CLINT
Z odiac and Exile decided to tag-team me before my people headed back to Little Memphis. Both men appeared frustrated by how I hadn’t quickly swallowed their “the Void did it” pitch. Even if I believed them, I wouldn’t have admitted anything here in Rawlins with fuck knows who watching.
“This here was nothing,” Zodiac said and ran a hand through his thick blond hair. “Next time, they could go after your assets in Little Rock. Or hit closer to home. You'd best treat this situation with the seriousness it deserves.”
“Did you fuck my mom thirty years ago?” I asked Zodiac. “Because you sure as hell sound like a man talking down to his kid.”
Zodiac offered a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Don’t get your ass puckered up. I just don’t think you understand the trouble coming your way.”
“Seems like if the Void is set on hassling my people, they won’t be as keen on hassling yours. Why come here and put a target on your back?”
“Because they haven’t given up on my town. If I hurt them there and here, I make them weak enough to destroy.”
“Is destroying this group even feasible?”
“Of course,” Exile muttered, annoyed with me. “The Void consists of a few rich fuckers hiring muscle to do their dirty work. If you kill the top men, there isn’t anyone to rise up and take their place. This isn’t like our clubs, where we have people to step in. Once we execute the top guys, the problem is solved.”
“And you think the one gunning for Little Memphis is the weak link, right? After all, he’s made things personal.”
“I knew you were a smart boy,” Zodiac replied.
“Well, after I finish pulling my thumb out of my ass, I’ll be sure to increase security around Little Memphis,” I said and stepped back. “I can’t imagine Elle would enjoy a bullet to the back.”
Exile went cold, likely recalling his sister. Next to him, Zodiac gave me a little snarl. If he really had a thing for Elle, I planned to torture him with that fact for a good long while.
“We should have regular meetings,” Exile told me as I walked backward away from them.
“We’ll use Zoom. It’ll prevent wear and tear on our rides.”
Zodiac narrowed his gaze and finally realized I was fucking with him. For a guy known to be a devious asshole, he sure grew surly when others blew bullshit in his direction.
“I’ve got a few people to talk to before I head back home,” I said, smirking at Zodiac’s frowning face while Exile literally snarled at me in rage. “You boys were super helpful. Thanks for coming out.”
I had no idea what these men expected from me. My father fought them years ago. Though I wasn’t as scary as Ford, I also wasn’t a pussy bitch begging for their approval.
Rock stood with the rest of our club, keeping Sabrina and Nine from starting fights with the LM Jokers.
“Is this real?” I asked him and gestured at our people yelling insults at the Jokers.
“Yes. The new Jokers are pigs. Nine is pissed about them hassling his sisters recently,” Rock muttered and shrugged. “What happened with the Louisiana boys?”
“I sense I frustrated them.”
Smirking, Rock nodded. “They think you’re a lightweight who got the job because his daddy pulled some strings.”
“No, that’s what they think about you . They think I fucked my way into the job.”
Rock’s smile grew. “You are a pretty motherfucker.”
Sharing his grin, I whistled at Sabrina, who was making chicken sounds in the direction of the LM Jokers.
“Should we head to the townhouses before going home?” I asked Rock to see if he wanted to chill with his parents, who bailed on the scene hours ago.
“No, I want to get us back to Little Memphis and pull up security footage around town. We need to know if the Void fuckers are sniffing around our town.”
Rock’s suggestion made sense. I wondered why it didn’t occur to me. Then, I got a text from my sister asking if I wanted her to bring Ivy to our parents’ place or my condo.
My woman was the real reason I couldn’t see the big picture. As soon as I left her sleepy and confused at the Sorority House, I’d been dying to get back to her.
My club ditched the crime scene while Tricky was in the process of starting shit with Zodiac. A little part of me wanted to see how that fight panned out. Tricky was a big guy who fought with little skill yet rarely lost. He was willing to pulverize his own body as long as his opponent suffered more.
Zodiac’s fighting style was more of a mystery, but sticking around to learn his skill set wasn’t an option. I directed my crew out of Rawlins and back north.
My mind wandered during the ride. I considered Boone locked away. I wondered about the men who died this morning. I worried about my club’s safety if the Void decided to hit us closer to home. Every thought drew my mind back to Ivy.
Though I didn’t want to stop to eat, Sabrina and Vanessa signaled they were getting off at the next exit. Before we left Rawlins, Rowdy complained loudly about his hunger. He wouldn’t force us to stop, of course. He knew his big sisters would handle the issue for him.
