Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
Red
T iny slightly limps inside Church and shuts the doors behind him. He’s doing a lot better since the accident but with as much skin as he was missing, I’m not surprised he has a tough time walking. The asphalt ripped half his right leg off and the bullet wound barely missed an artery. The big fucker is lucky he was able to walk away.
Capone slams the gavel onto the table, “First order of business. Red has brought to my attention how fast our club is growing and came up with an idea to counteract it.”
Shit! With everything going on with Nadia, I forgot to get the figures for Capone. I can feel the blush creep up my neck and Capone offers me a smirk before continuing. “Our tech guy has been a little bit busy with a new baby on the way and all so I had Trigger do his own work. Trigger what’d you find?”
“Well, Prez. According to my figures, if we purchase the land surrounding us and build everyone new homes, we could have them all done within three years and it will only cost the club around three hundred K. The land around us is around ninety K and the rest would be for the homes. We do all the construction ourselves and only hire outside help for the big shit we can’t do like electricity, water and septic.”
“We’d still use the Clubhouse for parties, meetings and everything else, but those with families need more privacy. I think this is a great idea and it’ll give us a chance to expand and keep everyone close.” Capone states holding up his gavel. “All in favor, say Aye.”
Each brother takes a vote and Capone slams his gavel on the table, “It’s unanimous. Trigger, get to work on purchasing the land and getting contractors set up.”
“Next order of business. Bones and Pretty Boy.” Capone grins from ear to ear. “They’ve been busting their ass for this club for close to a year. Bones sacrificed his life to keep Daisy safe and Pretty Boy did the same for Jezebelle. Does anyone have any objections to patching them in?”
I look around the room with a grin on my face. No one objects and it’s final. It’s about fucking time those two are patched in. “Good. Red, Trigger, get your prospects. We’ll need them for this next order of business.”
Trigger and I school our faces and leave to search for Bones and Pretty Boy. He finds Pretty Boy sitting at a table with a patch bunny on his lap. I find Bones by the pool table with his face buried in Pearl’s chest. I stomp my way toward them. Pearl stiffens when she sees me, which gets Bones’ attention. He pulls his face away from her chest with a cheesy grin on his face which drops the moment he sees the scowl on mine.
“Let’s go, now.” I don’t give him any room for argument. Bones releases Pearl and I give her a slight wink without him seeing it, so she knows she isn’t in trouble. That girl has already stuck her foot in her mouth once, I don’t want to see her do it again. Pearl steps aside and saunters to the bar in her high heels, short tight skirt and a mesh top that does little for the imagination. Bones watches her until she is sitting at the bar. She looks behind her at us and watches as Bones and I leave followed by Trigger and Pretty Boy. There is something weird about Pearl but I push it aside for now.
Once we shove Pretty Boy and Bones into the Chapel and close the doors behind them, Trigger and I take our seats. Every patched member is scowling at the two prospects standing at the end of the table. Sweat beads on Bones’ forehead and I notice a slight tremble in his hands, but he doesn’t wipe the sweat away or shake off the fear. On the other hand, Pretty Boy is relaxed and passive standing there. Capone is going to fuck with him big time.
“Do you two know why you’re in here?” Capone growls from the head of the table glaring at the two prospects. They both shake their heads.
“Fuck, they’re idiots.” Trigger remarks, making Pretty Boy stand a little taller.
“Maybe I should kick his ass.” Derange rumbles from his seat, cracking his knuckles while staring at Pretty Boy. “I mean it’s the least I should do for not protecting my Ol’ Lady.”
Pretty Boy’s face pales and he opens his mouth to speak only to be interrupted by Capone. “Don’t even say a fucking word, Boy. You don’t have a right to speak inside this room. You haven’t earned it.” Fuck, he is laying it on thick with Pretty Boy. I do my best not to crack a smile at the way Pretty Boy is shaking now.
Capone and Blayze stand, walking over to the two prospects. This is my favorite part. Capone circles Bones, while Blayze circles Pretty Boy. “Why do you two think you should become members of the Royal Bastards?” Capone’s voice is low and deadly. Bones wants to say something but keeps his lips sealed shut. Pretty Boy is standing tall now with his eyes focusing on the wall in front of him.
Blayze steps in front of Pretty Boy, making him look him in the eyes. “Did I say you can look at me, Prospect?” Pretty Boy opens his mouth and then quickly snaps it shut. He looks off to the side of Blayze and every time Blayze steps in his sight, Pretty Boy looks away. “That’s better.”
Capone and Blayze switch. Now it’s Bones’ turn to look away each time Blayze steps into his line of sight. Capone’s lips are next to Pretty Boy’s ear, making him lose the passive stance. “Why do you think you should become a member of the Royal Bastards, Pretty Boy? Do you think you have what it takes to make it in this club?”
