“Sounds good,” Mark replied.
We made our way over to the mostly deserted bar and stood behind my cousin Tommy’s wife Heather while she stared at a platter of pancakes.
After waiting for a while, Mark cleared his throat. “Uh, you need some help?”
Heather jumped and turned toward us, her face pale. “No,” she said, backing up a step. “No, I’m not hungry.” She let out a breath of air like she was blowing out a candle. “Thanks, though. It’s good to see you back home,” Heather said to me, trying and failing to smile. “It’s been a while.”
“Yeah, how’s your house? Almost finished?” I asked as Mark lifted two plates and started filling them with food.
“Pretty much,” Heather said, rolling her eyes. “Just cosmetic stuff left. Tommy insists on doing everything with cash, so we’re still missing some trim and shit like that.”
“That’s awesome. I know you guys have been working on it forever.”
“You should come see it while you’re here,” she said, exhaling through her lips again. “We’ll have dinner or something.”
“Sounds good—”
“Sorry,” she blurted, cutting me off as she strode quickly out of the room.
“Congratulations,” I said under my breath as I turned toward Mark.
“Not so bad, right?” he asked, glancing at me. “But she must’ve had a rough night.” He laughed.
I shook my head. “Pregnant,” I said quietly.
“Really?” he looked in the direction Heather had gone. “How could you tell?”
“I know the signs,” I replied dryly, grabbing us some silverware. “She didn’t even mention Olive, and everyone coos at babies unless they’re deliberately trying not to. Plus, if it was a hangover, she’d look haggard and be drinking a Bloody Mary. Hair of the dog, and all that.”
“I’ll take your word for it,” he said. “You want fruit?”
“Yes, please,” I replied. “I wonder if Tommy knows?”
“If he did, everyone would,” Mark said in amusement. “He’d be shouting it from the rooftops.”
“Or he’d be the one puking,” I joked.
“Yeah, I can see that.” He grabbed our plates and turned toward the tables. “Where you wanna sit?”
Turning with him, I took a deep breath. My brother and Trix were sitting on a couch in the corner with Will and Molly on the opposite couch and as I watched, Tommy crawled over the back of Will and Molly’s couch and planted himself between them. Poet was making the rounds, carrying a cup of coffee. Amy sat at a table with Dragon, Brenna, and my Aunt Callie sitting on my Uncle Grease’s lap. My parents were sitting with Lily, Leo, and Leo’s son. I swallowed hard as I scanned the rest of the room full of people, jumping over Rose’s table without looking too closely.
“Come on,” Mark said when I didn’t answer.
I followed him to one of the closest tables, sitting down next to Lu.
“You’ve been hangin’ with me for weeks,” she said in surprise. “Don’t you want to—” she gestured to the rest of the room.
“Not especially,” I said under my breath. I looked up as Mark set my plate in front of me. “Thank you,” I said, tipping my head back to meet his eyes. He gave the back of my neck a squeeze and rounded the table.
“This is so much better than continental breakfast,” Ephraim said, digging into his food. He looked up and grinned. “Good to see you guys in one piece.”
“Thanks for driving my stuff up,” I replied, looking from him to Josiah.
“No problem,” Josiah replied for both of them, big hands wrapped around a cup of coffee. He sniffed it appreciatively. “Worth it for this right here.”
“Right?” Forrest said, nodding. “I need to see who made it and what they put in it.”
“Cinnamon?” Josiah asked.
“Could be,” Forrest replied, lifting his own cup to take a drink.
“Girl,” Lu said, dragging the word out as she looked at me. “You brought your A-game today.”
“What?” I asked, shaking off the feeling of someone watching me. They probably were. So what?
“Makeup,” Lu said. “Looks good.”
“Oh, thanks.”
“You put on makeup?” Eli asked, tilting his head as he stared at me. “Why?”
“Why’d you put all that product in your hair?” Lu snapped back. “Mind your business.”
“I don’t have product in my hair,” Eli said in confusion as Lu turned back to me.
