CHAPTER SEVEN

– HEATH –

"What's going on?" I question as soon as I step inside church.

Hayden's gaze lands on me and a smirk slides across his face. "You got laid."

Laid? I wouldn't describe the best my cock ever felt as simply getting laid. Hell, I can't even wrap my brain around the intense pleasure I just had, let alone find the right words to express my fucking feelings. Dismissing the fucker, I focus on the rest of the brothers and kick my chair back before I plant my ass on it.

Hayden slaps my chest with the back of his hand. "Come on, dude, spill. Wait. I can still dick her twin, right? She's not off-limits because you–"

My head swings his way. "I don't fucking care who you shove your cock in as long as you stay the fuck away from Bran. She's mine."

"Mine as in?" His eyes are getting as huge as bowling balls.

Dismissing him, I face the table filled with brothers and grunt, "Anyone care to tell me why we're sitting in church?"

"I caught movement on the camera feed on the far left of our property. Going around the clubhouse, I asked a few others to close in on the other side. We managed to catch the fucker who was trying to plant a fucking pipe bomb in the dumpster beside the clubhouse," Kyan states.

"What the fuck?" I growl. "Did you disarm it?"

"I did," Soren states. "Fucker filled it with shrapnel."

I give him a nod while Kyan continues to give the rest of the information. "The one we caught red-handed is Kent something. I didn't remember his last name but he's a member of Derek's club. He was rattling about reinforcements, ready to kill all of us. I locked him up in the basement so we could interrogate him together."

Shoving the chair back, I get to my feet. "Let's go talk to this fucker." My gaze meets Hayden. "Shoot Austin a message and let him know about the pipe bomb, and the part of possible reinforcements since their intel about them indicated they were a small club."

I turn to Kyan. "Did you check our surroundings, the video feed how this fucker got here? He might have more pipe bombs in his saddlebags or his car if he drove one."

"Shit, I should have thought of that," Kyan grumbles and glances at Class. "Check the feed to see if you can retrace his steps."

Class lets his fingers fly over the keys of his laptop while Hayden steps closer and shoves his phone back into his pocket before he whispers, "Come on, dude. Spill. You dicked her, didn't you? And? Tightest pussy ever? A magical one that hexed your cock? Is that why you're not saying anything?"

I shove him hard against the shoulder and hiss, "Drop it, idiot. I'm not going to share one single detail."

He gapes at me for a few heartbeats and then he states in awe, "Damn. That good, eh?"

This is something I can answer wholeheartedly. "Yeah, brother. That. Fucking. Good."

"Car, a blue convertible," Class grunts. "The fucker parked it right across the street from the clubhouse and he pulled the pipe bomb from his trunk."

"Motherfucker," I mutter and stalk out of church, Hayden close on my heels, along with the rest of the brothers.

I instantly spot the blue convertible Class mentioned once I'm outside. Scanning my surroundings and not seeing anything out of place, I cross the road and almost reach the car when gunshots crack through the air.

I drop down to the asphalt and palm my gun. We're sitting ducks out here, and I definitely don't feel like taking cover behind a car of the fucker who pulled a pipe bomb from the damn trunk.

"Anyone have a visual?" I growl.

Gunfire yet again fills the air and I whip my head back to see Kyan firing off a few rounds while he bellows, "Back inside. Now. Move, dammit."

Hayden grabs my leather cut to pull me up with him. We keep our guns aimed in the direction Kyan is firing in as we jump into a run toward the clubhouse. Next thing I know I'm hurting like hell and either my ears are ringing or I've gone deaf in the blink of an eye.

And I do blink, more than a few times as I groan and try to get up. How the fuck did I end up face down again? And where's my gun? I was holding it while I was running a mere moment ago. Glancing down, I notice movement and stare at Hayden's face. His lips move but I can't hear the shit he's saying.

He points at something and I move my head to follow in that direction, seeing what he's trying to say. Fucking hell, Kent did have more bombs in the car because what's left of the blue convertible is in flames. Soft hands touch my face and then Bran's eyes cause my disorientation to fade as I focus on her gorgeous blue eyes.

We move in the direction of the clubhouse and I notice all the windows are shattered from the blast. Once inside, Bran guides me to the couch where I plunk down. The couch dips next to me when Hayden takes a seat.

Bran takes a bottle of water from my mother and uncaps it before handing it to me. I take a few sips while my mother fusses with pulling up my eyelids and shining an annoying as fuck light in each one. She repeats the same shit with Hayden and then focuses on the other brothers.

"Deeds said Archer will be here soon," my father states. "I called him. Fuck that son of his and the contract with the government, staying on the sidelines instead of helping. Our club has done enough shit for them in the past and this." He points at the shattered windows. "Needs more than just the brothers of this MC, even if we're only facing a few fucked-up members of a rival MC."

"Thanks for taking lead, Dad," Hayden grunts and rubs his temples. "Heath and I will take over as soon as the fucking ringing stops in my ears."