Bones stands tall and looks into Blayze’s icy-cold stare. “I do. I’ve sacrificed my body and my sanity for this club. I have what it takes to become a Bastard.” He stands tall and proud, which makes me sit a little taller in my chair.
Blayze’s lips twitch, trying to hold back a grin. He then focuses on Pretty Boy. “Do you feel the same way?”
Pretty Boy swallows hard, nodding his head. “Yes, V.P.”
Capone and Blayze step away from the duo and head back to their respective seats. “Drop your cuts on the table, now!” Capone growls.
Bones and Pretty Boy slide their cuts off and carefully place them on the table. Trigger and I stand up and snatch them off the table with an evil glare. “Bones, I’m ashamed to tell you this, but you do not have the balls to wear this cut.” I toss it on the ground and stomp on it. Bones clenches his jaw, glaring at me like he wants to rip my head off and spit down my throat.
“Neither do you, Pretty Boy.” Trigger does the same, only he takes it a step further and spits on Pretty Boy’s cut. Pretty Boy balls up his fist like he wants to throttle Trigger. Both prospects’ faces are dark red with anger and they’re barely holding back everything they want to say or do.
“You’re right, they don’t deserve those colors,” Capone says and stands up. He takes his time walking to the closet next to the sofa behind the prospects. My foot is still grinding into Bones’ prospect cut and he hasn’t taken his eyes off me. If he could shoot flames out of his eyes, he’d disintegrate me right in this very spot. Pretty Boy is glaring at Trigger. Neither one of them is paying any attention to Capone.
Capone grabs their new cuts out of the closet and hands one to each of us. “You don’t deserve the prospect colors because,” I hold out Bones’ new cut and Trigger holds out Pretty Boy’s.
Trigger continues, “Because you deserve to wear these.”
We’re both grinning ear to ear when Bones and Pretty Boy take them out of our hands. They slide on their new cuts and grin from ear to ear. Bones looks like he is going to pass out before he wraps his arm around my neck, pulling me in for a bro hug. “I thought I was going to kill you.”
Hoots, hollers and fists slamming on the table fill the room and I’m grinning from ear to ear. Capone slaps both of them on the back. “You deserve them, fuckers. Now take a seat and be ready. You can party after we're done.”
“Fuck, I remember my patch party,” Derange says running a hand down his face. “You’re going to get so much bunny and beer, you’ll swear they multiply.”
“So much ass, you’ll go cross-eyed.” Trigger chimes in.
Capone slams his gavel on the table, ending the chattering. “OK, we have one more order of business to discuss. Bones, the floor is yours.” Bones clears his throat and goes to stand up but Capone stops him. “You don’t have to stand, we can hear you just fine while sitting.”
Bones’ face burns red from embarrassment but he sits back down. “I was monitoring Red’s computers while he was out with Nadia meeting Nolan and Krimson when I got an alert.” He levels his gaze in my direction. “Josiah is back and he’s stalking your woman. He was never caught before because we didn’t look each time she went to the doctors. So, I did some searching and found him in every single camera that picked up Nadia every time she was outside this Clubhouse. Even when she went for a ride with Kensi and Aftermath. You were all oblivious to him because he stayed in the background and shadows, hiding like he knew what he was doing.”
“What!” I roar slamming my fist down onto the table. “The motherfucker has been here this whole time and we didn’t know!? I didn’t know!?” I’m pissed. I’m beyond pissed, I swear steam is coming out of my ears. “This is absolutely unacceptable. I will run surveillance twenty-four, seven on all of us. There is absolutely no way will I let Josiah near my woman again. I will end him. I will slit his throat and watch him bleed.”
“There’s more.” Bones swallows hard interrupting my manically tirade. “He was inside her apartment moments before she got there. Then went back in after she left with Aftermath and Kensi.”
“Holy shit.” Aftermath lets out a long exhale. “How did the motherfucker find us?”
“I have a theory.” Bones speaks up. “If I can show you with Red’s laptop.”
I shove it Bones’ way and he begins typing on the screen. His fingers are flying over the keyboard. He turns it around so we can all see it. “Watch what he does in Nadia’s apartment. This is the only clear shot I can get of him.” Bones hits play and the screen comes alive.
Josiah comes out of Nadia’s apartment. He stops, pulls his phone out and checks something. He looks to the left then goes right just as Aftermath, Kensi and Nadia walk up the stairs. My blood boils realizing how close he got to her. What if Aftermath didn’t go up with her? What if she left on her own? How the fuck did he find her and know exactly when she’d be coming?
“Holy shit.” My stomach drops into my toes. “He implanted a tracker on her.” Anger brews deep in my gut. That slimy motherfucker planted a fucking tracker in my Ol’ Lady. I’m going to rip him to shreds and spit down his throat for violating Nadia.
“What are we going to do about this?” Capone asks.
I smirk with an idea forming in my head. “I know just the thing, Prez. One way to get the motherfucker out of our lives and end him once and for all.”