Tuesday

"I'm telling you, Skylar Rose, he's up to something." I clearly heard Pyro whisper when I walked out of my bedroom the next morning.

Sliding against the wall, I listened carefully.

Hey! I wasn't above snooping.

How the hell did you think I learned half the shit I knew?

"I don't see how. Banks and Hawk have been watching him all summer."

God bless my sissy.

I loved her.

I really did, but she really didn't know me at all.

Good thing she was pretty.

"Pyro's right, Skylar," Frank spoke up. "I know my little buddy. He wasn't happy when he learned King ordered Banks and Hawk to babysit him for the summer. So far, the kid has been playing by the rules, but with this being the last week before school starts, if Cameron has something planned, this will be the week he does it. King has the entire clubhouse on high alert."

"You guys are nuts. He's only a small boy."

"He's an evil genius mastermind whose power knows no bounds," Gunner clipped, then muttered, "He's like Ironman, Dr. Strange, and Deadpool , all wrapped up in one little boy."

"Well, what do Banks and Hawk have to say?" my sister asked.

"Those idiots are too busy counting down the days until school starts. They aren't paying attention to anything." Gunner chuckled.

"Well, what do you want me to do about it?"

"He's your brother. Make him tell us what's going on inside that devious mind of his," Pyro blankly demanded.

Peeking around the corner, I watched as my sister glared at her husband before putting her hands on her hips. The second she cocked her head, I knew Pyro was about to have a really bad morning.

Quickly deciding to give the man a helping hand, I made myself known.

"Hiya, guys!"

All three men jumped as they spun around to look at me.

Hiding my mirth, I just shook my head.

"What's for breakfast, Sissy? I'm starving," I declared, taking a seat at the breakfast table as Bagel ran for his bowl of kibble. "I've got a manly appetite."

Sissy smiled at me, placing a spoon and bowl in front of me before she poured Raisin Bran into my bowl.

Grimacing, I looked up at her. "What happened to my Fruity Pebbles?"

Sissy looked across the table at Gunner, who flinched.

"You rat bastard," I snipped.

"Cameron!" Sissy smarted. "Language!"

"Sorry, Carnage," Gunner said repentantly.

Narrowing my eyes at the man while Sissy poured milk into my bowl, I picked up my spoon as Frank just smirked, shaking his head.

"So, Cameron," Pyro cautiously said, clearing his throat as he looked at the brothers. "Only got six more days before school starts. Any plans?"

Shoving a spoonful of Raisin Bran into my mouth, I shrugged.

I wasn't going to give them shit.

Especially with Gunner sitting across from me.

Because of him, I had to eat this nasty crap.

"Leave him alone, Chase." Sissy sneered at Pyro, taking a seat next to me. "I mean it."

"Cameron," Frank piped up. "How about you help me out at the distillery today? I'm creating a new Hell's Inferno blend and could use your help."

"Can't. Got stuff to do today."

"Like what?" Gunner excitedly asked.

Reaching for my napkin, I wiped my mouth, sat back and sighed. "Well, Benny and I have to meet Mrs. Cohen at her place at ten. Then I need to swing by the hardware store, the post office and then the sheriff's station. After that, I promised to help Scribe in the greenhouse."

"Speaking of which," Gunner said, leaning forward. "What exactly is going on in the greenhouse? Scribe bolted from the clubhouse during dinner last night after he received a text from you. He's been in there all night."

Grinning at the man, I crossed my arms over my chest and said, "That's for me to know and you to find out."

"You know, all I have to do is walk in there and see for myself." Gunner challenged.

"Go ahead," I sneered evilly. "I dare you."

Gunner blinked.

"Okay." Mrs. Cohen smiled happily as she ushered a reluctant Kai and Jasper toward me and Benny. "Cameron and Benny. I want you both to welcome Kai and Jasper."

Looking at Benny, I sighed, then turned to Kai and said, "Hey, Kai."

"Hi, Cam," my school friend greeted as Jasper reached into his pocket and pulled out his inhaler. Without saying a word, the bird boy pushed down on the thing and inhaled deeply.

Rolling my eyes, I looked at Mrs. Cohen and asked, "You sure about this?"

Over in the corner, Kai's older brother, Nash, doubled over and laughed. "Oh God, this is going to be great. Wait till I tell my buddies."

"Shut up, Nash," Kai mumbled, his shoulders slumping.

"Make me, Kaliope," Nash snarked, typing away fast into his cellphone.

Before I could say a word, Banks pushed off the wall and thumped Nash on the back of the head.

"What the hell, man!"

