Blaze POV
We get back to the clubhouse and I wave off Echo when he tries to get my attention. I don’t have time for that right now. I drag Dylan straight through to my room and slam the door behind us.
I immediately start pulling at his clothes, needing to check every inch of him.
He grumbles and swats at my hands. “What are you doing?”
“Checking you. Now fucking strip.”
“Are you serious? I’m fine.”
“Strip, Dylan. Now!”
He rolls his eyes but finally gives in, stripping down and turning with a mocking little spin. “There. See? All fine. Now can I please get dressed?”
“Don’t be a brat,” I mutter, rubbing my face. The adrenaline is still coursing through me. “You could have fucking died.” I take a deep breath. “Get dressed. But this isn’t over.”
“Let me guess, I won’t be able to sit for a week?” he taunts.
I move fast, pinning him against the wall. “How about a fucking month if you keep being a brat? You could have died!”
The image of him flying off that bike flashes through my mind again and my chest tightens. I turn and storm out before I do something stupid like fuck him right there when we don’t have time.
Stepping into church, the guys are laughing about something, but my eyes immediately land on Joker and I glare.
“Hey, he didn’t mean anything by it and he had no idea it was Dylan,” Knox says.
“Yeah? And what if he had gotten hurt?” I snap, dropping into my seat.
“Look, I fucked up,” Joker says, looking at me more seriously this time. “All joking aside, I apologise for my actions. Not just playing chicken with him, but the stutter thing too. I didn’t think.”
“Yeah, well I meant what I said. Do it again and I’ll slit your throat.”
He nods. The whole table stares at me for a moment before Joker speaks again. “Hey, if anyone did that to my Tiny Demon I’d probably still be hammering them into the asphalt with my fist. Cut him some slack.”
For the next hour we sit and talk business. We update the Cursed Kings on Declan and his plan to take over the clubs. These are the last club we work closely with, and one of the most important. Now it’s decision time.
I don’t like the way this conversation is going. At all.
All of it circles back to the same brutal suggestion, go in and kill Declan and his other son.
“No. Look, I promised Dylan his sisters and his brother wouldn’t be hurt,” I say firmly.
“And?” King leans forward, eyes hard. Caleb nudges him and shakes his head, but King keeps going. “What? His brother is neck deep in his father’s shitty plans. He’s not stopping it.”
“Yeah, but Dylan is part of this club now,” Caleb grumbles.
“Don’t give a shit,” King snaps back. “Do you think I would’ve hesitated to kill Queenie’s fucking brother if he hadn’t gone and got himself killed? Club comes first.”
“Boys, don’t,” Big King warns, trying to keep things from escalating.
“Look, Dylan might just need to accept that his brother is in too deep. He has to die as well,” Echo says calmly.
“Yeah? And what, I just come back and say ‘by the way, we killed your brother’?” I scoff, rubbing my face.
“Bring him in,” Echo suggests. “I’m fine with him being here, to see the truth. See his brother’s work.”
I don’t want Dylan involved in this mess, but maybe he needs to see it for himself. Sighing, I step out of church and walk through the main room. I find him sitting with Siren.
“He needs a name,” Siren says.
“Yeah, yeah, later. Come on.” I drag Dylan up. He smirks at me.
“You going to teach me a lesson now?”
“Later. We need to talk.” I pull him into church and push him into the empty seat beside me. I have the urge to pull him onto my lap, but I know he’s not big on PDA around new people, so I resist.
He stares around the table, swallowing hard.
“Look, we promised your sisters and brother wouldn’t be hurt,” I start. “But that’s not possible now. Not for your brother.”
Ghost slides a folder across the table. Dylan opens it and his entire body tenses.
“He wouldn’t…” he whispers, eyes scanning the pages. “I’m here.”
“He doesn’t give a shit,” Ghost explains. “They don’t see you as family anymore. Some of the shit in here is evidence against you.”
I watch as Dylan flips through the sheets, his face growing paler with every page. His own father had been keeping tabs, collecting evidence on him that could be used to take him down if needed.
The room stays quiet while he processes it all.
He closes his eyes and shoves the papers away. “Do whatever you have to.”
“Are you sure? This is your family,” I say, watching him closely.
“I have no fucking family, Blaze. So do whatever the fuck you need to. If they’re coming for the club and me, then I don’t care.” He stands up abruptly and walks out.
He has a fucking family. Us. We’re his family now.
“Your boy has some issues,” Doc mutters, looking at me.
