Chapter 26

CHAPTER

TWENTY-SIX

CLINK

As much as I want to stay with Dillion all fucking day long, to fuck her all day but also to make sure that her ass stays put, I can’t. I’ve got shit to do for the club, and there’s no way I can bring her with me.

Today, we’re going to deal with Blur and Vixen. I honestly was hoping that by locking them in a room together for the past few days, they would take care of themselves, and we wouldn’t have to do it for them.

But as far as I know, they’re still breathing.

For now.

“What are your plans today?” I ask after tugging my clothes on in Dillion’s bedroom.

She chews on the corner of her bottom lip, her gaze flicking from her feet to meet mine. There is a moment of silence before she exhales a heavy sigh. “I’m working at Sal’s tonight,” she murmurs.

I almost laugh, but I don’t find it funny. “Yeah, we’re going to have a discussion about that soon.”

She shakes her head a couple of times, opens and closes her mouth, then presses her lips together like she’s trying to keep from saying some smart-ass shit. I’m sure she has plenty to say, but for the sake of argument, I’m glad she’s keeping quiet. I don’t have time to fuck her right now when she’s being adorably smart-mouthed.

I cup her cheek, sliding my thumb across her bottom lip before I speak. “We’ll have a discussion after the dust has settled with this shit,” I murmur, dipping my chin and touching my lips to hers.

She doesn’t respond except to part her lips and accept my tongue inside of her. I taste her wholly, fully, and without reservation. I fucking love the way this woman tastes. I could fucking marry her for this alone.

Breaking the kiss, I nibble on her bottom lip before I take a step backward. “I’ll see you later tonight at work,” I murmur.

Her eyes find mine, and she searches them for a moment. I allow it, waiting for her to say something, knowing she’s got something on her mind. I’m just not sure what it could be at this point.

“Okay. I’ll see you later,” she murmurs.

I’m not sure what to feel about her words. It’s a single sentence, but something is off with them. I don’t have time to think about it, though. I have a ton of shit I need to do, along with having a meeting to devise a plan for shutting down the Southern Mafia as a whole.

“Later,” I agree before I turn and leave her alone.

Well… mostly alone. Wackie is standing guard. He jerks his chin at me as I pass by him. I would stop and talk, but I don’t have the fucking time for it. I’m in work mode now, and I have shit to do.

Jogging toward my bike, I climb on and ride straight to the clubhouse. I’m halfway there when I see a bike that isn’t normally in town pull out from downtown in front of me. If I had to guess, he’s likely got a bag of pastries in his saddlebag to get him through the day, compliments of his daughter-in-law.

A few moments later, I follow behind him as we ride straight toward the clubhouse. He parks his bike, and I guide mine right up next to him. Killing my engine, I throw my leg over the side and watch him do the same.

“Why the fuck are you here?” I ask.

Nash jerks his chin in my direction. “My son got stabbed, and I’m supposed to kidnap some girl who supposedly sold herself into sex trafficking. I’m here to find out exactly what the fuck is going on.”

I mean, he’s not completely off, and the way he says it, I don’t blame him for making his way here. I think I would have done the same had I received the calls he has recently.

“Got anything from Shawn’s bakery?” I ask

“For my fucking self, I do,” he growls.

He’s like a goddamn dog with his snacks, and I’m not going to be the one to get between him and his treats. Lifting my hands in surrender, I chuckle as I take a step backward.

“King should be inside. We have church. And we have some people to deal with,” I say, choosing my words carefully.

I know that the likelihood of anyone hearing me outside of the clubhouse is beyond rare, but you never know. I would have never fucking guessed four years ago that this is where we would be as a club. And that includes my ass being in prison and then coming out to having a whole-ass woman for myself.

So, who the fuck knows what is going to happen in the future and what is possible. I’m not going to make a goddamn thing easy for anyone, though. So, I’m keeping my mouth completely fucking shut.

“Let’s get this shit done, then. I want to know what the actual fuck is going on. And I don’t want to hear any bullshit about it.”

I almost laugh.

Nash used to be the president of the Dark Horse MC, but he semiretired and moved down to the coast. He’s supposed to be running a strip club down there as just something to keep them busy.

It seems he’s not quite ready to completely walk away from being the leader of the original chapter, and I don’t blame him. A lot of shit has been happening recently, and I understand Atomic is trying to keep us out of war, but I think it’s damaged us more than saved us.

I’m about done with us trying to keep the peace. Fuck the peace. It’s time for the world to fucking burn and for everyone to know that we are not to be fucked with. Not now. Not fucking ever again.

Nash follows me into the clubhouse. I can hear his bakery bag rustling behind me. The sound of its crinkling alone makes me hungry because I know what’s inside is fucking amazing.

I was so focused on fucking my woman that I didn’t get real food for either of us this morning. That’s disappointing. I should have made sure we were fed. I’m having some serious fucking regret right about now.