"Shut up." Banks growled.

"You can't hit me. It's against the law."

Hawk chuckled, shaking his head.

"Is that so?" Banks smiled, grabbing Kai's jerk of a brother by the back of the neck, escorting him out the front door. "Let's test that theory."

"Don't worry, Mrs. Cohen. I'll make sure Banks doesn't hurt him… too much," Hawk said, quickly following, shutting the door behind him.

"Alright, boys, let's give this a try."

Standing around the piano while Mrs. Cohen played, we all watched and listened. And when she nodded, we all sang.

For the next hour, we practiced several songs, but we were all in agreement with only one of them. While Mrs. Cohen wanted something that was, in her words, "more civilized," I stated that if we were going to stand in front of the entire school and our families, then we should sing something we all wanted to sing.

In the end, Mrs. Cohen relented.

With our song picked, we all agreed to practice at home and continue our weekly visits until the talent show.

Benny and I were sitting outside with Kai and Jasper, waiting for their moms to come pick them up, when Jasper whispered, "Cameron?"

Chuckling when I looked at Banks, who was literally sitting on Nash's back in the front yard as Hawk threw flowers at the asshole's head, I said, "Yeah?"

"If you don't want me to sing with you, I understand. I know I'm not as cool as you."

That stopped me short.

Looking at the bird boy, I frowned. "What do you mean by that?"

"You are the coolest kid in our class. Hell, the entire school respects you. Everyone just makes fun of me. Don't want to ruin your reputation."

Shaking my head, King's words from yesterday filtered into my head. Sighing, I looked at Jasper and said, "We all have vices, Jasper. So, you like birds. Nothing wrong with that. If you like birds, then own it. You ain't got to prove yourself to no one."

A car pulled into the driveway as Nash started screaming bloody murder. "MOM! Mom, help me!"

The second the car came to a stop, a pretty brunette woman jumped out of the driver's side, screaming, "Just what in the hell do you think you're doing to my son?"

"Teaching him some manners." Banks smiled warmly up at the pretty woman.

"That is not your job!"

Looking at Kai, I whispered, "Yo, Kai. Your mom's hot."

"Yep." Kai nodded, as Banks slapped Nash's ass a few times, rather hard. The douche canoe actually cried out.

Kai chuckled.

"Stop hitting my son!"

Kai's mom was a beautiful Betty. Strong too. Then again, she'd need to be with a son like Nash. He was just plain mean as hell, especially toward Kai.

"I will when he apologizes," Banks challenged.

"I ain't apologizing for shit!" Nash screamed as Hawk threw more flowers at him.

"What did you do, Nash?" Kai's mother sneered at her son.

When Nash refused to say anything, Hawk explained, "Your son thinks it's fun to bully his brother. Banks and I were just showing him how we handle bullies. Weren't we, Banks?"

"Yep." Banks grinned, licking his finger really good before rubbing it in Nash's ear. "Thought we'd give him a taste of his own medicine."

"I told you to be nice to your brother, Nash McDonald."

Banks rolled off the douche and roughly helped him to his feet.

The second Nash was standing, the stupid fucker took a swing at Banks.

I wish I could say Banks was a good sport about it, but I'd be lying and I never lied.

Before Kai's mom could intervene, Banks had Nash up against a tree, his hand around the kid's throat. "Wrong move, shithead. I don't know what the fuck you thought you'd accomplish with that move, but rest assured it wouldn't have ended well for you. Now, I'm going to be crystal fucking clear. If I hear you've said anything derogatory, picked on or touched your little brother in any way, I will fucking finish what you just started. Just remember… jail is temporary, and kicking your ass would be worth a brief stint behind bars. So, try me, punk."

"Henry James Owens, you let that young man go right now," Mrs. Cohen said rather firmly, stepping out onto her front porch.

Banks took a step back and smiled.

"Was only talking to the boy, Mrs. Cohen. I swear."

Nash rushed to his mother's car, jumping in the front seat.

Kai's mom sighed. "I'm sorry if Nash caused any problems, Mrs. Cohen. He wanted to hang out with his friends."

"That's no excuse for bad manners, Laurel. But no worries. Banks and Hawk handled it."

"Of course." The pretty woman leered at Banks, who was now leaning against the tree, looking at Kai's mom as if she were the prettiest flower in Mrs. Cohen's garden. "Let's go, Kai."

The second they were gone, Hawk turned to Banks, who was frowning, watching intently as Kai's mom peeled out of the driveway.

"What's wrong?"

"I've seen her before."

"Where?"

"Don't know, but I'm gonna find out."