We rolled into a local restaurant with a sign offering burgers, steak, and other staples. Our rides quickly filled up the parking lot. I let the foxes take the lead, figuring the locals would be less freaked out by our large group if they saw pretty faces first.
We soon took up several tables, with me sitting between the main two. After our food arrived, Cher sighed loudly enough to draw everyone’s attentions.
“Seeing Tricky up close made me remember how I wanted to make a baby with him,” Cher said and glanced at Rowdy. “Since that’s off the table, wanna give me a kid?”
“Sure,” Rowdy said and stood up. “Let’s do this. We can use the toilet stall.”
“No,” Sabrina snapped and pointed between them while saying, “no” about twenty more times.
“I’m not scared of you, bitch,” Cher sneered and jumped up to get in Sabrina’s face. “I’ll fight you for your brother’s dick.”
“Good American fun,” Rowdy said and winked at me.
With her curly red hair out of control this morning, Xandy wiggled her way between Cher and Sabrina currently standing nose to nose.
“Let’s deescalate this situation by saying Cher and Rowdy can pork a baby into existence once we’re back in town, but not a moment sooner.”
Sabrina narrowed her dark eyes. “No way. I don’t want Rowdy having a kid with a crazy person.”
“How fucking dare you talk shit about my mom?” Cher hissed and shoved Sabrina. “She raised Stevie and me just fine despite her mental shenanigans.”
“I can’t tell if this is a real fight,” Rock muttered to me.
“It’s real. Cher’s getting ready to stab Sabrina in the face with her keys,” I explained, gesturing at the fox’s right hand.
“Enough,” Rock demanded, scaring everyone in the place. “Sit down and eat in silence. No talking. Don’t even breathe loudly.”
“Well, that just seems unreasonable,” Sabrina casually replied. “I can’t control how loudly I’m breathing while I eat.”
“Neither can I,” Cher said and sat down. “Seems like you’re being a bully again, Rock.”
“Just knock it off, so we don’t scare the locals.”
“These people live pathetic lives,” Cher insisted. “We’re giving them a fun story to tell at Bible study. They might even pray for our damned souls.”
Xandy and Moe looked around and shook their heads before the former insisted, “We don’t want to be prayed over.”
“Should I threaten them?” Sabrina suggested, waiting for Rock to lose his temper.
“I’m ignoring you.”
“Well, fuck,” Sabrina grumbled as she finally sat down. “Seems like you could have done that earlier instead of butting in where you weren’t needed.”
“Yeah,” Cher added. “It’s not like you’re going to move into the Sorority House to prevent us from fighting later.”
“All good points,” Rowdy said and sighed. “So, am I putting a baby in Cher or not?”
Sabrina grunted, “No.”
Cher smiled at Rowdy. “Maybe you can put one in Stevie and one in me. We can have our babies together.”
“That’s a big fat no,” Sabrina said and stood up to threaten Cher again.
Vanessa leaned back in her chair and sighed. “Why can’t Rock knock up one of the twins? I bet he’d make a pretty baby.”
“Oh, so, now, Rock’s stealing one of my baby mamas?” Rowdy demanded and slammed his hand on the table.
As our guys from the other table glanced over, Cher shook her head. “I’m not interested in humping a bully. Rock needs to stop begging for my attention, but he’s free to knock up Stevie.”
“I’d give you a kid,” Farley said to Cher, full of sincerity. “I think you’d be a good mom.”
Cher glanced at Sabrina before shrugging. “Fine, I’ll have a baby with Farley and leave Rowdy alone.”
“Why are all my baby mamas ditching me?” Rowdy asked me.
“Your sisters are cockblockers,” I answered, winning an eye roll from Rock who wanted us to shut up. “They’ll never let you knock up a woman. Bebe’s only getting one grandkid, apparently.”
“Speaking of terrible sisters,” Sabrina said and frowned at me. “Why wasn’t Elle with us?”
“She was tired.”
“So was I,” Cher muttered and rested her head on the table.
“You’re always tired,” Rowdy replied. “I think you need more Vitamin D.”
“He’s right,” Sabrina said, instantly changing the subject. “You eat garbage and never go out during the day. You’re like a vampire without the sex appeal or slick powers.”
Eyeing the pickles flicked off her burger, Cher sneered at Sabrina, “I’m going to shove this pile of pickles up your ass using a forklift.”
“Like you could keep me still long enough for that.”
“I might be willing to help,” Rowdy said with his mouth full. “You’re a cockblocking troublemaker who won’t let me make babies with crazy women.”
“Keep your dick holstered,” Sabrina hissed, making Vanessa smile. “You will find someone like Mom, or I will cut off your dick and feed it to Truvy.”
