Chapter 12
CHAPTER TWELVE
Dagger
“She really brought a beardy down here for her,” I grunt, watching as Katrina sits with the bearded dragon on her chest, staring at it while laughing and petting the damn thing.
Nothing against the creatures, I think they’re cool as shit, but hell, we’ve got enough going on right now without the added headache.
“Yeah, Boxer wouldn’t let her buy a snake like she wanted.” Lucky laughs, shaking his head. “So bearded it is. They’re pretty easy to take care of for the most part.”
I was going to have to look into how you take care of a bearded dragon. I wasn’t going to just have someone tell me what all you do with one of those creatures. Like anything else, you gotta do it right so they have everything they need.
“They all look to be getting along,” Lucky states, jerking his chin to where Katrina was sitting with her brother, dad, and cousins.
“Yeah.” I’m glad to see the tension worn off and my woman looking relaxed. The last thing I’d want to have to do is knock Grinder on his ass for hurting his sister’s feelings. “You know how long y’all are staying?”
“Chelsea and I will head back home tomorrow. She only wanted to come down to meet her cousin, but she’s not going to want to be away from Sterling for too long.”
“I get it.” I know when Katrina and I have this one, I wouldn’t want to be away from them for long periods of time. There’ll be times I’ll have to be away, runs I’ll have to go on, but I’d hate being away from not just my kid, but my woman as well.
“Yo, Dagger,” Cy calls out as he makes his way toward me.
I turn to him and wait ‘til he’s close before asking, “What’s up?”
“I just got an alert on the alarm I put up at Katrina’s studio,” he says, pulling up the security feed. “This is live now.”
I glance down at his phone, my jaw clenched tight enough to crack my back molars. “We need to get over there.”
“Figured as much.” Cy grunts, shoving his phone in his pocket. “Already sent the prospects ahead of us.”
“I’m heading there. Hopefully, they’re still there so I can fuck them up.” Growling, I start toward where my woman was laughing.
Katrina catches sight of me, and the smile on her face vanishes.”What’s wrong?”
“Someone broke into the studio again. I’m heading there now.”
“I’m coming with you.”
“No.” No way was she going near there this time around.
“What do you mean ‘no’? It’s my studio.”
“Baby, I ain’t got time for this, but you need to stay here where I know you’re safe. I won’t chance you or the baby.”
“Fine,” she huffs.
“I’ll let you know what I find. I promise.
” I won’t keep it from her. She’s got a right to know, but I also won’t see her placed in trouble.
Pulling her close, I kiss her deeply and let go.
With a chin lift to her brother and dad, I leave my woman in their care.
I don’t like it, but even with only a few short hours, I know they’ll protect her for me.
Nothing else matters to me more than her safety.
* * *
I grit my teeth and take in the latest destruction of Katrina’s studio. It’s good we don’t have any of the new equipment or instruments in yet. Katrina ordered it all, but it was going to be a few days or weeks to come in. I didn’t know how long.
The destruction was holes in the wall, parts of the walls ripped away, smashed glass, and more writing on the wall. This time, the message aimed in the club’s direction with ‘THEY CAN’T PROTECT YOU.’ On another wall, it had ‘WE’RE DONE PLAYING AROUND. SELL OR GET DEAD.’
“I want the fuckers behind this,” I snarl and punch my fist through the already destroyed drywall.
My knuckles bleed as I pull my hand back, pain radiating up my arm, but it’s nothing compared to the rage burning through me. This is personal now. Not just a threat to the club, but a direct attack on what’s mine.
“Found something,” Cy calls from the back room. “They left a business card.”
I storm over, snatching the card from his fingers. “Carl Riggs.” The name is like venom on my tongue as I spit out his name. I knew he’d be behind this. I felt it in my gut.
“Seems too clean cut for them to leave behind a business card for Riggs,” Malice says calmly.
“It’s a setup,” Axe grunts, his eyes narrowed as he studies the card. “Too convenient.”
I turn the card over in my hand, my bloodied knuckles staining the pristine white paper. “Doesn’t matter. Riggs has something to do with all of this. I feel it in my gut, and I want to know what part he plays in this.”
“Hold up,” Cy says, holding out his hand. “Let me see that card again.”
“Why?” I pass it back, watching as he holds it up to the light. His expression darkened.
