Chapter 16
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Monk
The tension in the clubhouse was thick enough to choke on.
Days had passed since Roberts had walked out of here with his tail between his legs and his throat bruised from Kansas’ grip.
Days of waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Days of wondering when the Feds would come crashing through the gate with warrants and RICO charges and enough firepower to level the compound.
But nothing had happened. No raids. No arrests. No federal agents showing up with handcuffs and smug fucking smiles. Just silence. And that silence was worse than any threat Roberts could have made.
I stood at the bar, nursing a whiskey that tasted like ash, listening to Kansas, Blackjack, and Whisper hash out the logistics of the Wild MC meet.
The weapons deal with Benedict was still on the table, but now everything was complicated by the fact that we had a federal agent with a vendetta and the resources to bury us.
“We can’t afford to be sloppy,” Kansas said, his voice low and controlled. “Roberts is watching. Waiting for us to fuck up. One wrong move and he’ll have enough to bring RICO charges against the entire club.”
Blackjack leaned against the bar, his arms crossed over his chest. “So what are you saying? We cancel the meet?”
“No,” Kansas said firmly. “We need this deal. We need the weapons and we need the alliance with Wild MC. But we have to be smart about it. No phones. No digital trails. Cash only. And we keep the meet location off the books until the last possible second.”
Whisper nodded. “Benedict’s solid. He won’t talk. But we need to make sure no one else knows about this. Not the prospects. Not the hang-arounds. Just us.”
I took a sip of whiskey, letting the burn settle in my chest. “What about surveillance? If Roberts is watching, he could have eyes on the clubhouse. Could have taps on our phones.”
Kansas’ jaw tightened. “Then we assume he does. We operate like we’re being watched twenty-four seven. No conversations about club business inside the clubhouse. No calls. No texts. We go old school. Face-to-face only.”
“Paranoid much?” Blackjack muttered.
“Not paranoid,” Kansas said, his voice hard. “Careful. There’s a difference.”
I set my glass down on the bar, the sound sharp in the tense silence. “When’s the meet?”
“Two weeks,” Whisper confirmed. “Benedict’s got a shipment coming in from Amarillo. He’s willing to cut us a deal if we can move fast.”
“Two weeks,” I repeated, my mind already running through the logistics. “That’s not a lot of time.”
“It’s enough,” Kansas said. “We just have to make sure we don’t give Roberts anything he can use against us.”
I nodded, but the knot in my gut didn’t loosen. Because the truth was, Roberts didn’t need us to fuck up. He already had enough to bury us. Witness statements. Financial records. Dates and times of shipments and deals that went back years.
All he needed was the right moment to pull the trigger, and I had a feeling that moment was coming sooner than any of us wanted to admit.
The door to the clubhouse opened, and I glanced over my shoulder, expecting to see one of the brothers or maybe a prospect bringing in supplies.
Instead, I saw Kali and right behind her, walking into the gathering room like she owned the fucking place, was my Lina.
My entire body went rigid.
She stopped just inside the doorway, her eyes scanning the room until they landed on me. For a second, just a second, I saw something flicker in her expression. Surprise, maybe. Or recognition. Then it was gone, replaced by that same cold, controlled mask she had worn in the hospital parking lot.
I smirked as I slowly and deliberately turned around to face her, leaning back against the bar with my arms crossed over my chest. My eyes never left hers.
She stiffened.
Good. I wanted her to know I saw her. Wanted her to know I wasn’t going to look away. Wasn’t going to pretend she didn’t exist. Wasn’t going to let her forget what she had done.
Ruby appeared at my side like she had been summoned, and she pressed herself against me, her hand sliding up my chest, her body warm and pliant and eager.
I didn’t look at her. Didn’t acknowledge her. My eyes stayed locked on Lina as Ruby’s fingers trailed down my arm, her breath hot against my neck. “Hey, baby,” she purred, her voice dripping with suggestion. “You miss me?”
I reached down and grabbed her ass, yanking her closer. Hard. Possessive, as I winked at Lina.
Her eyes narrowed, her jaw tightened, but she said nothing and just stared.
It was a stand-off, and we both knew it.
And I sure as hell wasn’t going to be the one to break first. Because in my mind, she forfeited all rights to me the second she fucked another man and got pregnant.
The second she moved on and built a life without me.
The second she decided I wasn’t worth waiting for.
So if she wanted to stand there and watch me with Ruby, fine.
Let her watch. Let her see exactly what she had thrown away.
Kali walked over to Kansas, her expression serious. “We need to talk,” she said, her voice low but urgent.
Kansas straightened, his attention shifting to her. “What’s wrong now?”
“It’s the farm,” Kali said, glancing over her shoulder at Lina, who was still standing near the doorway, her arms crossed over her chest, her eyes locked on me.
“The investor, the one trying to buy the Wilcox property—he’s playing dirty.
He’s been spreading rumors around town that David’s too sick to run the farm.
That the land’s going to waste. He’s trying to turn public opinion against them so the city council will pressure David into selling. ”
Kansas’ expression darkened. “What kind of rumors?”
“That the farm’s a liability,” Kali said. “That it’s bringing down property values. That it’s an eyesore. He’s even got a few council members on his side, pushing for eminent domain if David won’t sell voluntarily.”