“Your dog can’t handle my dick. She’s a prissy bitch.”
Sabrina gasped, making everyone laugh. I chuckled, too, since she truly believed her runt of the litter was a badass.
“This is why I don’t have breakfast with you people,” Rock grumbled.
“Yeah, your whining is exhausting so early in the morning,” Sabrina replied and then frowned at me. “Did you leave Elle at home because you figured Zodiac might show up?”
“No.”
“You need to get your sister to fuck that man and learn his secrets.”
“Yeah, turn her into a spy,” Rowdy added, forgetting how he was fighting with his sister.
Sabrina took a bite of her burger and nodded. “Do it quick before Elle loses the last of her looks.”
“I think Elle looks as sexy as ever,” Moe announced and shrugged when Sabrina glared at her. “She was walking around in her shorts recently, and I remember thinking, ‘If I weren’t a taken woman, I’d hit that.’”
The guys at the other table all nodded until I frowned at them. Then, they got quiet and pretended my sister wasn’t hot.
“Throwing Elle at Zodiac won’t work,” I explained, since I sensed they were serious. “She’s only horny when she’s drunk. If she’s drunk, she won’t stay focused on the plan. Plus, she tends to get booze amnesia, so we wouldn’t get any inside info. It’d be a waste of time.”
Rock nodded. “Elle would be a terrible spy. She also thinks Zodiac is a bitch because he got his ass kicked by her elderly father.”
“She isn’t wrong,” Vanessa said. “Everyone knows Ford is a shitty fighter. He’d be in a wheelchair if our dad hadn’t saved his ass all the time.”
I smiled at my cousin. “I’m not playing the ‘my dad is better than your dad’ game.”
“Because you know you’d lose.”
“Yeah, because you dumbasses refuse to listen to reason. When I brought out an actual fucking chart once to prove how Ford was superior to Pax, you idiots set it on fire.”
Rock chuckled at the memory while the guys got noisy again behind us.
“The fire was my idea,” Rowdy said with great pride. “Nessa and Bina just wanted to rip up your chart, but I insisted fire was necessary.”
“Lula planned to argue the merits,” Sabrina grumbled and sighed deeply. “Like the entire world exists solely for her to win arguments. I ain’t got that kind of time to waste.”
Our good time died down once Tricky, Jagger, and their guys entered the restaurant.
“You took off fast,” Tricky said, stopping at our table while the rest of his people went to order. “Did your woman order you back home?”
“Hey, Tricky,” Cher said and smiled warmly. “You should wear a hat when you ride. Your mom wouldn’t like your head getting cold.”
Tricky narrowed his eyes. “I’m onto you, Cher. Leave me alone.”
Cher smiled at Sabrina. “Someone ratted me out.”
“Probably Jagger,” Sabrina muttered. “No one else in the Jokers has an IQ higher than this burger.”
Tricky opened his mouth to argue with Sabrina. She smiled, waiting for her chance to give him shit. Lula wasn’t the only Reed woman who liked to argue.
“We need to talk when we get back,” Tricky told me after accepting how arguing with Sabrina was a dead end.
“You, me, Jagger, and Rock can sit down and chat tomorrow.”
My VP grinned, not because he was invited but because Jagger likely wouldn’t have been. Tricky couldn’t seem to gel with his second in command.
“We should do it today.”
“I can give you an hour after dinner. Does that work for you?” I asked Rock.
“No, I have shit to do. How about tomorrow in the afternoon?”
Tricky stretched his long arms high into the air as if trying to touch the ceiling. It was a move he made whenever he wanted to start throwing punches but knew he’d lose the fight.
Likely feeling outnumbered, Tricky stalked off and left us to finish our meal. My crew finished up quickly and returned to the road. My mind instantly returned to Ivy. Her texts were always vague. She wasn’t accustomed to messaging people. However, Elle sent a message to explain they were at the condo with Hanzee, Boa, and Goblin.
My relationship with Ivy no doubt distracted me from club business. Normally, after trouble like today, I’d sit with my people at the Sorority House and brainstorm the problem. Instead, I only wanted to reunite with Ivy and get a nap.
My mind didn’t feel sharp as I arrived at the condo. Tricky and Jagger arrived at the building at the same time as my guys and me. We soon took an awkward ride up. There were far too many large men in one elevator.
I worried a pissed-off Tricky would pitch a fit and demand a conversation with me. Instead, he disappeared into his condo. I told Rock and Rowdy that I’d bring their dogs around later after my nap.
