CHAPTER THIRTEEN
– FATAL –
Glancing around the table at all the faces of my brothers, I notice there’s one crucial one missing.
I lean over and breach Heart’s personal space to whisper, “Where’s Gilpin?”
Heart throws a quick glance at all the men in church and whispers back, “He was here when I walked in. Where the hell did he go?”
Facing the rest of the table, I rumble, “Anyone know where Gilpin is? I’d like to start and that fucker needs to be here.”
“Huck was talking to him a few minutes ago. Gilpin was heading into the hallway when you entered church,” Remus states.
Lumos is about to say something when Gilpin strides into the room.
“Sorry,” he grumbles. “I had to move my truck.”
“Next time park that obnoxious thing either out back or in the street. It’s blocking the entrance if you put it out front, and I’ve told you multiple times already,” Lumos snaps.
Gilpin flips Lumos off. “I wanted to get rid of the trunk of junk in my room, asshole. No way I’ll carry it all the way out into the street because my car is parked there. I drove it around back and handled it. Won’t be fuckin’ happening again.”
Lumos lifts his chin and I clear my throat to get their attention.
“Can we get to more important things?” I shoot Gilpin an annoyed look and dismiss him to focus on the others. “VP and I were attacked on our way back to the clubhouse. A Norlick Ways member targeted my old lady who was on the back of my bike.”
Every single member is wearing a stunned expression, except for Swade and Heart.
I smirk and dryly add, “Did I forget to mention I claimed Norie Castor? Well, now you know. She’s mine and anyone who so much as harms one hair on her pretty little head will feel my wrath.”
“How did Norlick Ways know she was your old lady? How could they have targeted her specifically while we didn’t even know?” Gilpin’s voice has a challenging tone to it.
I glare at the fucker and he has the nerve to shrug, and comments, “Just sayin’, wouldn’t they aim for your head instead?”
The chair underneath me flies back when I roughly jolt to my feet and place my fists on the table in front of me and snarl, “What fucking point are you trying to make here, Gilpin? The fact they needed to shoot me in the head instead of the woman warming my back?”
“The fact Prez here put a woman on the back of his bike is a statement all on its own,” Heart grunts. “When has he ever allowed any woman to so much as touch his damn bike?”
Gilpin keeps glaring at me and says, “What happened? Besides a member of Norlick Ways firing off a few rounds in your direction.”
Fury burns in my gut and I want nothing more than to rip this fucker a new asshole by shoving my fist into his mouth and claw my way through his damn insides.
Swade slams a flat hand on the table. “Does it fucking matter? Didn’t you hear what was just said between you asking twenty questions? A direct hit on us. A-fucking-gain. I vote retaliation. Right fucking now. Strike back at full force and they’ll never see us coming.”
Most of our brothers are now smacking their flat hand on the table while chanting, “Aye.”
“I vote to pay a little visit at Skytits,” Remus loudly rumbles.
Wesson shakes his head. “The house on Hellink Lane would be better.”
“Why’s that?” Heart questions.
“I’ve been doing a little digging and I’m fairly sure they’ve turned it into their new whorehouse.
” Wesson pulls his laptop from a bag at his feet and boots it up.
“Norris has all the club properties linked to his name and this one grabbed my attention. Mostly because of the large order of beds delivered two weeks ago.”
Heart’s gaze locks on mine and he dips his chin. I’m liking the idea as well; hit them where they will hurt most. In this case, it’s their new whorehouse that brings in the cash.
“All in favor?” I grunt and hear an overwhelming chorus of “Aye” once more.
Swinging the gavel, I let them know, “We’ll ride within twenty minutes. Weapon up, boys.”
We all get up, but I’m quick enough to grab Gilpin by the back of his leather vest. “Not so fast, fucker. You’re sticking right by our side.”
Gilpin narrows his eyes. “I was gonna take a piss, Prez, or aren’t we allowed to do anything without your consent anymore? Or is it just my balls you’re busting?”
“Watch your fucking mouth, asshole,” I growl. “Your reaction at what happened to me and Heart raises a few questions.”
The fucker crosses his arms in front of his chest. “Aren’t we allowed to question our president’s actions when he suddenly claims an old lady?
One who I might add was messing with the books of our brewery.
We don’t know who the hell she is. For all we know she might be working with Norlick Ways.
Pretty coincidental for her to pop up right before everything goes to shit.
Ever think of that, Prez? Or does she have a magic pussy that put your cock under a spell, so you don’t fucking see any of it? ”
A red haze enters my vision and before I know it, the fucker is gurgling in an effort to take his next breath. Which is pretty fucking hard to do with my fingers locked tight around his damn neck.
“Fatal, step back,” Heart grunts from beside me.
“He disrespected my old lady,” I grit.
Though, it’s everything he just spewed. To anyone else it might have seemed like he threw out some pretty convincing arguments, but I know for a fact he’s been working with Melon and Norlick Ways.
He’s the only one who had access to the books, both ours and the brewery’s.
He’s been stealing from us for a long damn time.
I shove him back and let go. “Let him take a piss and make sure he’s ready to ride in ten.”
Without waiting for a reply from Heart, I stalk out of church and head for my room. Fuck it. I might need to get to my office for some extra guns, but all I crave now is to have my woman in my arms. She needs to soothe the havoc running through me.
I grab the key and to my surprise I find my door unlocked.
What the actual fuck? I’m pretty sure I locked it, and Norie doesn’t have a key.
Once I step inside, I instantly notice she’s gone.
To make sure I check the bathroom, but everything is still in place.
..except for the fact that my woman is no longer here.
Whirling around, I stride into the main room and growl, “Where is she?”
“Who?” ask some of the members while I walk around the bar to check the camera feed.
Shit. There’s a faster way.
I let my gaze slide over the room and see our computer expert typing away on his laptop. “Wesson, check the camera feed for me and let me know if my old lady left.”
“Norie is gone?” Swade asks.
“That doesn’t make sense,” Heart states. “She wanted your claim, right? Or did she give you any vibes about leaving? What about you, Swade? Do you think she’d leave?”
My gut tells me she didn’t leave voluntarily.
“No. Every time she’d leave town, she’d drop by to say goodbye first. She wouldn’t leave without saying anything. Besides, we talked. We were good, and how she reacted with Prez? No way that was fake. Something is wrong,” Swade urges.
I release the breath I was holding, knowing my gut is right.
Wesson walks over and places his laptop on the bar. “Prez? The only one going in and out before church was Gilpin.”
“Show me,” I grit.
Wesson plays the feed of the camera at the back of the clubhouse. Gilpin comes out of the door dragging a large trunk. He places it in the back of his truck and Wesson switches the feed to show him driving off the property to park on the street. Just. Like. He. Said.
“She could have been in there,” Swade croaks with a load of panic in his voice.
I jerk my head up and glance over every single member in the room. Gilpin isn’t here.
“Where the fuck is he?” I snarl.
“Bathroom,” Heart grits and jogs that way.
Fuck it. I’m not waiting around for that asshole and burst through the clubhouse door instead. Pushing my feet into the dirt, I pick up speed and signal for one of the prospects to open the gate. I need to check the fucker’s truck and see what’s in the trunk he dragged out of the clubhouse.
The gate slides open and my heart freezes inside my chest. It’s gone. His fucking truck is gone, just like my old lady.