“Eminent domain?” Kansas’ voice was sharp. “For a fucking casino?”
Kali nodded. “He’s claiming it’s for economic development. That it’ll bring jobs and revenue to the area. But it’s bullshit. He just wants the land.”
I barely heard the conversation because all I could focus on was Lina.
She continued to stare at me, her expression unreadable, her body tense, as I held onto Ruby, my hand on her ass, my smirk firmly in place. Ruby shifted against me, her eyes following my gaze. She turned her head, looking over her shoulder at Lina.
And then she smiled. It was a slow, predatory smile. The kind of smile that said I know exactly what’s going on here. Ruby pulled away from me slightly, turning to face Lina fully. “Can I help you with something?” she asked, her voice dripping with false sweetness.
Lina’s gaze shifted to Ruby, and for a second, I saw it, the flash of contempt in her eyes. The way she looked at Ruby like she was nothing. Like she was trash.
Ruby’s smile widened. “You got a problem, sweetheart?”
Lina said nothing.
Ruby took a step forward, closing the distance between them. “Because if you’ve got something to say, you should say it.”
I didn’t move. Refused to intervene as I crossed my arms over my chest and watched.
Let Lina handle it. Let her see what it feels like to be on the outside looking in.
Ruby got right in Lina’s face, her voice dropping to a low, dangerous purr. “You keep looking at my man like that, we’re gonna have a problem.”
Lina’s expression didn’t change. She didn’t flinch. Didn’t back down. She just looked at Ruby with that same cold, detached contempt, and that was when Ruby snapped. Her hand came up fast, cracking across Lina’s face with a sharp, vicious slap.
The sound echoed through the gathering room.
Everything stopped.
Kali’s conversation with Kansas cut off mid-sentence. Blackjack and Whisper turned to stare. Every brother in the room went still, their eyes locked on the scene unfolding in the center of the clubhouse as Lina’s head snapped to the side from the force of the blow, her hair falling across her face.
For a second, she didn’t move. Didn’t react and then, slowly, she turned her head back to face Ruby.
Her cheek was red. Her eyes were cold, and when she spoke, her voice was calm.
Controlled. Deadly. “You can have him, bitch,” Lina said, her gaze flicking to me for just a second before returning to Ruby. “I’ll keep our daughter.”
Her words hit me like a punch to the gut.
Our daughter.
Pushing off the bar, I glared at Lina, my entire body vibrating with rage. “What the fuck are you talking about, Carolina? You fuck another man and then have the fucking balls to walk into my clubhouse and say that kid is mine?”
Lina’s eyes narrowed before she moved. She pushed past Ruby as if the woman didn’t even exist, storming toward me with fire blazing in her eyes.
Her hands were clenched into fists at her sides, her entire body radiating fury.
“That’s right, you son of a bitch,” she snarled, stopping inches from me. “She’s yours!”
She jabbed her finger into my chest, hard enough to hurt. “I fucking found out the day of the massacre,” she said, her voice shaking with emotion. “And that’s when the news hit the radio. I showed up here, praying you were alive, but the officers said everyone was dead.”
Her voice cracked. “I thought you were dead!” she shouted, jabbing me again.
“I thought I’d lost you. I thought—” She broke off, her breath coming in ragged gasps.
“So I did what YOU told me to do,” she emphasized, jabbing her finger into my chest one more time.
“You told me that if anything happened to you, I should run and never look back. Well, I did. I ran away from everything I ever loved and started over.”
Her eyes were wet now, tears streaming down her face, but her voice was steady. Cold.
“So fuck you, fuck your tramp, and fuck this club,” she spat, her voice dropping to a deadly whisper. “I’m done.”
She turned away from me, her shoulders rigid, her head held high and then she looked at Kali.
The fire drained from her expression, replaced by something calm.
Controlled. Professional. “I’m sorry, Kaliope,” Lina said, taking a deep breath.
“I won’t allow this club to become involved in my family business.
I will figure out something else.” With that, she turned on her heels and walked out the fucking door. The door slammed shut behind her.
The silence was heavy and suffocating as I stood there, frozen, my mind struggling to process what had just happened.
I found out the day of the massacre.
I showed up here, praying you were alive.
I thought you were dead.
You told me to run and never look back.
Her words echoed in my head, over and over, each one hitting me like a physical blow.
She hadn’t betrayed me. She hadn’t fucked another man.
She’d been pregnant with my daughter when she’d come to the clubhouse and seen the bodies.
She thought I was dead, and then she had done exactly what I told her to do.
She ran. She protected herself. Protected our daughter. She’d started over, alone, believing I was dead, and I just let Ruby slap her in front of the entire club. I accused her of betrayal. I used another woman to hurt her. I had chosen my pride over family. I had chosen cruelty over truth.
My chest tightened, the air in the room suddenly too thick to breathe.
I turned my head slowly, my gaze sweeping across the gathering room.
Kansas was staring at me, his expression unreadable.
Blackjack’s eyes were wide, his mouth slightly open.
Whisper had gone completely still, his arms crossed over his chest.
Kali was looking at me as if I had just committed murder and every single brother in the clubhouse had heard it.
Every. Single. One.