"Damn it, Carnage, I don't want to be in town all day long. I've got something I need to do at the clubhouse," Hawk protested loudly as I ignored the man.

"Should have thought about that before agreeing to be my chaperone for the summer!" I lobbed back when I reached the Rosewood Post Office. I had important business to discuss with Mr. Johnson, and I would not let Hawk stop me from doing what I needed to do. He could just get over it.

"Take a damn nap on your own time."

"I'm gonna kill him," the irate brother seethed, just as Banks jumped in front of him, stopping Hawk from strangling me.

"Hawk, breathe, buddy," Banks whispered, trying to get the man to calm down. "Only a few more days, and then the little shit is the public-school system's problem."

"He ain't gonna make it. I'm going to smother him in his sleep."

Yeah, I knew I was pushing Hawk's buttons, but he deserved it.

Out of the two, Hawk was the hardest to crack.

The brother gave nothing away.

He was also the meanest.

Well, not really mean. Let's just say he had a strong aversion to me and that I was breathing. That and he had a nasty chip on his shoulder.

Wasn't my fault King forced him and his twin amoeba to babysit me this summer.

I had shit I had to do, too.

If Hawk had a problem with me, he could take it up with the prez.

Walking into the post office, I headed straight for the counter.

"Good afternoon, Cameron and Benny. How are you boys today?"

Smiling, I looked up at Mr. Johnson. He was a cool old coot. Been around long before I ever moved to Rosewood. Mr. Johnson grew up in Rosewood, like most of the residents. More importantly, Mr. Johnson was school friends with King. Apparently, they played football together back in the good old days before schools required helmets and pads. Mr. Johnson liked to sit around and talk about those days to anyone who would listen.

"Very well, thank you, Mr. Johnson. I've got some packages arriving soon. I was wondering, instead of delivering them to Pyro's house, if you could deliver them to the clubhouse. Benny and Jamison will keep a lookout, so you wouldn't have to worry about notifying King or the others."

"How many packages we talking about?" the kind man asked, leaning on the counter.

Looking at Benny, who shrugged, I quickly did the calculations in my head, and said, "I'm thinking around eight. There might be a few really big ones, but nothing you can't handle."

"And they are all addressed to you?"

"Yes, sir."

Leaning closer, Mr. Johnson whispered, "This have anything to do with why the Sons are looking over their shoulders a lot lately, son?"

Benny grinned as I shrugged my shoulders. "Maybe?"

Mr. Johnson threw his head back and laughed. "Consider it done. As soon as they arrive, I will deliver them personally."

Reaching my hand out, Mr. Johnson happily took it.

"Thanks!"

Heading back outside, I saw Banks and Hawk leaning against the wall, fuming, but neither one said a word.

"That was easy," Benny said as I smiled, walking right past the knuckle draggers, heading for the sheriff's station.

"Easy peasy lemon squeezy."

"What are you gonna do when King gets the bill?"

"Already took care of that. Bailey gave me her card. She said I could buy whatever I wanted."

"Cameron," Benny groaned. "He's gonna be pissed when he sees how much you spent."

"It was necessary," I quickly said, looking both ways before crossing the street.

"He's going to blow a fuse."

"I can handle King," I replied, stopping before the sheriff's station.

For my plan to work, I needed Sheriff Mike's help.

Well, not so much help.

I needed Sheriff Mike's keen eye and his thirst for revenge.

Reaching for the door handle, Banks slapped his hand on the door, preventing me from entering.

"Planning on turning yourself in?"

Looking up at the brother, I grinned. "I need to file a complaint."

Banks narrowed his eyes. "Don't even think about it."

"Don't think about what?"

We all turned to see Sheriff Mike standing behind us, staring at Banks and Hawk.

When neither man moved, Sheriff Mike looked at them and asked, "Is there a problem here?"

"Nope."

"We're good."

"Then move," Sheriff Mike growled.

Stepping to the side, Sheriff Mike walked right past us and into the station. Not missing a beat, I quickly followed, turning at the last minute and sticking my tongue out at the knuckle draggers.

Those idiots would never learn.

"Are you even listening to me!" Hawk grumbled, punching Banks in the arm as he drove me and Benny back up the mountain. After we left the sheriff's station, I did my daily walkabout to check on things.

Just because I was seven years old, didn't mean I didn't have responsibilities. This town wouldn't function properly if I didn't make sure everything was running smoothly.

It was my civic duty, and I took that shit seriously.

However, at the moment, I was reminded of the fact that I seriously needed to have that conversation with King about the knuckle draggers when Banks turned in his seat and looked right at me.