“The guy could tell you every bra size in this room,” she said to me, shaking her head. “But the subtleties of makeup are lost on him.” Lu bumped her shoulder against mine. “Families are hard, man,” she said. “Especially ones that are this big.”
“Not all of them are family,” I said as I adjusted the way I was holding Olive so I could eat. “I barely know some of them.”
“Like four of them aren’t family,” she joked. “Your family tree’s a spiderweb with this club at the center.”
“You’re not wrong,” I replied, as I forced myself to take a bite. I should’ve spoken to Lily before I sat down to eat, now I wouldn’t be able to think of anything else until I did. Ripping off the Band-Aid would be a lot less painful all at once, and I was more aware than anyone how awkward it was that I hadn’t said hello to everyone.
After a few minutes of halfheartedly picking at my food, Mark tossed his napkin on his empty plate and stood. “Come on, Cec,” he said, putting his hand out to me. “This is getting’ painful to watch.”
“Thank God,” Forrest said, shoveling a huge bite of potatoes into his mouth. “She was givin’ me a nervous stomach.”
I got up without argument and let him lead me through the tables.
“There she is,” my mom said, wiggling her hands in a give-me motion. “Have you eaten? I can hold her while you get some food.”
“We got some,” I said as I handed Olive off. I braced myself as I turned to Lily.
“Hey, little sister,” I said softly.
“It took you long enough to come over here,” she said, jumping to her feet. “Jesus, it’s like I have the plague or something.”
I let out the breath I’d been holding as she wrapped her arms around my waist and pulled me into an awkward hug.
“Missed you,” I said, leaning my head against hers.
“Missed you, too,” she replied, letting me go. “Back to cause trouble, huh?”
The words were offhand. Her tone and body language were easy and friendly. Everyone knew it was a joke.
But I still felt my hands curling into fists and my spine stiffening. “No use coming back otherwise,” I replied, my tone and manner just as easy as hers.
Except, suddenly, the entire feel of the table changed.
“Let’s just not,” Rose called out from her place at the next table. “I’m too fuckin’ tired to deal with it.”
“Not sure what you have to deal with besides your boyfriend’s wrecked leg,” I said back, meeting her eyes.
“Yeah, say thanks to your baby daddy for that,” she said drolly, leaning back in her seat.
“Baby,” Mark said in warning, his hand fisting in the back of my shirt.
“That’s enough, Rose,” my mom said.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I spat, looking at Rose. “From what I understand, your ex is the reason your boyfriend’s walking with a limp. At least your taste has improved, but hey, it couldn’t have gotten any worse, right?”
She was on her feet before the words had even left my mouth.
“Sit your ass down,” Grease ordered, pointing at his daughter. “Jesus Christ, it’s like you’re in high school again.”
“Maybe you should head back to San Diego and deal with your own shit,” Rose said as she dropped back into her seat. “Looks like you’ve got your old bodyguard back anyway. Hey, Mouth.”
I could take the way she was looking at me, the way she felt the need to chime in when I was trying to talk to m
y sister, even her bullshit about Olive’s father—but the way she’d looked at Mark and said the nickname that Leo had used to make fun of him when we were kids—put me right over the edge.
“Jealousy is a stinky cologne, Rose,” I said, glancing at Olive. “You should try to cover that up with something.”
Her face paled as she stared at me, and even though she didn’t say anything back—I didn’t feel any satisfaction. I never did after I’d finished verbally sparring with my family. The only thing I felt was relief that it had ended, and guilt about what I’d said.
Rose and Mack had broken up before they were kidnapped because he refused to have any more kids. As far as I knew, that was the only reason they’d been apart—and I’d just used that information that I shouldn’t have known in a way that I knew would shut her up.
“CeeCee,” Lily said, sitting back down beside Leo, “for fuck’s sake.”
I was strung so tightly that I couldn’t even respond. I hated that I’d lost control of my temper so easily. That I’d let Rose goad me into snapping back at her.
