Chapter 28
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Grinder
“There goes dinner.”
My brow raised, I give Parker a pointed look as she plunks down onto the end of the mattress before tucking one foot under her opposite thigh.
When she crosses her arms, her bottom lip in a pout, she looks like a disgruntled brat.
I like it. Maybe later I’ll wipe that pout off her face. With my cock.
“I can still taste you on my tongue, Stabby, so at least I got a nice appetizer.” Pulling my sweats up and over my sore ass cheek, I don’t bother tying the string. Then I give Spence my attention.
“Where did you pick him up?” We have no idea how many O’Malleys—or associates of—have slithered into our town, but we can pluck them out one at a time. I’m fine with that.
“A discreet club in the Oleander Mall parking lot. Someone called 9-1-1 and I got his name from his friends while we were assessing him. I never spoke to him, he was unconscious the whole time.” Spencer takes the recliner I normally use when I’m relaxing, which is never, his posture heavy, his head nearly lolling to the side. Looks like his shift was a hefty one.
“You should crash here while I take care of this.” My phone is still in the pocket of my sweatpants and when I take it out, I see a few missed calls—two from Sledge and one spammer—as well as a couple of text messages from Shade. Damn, did we fuck for over two hours? Nice.
My phone rings with a spam number, which I ignore and instead check out the influx of missed messages.
Shade: Church in an hour.
Damn, I’ve got three minutes to make it from here to there. I’ll definitely be late because I’ve got doctor’s orders not to run or do anything that might pull the stitches. I’m sure a two hour fuckfest doesn’t count.
Me: On my limpin’ way.
I’ve barely sent the message when I see the check mark telling me he’s read it.
Shade: Don’t milk it.
Pfft, as if.
Me: Bite me.
Before I head out, I send a quick text to Crow to give them a heads up at the hospital. Better to be safe than sorry.
Me: Keep Boner’s room on lockdown. Only docs and nurses. Vetted, no randoms.
“Gotta bail but y’all can cuddle or something.” I look from one to the other—eyes droopy with welcomed sleep—and immediately regret my idea because I’d love nothing more than to have them both with me as the bread to my meat.
“Like we need your permission for that.” Parker scoots over, now sitting flush against Spencer, who raises a brow at me, obviously agreeing with his new bestie.
Shaking the delicious visual out of my mind, I hop in the bathroom and brush my teeth, a mixture of different ideas fighting for my attention.
A house.
I wonder what Spencer would think about that.
He’s got his apartment in town with the cat that hates every other living thing on this Earth, but he also inherited his grandmother’s cabin.
That place is cool. Especially the part where Mac lost her mind for a while and tortured her brother until he died a painful and lonely death.
Shame she didn’t keep any of his teeth.
On the down side, some sad shit happened there too but I don’t linger on that memory because I’m still upset for her and Psycho.
As I spit out the toothpaste, my upper thigh buzzes where my phone is resting inside the pocket.
Crow: We got a problem?
At this point, I’m opting for the better to be safe proverb.
Me: Maybe. There’s an O’Malley at the H, we need to check it out.
Crow: Gotcha.
Our main focus needs to be Boner’s safety.
Rinsing my mouth, I look up at the mirror, my eyes shifting to the side where I can see Parker and Spencer’s reflections behind me. When she catches my eye, she rests her head on Spence’s shoulder and sticks her tongue out at me.
I grin big and wide. They look perfect like that. Like best friends hanging out until I return and pound them both with my cock.
Fuck, I need to go or else I’ll get even more shit from my brothers.
“I’ll let y’all know what’s goin’ on. Meanwhile…” I kiss Spencer, hard and quick, then bring my lips to Parker and lick a line across her bottom lip. “Be good.”
As if she’d even listen to me.
It takes me twice as long to make my way down to Church. If I was annoyed at the ass shot I got before, I’m fucking livid, now. Hopefully, I’ll be able to take my frustrations out on someone tonight. Blow some skulls up, take some teeth, the usual fun times.
The second I walk inside our sacred space where decisions are made to keep our closest friends and family members safe, I get a standing ovation. Some hoots, some whistles, some smacks right on my ass—the healthy cheek, thank fuck—and I can’t say shit.
I grit my teeth and take it. It’s the name of the game. Next Church, someone else will get their full attention.
Boner. Next Church, my best friend will get a standing ovation with no joking, only love and happiness that he’s not six feet deep.
“All right, you bunch of assholes. Yeah, yeah. Get it out of your systems.” That’s when a pillow is thrown right at my face. I want to be annoyed, but the fact of the matter is that I’m really fucking grateful because sitting on that hard wooden chair is gonna be a bitch.
