Chapter 33

THIRTY-THREE

GNAW

Kyle sleepson the sofa in Atomic's office, and I know I should take her to my room, lock her inside, and be content with the fact that she's safe. But I wasn't joking when I said that I would not be able to let her out of my sight. I need to be able to see her no matter where we are or what we're doing.

Thankfully, Atomic doesn't say anything to me, although I can tell he isn't happy about her being in the room. I don't give much of a fuck, though. He could try to tell me to make her leave, but I wouldn't—couldn't.

There is no way in fuck I could function right now if I didn't have her in my sights. She was taken from this clubhouse by a man who I thought was a brother. I can trust nobody. Not a single fucking person.

Atomic shoves his cell in his pocket and lifts his gaze to meet mine. "Albert is almost here. He won't want her in the room, even if she's asleep."

I press my lips together, rolling them a few times before I speak. As much as I want to tell him to fuck off, I know we need to play nice with Albert until we find out how much of this shit he was involved in, because according to Xavier, he's been involved in all of this since the jump.

"I can't take my eye off of her," I say.

Atomic dips his chin. "How about we meet in the conference room? If she's in the bar, you can face the window and see her the whole time." It's a compromise that most men would probably not have a fucking thing to do with. I'm lucky that this is a complete brotherhood.

I sink down on the edge of the sofa and gently shake Kyle"s shoulder in an effort to wake her up. Her eyelids flutter open, and her eyes find mine as her lips curve up into a smile. I feel like a fucking asshole for waking her up. She should be asleep in bed, but I'm selfish, and I can't be away from her yet.

"Can you go out to the bar? I need to have a meeting, but you can't be in it. I can see you from the conference room."

With a yawn, she nods her head a couple of times, then pushes herself up to a seated position. "I can do that," she says, her voice raspy and growly with sleep. It's sexy as fuck.

Unable to control myself, I lean forward and touch my mouth to hers in a brief kiss. "Thanks, baby," I murmur against her lips.

A few moments later, I have her set up at the bar, where I have a perfect view of her from the conference table, just as Albert makes his way into the room. He's not as old as I thought he would be. I imagined him almost feeble, but he's probably the same age as Nash, in his mid- to late fifties.

After quick introductions, Albert and his right-hand man are both ushered into the conference room, where we typically hold church. King, Atomic, Nash, Brew, and Clink all join Albert and his man, Tony.

"Where is my grandson?" Albert asks before Atomic can say a word.

I almost ask which one, but I know he's been told about Talon already, so I decide not to be a smartass and rub salt into the wound—but I really want to. I still might before the day is over. If Xavier was telling the truth, this fucker is part of the goddamn problem.

"He's safe," Atomic murmurs. "But it seems as though you need to sit down and have a conversation with us."

"A conversation?" he asks, attempting to be clueless.

Nash snorts, obviously not believing his act, just like the rest of us. Atomic turns to look at Nash and dips his chin, giving him the floor. This is more his terrain. At least it was before he retired from his position here and moved down south.

"A conversation," Nash repeats. "Why do you want to try and take over Texas? What is your purpose other than human trafficking? You want to do that shit, stay in Louisiana. We are not going to let you come in here and consume all that is Texas."

"Why the fuck do you care?" Albert asks.

Nash's lips twitch into a smirk. "Because Texas is not yours to have in any capacity."

"It's called expansion," Albert snaps.

I watch as Nash's eyes widen at the tone Albert has used with him. I've never heard anyone use a tone quite that harsh with our former president. He's one of the most respected men in the one-percenter community.

"You can call it whatever you want, but that's not what the fuck it is. It's an invasion. Your men are kidnapping our women. You're kidnapping business owners in an attempt to scare them. It's cowardly bullshit, and you know it."

Albert's jaw sets hard. He does not want to be called a coward, and I don't blame him, but also, fuck them and fuck him. Flicking my gaze to the window, I check on Kyle. One of the clubwhores, Vixen, is sitting beside her, and I frown at the sight of them talking to one another.

I don't like that shit at all.

Clearing my throat, I try to shift my attention back to Albert, but I can't help but wonder what the fuck Vixen is telling Kyle. Granted, Xavier gave her a mouthful, and most of it she already knew, but we haven't talked about the clubwhores, and she hasn't asked, either. I was kind of hoping I would never have to confess any of it to her.

"What do you want out of this?" Nash asks. "Because you won't get Texas. Not a fucking square inch of it."

Albert's face relaxes, and I wonder if it's because he's accepted the defeat. I don't ask him. Instead, I watch and wait for whatever it is he's going to try and spew. I know that whatever he says, it's going to be partial bullshit because he's done nothing but lie since Nash called him.

"I want Talon's body, and I want Albie alive."

Loner's name is Albert, named after his grandfather, and I don't know why, but that bothers me. This whole thing does. It's all been too easy. The war was too simple, killing the Southern Mafia men far too fucking easy, capturing and holding the women… all of it.

There is something bigger going on. I just can't put my finger on it. I can't ask either. It's not my place, but I wouldn't even know what to ask to get any kind of straight answer. I don't think he's going to be offering those up.

"What are your terms?" Albert asks.

The balls on this asshole are ginormous.

"The terms are, you do whatever the fuck you want in Louisiana, but you do not fuck with Texas. You also don't fuck with anything remotely related to the Dark Horse MC."

