CHAPTER 19
MAVERICK
Iyawn and take a sip of coffee, shifting in my chair to get comfortable.
I’m feeling fucking old today. Yesterday had been fucking stressful.
Not that I’d been in the thick of things: instead, I’d had to contend with rich douche bags.
I’d rather have been out shooting something.
I especially wish I’d been with Spook and Rowena, to make the fucker pay for what he did to that sweet girl.
On the upside, we all made it home. And for that, I was thankful. I hated losing men. And we’d lost a few good men over the years. Things had been relatively quiet, so I should have expected things to escalate at some point. Couldn’t live the life we did without some bullshit happening.
Today, though, we had a lot to be thankful for. Only two injuries that needed treatment. Petit with a broken arm, BB with a gash from a bullet, some bruises, and cracked ribs, but other than that, everyone was good. That’s what I’m focusing on.
The door opens, and the brothers come in, one by one, most looking as wrecked as I feel, all carrying cups of coffee.
Stout drops into his chair with a groan, rubbing at his ribs.
“Sorry, brother,” Petit mutters when he knocks into Mamba with his cast, as he awkwardly manoeuvres into his seat.
Fucking hell. We’re a mess, but at least we’re alive.
Spook’s the last one in. He closes and locks the door behind him, then collapses into his seat, scrubbing a hand over his face, exhaustion in every move before he takes a long drink of coffee.
Not sure if I’ve ever been in church when it was this quiet before.
Gently, I tap the pipe against the disc. “Church in session,” I say, before taking another sip of coffee and pushing to my feet.
“Wanted to tell you brothers, I’m fucking proud of you all. We did it! We obliterated Mulally’s entire organisation!”
I let that sink in for a beat.
“Mamba’s been monitoring chatter. Nobody knows who took Mulally’s organisation out. Just that it’s been completely wiped out. As we figured, there are already people moving to take it over.”
Lifting my mug to my lips, I drain it before studying the room. But none of the brothers have questions, so I continue.
“Now, does that mean they’re going to deal in skin? Who the fuck knows. We’ll monitor it, and if we have to, we step in.”
Sitting back down I turned to Spook, “You have any updates?”
“Fuck,” Spook mutters. “Yeah, I do. Rowena and I eliminated Mulally, but while we were there, we found something.”
Spook pauses, he’s still full of rage over what Mulally did to his own daughter. I think if he could, he’d resurrect the bastard, just so he could kill him all over again. He’s so caught in his head, that it takes him a minute to realise the brothers are waiting on him.
“Sorry,” he apologises, holding up a hand. “We found his daughter, locked in a cage.”
“The fuck?” is echoed by several voices.
“I know. The cunt was fucked in the head. He didn’t even give her a name.
We brought her home with us, for obvious reasons.
She’s only a little thing. She’s with Honor and the boys this morning.
We’re guessing she’s probably about three, but so fucking thin.
She hasn’t left mine and Honor’s side since I brought her home.
She only slept in fits and starts, whimpering every few minutes. It broke Honor’s heart last night.”
I know my friend. He mentions his Ol’ Lady, but I know it would have hurt him too. Seeing a child hurt like that.
“Fuck,” Spook swallows. “I can’t wrap my head around the image of her small, bruise-covered body, or how anyone could hurt a child like that.”
Around the table, the brothers’ faces are grim when they hear this. He pauses, clearing his throat before continuing.
“We need to get her looked over, but I don’t want to take her to a hospital. That’d raise too many questions.”
A low rumble of agreement moves around the room.
“If any of you know someone who’d check her out on the quiet, let me know. Which brings me to something else. Something we should’ve done a long fucking time ago.”
He turns to me.
“We need a decent clinic in town. Something suitable for both us and the reservation. It’s something I should’ve thought of when Mason and Reed turned up, but now, with Hannah here, I don’t want Honor or anyone else travelling an hour to the nearest clinic.
My guys at Hit It can do basic first aid and patch ups same as us but for anything more serious we have to travel or fly out. It’s not good enough.”
I agree. We do need one. I should have thought of that. Our family was growing.
“I agree,” I nod. No hesitation when I say, “Vote?”
I’m not surprised when all at once the brothers shout, “Aye.”
“It’s unanimous,” Mamba notes.
“Stout and I’ll get costings, Pres and all the paperwork,” Beard says. “Just tell us where you want to build it.”
“Appreciate it brothers,” I say. “I’ve got somewhere in mind. Carnage, you’ll need to come with me.”
Carnage tips his head.
I turn to Spook, “My niece’s name is Hannah?”
Spook’s lips tilt into a smile. “Honor said we had to call her something, and that her mom would be thrilled to share her name with such a strong little girl. Rowena’s already working on paperwork showing her as ours. All we need to do now is get her checked out and healthy.”
Rusty groans, holding up a hand.
“Can’t believe I’m fucking saying this, but I might be able to help with the doctor. I can see if my sister will come.”
Every brother turns to stare at him in shock.
“You have a sister?” Maverick asks.
“Half,” Rusty mutters and sets his coffee mug down with a sharp, thunk. “She’s twelve years younger than me and the bane of my fucking life. She’ll help if I ask, though.”
“Appreciate it, Rusty. She won’t ask questions?”
He shakes his head. “I’ll explain as much as I can. She drives me nuts, but she’s a soft touch. She’ll help. Might take her a couple of days to get here. She’s in Missouri and will need time off from the hospital.”
“We’ll make it work. She can stay in the guest room at the clubhouse, if that works for you?” Maverick asks.
“Yeah.” Rusty nods, then glares around the table. “Don’t mess with her. You won’t like the way she retaliates, and if any of you make her cry, I’ll have to beat your asses.”
I’m not sure if it’s the exhaustion or what, but I start to laugh. Rusty’s our easy-going brother.
“Jesus, Rust.”
“Pres,” he groans. “She drives me insane, but she’s my baby sister. You’ll see when you meet her. And don’t fall for her bullshit either.”
“Okay, brother,” I agree. “Anyone else got anything they need to add?”
When everyone shakes their heads, I end church. “Fuck off then. Ride in pairs for now, stay safe, and keep the shiny side up.”