“It never fucking ends, does it?” my mom asked tiredly as she got to her feet and handed me Olive. “Just stay away from her while you’re here, alright?”
She walked away from us and I looked to my dad, who got up to follow her. He just raised an eyebrow as he passed me. I ignored the pang of guilt I felt as they walked away. I shouldn’t have used information my mom told me in confidence about Rose, especially when everyone knew my mom was the only one who would’ve told me about it.
“You know,” Leo said conversationally, leaning back in his chair. “You’d think you’d be a little nicer when you’re asking people for help.”
“I didn’t ask her for shit,” I shot back. “And I didn’t ask you, either.”
“No, I guess you didn’t have to ask,” he replied. “You didn’t have to, because you know if you call crying to your pop, you’ve got the whole club behind you no matter what.”
“Stop,” Lily said, reaching out to grab Leo’s thigh.
“Fuck you, Leo,” I replied through my teeth.
“Our son is sitting right here,” Lily shot back. “That’s enough. I’m glad you’re here, but maybe we can catch up later, okay?”
“Come on,” Mark said, tugging me away.
“I want to go back to the room,” I said quietly as he led me through the tables. I refused to cry in front of everyone and I could feel the tears stinging the back of my nose.
As soon as Mark had closed the bedroom door behind us, I spun to face him. “What the fuck?” I said, my voice shaking. “Seriously. What the fuck? This is why I didn’t want to come back here. This is exactly why.”
“You held your own,” he said crossing his arms over his chest. “Breathe, baby.”
“Fucking Rose,” I gritted out. “I couldn’t get one fucking conversation with my sister, not even one, without her snarky ass commentary.”
“It’s like instinct for her,” he said calmly. “You know that. It’s always been that way. The minute she thinks Lily’s in trouble, she steps in.”
“In trouble from me?” I said, pointing at myself. “Me. Her sister.”
“Didn’t say it was logical,” he replied.
“And Leo,” I hissed.
“Let’s leave that one for now,” he said grimly.
“What?” I paused in my ranting to meet his eyes.
“You were holdin’ your own,” he replied. “So I didn’t knock his teeth down his throat—but it was a close thing. So, baby, I’ll stand here all day and listen to you get this shit off your chest, but I’d rather leave the Leo conversation for a different time. When he’s not within walkin’ distance.”
My lips twitched. “You wanted to knock his teeth down his throat?” I said, raising my eyebrows.
“The fact that he’s breathin’ your air makes me want to do that,” Mark grumbled. “That shit he was sayin’ just intensified the urge.”
“I hate it here,” I said with a sigh.
“It’ll calm down,” he reassured me. “Give it some time.”
Olive started to fuss, so I dropped onto the bed and pulled my t-shirt up to nurse, glad for the distraction as my heart rate finally started to slow down.
“What was that jealousy shit about?” Mark asked, laying down beside me.
I grimaced. “Rose’s boyfriend refused to have kids—which is why they broke up. They must be back together now.”
“Cec,” he groaned.
“I know, okay?” I said defensively. “She shouldn’t have called you Mouth.”
“That’s why you said it?” he asked, leaning up on his elbow.
“She can fuck with me all she wants, but she’s sure as hell not going to fuck with you,” I replied flatly.
Mark chuckled. “That name stopped bothering me a long ass time ago,” he said, patting my leg. “Right about the time I realized just how much you liked my mouth.”
Chapter 22
Mark
Cecilia grinned at me slyly, and just as I rose up to kiss her, my phone rang.
“Fuck,” I muttered, pulling it out of my pocket. I glanced at the screen. “I gotta get this.”
I stood from the bed and kissed Cec on the top of her head as I answered.
“What’s up?” I asked, walking toward the door.
Most of the time, I wouldn’t care if Cecilia sat on my lap with her ear pressed to the phone—but the fact that Wilson was calling me so soon after Forrest had heard from him made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.
“Warren’s phone was shut off,” Wilson replied in frustration. “It was like two hours man—that’s it.”
