Chapter Twenty-Three
Damon
We’re at the custom motorcycle shop when we see them. We may know why they’re here, but we don’t know what they plan on doing. We do know that they’ve been patient and biding their time. They’ve rented out an Airbnb where they are staying for now, so at least it’s short-term accommodation. Hopefully they get the hell out of our town soon enough.
They are getting off their bikes just as we are getting on ours, about to leave to head home.
“Well, what do we have here?” Gio comments, rubbing his hands together. They have a few more men than us, but I don’t care. Romeo, River, and I are a good team and could take them.
“Hello there, brother. Nice to see you again.”
“Tatum,” River replies, tone dark as ever. “Why don’t you just do what you came here to do so you can get the fuck out of here?”
Tatum laughs without humor. “Admit that you killed our father.”
River gives nothing away, blue eyes unflinching. “Well, that’s not going to happen. Robert didn’t even want you—he raised me instead. So I don’t know what you want. Daddy issues much?”
Tatum lunges for him, but Gio holds him back.
“I know you killed him!” Tatum yells, pointing at River.
“You don’t know anything,” River fires back. “We are not your family. We want nothing to do with you. And if you don’t leave, you’re going to end up with your father. Underground. At least then he will finally spend some time with you.”
Fucking ouch.
Tatum has a full-blown tantrum at that, screaming and trying to go after River, and Gio and two other men try to hold him back, but he gets away and lunges for River with his fists, eyes wild.
River was anticipating it, though, and gives him a hook shot to one of his kidneys. Tatum drops, and we all stand there and watch him. My hands clench and I’m ready to jump in if needed.
“We’re not leaving until the truth comes out,” Tatum gasps, slowly pushing himself off the ground.
“Your funeral,” Romeo states.
We get on our bikes and ride out.
I was waiting to see if Tatum said anything about Corey, but it doesn’t seem like she is his priority, which is a good thing. He needs to leave her the hell alone and keep her out of all this. She’s been through enough without having another asshole family member around. Her dad wasn’t a good man, her mother doesn’t talk to her, her brother died, and now her half brother needs to leave her in peace. His actions today prove he was only trying to use her.
River is the only one in that family who has ever truly cared for her, and I really respect him for that.
“What’s our plan?” I ask Romeo when we get back to the clubhouse, still standing around our now-parked motorcycles.
Because we need one. Or this is just going to drag out, and they aren’t going to leave. I have to wonder if Gio is really here just for Tatum, or if he has ulterior motives. My guess is the latter, and we need to find out what those are. They obviously have no place to go, but I don’t care where they end up, as long as it’s out of here.
“We can’t keep sitting around,” Romeo muses, sharing a look with River. “I think it’s time we taught them a lesson. We aren’t an MC they can fuck with, and they have no power here.”
River flashes his teeth. “What did you have in mind?”
“I think we’re going to need all hands on deck for this one,” Romeo comments, gaze going back to River, and then to me. “I think we need to go all motherfucking out.”
He’s got my attention now.
“Call Jag in,” he demands. “Ask him if he’s found anything yet. And then tonight we’ll call all the men in and agree on a plan. The women will need to be in lockdown and kept safe,” he continues.
Fuck.
“When?” I ask.
“Tomorrow,” he replies. “We can’t give them time to one-up us.”
I head inside to find Corey sitting outside in the sunshine reading a book. She looks so peaceful I consider not interrupting her, but then as if she could sense me, she looks over and smiles. “You’re back!”
“I am,” I reply, kissing the top of her head and sitting in the chair next to her. “We ran into the Lost Lions MC at the bike shop. I think shit is about to hit the fan.”
She slides her sunglasses on top of her red hair. “What happened?”
I give her a quick rundown.
“Fucking Tatum,” she mutters, closing her book with a loud clap. “He didn’t even know Robert—so why can’t he let this go?”
“We might be going into lockdown tomorrow,” I tell her quietly, reaching over to take her hand. “I need you to be safe and listen to whatever Romeo decides.”
Because if Tatum comes for anyone, I have a feeling it could be Corey. He’d feel entitled to her, even though he has nothing to do with her, and doesn’t seem to give a shit.
End of the day, she’s still his sister, and if he gets the opportunity to use her, I have no doubt that he will.
“Yes, of course. I’ll do whatever I need to. Are you all going to be safe, though? I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to you,” she says, brow furrowing.
“I’ll be fine,” I promise. “As long as I know that you are somewhere safe.”
“Is there anything I can do to help?” she asks, getting up and sitting on my lap, resting her head against my shoulder. “You can use me as bait, or whatever. If I can help, I will.”
“I just told you I need you safe and you are offering yourself up as bait?”
She shrugs, a little sheepishly. “I just mean that I’m here for whatever you guys need. This is my family, too.”
“I know.” She’s a ride-or-die chick, but I just need her to stay out of trouble while I handle this shit with the rest of the men.
“Are you going to leave us with a gun? We might need a gun,” she says suddenly, and I can’t help it, I laugh.
“Do you know how to use a gun?” I ask her.
She lifts her head and looks me in the eye. “River is my brother—what do you think?”
Right.
Of course.
I leave her to read her book and start getting ready for war.