"I need all the information you have on Kai and his pretty momma."

Groaning, I rolled my eyes. "Why should I tell you anything?"

"Because I can give you what you want."

Crossing my arms over my chest, I glared at the man.

"This ought to be good. Go on. What do I want, Banks?"

"Freedom."

Shit.

He got me there.

I did want that.

"Go on?"

"You tell me everything you know about Kai's mom and that shithead of a son of hers, and Hawk and I will look the other way if you two want to take off for a bit when we get back to the clubhouse."

Narrowing my eyes at the man, I countered, "I get freedom for the rest of mine and Benny's summer vacation."

Banks growled. "I can't do that, and you know it."

"Then no deal."

"Come on, Carnage," Banks whined. "What's it gonna take for you to give me the 4-1-1 on that smoking hot woman?"

Looking at Benny, I grinned.

"You see, Benny. It's all about supply and demand. I have something Banks wants, and all he has to do is give me what I want. It's rather easy."

"Yep." My good buddy Benny smirked, crossing his arms over his chest, looking at Banks.

"I fucking hate you both," the man grumbled. "Two days. We can give you two days before King rips our asses a new one. Sorry, Cam, but no Betty is worth that."

"Fine. Two days, and you have to take me anywhere I want to go for the rest of the week. No questions asked."

"Agreed." Banks smiled.

Hawk groaned. "Dude, you just got played."

And since I just got everything I wanted, I couldn't agree more.

"We can set up reinforcements, here, here, and here." I pointed out on the map Jamison drew. "We will just need to make sure that each place will have everything we need."

"And extra ammo, in case we get bogged down." Benny nodded, rubbing his chin in concentration.

"What we need is more manly men. As it is right now, we're spread too thin."

"What about asking Priest and Carebear to help us? Priest won't be able to do much ‘cause he's still in the wheelchair and, from what I heard, George is still butt hurt about his club name."

I smirked at that, then shook my head.

"Priest is a possibility, but not Carebear. He's more angry at me for coming up with the name. Angry dude would soon scalp me bald before helping us."

Benny nodded. "That's true. He hates his new name."

"What we need is a sleeper. Someone, none of them would expect."

"Who? All the brothers are loyal to King. None of them will help us."

Sitting in my seat, I stared at the map.

Benny was right.

Not one single patched brother would dare go against King. While I wasn't above blackmail, I had nothing damaging on any of them to sway them to our side. Oh, I had lots of little things, like Gunner sneaking off during work hours to take a nap. Pyro was secretly working off the clock over at Mr. Howard's Hardware Store. Scribe was secretly talking with a publisher about a dirty book he wrote. Frank was ignoring emails and phone calls from the head of the science department over at the University of Tennessee about guest lecturing for the fall semester. Enigma was considering throwing his hat into the next mayoral race. Priest was secretly spending time with two young kids over at the Rosewood Home for Children, and don't even get me started on the knuckle draggers. Those two idiots were in deep doodoo when King found out what they've been doing on their time off.

So, no.

I had nothing on any of them.

What I needed was someone with clout. Someone with enough balls that, no matter what happened, they could weather the wrath of King when all was said and done. Someone who didn't give a damn if shit went sideways, and there was only one person on the planet who fit that bill.

Smiling, I got to my feet and stretched my arms out in front of me.

"I know who we need."

"Who?"

Shaking my head, I sighed. "It's a longshot, and I don't want to jinx it yet, but the wheels are turning, Benny. You stay here and get everything set up. I need to go have a talk with the knuckle draggers."

As I headed for the door, Benny shouted, "But who are you going to talk to?"

Turning, I grinned.

"The one person on the planet King hates the most."

"This is a bad fucking idea." Banks groaned, parking the truck as he looked around the place.

It took some quick talking on my part, but eventually I reminded the knuckle draggers of the deal we'd made. When that wasn't good enough, I also informed them I knew what it was they did on their time off and threatened to out them to King if they didn't play along.

"I told you Carnage was trouble." Hawk sighed, unbuckling his seatbelt. "Now do you believe me?"

Banks slowly nodded.

Ignoring them, I jumped from the truck and took a good look at everything around me when a big, scruffy, familiar face barreled toward me.

"It's not Friday. What the hell are you two doing here?"

Both Banks and Hawk just pointed in my direction.

Putting my game face on, I looked up at the big, scruffy guy and smiled.

"Hi, Savage!"

Lucas Keller, also known as Savage, was a brother in the Golden Skulls MC and the husband of the hot, redheaded Betty, Jessica, who also was the only niece to King, Gunner and Pyro from their sister Cassandra.