Walking straight to the conference room, I’m not surprised there are already men here. Atomic is sitting at the head of the table. A few others are scattered as well, but King isn’t here yet, and I know he’s who Nash wants to see most.

Nash tosses his bag on the table, reaches inside, and pulls out some blueberry-looking thing. No clue what the fuck it is, but I know that without a doubt, it is going to taste amazing—which makes me jealous as fuck.

A few people move inside, but then King is behind them. Nash sets his blueberry pastry down and faces his son. We’re all silent as we watch the encounter. Wordlessly, Nash lifts his arms and wraps them around King, murmuring something to him that none of us can make out.

Then Nash releases him and, without responding, lifts his hand to curl his fingers around the side of his throat and tugs on King’s body with a single jerk. “Scare me like this again, and you won’t have to worry about pussies like the Demon Guns. You’ll have to worry about me because I’ll finish the goddamn job,” Nash growls.

King’s eyes widen, he blinks, then he smiles. “Okay, Dad.”

“We ready to begin?” Atomic calls out.

“Fuck yeah, we are,” Nash growls. “Because I got some shit to sort out with this fucking club, and we are not leaving this room until it’s goddamn sorted.”

Fuck .

Also, hell yeah .

DILLION

I chew on my bottom lip as I wonder if I should just pack my things and run now. I don’t think Humble is going to leave me alone. Not that I want him to, because I truly don’t. But at the same time, I can’t just forgive and forget.

I’m in a conundrum.

My phone buzzes on the kitchen countertop next to my glass of water. Reaching over, I notice that it’s Shawn calling me. I don’t think she’s ever actually called me before. She’s texted. But called? Never.

I wonder if this is some sort of emergency.

Sliding my thumb across the screen, I bring the phone to my ear. “Hello?” I know I sound confused because I am just that… confused as fuck as to why she’s calling me.

“This is a big ask, a huge one,” she says, sounding out of breath.

I blink, unsure she’s got the right person. “Okay…” I say, my words trailing off.

She laughs, but it doesn’t sound like she’s finding anything funny right now. In fact, she sounds panicked. I’m not really good in emergency situations, so I’m not quite sure why she’s calling me and not someone else, like Kyle or Spencer.

“Why me?” I ask.

She lets out a laugh, and I press my lips together, embarrassed as hell that I just asked that.

“Because I trust you. You’re one of us, and the baby is sick. Brendan has been throwing up everything he’s consumed. I think he’s got the flu. I have a doctor’s appointment for him, and Kyle is going to watch Chase....”

That sounds gross.

“What do you need me to do?” I ask, afraid that she’s going to ask me to bake something. Which I cannot do at all. In fact, I think I might ruin her business if I tried to bake a single item.

She laughs softly. “Just man the front. Ryan is going to make the stuff in the back. She knows what she’s doing there.”

The idea of working with Ryan at the bakery should not make me as excited as it does. I decide to answer her without thinking about it. Because she’s asking me for help, and I would be a bitch if I didn’t help her when her kid is sick.

“I’ll be there in a few minutes. I need to pack my work clothes, and then I’m on my way.”

“You’re a lifesaver,” she exhales.

Ending the call, I rush around my house, packing my bag for work as quickly as possible. Then I’m out the door, and as I rush toward downtown, I realize that I didn’t leave.

I didn’t tell her no. I didn’t drive toward the West Coast. Instead, I’m driving toward downtown Pineville. What an absolute trip. I need to leave. I know I do, but I can’t. Shawn needs me, and she’s never been anything other than an absolute friend to me.

What kind of person would I be if I didn’t help her?

Pulling up to the front of the bakery, I throw the car into Park and hurry into the building. Shawn isn’t behind the counter when I walk in. The bell rings above my head, but there is nobody to be seen.

“I’ll be right there,” a voice calls out from the back.

I assume it’s Ryan.

What feels like seconds later, a frazzled Ryan appears in front of me. Her eyes widen, then she lets out an exhale. Then she rushes toward me and wraps her arms around me.

“My savior,” she whispers against my ear.

She releases me and takes a step backward. “Okay, the after-lunch rush is about to start. The people getting afternoon pick-me-ups, along with the ones who will be buying food for their desserts and whatnot. It’s going to get busy. Let me give you a crash course on the register.”

Nodding a couple of times, I move toward the back of the counter and listen to Ryan as she gives me the crash course. Luckily, it’s not too difficult because she disappears a few moments later.

I’m not sure why she says it’s going to be so busy. Nobody has walked into the bakery in at least ten minutes.

Then it happens.

One group walks in almost simultaneously, then more and more. I move so fast that I don’t know what’s what. People call out their wants, and I throw them in boxes. I’m sure I’m screwing everything up, but I’m trying, and I hope that Shawn realizes that when she starts to get complaints about me.