Chapter 7

Maverick

"Never been so fucking tired in all my life," Rebel grumbled as we all tumbled into the clubhouse, exhausted and angry from a day of hard labor. "Seeing Sweetie's face all black and blue like that? I'll set one of those motherfuckers on fire as soon as I get the chance."

"The girls are a little worse for wear, but they're fine," I said, trying to keep everyone cool.

The fact was, The Black Death had busted into the whorehouse, nestled quietly in a residential neighborhood, and beat up the girls and the tricks, and destroyed the house. But that wasn't the worst part.

Rocky scoffed. "Bro, they fucking set a car on fire out front. That wasn't about destruction, it was about getting the cops on our asses."

He was right, of course. It was a deliberate and calculated plan that had the desired result. Less than an hour after we showed up, so did a bunch of patrol cars from the sheriff's office.

"That's because they're dumb fucks who don't know shit about how things are done around here."

Diesel nodded. "Cross didn't even know The Black Death were operating in the area, and now he does, which is as good for us as it can possibly be. But he wasn't happy about the noise."

We all laughed at our prez's euphemism for the total fucking shit show the early morning hours had been in that quiet neighborhood.

"Yeah, well, that noise is one of our most lucrative houses," Hawk began. As the MC secretary, he was always thinking about the business side of things. His gaze clashed with Rebel's in a silent conversation. "That house isn't just out of commission for the foreseeable future." He sighed and shook his head. "We need to sell that shit immediately. It's burned as a brothel."

"You and Rebel should oversee the repairs and sell it as soon as you can, hopefully for a few bucks more than we bought it for. Also, make sure the girls are taken care of until they're able to work again," Diesel said.

"That ain't gonna be cheap."

"It'll be fine, just get it done." Diesel had a protective streak a mile wide, and he would never leave the girls high and dry when this fight was on us.

"Hey, boys, rough day?" Tess didn't wait for anyone to answer, simply handed out shots and icy bottles of beer. "This should help dull the senses." With a friendly yet sympathetic smile, she sashayed back to the bar and busied herself with whatever she did when she wasn't flirting or taking care of us.

"Where the fuck did Slate go?" Diesel looked all around the bar area for our tech captain, who had disappeared the moment we got back, frowning.

"I'm here," Slate said as he re-entered the bar, his head buried in the black laptop that was surgically attached to his left hand. "I just wanted to check on a few fires I've been stoking."

"Good. I have another fire, but I don't want you to stoke it, I need it started, and big."

Slate looked up with wide excited eyes. "Does this mean you're giving me authorization to go apeshit?" He looked like a seven-year-old in a three-story candy store. "Seriously?"

Diesel nodded. "I'm tired of this bullshit, and the longer we go without striking back, the bolder they'll become. Find me something. Anything. Quick." He scrubbed a frustrated hand over his face.

Rocky gripped Diesel's shoulder. "The girls are gonna be all right. Gio is looking after them, making sure they each get home safely."

"I know, but women? These guys are worse than Robert fucking Carter."

"They want us pissed off," I assured him. "They want us good and pissed off so we fuck up, and that's when they'll make their big strike, so we can't get emotional about this. The girls are good. Bruises heal, broken bones fuse back together, and fat lips close up eventually. No permanent harm was done, and they don't have to worry about paying bills while they heal."

"I know," he said, and hit his fist against the nearest table. "We might've been better off just dealing with Carter."

"Fuck that," Rocky said, gripping his shoulder even tighter. "They are one and the same, brother. Eventually, Carter would've sicced them on us as soon as we told him to fuck off. Again. Now at least we know what we're dealing with."

Diesel was pissed off, worse, he was carrying a heavy load of guilt over all the injuries suffered by more than a dozen of our girls. "I need to go see Ellie and the kids." He stormed off, leaving the rest of us to sit around in silence as we finished our drinks.

"I'm gonna head off to see Peyton," Rocky said. "Everybody do what you gotta do, but I expect you all back here at sunset. No exceptions. Got it?"

We all nodded, and the minute Rocky's bike became a distant hum, the rest of us took off to take care of business.

