Chapter Twenty

DIO TOSSED A BAG ON the table. Jagger unzipped the duffle and inspected the bundles of cash.

"Any problem?" he asked.

"They weren't even aware of the exchange. Rush went in, like normal, and put the money in the safe. It was easy enough for him to change the amounts on the records." Dio held up four fingers. "We completed one bag in less than a week. If we can keep that rate up, we'll completely cycle through what Moroad gave us within the month."

"That's if no one suspects we're laundering money." He zipped up the bag. "Stick to the plan and change pot shops daily."

"Will do. We lucked out that we already had our hands in the pot shops before taking on Moroad." Dio picked up the bag and carried it down the hallway to put it with the others.

Jagger nodded at Cord to unlock the door. While the club understood what they were doing, some members weren't involved. The less they knew, the better. Around here, loyalty was earned, not given.

He turned to Bane. "Anything on Ruger yet?"

"No." Bane checked his phone. "I checked in with the mother chapter earlier, and no one has seen him yet."

"Are they looking for him?"

"They weren't until we became concerned. Hatchet has a crew out riding and has contacted those inside the prisons to see if they would know where he went. The search came up empty."

Jagger stood from the table. "Put Brett, Maverick, and Cord on the search. I'll have Camhead and Link run the shop. That fucker has to be around here somewhere."

He was tired of waking up each day, wondering if Ruger would show up ready to extract punishment on him, and in the end, he'd lose Katrina. The days of waiting only fed his need to stay alive. Somehow, he needed to make Ruger see logic.

Katrina was an adult. She could make her own decisions. If she wanted to be with him, Ruger had to step back or risk losing his daughter. He knew her better than anyone, and if she lost him, all hell would break loose.

"Where's Katrina?" he asked.

"Outside talking to Rodriguez and the others." Bane slipped his phone in his vest pocket. "I'm going to put Maverick in charge of the search party."

Jagger turned around and headed toward the door. Katrina mentioned going to the coffee shop. He expected her to be there, not talking with the men.

Outside, he searched the area and found her leaning against the building while Rodriguez, Gerry, and Slacker included her in their conversation. He took in the way she laughed and joined in without any hesitation. She was less secure around other women. With the men, she was comfortable. She knew what to expect.

He approached the group. The men fell silent. He stepped between them and gathered Katrina. As he walked her away, he stopped and pointed at Rodriquez. "She's mine. Better spread the word around."

"Yes, Prez."

He looped his arm over her shoulders and walked toward the clubhouse. The men needed to know they couldn't touch her.

She swung her body, hip-checking him. "Now I can't talk to the guys?"

"Talk all you want." He hipped checked her back. "But if one of them talks back, I'll kill him."

She frowned. He raised his brows, driving the point home. She understood that was exactly why Ruger was going to come after him. She had two men threatening everyone around to keep her safe. She knew the rules.

It was one of the reasons why he couldn't fault Ruger for wanting to kill him as punishment for touching Katrina. He would do the same thing to any man who touched her.