I walked into my condo to find Ivy in the kitchen with the three dogs watching her clean dishes. Elle sat on the couch with her back to me. While my sister didn’t react to my arrival, Ivy and the dogs instantly rushed to greet me.
“I missed you,” Ivy said once our kiss ended. “I was worried about you, too.”
“Everything went fine,” I replied, holding her close. “It’s been a long morning, though.”
Ivy stared at me with a lovestruck gaze. Then, her big blue eyes flashed at Elle as if to warn that my sister wasn’t happy.
“Thanks for picking up Ivy,” I told Elle, who still sat with her back to me.
Standing up, Elle turned dramatically slow and snarled at me. “How. Dare. You?” Elle demanded in an exaggerated way that fell somewhere between fucking about and genuinely pissed. “Why wasn’t I invited to Rawlins?”
“I didn’t want Sutter to wake up to find you gone.”
“So, you’re kicking me out of the club because I had a kid, huh?”
“You know that’s not what’s happening,” I said and kissed Ivy. “Has she been like this for long?”
“Yes, she has. Were you aware Elle is a ferocious beast locked in a cage thanks to you?”
I grinned at Ivy while Elle prowled closer. My sister stared hard at me, searching for something.
“You’re lying.”
“I’m not kicking you out of the club because you had a kid. That is not a lie.”
“No, but Sutter isn’t why you kept me at home. Speak the truth, and I might consider forgiving you.”
“I am speaking the truth.”
Elle tugged Ivy away from me and into her arms. “Help me find the lie, pixie child. If we discover the truth, your prize is my brother’s hot body.”
“I feel like I might get that prize even if I don’t help you.”
Elle balked and stepped away from Ivy. “How can you say that? Who supported your relationship from the beginning?”
“You.”
“Exactly. In fact, I’m calling in the brother-sister loyalty card,” Elle told me. “If you recall, I supported your relationship to this tiny woman as soon as I saw the Oompa Loompa.”
Ivy crossed her arms and flashed her temper. “Hey, don’t be mean just because I didn’t let you use me as bait against Clint.”
“You’re a terrible friend. Stop standing up for yourself. First, the peanuts. Now, this madness.”
“What happened with peanuts?” I asked before flinching as Elle dove for me.
“I supported you from the beginning!” she cried while yanking on my shirt. “No one backs you up like I do. Now, I’m pulling the brother-sister loyalty card. You must be honest, or I will leave this condo and never speak to you again. I might even leave town and go on an odyssey with Sutter. He’s been talking about visiting the Griffith Observatory. We might stay in LA. He could go to better schools and meet other geniuses. Yeah, I’ll never come home. Mom will blame you.”
Ivy stopped frowning at Elle and focused her scowl on me. “Why did you keep her home if it wasn’t about Sutter?”
“It was about Sutter.”
“I know you’re lying!” Elle cried. “I look at your face and see no lies, but I feel in my heart that you’re blowing smoke up my very fine ass.”
Elle and Ivy stepped closer together before moving in unison toward me. The women were like predators trying to bring down prey far out of their league.
Changing tactics, Elle put on a pout and blinked wildly. “What did I do wrong?”
“Are you trying to cry?” I asked while Ivy hugged me.
“You made Elle sad,” Ivy said, fucking with me. “You’ve hurt her self-esteem.”
Approving of that attack angle, Elle’s eyes widened. “You’re making me doubt myself,” she added, leaning into her bullshit. “Maybe I should quit the club. I mean, I’ll still wear my vest and hang out with our friends, but I will no longer call you my master.”
“You’ve never once called me that.”
“Not to your face, but I show submission when you’re not around.”
“Uh-huh,” I said and sighed. “I’m getting myself a drink.”
“The shifty behavior of a liar,” Elle told Ivy. “How could you love a man so devious?”
“You love him, too.”
“Yeah, but I was born into a family where I was expected to love him. There was no choice involved. You’re the one with the money to dump his ass. I demand you ditch him to make me feel better.”
“Okay,” Ivy said and smiled. “I’ll move to LA with you and Sutter. Do you think my lack of driving ability will cause issues?”
“Oh, yeah, we can’t live in that city without you knowing how to drive. Well, I guess we’ll just go for a vacation after we get the truth out of Clint.”
The women watched me as I slowly drank my kombucha. I finished the can before sighing deeply.
“Zodiac Bondi wants to fuck Elle,” I told Ivy.
“Is that a real person or a Bond villain?” Ivy asked, making Elle snicker.
Frowning at my sister, I grumbled, “I’m serious.”