I don’t answer. I know he does. I know he’s still struggling to accept that his father cut him off so coldly, and I know he’s struggling to find where he fits in all of this.
We keep talking, and I opt out of the hit. I can’t be involved if it’s Dylan’s family. The guys argue with me, insisting every patched member and prospect is needed. It feels wrong.
“Hey.”
I turn and see Glitch pushing Dylan back into the room. What the fuck? When did Glitch leave? I was so focused on arguing I hadn’t even noticed.
“Dylan doesn’t need to be in here,” I say sharply.
“Yeah, he does.” Glitch looks between us. “We need Blaze with us. Every patched member and prospect is needed. Do you have an issue with that?” He looks at Dylan.
“No.” Dylan shakes his head.
“Yes. Yes you do, Dylan,” I cut in. “Because that means I might be the one to kill your dad or brother. I don’t want you to fucking hate me.”
“No you won’t be.”
I scoff. “We can’t predict that.”
“If I come, you can. And if I come, I do it.”
The room falls quiet.
I stand up and shove him toward the door. “You’re not fucking coming.”
He slips past me.
“There’s no need to take an army,” he snaps.
“Dylan,” I snarl.
He ignores me and looks straight at Echo. “I can get back in. If I go back, tell him I regret the choice I made, that I’m willing to marry any woman he wants. I can get close enough to kill them.”
My entire body goes cold. “No!” What the fuck?
“Sorry, but we’re not in a position where we use anyone’s partner,” Echo says, shaking his head.
I relax slightly.
“That’s because they are women. I’m not. I’m also not some na?ve fucking child off the street. I grew up in this world. I know how it works.”
“No!” I roar.
“You really think you can do it?” Echo tilts his head.
I drag Dylan back. “No he fucking can’t!” I shove him out of the room. “Stay the fuck out.”
Slamming the door, I turn back to the table. “I’ll come. Just leave him out of it.” I sit down heavily.
“We weren’t considering it because you refused, Blaze. His plan is the easiest.”
“And it puts him at risk, so no!”
“Okay,” Echo holds up his hands. “Then let’s discuss this and plan properly.”
I relax a little. As long as Dylan stays out of this, that’s all I care about.
Four hours later we’ve got a solid plan, and the other clubs have agreed to it. It means anyone in that place will die, the guards, the capos, everyone.
I still don’t fully understand why Declan would come after the clubs.
We’ve always kept separate. The issue is he’s big, well-connected, and arrogant enough to think he can take us all on.
But clubs will work together, even rival clubs, when something like this threatens the entire world we live in.
He’s fucking outnumbered.
The plan is set for two days from now. When Declan and his son attend a gala, we move in. Block the cars, take them out, and leave. Clean and contained. No need for a massacre at the house.
“Okay, so you guys staying?” Echo asks.
“A few of us will stay. Some will head back and return early that morning,” Big King says. “Joker, no causing issues.”
“No issues, promise. But please say someone can cook. I need food.”
“You ate just before we arrived,” Caleb chuckles.
“Yeah, and that was like six hours ago.”
“Six hours, Joker, and you ate nearly a full fucking chicken,” King shakes his head. “As long as he has food, he’s fine.”
I roll my eyes and stand. “Right, I best go sort shit.” I leave church knowing I pissed Dylan off. He wants revenge, but he can’t do this.
I find Siren in the main room. “So, what names have you got in mind for him?”
“Rogue,” she says. “Because you know he is. None of us knew who he really was. He’s not following anyone’s path, he’s just doing his own thing.”
I nod.
“I say we call him Stitch, he’s small,” Titan mocks from the couch.
“Fuck off,” I mutter. “Guess Rogue will do. Gotta ask him. Or did you already?”
“No. He said he had something to do and left. Climbed on his other bike and took off.”
“What!” I jump up.
“Look, you have to let him ride out of the grounds sometime, Blaze.”
“That’s not why. He was barely steady on the smaller bike. Where the fuck did he say he was going?”
She shrugs. “Said he had something to sort. Family shit.”
“Oh fuck,” Titan laughs. “Rogue so fucking works. Dylan has gone solo.”
I storm out and head straight for my bike, but Echo steps in front of it.
“Don’t do it. You going there now fucks everything up and puts him at risk.”
“I don’t care. I’m not fucking leaving him alone!” I start the bike and glare at him.
“Fuck.” Echo looks around. “Alright boys, gear up. We’re going to war.”
My body relaxes slightly. I’m not letting Dylan do this. It’s a foolish fucking move.