"Here." Dee shoves an uncapped bottle in Hayden's direction. "Get some fluids inside you. Tinnitus after an explosion is temporary most of the time, though it could last for weeks, months, and sometimes years."

Hayden narrows his eyes. "If you're trying to cheer me up, you're doing a piss poor job."

Dee shrugs. "Just keeping shit real, dickface."

"Dickface?" Hayden snarls. "I'm a fucking president, show some respect. I'll shove a dick in your face if you call me that again."

Dee snorts. "You do realize my face contains teeth, right?"

"And you do realize I'll fingerfuck your pussy and ass at the same time while I shove my cock–"

"Hayden," I growl.

"Dee," Bran snaps at the same time.

Both of them shoot an innocent look our way and say in unison, "What?"

I shake my head while Bran grumbles, "Freaking idiots."

Kyan stalks my way. "It was Mia, Derek's sister who did the shooting, making the car blow up. She must have known what was in the trunk and how to set it off."

"Are you sure?" I ask. "No doubt?"

He gives a stiff nod. "I had a clear visual when I shot her, watched her body jerk when I popped one into her shoulder. She dove into another car and drove off. I had one of the prospects give chase, but she managed to get away."

"Doesn't matter," I grit. "We'll have her location soon with those fucks wanting revenge and dropping one by one because of it. Now, let's have a little chat with the one you guys caught earlier today."

"We're working on the shooter's location," Archer states as he strolls into the clubhouse.

"Yo, cuz," Hayden rumbles. "You should have popped in sooner 'cause, you know, we were havin' a blast and all."

Archer frowns and steps closer to ask our father, "How hard did he hit his head, Uncle Zack?"

Our father winces. "I about had a heart attack when I saw his skull bounce against the asphalt. Heath there was thrown like a ragdoll and landed slightly better."

"Hayden needs to get a scan," my mother states. "Come on, get on your feet, we're going to take you."

My twin tries to shrug her off. "We have a fucker to question. I'm not going to get a scan or anything. I feel fine."

"You're wincing when you're talking which I'm guessing is because you have a headache. Listen to your mother and get a scan. The fucker you want to question will be there when you come back, and if you don't get your head looked at? A bleed can easily pop your brain through your eye if it swells and has nowhere else to go. Fun times. Yeah, maybe you should stay," Dee easily supplies.

Hayden narrows his eyes. "You're fucking annoying with your know-it-all mouth. Someone should really shove something in there to shut you up."

"Need I remind you again how I have teeth?" She gives him a huge smile with all the pearly whites on show.

Hayden turns to his mother. "I don't have a blown pupil, do I?"

Dee chuckles and Hayden flips her off as he gets to his feet. "Let's go get that scan, anything to get me away from that sadistic twat."

"You're an asshole," Dee snaps.

"And you're a cunthole," he fires back.

My mother grabs his arm, Dad wraps his fingers around the other as they pull Hayden with him.

Archer points at a guy I just now noticed standing next to him. "Pax and I are willing to take Hayden's place if you need help questioning a fucker. I'm so sick and tired of filing reports about anything I do. Humor me and let me smack someone around without the paperwork."

I shake my head. "Using any means possible to let justice prevail doesn't sound good when it's shackled to paperwork, eh? Well, by all means, tag along."

Rolling my shoulders, I get to my feet and feel someone touch my hand.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Bran asks in a low whisper. "Your movements are stiff, maybe you should go to the hospital to get checked out as well."

Without thinking I slide my fingers under her hair to cup her nape and lower my mouth to hers. My eyes fall shut and I relish the softness of her lips, and slide my tongue between them to get a taste. Fuck. It's so easy to drop a veil and close everything off to have the world to ourselves.

Regretfully, I pull back and murmur, "Just a bit sore from being thrown through the air. Nothing I can't handle. Stay here and help with shit, okay?"

She stares into my eyes and simply gives me a firm, "Okay."

Good enough.

I spin around to face Archer, "Let's have some fun."

"Now that's someone I'd like to have some fun with," I hear Pax mutter under his breath and narrow my eyes when I follow his line of sight.

With two steps I close the distance and grab the fucker by his leather cut. "Lyla is off-limits, you hear me? Our clubs have been tossing bodies back and forth and you fuckers have snatched too many women and turned them into old ladies. Not while I'm president. Hear me? Get the fuck out of my clubhouse and sit on your bike in the parking lot until your prez has had his fun."

Archer chuckles and pats Pax's back when I give him a shove and release him. "Return to the clubhouse and let Ganza, Jersey, and Bee know to assist Class if he reaches out for something. Oh, and let Bee know I'll be home before dinner."

Pax glares at me until he spins around and stomps out of the clubhouse.

"Horny motherfuckers," I grumble and fall in step next to Archer while we head for the space Kyan put Kent in.

Time to have a nice little chat, pull some teeth, smash some fingers, and maybe even get creative with some limbs and a saw to get all the information this guy might have.

"How's Lyla doing?" Archer questions when we step inside the concrete space we always put fuckers in we need to interrogate.