***

I didn't have shit to do other than check in on Mabel, so I got on my bike and rode out to my grandma's house. Though much to my surprise, she wasn't at home. Where in the hell was she?

"Hello?" she answered when I called her cell.

"Grandma, it's me."

"Oh, hi, Dylan! How are you and why do you sound so perturbed?"

"I'm perturbed because I just stopped by the house, and you aren't there."

"I'm old, not bed bound. Did you need something?"

"Yeah." I was unreasonably frustrated for reasons I didn't understand. "I need to know where you are."

"Ruby was nice enough to take Sophie and me to this wonderful little craft fair over in Henderson. I found the most beautiful yarn and these handmade cookie cutters. Do you know that kids love unicorns pooping out rainbows? I didn't."

I pinched the bridge of my nose, unable to believe or maybe fully comprehend this conversation. Maybe it was exhaustion since I'd been up since three in the morning. "No, Grandma, I didn't know that."

"Me either," she giggled. "I also found some dirty ones, if you know what I mean. I figured some of the other girls in the neighborhood will get a kick out of 'em."

"Grandma," I began, a warning in my tone. "Don't need to know everything."

"Don't be such a prude, Dylan. You and I are both too old to pretend we're virgins." She laughed to herself.

"Grandma."

"What did you say, Dylan? I can't hear you. I think we're going through a tunnel or something. How odd."

"There are no tunnels between here and Henderson, Grandma."

She laughed. "That's what makes this so odd. Gotta go, talk to you later, my boy. Love you." Stubborn old woman ended the call before I could say another damn word.

With nothing else better to do until the sun went down, I made my way home for a long, hot shower where my thoughts—inevitably—turned to Ruby. There was something about her beyond her girl next door looks and her pinup curves. She was equal parts strength and vulnerability, silk and steel.

Ruby was the epitome of a woman with secrets, which should be a huge fucking turn-off, but it oddly wasn't. The way she cared for Sophie and Mabel said she was a kind woman, one who wouldn't bring more bullshit to me and my MC.

It was probably just wishful thinking, another case of a man thinking with his dick, which was currently aching and hard, ready for some action. I slid a hand down my slick body and gripped my cock in a stranglehold. My eyes slammed shut and there she was, Ruby, with the plump pink lips, bright red hair, and curves for days and fucking days. I stroked my cock to nothing more than the image of her smiling face, the sound of her laughter while we washed dishes together. The sight of her licking her lips, not to seduce me, but simply to wet her lips, made me think about what else her tongue could do. My hand moved faster and faster, my whole body tensed as electricity ran up my spine, spreading out through my arms and legs. The base of my skull tingled at the same time my balls tightened up. One more swipe of her pink tongue across lush lips and my cock erupted against the shower wall. "Fuck!" My body shook with pleasure and the relief of release.

My legs wobbled and I smacked a palm against the wall to steady me. I hadn't had a good fuck in more than a month, maybe two with all the shit that's been going on with the club and I needed that.

Holy fuck, I needed that.

Hours later, I walked into the clubhouse lighter and freer, almost smiling. Almost, except I'd get too much shit from my brothers, so I pinched my lips between my teeth and scanned the room. Most of the brothers were here except for Rocky and Slate.

"There you are, man." Gio clapped me on the back, wearing a wide smile. "You should've helped me earlier. Got so many long hugs I've been sportin' a chubby all damn day. So many juicy tits pressed up against me, I'm probably gonna blow out my nuts later."

Gio was ridiculous, but he was young and dumb and had pussy on the brain. "Good luck with that, kid."

Slate rushed into the room from his office. "Rocky here yet?"

"No, and I'm tired of waiting. What did you find?" Diesel's brows were knitted into a deep frown that made it clear that time with his family hadn't calmed his nerves at all.

Slate settled into a seat and let his fingers fly over the keyboard like a goddamn cheetah. "All right." He looked up with a satisfied smile on his face. "Ricky Gomez, also known as Ricardo Gomez, Rich Gonzalez, and Roberto Gutierrez, is a trusted solider in The Black Death. And he's the owner of a warehouse sitting on a small strip of unincorporated land that's technically not Las Vegas and not Henderson."

"What is it?" Diesel's arms were folded across his chest, a dark look on his face.

