Chapter 22
After they’d stuffed in breakfast, it was time to head to the clubhouse. Jesse took hold of Val’s hand as they headed outside. He didn’t question why. It felt right, it felt good, so he did it. And when Xander slid an arm around Jesse’s waist, he leaned into it.
Jesse could fight all he wanted, but the truth was right here. He was never one to shy from it. Not when it came to club business or his life.
And the truth was, this threesome wasn’t a one-night stand or a hook up. It was something Jesse had never felt before. It wasn’t just that the sight of Xander and Val made his dick hard, he liked them too. Respected them. Wanted them. Wanted to protect them. The last one hit him the hardest. Jesse wasn’t a possessive person. He believed in personal freedom. But something about Val and Xan had him wanting to claim them. Jesse wanted everyone to know that they belonged to him, and no one else.
Was that crazy? Fuck, yeah.
But he embraced it. If there was one thing he learned growing up in the Hellraiser’s crew, it was that life was short and it was meant to be lived. For however long this thing between him and Xan and Val lasted, he wanted it. He was ready.
As they neared the clubhouse, Jesse noted several members standing on the porch, keeping guard. When they saw the threesome holding on to each other, there was a sudden silence.
Until Jackson opened his smart-ass mouth. “Can I get in on this group action?”
Jesse let go of his lovers and gave Jackson his two best fingers.
“Take that cowboy hat and shove it up your ass,” Jesse replied.
“Kinky. You threesome into that kind of thing? Who tops?”
“Enough!” Jesse snapped and stepped up onto the porch, getting up in Jackson’s face. “Don’t start. This ain’t randos or sweet butts at one of our parties. This is Xander and Val and me. You read me? You get it?”
Jesse’s drilled two fingers into Jackson’s chest and stared him down. His possessive instinct was to punch his fellow crew member right in his smug fucking face. Jesse didn’t tolerate disrespect. But then he felt Val’s soft hand on his shoulder, and Xander’s hard grip on his hip. Just that, his temper calmed to a simmer.
“Relax, Jess, I’m just joking,” Jackson replied. “Didn’t mean nothing by it. Swear on my sled.”
Jesse nodded, calmer, and ignored the stares of his crew around him.
“Looks like Dante was right,” Wyatt called out with a shit eating grin on his face. “Two more club members are down for the count.”
“Enough, we’ve got a meeting to get to,” Xander replied, guiding Jesse and Val into the club house. But when Jesse walked past Jackson, he knocked his biker brother’s hat clean off his head.
“Hey! Don’t touch the hat man, it’s my favorite.”
“No shit. That cowboy hat is the only reason you pull so much pussy,” Jesse snapped.
Jackson shrugged off the comment. “Not all of us can be pretty boys like Xander here and get all the girls and guys.”
Suddenly, Sonny appeared at the end of the hallway and gave them all a death glare. “Move your asses. We got business to discuss. Now!”
There were no more jokes or comments after that.
“She’s here again?” Sonny asked, his icy glare on Val.
Jesse stepped up to Sonny. He was so over this shit.
“She has a name. Val. And she’s with me and Xander. She’s already seen and heard just about everything. The bunker, the guns, the bodies. She’s all in. Right, baby?”
He hoped to fuck his instincts were right.
Val took Jesse’s hand again, her other in Xander’s. “Jesse’s right. I’m here to stay.”
Jesse felt like he could take on the fucking world. Just looking at Val’s eyes, he saw her devotion to him, to Xander, to this unexpected thing growing between all three of them. Holy fuck, it made his dick hard and his heart race out of control. Judging by the intense look in Xander’s eyes, he felt the same. Never did he imagine that this could happen.
Sonny said nothing, he just stared at the three of them for a moment, nodded, and turned to stalk off towards the meeting room, the club lounge.
“Did you mean it?” Jesse whispered in Val’s ear.
“Did you?”
Jesse nodded and turned to Xander. “You all in?”
Xander’s wicked smile was answer enough.
They headed down the hallway and entered the lounge, where other members, including Dante, Vanier, Avery, Sage, and Rochelle, were gathered. Nate was here too. Jesse then remembered Nate and Rochelle and their bout of the flu. With all the craziness of the past days, he’d forgotten to check up on them.
Jesse walked over to them, Xander and Val by his side. “I’ve been neglecting my patients. You doing okay, Chelle?”