I know that Albert has heard what he wants to hear because his lips curve up into a grin. "Now, that's going to be a problem," he murmurs. "Because you're driving shit from one distribution center to another all the way to the southern border of Louisiana. You're in my state."

There it is.

He wants a piece of the pie, and he thought this was the way to do it. But not just a piece of the pie. He wanted to create some new desserts, too, like trafficking, protection money, and whatever the fuck else he thinks he can weasel his way into.

Nash lets out a laugh, then leans back in his chair. I shift my attention toward the door and check in with Kyle. She's thankfully in the same place, but unthankfully, Vixen is still sitting beside her, talking to her.

Fuck.

"Easy," Atomic says, speaking for the first time in a while. "I'll just change the drop-off location."

My eyes widen, but I don't say anything. Inwardly, I wonder just where I'm supposed to have this shit redirected to. But I guess that's a problem for another day. One thing, one issue at a time.

I know that's what Atomic is thinking, and we need to get the Southern Mafia, and all of their men, out of Texas, and without a fucking excuse to come near us.

Because next time, I have a feeling a meeting like this will not be happening. There will be no more sit-downs. It will be a bloodbath of epic proportions. One that makes what we've already accomplished look like child's play.

And I promise that it will, even if I'm the only one involved, but I won't be because the men sitting at this table would do anything for one of their own.

"So, that part is settled," Nash states. "You stay in Louisiana. We stay in Texas as far as that shit goes. Now, we need to talk about your grandson and how he lied and spied on us, feeding information to not only Talon, but also you."

That last part is a complete guess. But judging by the way Albert clears his throat, and his right-hand man looks down at the table, it's the fucking truth of it. I'm filled with rage almost instantly, and it takes everything in me not to act on it, because this isn't the moment to lose my shit. This is the moment for control. As much as I want to lose said shit and blow all these fuckers straight to the sky.

"Albie and Talon came up with the plan. I told them it was dangerous, that it wasn't smart, but I was no longer their boss. Talon, as the leader, made the final judgment call."

Laying the blame on the dead one. It seems like something a coward would do, and since the entire organization is nothing but cowards, it definitely fits the damn bill.

"You sign the treaty, and if we ever see a member of the Southern Mafia anywhere near us, anywhere in Texas, without prior notification, it's shoot on sight. I don't give a fuck who it is," Atomic growls. "Consider this your one chance to make it fucking right what they did."

Albert dips his chin in a single nod. Nash shoves a piece of paper across the table, and I watch as Albert signs it, then his right-hand man signs as well. Atomic and Nash do the same when they're finished.

"There's a refrigerated truck out back. It's got Talon's body inside, along with Loner. He's probably cold since he's been back there since yesterday," Atomic states. "The whores are outside standing next to the truck as well. Get every person who belongs to you off my property and out of my goddamn state."

Albert doesn't say a single word. He stands so quickly that the chair crashes to the floor behind him, and he runs out of the room. Tony does the same, following behind him.

I watch, a smile playing on my lips until my gaze shifts to meet Kyle's. She's still sitting beside Vixen, but her gaze is fixated on me, and there is nothing except pure, raw hurt in her eyes.

Fuck me. Vixen explained shit to her.

Shit that I didn't want her to know because it didn't matter. I wasn't planning on fucking anyone else but her, so she didn't need to know about the whores like that. Kyle didn't need to know the dirty details.

If I could keep it all from her, I would have. But I knew that she would find out eventually, so I had planned on giving her just enough information. But not too much, not enough that she would leave me.

The expression on her face right now says that she's ready to walk out of the door right behind Albert, maybe even spring like he did. Nash and the others follow behind Albert's trail, but I don't move.

Kyle slips off the barstool and makes her way toward me. I watch as she closes the door to the conference room. She's not supposed to be in here. I'm not sure that a woman has ever crossed that threshold in the history of the Dark Horse MC.

But I don't dare tell her that because right now, she looks ready to spit nails. She may be pissed off, but she does not have control of this. This is my house, my club, and my past.

"Come over here to me," I murmur.

She narrows her eyes on me but does what I've asked. I watch as she walks around the large table, and when she's close enough to touch, I wrap my fingers around her hips and position her between me and the table.

Picking her up, I place her ass on the edge of the table. "What did Vixen say to you that's made you look at me that way?"

"You treat those women like prostitutes?"

"Yes," I say.

Her tongue peeks out and slides across her bottom lip, her eyes focused directly on mine. She doesn't say anything else. More, she's watching me. I don't know if she's trying to get me to scramble and say something that will justify who Vixen and the others are.

"They're given a place to live, food, and a stipend. They can leave any time they wish, but as long as they stay, there is an understanding of what they'll do for those things."

"Are you going to continue?"

I wrap my fingers around the side of her neck and grin. "Club rules are that I don't have to tell you shit, and what happens at the clubhouse stays at the clubhouse," I state. Her cheeks flush from my words, and I'm sure she's ready to say some shit to me, but she doesn't need to say a damn thing. "I'm not going to continue, baby. You're the only one I want."

"Monogamy?" she asks on a whisper.

"Damn fucking straight. You and me for as long as it's good."

"And if it turns bad?" she asks.

"We fix it until it's good again."

And that's that. No further discussion needed. Kyle is my person. Simply mine.