“Thought you might want something nice and cushy.” Psycho winks, Ninja peeking out of his hoodie and eyeing my pillow like he’s calculating the distance between where he is and the new soft bed.
Meanwhile, Bandit is doing sprints across the table, sniffing all of the brothers before settling in Bear’s palm.
“Aww, look at you…thinking.” I grin and Psycho throws his Coke can at me, hitting me square in the chest.
“Fucking children, all of you.” Hoops is full of shit because he was laughing right along with them. “We’ve got business to talk about.”
I nod, sitting—slowly and carefully—on the pillow, and despite my best efforts, it makes me taller than everyone else and now I feel like a fucking douche.
Narrowing my eyes at Psycho, who’s grinning wide while Hoops is giving us the down low, I make the universal sign for “You’re dead meat” with my thumb across my throat.
It loses all menacing effects when I snort laugh at the way Psycho’s pressing his lips together and turning away from Hoops. Prez is right, we’re toddlers in adult clothing.
“Jonesy and Crow are still with Boner. Psycho contacted the Reapers for intel on the O’Malleys, so we should be getting some information soon.” That gets my attention and I need to give them my own news.
Raising my finger so I can speak, I wait for Hoops to lift his chin my way.
“Spencer picked up an O’Malley tonight, right before the end of his shift. He was at the same club where we found Parker.” My phone buzzes as I’m explaining. A quick glance tells me Crow is following up from our earlier messaging. “Hold on, that’s Crow now.”
Crow: Some shady mofos just walked past Boner’s room. They stared inside but didn’t stop.
“Fuck.” I don’t mean to say that out loud but here we are.
“What’s going on?” Shade’s voice is an octave lower than usual and his body has instantly coiled up like he’s already in fighting mode.
“Crow said a few goons have walked past Boner’s room.
” Shaking my head, I realize they’re just getting bits and pieces of the puzzle.
“Spencer took an O’Malley to the hospital following a 9-1-1 call.
To be safe, I texted Crow and told him to filter who comes in and out of Boner’s room.
Good thing, ‘cause I’m guessin’ they got word we were there, too.
” The pain in my ass is a distant memory as my adrenaline starts pumping, ready for some action.
“It’s almost ten, the hospital is quieter at night. This could be the perfect time to sneak in.” I nod at Sledge, who’s making sense. Except, of course, the whole security thing.
My phone buzzes in my hand but I ignore the unknown number. I don’t have time to waste on marketers.
“The entrances will be locked with security. The only way to get in is through the E.R.” I’m not contradicting Sledge, I’m adding to the planning.
“What about that orderly that’s been trying to prospect for us?” Psycho snaps his fingers as he reminds us of…what the fuck is his name?
“Right…Ronny?” Bear mumbles but doesn’t sound convinced.
“Johnny?” Psycho immediately shakes his head like that’s not right either.
“Sonny, maybe?” Sledge adds but the eighties are long gone, so that’s a no.
“Ethan.” We all look at Kinkaid, whose facial expression says we’re all fucking idiots.
It’s my turn to snap my fingers. “That’s it!” She does have a point, we were way off.
“Okay, let’s work out a plan and put these motherfuckers in the ground.” Fists bang on the wooden table all around.
That’s what I’m fucking talkin’ about.
“This plan sucks.” It’s my turn to pout, and if I weren’t so afraid of Hoops putting me on permanent getaway car duty, I’d punch his pretty face for icing me out.
“What sucks is that I didn’t get shot in the ass, yet here I am…babysitting you.” My head snaps to the side so Kinkaid can clearly see my glare.
“Just so you know, I’m going to vote against you as a bro—sister.
” I won’t, obviously, she’s a fucking asset and will probably run this club one day, but she doesn’t know that.
Plus, no fucking way we’re not voting in our very first woman member.
That’s fucked up. But she doesn’t need to know that, either… yet.
“Hmmm…” Is all the reaction I get, and it’s frustrating. I want a fight and she’s giving me silence.
“I should be in there. Boner’s my best friend. It’s my job to keep him safe.” My fingers are tapping on the truck’s steering wheel while we wait for my boys to run out with the dead bodies.
My idea was to take them to the morgue downstairs, but according to Spence, every body is accounted for and because most of us have criminal records, it would only take one DNA sample to link the extra, freshly dead bodies back to the club.
“You heard Hoops, you’d only slow them down with that limp.” I wonder if I can stab her and say it was self-inflicted.