There's a drainage system underneath for easy cleanup. No, we don't have these types of situations every damn week, but we like to be prepared. I'm seriously thinking about starting to draw blood by punching my cousin one in the damn nose.

"Are you asking as family, or as a president inquiring for your brother so he has a shot to get in her pants?" I grit.

The corner of his mouth twitches. "Just asking. Pax has been through a lot these past few months. Without getting into too many details, I can tell you that someone created doubt and made us believe he was a killer who was double-crossing us. He's always been loyal and it was a setup, but it didn't prevent a mental blow from hitting the fucker. He deserves something good in his life."

"Well, that something isn't Lyla," I grunt.

Lee steps into the room and says, "If he deserves something good in his life, tell him I'll cover the cost of getting his cock pierced. Let me know if he agrees and I'll make an appointment for him."

Archer narrows his eyes, he knows damn well Lee is Lyla's brother, and then turns his attention to me. "Did your enforcer just threaten to mutilate a brother's cock?"

I shrug and honestly tell him, "I have no fucking clue why he mentioned setting up an appointment, 'cause his sister is one of our piercers."

Archer chuckles and turns to Lee. "If you're trying to see if Pax can handle–"

"I ain't trying to see shit," Lee snaps, cutting Archer off. "I'm offering a meet to allow both an opportunity. My sister has been through some issues as well. She doesn't need my protection." Lee's gaze turns to me. "Or have others throw roadblocks at a chance for something good. If she keeps going the way she has been diving into shit headfirst? It won't end well either."

Archer shrugs out of his leather cut and carefully folds it to place it on a chair in the corner.

He walks over to Lee and takes out his phone. "Make the appointment. I'm gonna text Pax that his cock is getting pierced."

I shake my head. "You're a fucking nutcase for a prez, ordering your brothers to take one in the cock."

Archer grins. "You've met my mother, right?"

I wince at the reminder of how insane Aunt Lynn is. "We share parts of the gene pool, idiot, with my father and your mother being brother and sister."

Shrugging out of my cut, I throw it over Archer's leather vest and rub my hands together. "Let's leave the chat and unleash some of our insanity to get some answers out of this fucker."

My gaze lands on a man tied to a chair with a sock shoved into his mouth. Archer stalks up to him, rips the sock from his mouth, and grabs the guy's jaw, forcing his head left and right.

"I've seen you somewhere," Archer muses. "What's your name?"

The fucker grits his teeth and glares at Archer. I stalk to the wall where different appliances are hanging to stimulate people to talk. A grin slides across my face when I notice my favorite pocketknife. It's dull and rusted.

Kent is sitting in a chair with sidearms extended enough to have his hands on them. In one fluid motion, I jab the dull knife through the middle of his hand.

A scream rips from Kent and I cut him off by ripping the knife out and holding the small knife close to his eye. "Answer his fucking question, and give him your full name or I'll find another body part to jam this in you."

"I'm dead either way, and I ain't no rat," Kent hisses.

I glance over my shoulder at Kyan. "You did get a name out of him, right?"

Lee cracks his knuckles. "He said Kent said something after Kyan asked and I gave him some persuasive hits in the kidney. Want me to give him another reminder?"

Kent's eyes are bouncing around the room. I grab the fucker by the lip, pull his mouth open and jam the dull knife through his cheek.

"Nah, I can remind him that there are worse things than dying." I shoot Archer a devilish look. "Right, Prez?"

Archer reaches for one of Kent's fingers without glancing down, instantly cracking it into an odd angle. "Damn right, Prez. Lee, mind handing me some pliers? I wanna crack some phalanges and send nails flying."

Kyan grabs a butane torch lighter and fires it up to peel off the fucker's clothes. Such a fun and scorching way to get the fear into fuckers with the scent of burned flesh.

"Hang on," Archer suddenly snaps when Kent's shirt is gone and some of his tattoos are showing.

"Heath, a word," Archer grunts and spins around to leave the room.

I glance at Kyan and Lee. "Keep motivating the fucker but make sure he keeps breathing for the time being."

Following Archer outside of the room, I close the door behind him and ask, "What's going on?"

He points at the closed door. "That fucker in there? Did you see those black ink lines? He's a part of Tar Lines MC."

I frown. "He's a part of another MC than Derek's? Why the fuck is he wearing another MC's cut? Wait. Are you saying they've teamed up?"

"I'm saying that I have no fucking clue, but I do know one thing and you're not going to like it," Archer grits.

"Well, by all means, don't be shy with words now," I fire back.

"Tar Lines MC are the ones involved in killing Brandee Bray's father."

I rear my head back. "What the fuck?"

That's one hell of a coincidence. Or is he here for them? What's the fucking connection? Motherfucker. Shit just got more complicated. At first, I wanted to give Bran her privacy, let her come to me with details on her own terms. Now, though? I can't afford to stay in the dark, not with this shit closing in on the club, or tied to club business.

"Tell me everything you know," I demand.