“Of course, he wants some of this,” Elle said, sashaying around the room. “As I mentioned earlier, I do have a very fine ass,” she added while smacking it. “I can’t believe you never noticed my hotness before, Clint. I’ve been aware of your good looks since we were kids and old ladies started pinching your cheeks and stuffing dollar bills in your pockets.”
“This guy might be our enemy,” I said, refusing to get suckered into her goofball shit. “He leers at you to distract me.”
“Wait, then, he isn’t interested in my fine ass?” Elle asked and frowned at Ivy. “Who wouldn’t want a piece of this?”
“If I grow old without a man, I’d consider using lube with you.”
Smiling, I asked, “Is that your way of saying you met Darby today?”
Ivy shared my smile. “She was bench pressing my body weight.”
“That’s not really saying much,” Elle muttered as she sat on the floor and allowed the dogs to worship her. “I don’t understand what’s happening, Clint.”
“You’re acting overly dramatic because your ego got dinged by me bringing Cher over you.”
“Her arms are like noodles,” Elle said with complete sincerity. “Cher can barely punch.”
“True, but she can use a gun and has surprisingly powerful thighs. I saw her kick a guy in the balls once. I remember the exact moment when he lost the will to live.”
“Yes, but I can do all that, too. Plus, I have these lady guns right here.”
Babying Elle, Ivy leaned down to squeeze my sister’s flexed biceps before nodding as if impressed.
“Zodiac doesn’t leer at Cher,” I pointed out to Elle. “He doesn’t seem to care about anyone else in our crew. He actually said he hoped one of our cousins got shot instead of you. So, he isn’t pretending to be hot for Vanessa or Sabrina. Either he doesn’t care about them or figures I don’t.”
“I’m still confused. Is he only pretending to want to sample my saucy slit?”
While Ivy snickered, I lost my temper. “This is funny for you, but I worry I’ll give away how it bothers me when he acts that way. You’ll become a weakness I reveal to a man I don’t trust. So, I didn’t bring you along because I was already fucking tired and pissed about leaving Ivy.”
Ivy smiled sympathetically, but Elle wasn’t as impressed by my reasoning.
Finally, she shrugged. “I can fuck him if it’ll help the club.”
Frowning, I asked, “Do you want to fuck him?”
“I don’t want to fuck anyone. I can’t even masturbate because of my lack of interest in fucking myself. And that’s despite my fine ass.”
“Then why offer?”
“Because I don’t want an out-of-town shithead to use my brother’s love against the club. You are such a protective douche,” she said, standing to hug me. “You’re so weak and pathetic, but I love you.”
Stroking her back, I admitted, “I was groggy when I chose to leave you behind. It might have been better to bring you along to distract Zodiac.”
“I’m still confused. Is he leering at me to mess with you or because he’s got a bad case of the Elle Boogie Fever?”
“I don’t know.”
“Well, maybe, the next time the asshole is around, we ought to test it out. If he can actually be distracted, let’s use his weakness against him.” Elle started bouncing around. “I’m going to make that fucker rue the day he first sported a boner for me.”
My sister’s enthusiasm worried the dogs, who barked at her. She squatted down and threatened to punch their little faces. The dogs thought she was offering affection and instantly licked her fists.
As Elle stretched out on the ground with Hanzee, Boa, and Goblin, Ivy watched me.
“Did everything go okay?”
“Yeah, but I’m tired, and my burger at lunch will likely give me the shits. How did it go at the Sorority House?”
“I didn’t like being ditched there, but I did get to meet Darby and hang out with Stevie.”
Elle snorted. “We threw peanuts at your girlfriend’s head.”
“Why?” I muttered at my sister, who now crawled around on her hands and knees with the dogs.
Hugging me tighter, Ivy explained, “I was trying to catch them with my mouth.”
“Rowdy’s good at that,” I replied, smiling at the thought of Ivy safe and goofing around at the Sorority House. “We ought to bring peanuts to the courtyard when he’s down there. I bet he’d let us throw a bunch at his head. He’ll probably even catch a few.”
Laughing at the thought, Ivy seemed calm despite how our morning began.
“I want to visit Boone this weekend. Do you want to come along so he can meet you?”
Ivy’s face lit up. She’d been curious about Boone, especially since he was the reason I was on the road the day we met.
Soon, Elle stopped dicking around with the dogs and threatening me. She took Goblin and Rock to their condos before leaving to pick up Sutter from school.
Not long after she left, I was showered and ready for a nap. With the shades down and the condo dark, Ivy and I cuddled together and returned to our peaceful slumber interrupted hours ago.