A slow smile spread across Slate's face. "A cut operation, what else? Also like a distribution center. It's the first stop after the drugs cross the border. Gomez makes sure they're tested again, weighed, and chopped up to go out all over the country. Has to be at least a few million worth of product and who the fuck knows how much cash."

Suddenly, Diesel didn't look quite so pissed off. "I'm listening."

"Excellent." Giddy like a fucking schoolboy, Slate turned the screen so we could all see it. "This is where it's located," he said with a slow smile. "And this," he changed the image with a flick of his wrist, "is a Google Earth image so you can see how the building is laid out. Entrances and exits, windows and all that shit."

Diesel grabbed the laptop and stared at the screen as if he could blow the building up by just wishing it. "Tonight," he barked over the low hum of conversation. "We fuck this shit up and we do it tonight."

***

Later that night we were lined up on all sides of the building, weapons at the ready as we prepared to breach the exits. "Slate said the drone showed six people inside. Including Gomez."

I turned towards the metal door, easily picking the lock that had to be at least fifty years old. And then we were inside. The building was mostly dark, and where it wasn't dark, it was dimly lit with a gold glow overhead.

"Hey!" someone shouted further ahead, likely the door where Rocky and Rebel breached. Seconds later, two quick bursts of gunfire sounded, followed by grunts and loud thuds that echoed around us.

"Two down, four to go," Diesel said behind me. We moved ahead and approached two men with their backs to us. "I take right and you take left," he whispered.

I nodded and crouched lower to avoid any flying bullets as we made our approach. My guy had a cigarette in his mouth, and when he flicked it to the ground, I nailed him in the back of the head with my gun. His partner turned and shot wildly, but Diesel quickly subdued him by covering his mouth and nose until he passed out.

"We have to kill them."

"We will," he assured me, and looked around the immediate area until he found some tape. "Let's tie 'em to these pipes right here for now."

Hawk shouted up ahead, "They shot Rocky!"

Diesel and I stared at each other for a beat and took off at a full sprint towards the sound of Hawk's voice. "Where is he?"

"Fucking grazed," Rocky grunted from a spot against the wall. "Nothing to worry about."

"Get him out of here," Diesel barked, and motioned for me to follow him forward. A figure jumped out and tackled my fucking president to the ground. They fought like they meant it, throwing heavy fists in quick succession, grunting and growling as they fought for control.

We didn't have time for this shit. I raised my gun when he had Diesel pinned to the ground and pulled. Twice. "Come on."

"Thanks," he grunted as he got to his feet and we kept moving.

"Of course." Eventually, we found the product, but not Gomez. "Where the fuck is he?"

"Lookin' for me, putos?"

We both turned and found Gomez sitting down, with some chick's head buried in his lap.

"We are," Diesel said, his voice as calm as can be.

"You found me, white boy. Now what?"

"Now we kill you," he answered, a slow smile spread across his face.

Gomez shrugged. "If the Lord wills it, who am I to fight it? But this won't be the end of shit, you know that right?"

Diesel nodded. "But it'll be the beginning of the end, and for now, that's good enough for me."

Gomez laughed and gripped the woman's hair, shoving her away from him as if she didn't mean shit to him. "Here I am."

Diesel raised his gun.

Gomez raised his.

They stared at each other, both men stock still as they waited to see who would act first.

Gomez released his safety, a loud click in the quiet warehouse.

Diesel squeezed his trigger twice, one hole in his head and the other in his chest. "They always talk so fucking much." He spun in a circle. "Find any cash you can and then let's torch this place."

Holy shit. "Seriously?"

He gave one sharp nod. "Deadly fucking serious."

I set about doing what I was ordered to do, scooping up bricks upon bricks of cash, so many that I started to move slower and slower.

"Need some help?" Rebel asked.

I nodded and we worked in silence, loading up until there wasn't one fucking dollar remaining. Then we booked it out of the building before it went up in flames.

Overall, the night was a success, and I should have been exhausted. I was dog fucking tired, but on a whim, I drove past Mabel's house. All but one of the lights in the house were off. Ruby, I was sure.

Instead of throwing a fucking rock at her window like a teenage boy, I went home and texted her instead.