9. Chapter Nine
Chapter Nine
Sophia stared around the surprisingly clean room that would be at home in a big lodge or a large house.
Tables were in the room, with a dark, long bar taking up space.
A couple pool tables, along with couches and a TV, filled out the room.
A gorgeous fireplace featured the Saint’s Outlaws MC logo, with what she assumed was their Kansas City, Kansas Chapter, carved in metal and hung above the mantle.
Tack led her over to a table, directing one of the Prospects to get them drinks. So many men in the room, and crap on a cracker, were they all hot with those dark, brooding looks and ‘fuck you against the wall’ vibes. Freedom and Lake would be sad to miss that.
Sophia noticed how quiet the room had become. She looked around. Everyone was staring at her. She swallowed and looked up at Tack. He was biting his lip, trying to contain his mirth.
“I said that out loud again?” she questioned.
Tack’s nod had her leaning her forehead against his chest.
“I’ll never live this down,” she whispered against Tack’s shaking body.
“Nah, I think it’s cute,” he replied, hugging her a little tighter.
“This is going to be epic, even better than the excitement Justice’s woman brought,” Stinger crowed.
“Ignore him,” Tack directed, pulling out a chair for her and then joining her at the table.
“Easy for you to say. You didn’t just embarrass yourself in front of the MC,” Sophia whispered.
“Who embarrassed themselves?” Adley asked, walking back in carrying a child.
“Sophia—calling us all hot men,” Stinger replied, despite the glare Tack was aiming his way.
Adley sat down at the table with the little boy and reached for Sophia’s hand.
“I know the feeling well. The first time I saw Justice working out in his shorts and baseball cap, I had to wipe just a little bit of drool away. For some reason, the Saints don’t seem to attract any greasy, smelly bikers, and I, for one, am completely okay with that.
How are you feeling after our adventure? ”
“Adventure?” Sophia choked out. Was Adley crazy? They’d been shot at.
“Would excitement be better? I guess after all the things that happened when Justice and I got together, today’s car chase was an adventure,” Adley mused.
“Okay, Church,” Pit directed.
Tack squeezed her shoulder reassuringly, then followed the guys to their meeting room.
“Sophia, this is Ian—Justice’s and my son.”
“Hi, buddy,” Sophia grinned at the cute toddler. “Once it’s safe, you’ll have to bring him over to play with all the animals—even Pudding, because he loves kids.”
Adley nodded. “I was planning on talking to you when little ears weren’t around about a friend from your place for him.”
Sophia grinned back. She’d already been calculating how many of the people here might be willing to foster an animal. Maybe if Stinger had a friend to take care of, then he wouldn’t tease her quite so much.
Adley chuckled, slapping the table with Ian joining in and slapping the table too. Sophia’s face heated.
“Out loud?” she questioned. Adley nodded.
She wondered why she’d started narrating her thoughts again. She used to do it all the time, but after Rufus said he didn’t like it and started pinching her lip—she’d quickly stopped.
“How about we get some cookies from the kitchen? I think we deserve some sugar after the excitement,” Adley suggested, lifting Ian into her arms and heading toward the kitchen. Sophia followed because she’d already embarrassed herself, so she could use a pick-me-up sweet.
“What do we know?” Pit questioned.
Cuffs, the MC’s tech guy, had his computer open in front of him. “I’m still searching for any video or stills of the vehicle. The color and make is so common that without more to go on, we’re stuck. Sorry.”
“Since at this point, we don’t know if this is something new coming for us or possibly related to Sophia’s situation, I’m moving that we do a partial lockdown. Sophia needs to move here,” Pit concluded.
Tack was already shaking his head no. “She can’t, and neither can Lake or Freedom. She has the adoption event this weekend and all those extra rescues that have to be taken care of. The cameras and lights are up at her farm. I’d like myself and a couple others to protect them there.”
“What if I say no, you have to be on lockdown here?” Pit questioned.
“Then I’d say that I’m defying my President, and if he doesn’t pull his head out of his ass, then he can try to pry my cut from my shoulders, but it’s not happening,” Tack threatened.
Pit cackled, holding out his hand. The guys without women each handed him a hundred dollars. Tack noticed Justice didn’t owe money. Pit straightened the money until it was all facing the same way, then held it out to Tack.
“I knew she was your one. Take my winnings and give it to your woman for her rescue,” Pit directed.
Tack shook his head. Pit was a wily one and could read people very well. Tack appreciated that his President wasn’t forcing him to choose between the club and Sophia because it was an impossible choice. The club ran in his blood. He’d grown up in it but Sophia? She was his heart.
“I agree we need to have people at Sophia’s. This feels like it’s all related. Cuffs, did you find out anything about her ex-mother-in-law and ex-husband?” Pit questioned.
“Now, that’s where it gets interesting. I’m having a very hard time finding anything about either of them.
No record of any issues with law enforcement besides the great Kansas City Squirrel Abduction, which is strange.
There should be something, even if it’s a speeding ticket.
The other thing is I can’t find anything on either of them prior to when they appear in Sophia’s life—Jolene, first, moving into the house across the street, and then Rufus when Sophia meets him,” Cuffs shared.
The tap-tap-tap of Stinger’s fingers on the table was scraping on Tack’s last nerve. They knew nothing, and Stinger’s habit of tapping when he thought through a problem, which normally didn’t bother him, made Tack want to pound his face in.
He reached across the table, placing his hand on top of Stinger’s to stop him.
“Hey, man,” Stinger whined.
“You’re really annoying me,” Tack admitted.
“Sorry. There’s something, like, at the corner of my mind that I can’t quite grasp. Like some fact I know that seems pertinent, but for the life of me, I’m drawing a blank,” Stinger mused, frowning.
“It’s probably because you lost half your brain when you were screaming to be saved from the tornado,” Retread pointed out.
“Come on. It’s been over a year. Could we please forget about that video?” Stinger pleaded.
Tack chuckled, listening to the guys razz Stinger about his experience tornado chasing with Twist, who was a nomad with the Bluff Creek Brotherhood MC. Tack wondered if Sophia had seen it. It might provide her some much-needed laughter after the car chase this morning.
He’d pack some clothes and move in with Sophia, bringing as many of his brothers as could be spared.
He’d have a couple of the guys sleep in shifts, so the house always had someone awake to watch for anything strange.
Once they were back at her house, Tack had some questions for Sophia, Lake, and Freedom. They had to be missing something.