Chapter Nine
Jag
I leaned against the wall of the common room, watching Ada nurse her coffee with hands that weren’t quite steady.
Morning light sliced through the blinds, casting shadows across the floor.
Nobody had slept much after the explosion.
Knuckles stood next to me, arms crossed, eyes fixed on the door like he expected it to blow inward any second.
The air hung thick with the smell of coffee.
We were waiting, all of us, though nobody wanted to say exactly why or what for.
I had the feeling Knuckles knew but he wasn’t saying.
“You good?” I put my hand on Ada’s shoulder and leaned down to speak to her quietly.
She looked up and gave me a tentative smile. “I’ll be better when this psycho is gone.” She took another sip of coffee.
The outside door swung open with enough force to bounce off the wall.
A man I didn’t recognize strode in, his boots hitting the flooring like hammer blows.
His overall presence screamed military. I was pretty sure this guy gave orders rather than taking them.
His eyes, cold and calculating, scanned the room, missing nothing.
“Cain,” Knuckles addressed the older man, then the man next to him. “Stunner.”
Cain. Gunnar’s father. The former president of Bones MC. The resemblance was there, but Cain wore his age like armor rather than a burden. I’d seen men in their prime less fit than this guy and I knew for a fact the man had to be in his seventies by now.
To Cain’s right, Stunner positioned himself to best defend Cain.
Stunner had the same watchful gaze. He wore his hair long and his beard, though neatly kept, was long and full.
Heavy muscles filled out Stunner’s clothing.
The man’s intense stare would make anyone think twice about crossing him or the man he guarded.
Gunnar stepped forward, surprise and something like wariness crossing his face. “Dad? What are you doing here?”
Cain fixed his son with a look that could have chipped diamond. “Waiting for your call.” He kept his voice deceptively soft. No one could doubt Cain’s displeasure though. “Stunner tells me he got a call from you about Rat Man. Figured my invitation got lost in the fucking mail.”
The room went quiet. I glanced at Ada, who had set down her coffee and was watching the scene unfold with the look of someone who knows the train is about to be derailed and wants to look away, but can’t. I knew how she felt.
Gunnar shifted his weight, uncomfortable.
“It just went down last night. Didn’t want to drag you into another club’s business when you’ve got your hands full with ExFil.
Especially with Mom wanting you to retire and all.
” Wrong thing to say. I saw it in the microsecond tightening of Cain’s jaw, the slight narrowing of his eyes.
I also saw Gunnar wince. Yeah. Pup knew he’d stuck his foot in his mouth.
“Retire.” Cain practically spat the word. “You think I’m sitting in a fuckin’ rockin’ chair knittin’ fuckin’ sweaters? Is that what you think retirement looks like for men like me?”
Gunnar backpedaled. “That’s not what I meant. Just thought you might have shit going on at ExFil so you could keep Mom happy.” He was treading dangerous ground, and from his expression, he knew it.
“Uh-huh.” Cain nodded slowly. “Keeping your mother happy is nice. Know what else is nice? Not having my son dance around telling me he thinks I’m too old for a fight.”
“I never said --”
What happened next came so fast I almost missed it.
One second Cain was standing there, looking like an aging but dangerous predator.
The next, he moved with the fluid grace of a much younger man, sweeping Gunnar’s legs and following through with a hard shove to the chest that put his son flat on his back.
The sound of Gunnar’s body hitting the floor echoed through the room with a loud thud.
Gunnar lay there, looking up at his father with shock, the wind knocked clean out of him.
“Too old, huh?” Cain looked down at his son, not even breathing hard. “Now, if you want to go one-on-one, I’ll make sure I give you a warning before I knock you on your ass.”
I blinked, reassessing everything I thought I knew about the old man.
Beside me, Knuckles started laughing, a deep belly laugh that built until he had to sit down on the nearest chair, slapping his knee as tears leaked from his eyes. “Goddamn,” he wheezed between bursts of laughter. “Your face, Gunnar. Should’ve seen your fucking face.”
Cain’s expression softened slightly. He extended a hand to his son to help Gunnar to his feet. Gunnar took the offer with a rueful smile and a grunt as he stood.
“Next time, just call me,” Cain said, clapping his son on the shoulder. “Save yourself the bruises.”
“Yes, sir,” Gunnar replied, rubbing his lower back with a chuckle.
Knuckles finally managed to control his laughter enough to stand, crossing the room to shake Cain’s hand. “Good to see you still got it, old man,” he said, genuine respect coloring his voice as he clasped Cain’s hand.