“And you didn’t say somethin’?” I barked, striding down the hallway.
“It was two fucking hours,” he ground out.
“And?”
“He must have a goddamn helicopter,” Wilson said grimly. “Because he is currently in Eugene.”
I came to a stop with my hand on the door leading to the field behind the clubhouse. “Say again?”
“Drake Warren’s cell phone is in Eugene, according to the GPS coordinates I just uploaded.”
My mind raced. How close was he? I glanced back at the room where I’d left Cecilia and Olive. “You got anything more precise?”
“With the technology at my disposal, that’s not possible,” Wilson replied. “Shit, Chief,” he said, his words coming out far more informal than usual, making him sound like the kid he was. “I fucked up.”
“Call Forrest and fill him in on the particulars,” I said, spinning on my heel and striding back toward the center of the club. I didn’t have it in me to offer him absolution—not when the devil was knocking on our goddamn door.
I found Casper and Dragon standing at the bar. As soon as I got close, their conversation stopped, and both men looked up in surprise when I joined them.
“Warren’s in Eugene,” I ground out.
“Course he is,” Dragon said, watching me closely. “You surprised by this?”
“Warning would have been nice,” I replied.
Casper chuckled. “Yeah, man, it always is.” He slapped me on the shoulder. “You’ve been spoiled with gadgets and backup too long. Welcome back to reality, where fuckers jump outta the shadows.”
“We planned for this,” Dragon said calmly.
“We plan for everything,” Casper added. “But knowing he’s here now, we can adapt a bit. Here’s what I’m thinking—”
The longer I stood with them, listening to Casper as he laid out the plan for the day, the more my shoulders relaxed. They really did try to plan for all contingencies. All that calm disappeared in an instant when Casper said Cecilia’s name.
“You want to what?” I barked.
“She’s gotta come with us,” Casper said. “Highly visible.”
“No,” I replied.
“You think I’m happy about this?” he shot back. “You think I’d ever put one’a my kids in danger? This is th
e only way to draw them away from the club. They don’t need to take any of us out—at least not at this point. He’s after CeeCee and Olive, and for this to work, he’s gotta think that he’s got a chance to get one of them.”
“We risk the chance of them tryin’ to get onto the property,” Dragon said. “And we could hold ’em off—but I’ve got a feelin’ that they’d just come back. How long you think we should play that game? Can’t keep the women here indefinitely.”
“Sure as shit can’t keep them inside indefinitely,” Casper added. “He’s not gonna stop.”
“So we take Warren out,” I said.
“The militia hasn’t gotten back to your friend,” Casper said calmly. “And they let Warren leave. They’re in this shit. You think takin’ one man out will stop this shit?”
“His goon squad isn’t part of the militia—”
“They’re still gettin’ paid,” Dragon said reasonably. “Even if Warren’s dead. I’d put money on it.”
“Militia will take care of that,” Casper agreed. “Hamstring us and claim plausible deniability. Exactly how I’d play it.”
I ground my teeth together and stared at the rows of booze behind the bar. I knew they were right. We had to draw the fight away from the clubhouse full of women and children, and we had to make it so that they couldn’t retreat and regroup. That didn’t mean that I could agree to putting Cecilia right in the middle of the fight we were about to invite.
“We’ll get her to the house and inside with Cam,” Casper said. “She’ll be in the open fifteen seconds tops from the truck to the front door.”
“Fifteen seconds is a long motherfucking time,” I bit out.
“You got a better idea?” Dragon asked. “I’m all ears. You don’t? Get your shit straight and back us the fuck up.”
“Cecilia know about this?” I asked Casper. If she knew, there was no way I could put a stop to it, short of tying her down.
“Do I know about what?” Cecilia asked, coming up behind me.
“Fuck,” I breathed, closing my eyes in frustration.
“Warren’s in Eugene,” her dad replied, not bothering to sugarcoat it. “We’re gonna draw him away from the clubhouse.”
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