kill.
The fucker needed to die and die fast. I knew deep inside my soul that I’d make that happen one way or another without implicating any of my brothers or my future with Ayda.
Needing to get him out of my sight, I looked to the other side of the room where Rubin was perched on the end of one of the leather sofas, his hands between his legs as he twisted his fingers together nervously.
“Drew?” Slater called out, and just like that everyone’s attention turned to me standing at the end of the hall watching each and every one of them.
The room fell silent apart from the creaking of leather and the turning of boots.
I looked into the eyes of all my men, including Owen, finding it a fucking miracle that I was able to keep my face serene as I stared into the depths of his betrayal.
“Brothers, thanks for being here,” I said quietly.
“Anything for you, Drew,” Deeks called out.
I nodded in response, pushing my hands into the depths of my jeans pockets and rocking back on my feet.
“Everything okay?” Kenny asked, his zigzag brows creased in confusion.
“Sure.”
“Then why we here?”
My eyes found Rubin’s, who was looking at me like I was his new hero. There was worry and expectation in his stare—a pressure to be something and do something good for him while he was around. For some fucked up reason, I found myself wanting to be that something for him.
“We’re here because I want us all to ride out together today.” I held Rubin’s gaze, letting him know that included him, too. “For Harry,” I added, blinking slowly before I looked away and out to the rest of the room.
“For Harry?” Jedd asked quietly.
“When was the last time we acted like a family?” I asked.
The men all looked at each other, the question unanswered as they tried to seek some kind of response from the man next to them.
“Apart from Harry’s funeral, when was the last time we acted like a motorcycle club instead of like we were all heartbroken bastards smelling of oil and smoke?”
“You’ve had a lot on your mind, Tuck—”
“No more.” I shook my head, cutting Deeks and his genuine concern off.
“Today, we ride out together.” The pause I made was intentional as I found Owen’s eyes and smiled as warmly as I could.
“All of us. Today, we remember who we are and where we truly belong. We’re The Hounds of Babylon, and shit, do we love to ride. ”
Silence filled the room, each man looking at me with nothing but loyalty in their eyes. Even the guy who I knew was filled with deceit stared at me like he loved me, acting the good act, living the perfect lie before he raised his chin and parted his lips.
“Ain’t someone missing?” Owen asked roughly.
“Who?”
“Eric?”
The small smile curled the edges of my mouth as I stared my enemy in the eye and acted like his friend. “He lost his right to ride with us as a family when he chose to walk away from us like a stranger. Today, it’s just about everyone in this room. Let us worry about Eric tomorrow.”
Rubin hadn’t been lying. A small stand had been erected near the edge of the town’s park, the banners of our Mayor surrounding it to celebrate his ugly ass face.
The smirk on my face grew as my knuckles twisted around the bars of my bike.
All of my men were behind me, a pyramid formation slowly rolling back into Babylon after over an hour out on the roads.
The thunderous roar of the engines dulled to a low rumble with several grunts as we swerved into space and parked our bikes.
Glancing over my shoulder, I grinned as I looked back at all the confused faces of my men.
Slater and Jedd were the only two to be staring at me without any emotion.
The fuckers knew I’d been up to something, and now we were where we were with The Mayor only a short distance away, they were slowly putting the pieces of the puzzle together on their own.
“What’s going on?” Kenny asked, reaching up to remove his dark shades from his face.