“Never came close to losing it,” Cain replied with a slight grin. “Just don’t advertise it much these days.” He looked around the room, his gaze landing on me, then Ada. “So. Rat Man’s back, and he’s playing with explosives. Tell me everything.”
Knuckles clapped him on the shoulder. “Let’s get the full crew in here first.” Knuckles paused and gave Cain a look. “You know, Bohannon and Torpedo both agreed Kiss of Death was under my control. Nothing’s changed. This is still my club.”
Cain raised his hands in surrender. “Point taken. I’ll rephrase. Tell me everything, please.”
Knuckles snorted. “Did that hurt? Because it sounded like it hurt.”
Cain grinned. “Bastard.”
I pushed off the wall and moved to Ada’s side. She looked up at me, a smile playing on her lips.
“Remind me never to piss off Gunnar’s dad,” she whispered.
I nodded, returning her smile despite the tension coiling in my gut. “I’m just glad he’s on our side.”
The door swung open again, and two more men entered. Knuckles stepped forward once again. “Ice. Cyclone.” He shook the hand of each man as he addressed them.
“Knuckles. Bohannon and Torpedo said they’d…” Ice gave his brother a puzzled look. “How’d he put it?”
Cyclone snorted. “Come bail your sorry ass out if you need it.”
Knuckles chuckled. “You tell him I said to go fuck himself.”
“All over that shit.”
Their expressions shifted from amusement to confusion when they spotted their father already seated at the table. A family reunion in the middle of a war zone.
“Dad,” the taller one said, surprise evident in his voice. He had the same sharp eyes as his father, but his frame was leaner, built for speed rather than raw power. He glanced from Cain to Gunnar. “Ice didn’t think you wanted us to involve Dad.”
Ice schooled his expression, but I thought I saw his lips twitch. “Yeah. Something about him getting on in years and Mom really wanting him to retire or some shit.”
That got another round of laughter from everyone in the room.
“So much for brothers having each other’s back,” Gunnar grumbled, then he gave his brothers an evil grin. “I’m tellin’ Mom.”
More laughter.
“Boys,” Cain replied, his tone neutral but his eyes warming slightly. “Glad you could make it. Finally.”
“Gunnar called Stunner first.” Cyclone shrugged. “You had a head start.”
“Actually,” Gunnar interrupted. “I called Suzie first. Because I knew Suzie would tell both Stunner and Cain.”
Stunner snorted. “He knew Angel wouldn’t be mad at Suzie for telling Cain. That way, he knew Cain would come and he wouldn’t get in trouble with Angel.”
By now, we were all cracking up. Even I found myself smiling. Ada clung to me while she laughed. I recognized the situation as a bonding moment with both Gunnar’s blood family and his found family. He was the younger brother getting picked on good-naturedly.
“All right, let’s get to it.” Knuckles raised his voice to be heard over the other men, calling them all to order.
Everyone took a seat, focusing on Knuckles. This wasn’t church, so several of the old ladies and club girls were listening at the edge of the group or sitting with their men.
Knuckles sat back in his chair, his muscled arms crossed over his chest. “We all know why we’re here,” he began, his voice low and steady.
“Last night, someone lobbed a container of Tannerite over the wall, then shot it. We’re speculating whoever shot the container did so to target either Jag or Ada.
Maybe both. We also know Rat Man wants to go after Gunnar to get back at Cain,” Knuckles continued.
“We’re assuming Rat Man is the son of a bitch responsible for last night. ”
“What about your women’s shelter?” Cain asked. “Haven.”
“I’ve already increased security and made arrangements to move the residents we have to another safe place today.” Knight gave the report without hesitation.
The conversation continued, the gist being Knight was on this shit and would find Rat Man in a few hours. All I cared about right now, though, was Ada. I needed to get her alone. To hold her.
“Let’s go.” I took her hand and tugged, not giving her an opportunity to protest. As we walked out, I acknowledged I felt better about the whole situation but couldn’t shake the feeling something was still coming for us.
I pulled Ada closer to my side, the weight of her against me both a comfort and a reminder of everything I stood to lose.
I steered her away from the others, not sure how much longer I could stay in the room with so many unfamiliar people.
Not with the stress of knowing Rat Man was still out there.
Right now, my need to be alone with Ada was stronger than my need to be part of any planning.
I could follow orders with the best of them when I had to. All I cared about was protecting Ada.
“Jag?” She looked up at me, concern etching lines between her brows.