“There’s a phone number written in invisible ink on the back. Only shows up under the right light.” He looks up at me, his face grim. “This isn’t just a threat. It’s an invitation.”
“Then I’ll fucking accept it.” I growl, pulling out my phone. Before I can dial, my phone vibrates with a text from my woman. I open it up, even in a shit mood, I grin at the picture sent and read the message attached.
Katrina: I love him. I’m naming him Drogon.
I shake my head and type out a message of my own.
Me: Name him whatever you want, baby. He’s all yours.
She doesn’t watch a lot of TV, but I knew she loved the Game of Thrones show. Could watch it on repeat. She’s even into the two spin-off shows, though in her opinion the original show was better. I also knew she wanted a spin-off of Jon Snow.
The only other show I know she’s obsessed with is The Pitt. The rest that she puts on are just older reruns for background noise while she reads.
Though I do have her getting into Gold Rush.
Closing out the message, I dial the number on the back of the card and put my phone on speaker.
“I thought it would take longer for this call to come in,” the man on the other end answers on the second ring. “Are you ready to take the deal?”
“There will be no deal,” I state, recognizing the voice on the other end. “You fucked with the wrong . . .”
“The wrong man? The wrong club?” They laugh, interrupting me. “Tell me, Dagger, do you not realize by now that your club isn’t invincible?”
“Invincible?” I snarl, my grip tightening on the phone. “We’re not trying to be invincible. We’re trying to protect what’s ours.”
“And that’s the problem, isn’t it?” The voice on the other end is calm, almost amused. “You think that building is yours. You think that woman is yours. You think you can just waltz in and take what you want.”
Cy’s eyes narrow at me, his hand moving to the gun at his hip. The other brothers spread out, checking the perimeter again, weapons drawn. This is feeling more and more like a trap.
“You want to meet me? Face to face?” I challenge. “Or are you just gonna hide behind phone calls and vandalism like a coward?”
Right now, I want nothing more than to have a face-to-face mostly so I can put both of my daggers through his eyes.
A low chuckle comes through the line. “Oh, we’ll meet. Sooner than you think. But first, I need you to understand something.”
“Enlighten me,” I growl.
I signal to Cy to get the prospects to check on Katrina immediately.
He nods, already pulling out his phone. I know Grinder and Boxer are with her.
Even Driver and Lucky are there, I need to know someone from my charter is watching over her as well.
It’s not that I don’t trust them, they’re her family, members of the Devil’s Riot MC, but I wasn’t close to them like I am my brothers.
“You touch her, and I’ll make sure you die slowly,” I promise, my voice deadly calm.
“Such bravado,” the voice mocks. “But you should know . . . we’ve been watching. We’re always watching. We know about the baby. A child would be such a tragedy to lose. Especially if you lose both mother and child.”
My vision tunnels, red creeping into the edges. “When I find you, I’ll end you.”
“We’ll see about that,” he says, cackling. “Meet me at the old mill outside town. Tomorrow. Midnight. Come alone.”
“Not a chance,” I spit.
“Then your woman loses her studio. And maybe more if you don’t.”
“You son of a bitch.”
“As I said. Tomorrow. Midnight. Alone. Otherwise, your woman will lose everything.”
The line goes dead before I can respond. I slam my fist into the wall once again, rage burning through my veins like liquid fire.
“We need to get back to the clubhouse,” Hammer declares, placing a hand on my shoulder. “We’re going to find out who the hell is behind this.
“Send someone after Carl Riggs,” I snarl. “I want his ass at the clubhouse. I want to find out who the hell he’s working for.”
“I’ll go,” Axe says.
“I’ll join you,” Rogue growls. “This is fucked, and no way are you going alone to some meet.”
“Agreed,” Hammer breaks in. “Axe, Rogue, you two get Riggs back to the clubhouse. Cy, we get back, you dig as fuckin’ deep as you have to.
See if you can’t find out who the fuck we’re dealing with.
Dagger, we get back, you check in on your woman until Axe and Rogue get back with Riggs.
I’ve no doubt he wouldn’t think we’d come for him.
This fucker, whoever he is, wants a war, we’ll give it to him. ”
I nod, clenching and unclenching my fist, needing something to expel the rage inside me.
Never has the anger been as it is now. I want this fucker more than ever now that he’s threatened both my woman and child.
He’s going to get what’s coming. Tomorrow night, my daggers will meet their target, and I won’t miss.