Yeah, talk about a small world.

Anyway!

"Don't smile like that, kid. It's creepy."

Ignoring that comment, I narrowed my eyes.

"We need to talk."

"Hey, Savage." Another Golden Skull brother walked over, grinning. "A new recruit?"

Savage crossed his arms over his massive chest and glared at me. "No way in hell. Mercenaries wouldn't even touch this brat. What do you want, Cameron?"

"Got a proposition for you."

"I'm listening."

Looking at Banks and Hawk, who were both staring at me, I groaned. "Not here. Too many ears."

"Carnage, what the hell are you up to?" Banks asked.

"That's for me to know and you to find out. Now scram. I got manly business to take care of, and I don't need you two listening in."

"Why, you little shit," Hawk sneered, reaching for me as Savage stepped in front of him, shaking his head.

"Got love for you Sons of Hell boys, but the kid is here to see me. Now, unless you two want a repeat of what happened last Friday, I suggest you two follow Whiskey and let him show you what a real motorcycle compound looks like."

Left with no choice, Banks and Hawk walked off with Whiskey, both grumbling and threatening retribution when they got me alone.

Shaking my head, I chuckled. "Idiots."

When Banks and Hawk were out of earshot, Savage asked, "Alright, Cameron. What the hell are you up to?"

Smiling up at the big man, I posed my own question, "How would you like to help me stick it to King and the Sons of Hell brothers?"

Savage grinned happily, then waved his hand toward the clubhouse. "Step into my office, kid. I can't wait to hear what you've got brewing in that maniacal head of yours."

Dinner at the clubhouse was rowdy on a good night. Everyone talking over everyone. The laughter was deafening.

It was glorious.

From the moment Pyro, Frank, Priest, and Scribe brought me and Sissy here, our lives changed for the better. I couldn't imagine living anywhere else and I didn't want to.

This club was my life.

Everything about the Sons of Hell screamed home to me.

Sitting at the head of the table was King. The top dog. The man in charge. Like with most things, I watched and paid close attention to him the most. He was my mentor. The one I aspired to become. Because someday soon, I would sit in his place and do the same thing.

Yeah, that's right.

Someday, this club would be mine.

I knew it, and so did King.

Hell, all the brothers and Bettys knew it too. Maybe that was why King and the brothers took an active interest in me. Maybe, in their own way, they were trying to teach me what I needed to know, so when the time came, I would be the best president this club ever had.

I planned to go down as the best president in the history of the Sons of Hell. When my time came, MCs from all over the world would come to pay tribute and praise my badassery. The Bettys would swoon and praise my leadership willingly. The brothers would eagerly bend the knee, with grace and dignity. Then everyone would party for days in celebration, praising my good name to all that would listen. The town would erect a monument in my name and declare my birthday as a holiday. And every year afterward, everyone around the world would raise a beer and salute my name to the heavens.

It would be glorious.

"Kid is freaking me out, King. He's got that world domination look on his face again."

All conversation stopped as all eyes turned toward me.

It didn't bother me. They were always looking at me funny. Most of the time, they were trying to figure me out, but I kept them guessing. Not one brother or Betty in the club knew what was going on in my head at any given time.

Not even Frank, and he was the most like me.

"Carnage. You're not the prez yet, so curb the bloodshed." King groaned, shaking his head.

Gunner leaned close to King and whispered, "You sure about him, Callum? I mean, look at him. Who knows what that brat is cooking up in that scary ass head of his. I really feel for the brothers that follow him."

King smirked. "Carnage is going to be just fine."

"Can we get that in writing?" Enigma gulped, scooting his chair closer to Scribe, who chuckled.

Banks sighed. "I told you we should just patch him in. That way, we can control the little shit."

Enigma, Gunner and Hawk raised their hands. "We agree!"

I sat back in my chair, crossed my arms over my chest, and smirked.

Wussies! All of them.

King rolled his eyes.

"We are not patching in a seven-year-old. I don't care how scared you are of him."

"The four of you need to grow a pair." Priest groaned. "Cameron is still a little boy."

"Hey!" I snarked, affronted by that accusation, no matter how true it was.

"Sorry, Cam, but legally you are. While I got mad respect for you and your determination to learn everything, the fact is you are still a young boy."

"I prefer young adult," I muttered.

Priest smirked, then pointed his finger at the four morons. "However, you idiots are older than him and know better. You need to man the fuck up. Seriously? Cameron has more balls than you four do."

Sure did!

And wait till they learned what I had planned for all of them.

Saturday couldn't come quick enough.