Rochelle nodded. “Much better. No fever the past day or so, and the cough’s nearly gone. Nate’s good too, he’s ready to kick some Krypt ass. He missed out yesterday.”
“Yeah, well he didn’t miss much except being stuck in one of our tunnels.”
“I heard. Glad to see you’re okay,” Rochelle smiled, and then noticed how close Val and Xander were standing next to Jesse. “Looks like more than okay. What’s happening here?”
“You’re a smart woman, you can figure it out,” Jesse replied with a grin.
Xander
Gage walked into the room and the crew chatter quieted.
“We all here?” Gage bellowed and looked around. “Good. Yesterday, we set a trap for the Krypt crew, and it was a win but with issues. The detonation did the job, given the body count, but there was an impact to the structure of tunnel two we didn’t anticipate. Two of our crew were trapped when part of the ceiling collapsed. Despite the damage, it held up and we got ‘em out. But we gotta fine tune the explosives and decide how and when we use them. For now, it’s an emergency option. We got nine Krypt crew members left to deal with. I got a source that says the ones left are still at their compound and they ain’t leaving. But they can’t hide forever. They got businesses to run. That’s where we catch them. Sonny?”
Sonny stood up beside Gage. “The gambling ring’s a no go, but they’ve got a good hold of the drug trade in Drumheller and nearby towns. Gage’s source says they make a drop off to their distributors twice a month and the next one is set for Thursday, two days from now. It may only be a couple of guys, but if we get them, we find out how to get to the rest of them.”
“Can you trust this source?” Avery spoke up. “Are you sure this isn’t the remaining Krypt crew trying to lead us into a trap?”
Avery made a good point.
“My source is someone who works for the provincial police and is now on our payroll. He’s got no stake with the Krypt. I’ve checked and double checked,” Gage replied. “We move on Thursday, fifteen of us. Any other questions?”
“Not about that. But Val’s stalker has been staking out our compound,” Xander stated. “I’ve updated our security, but I think they’re gonna attempt to break in.”
“They stand no chance, they gotta know that. They must be nuts,” Jackson replied.
“They are,” Xander added. “Whoever it is, they’re obsessed with bringing her back to Mosley. Val’s staying on at Jesse’s. But we gotta be careful whenever we leave or enter the compound. That’s when we’re vulnerable, and when they’ll probably attempt to enter.”
“We’ve got the dogs, the cameras, and round the clock patrol,” Gage replied. “No one’s getting in here.”
Xander nodded. He hoped. He was used to dealing with drug dealers and hits for hire, not obsessed religious fanatics. And he didn’t like feeling uneasy about the whole thing. Or about the potential idea of Val being brought back to that cult where she grew up. She left home with nothing, and people don’t run unless they got a right to be scared.
“Or, maybe, it’s the perfect opportunity,” Val suddenly spoke up.
Every member turned towards her.
Gage’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean? And by the way, why the fuck are you here? This meeting is supposed to be for members only.”
Jesse stepped forward. “She’s here with me and Xan. All in.”
Gage didn’t say anything. He just stared at Jesse, but Jesse stood his ground. Xander stepped up beside him, Val too.
“I want to use myself as bait,” Val continued, despite feeling under the spotlight.
“No!” Xander shouted at the same time as Jesse.
“Think about it,” Val urged. “Just like yesterday, we set up a trap. It’s the fastest way to get this done.”
“She’s right,” Sonny replied. “They want her so badly, they’re willing to risk approaching us to get to her. Once they know for sure she’s here, they won’t be thinking straight and that’s when they’ll fuck up. And when we capture them.”
“No,” Xander repeated. “It’s too dangerous.”
“More dangerous than me going into that illegal gambling ring? Unarmed?” Val retorted, hands on her hips.
Her green eyes met his and he knew that look. She was as stubborn as Jesse. Fearless too.
“Jess?” Xander turned to him. “Talk some sense into her.”
Jesse hesitated for a moment, then rubbed his jaw. “She’s got a point, Xan. And the sooner we get her stalker gone, the better. We’ve got all the protection she’ll need. Nothing’s gonna happen to her.”
Xander felt like his heart was being squeezed right out of his chest. Logically, he knew the idea was their best chance. But otherwise, he was afraid for her.
“You really want to do this?” Xander asked.
“Yes,” Val replied.
Xander let out a growl of frustration and held his hands in the air. “All right then. Let’s figure this out and do it.”
Val smiled, leaning over to kiss him, then Jesse.
You could hear a pin drop in the clubhouse.