by Khloe Wren
Pressing a knee to the edge of the bed, he dropped his weight onto his hands then crawled over until I was caged beneath him. With a wide grin, I wound my arms around his neck and twirled my fingers in the short hair above his neck. His eyes sparkled as he smiled down at me.
“Is that right? Whenever I like, huh? What about wherever I like?”
When I nodded, he lowered down and kissed across my collarbone before working his way up my neck, to my mouth. The feel of his hot, smooth skin against mine had my blood singing in my veins. When his lips finally found mine, I groaned as I opened my mouth and let him in.
Scout sure was an expert at kissing. Every time was perfect. Whether it was hard and fast because we didn’t have much time, or a long, drawn-out seduction, like he was doing now, it didn’t matter. Either way melted my heart and revved up my body.
It truly was going to be a long six weeks.
Chapter 11
Marie
I hated watching Scout struggle. He’d dropped me at the hospital before he headed out to take Mac, Arrow, Tiny and Bash to the airport. I knew he wanted to be going with them, and I loved him all the more for the fact he was choosing to stay home with the kids and me.
After all, he was the president of the Charons, so I wouldn’t have been surprised if he had decided to go with them in the end. He took his role with the club seriously, making sure he kept all his Charon family as safe as he could at all times, just like he was deadly serious about keeping us protected. So if he had decided he needed to go up there to take out this threat personally, I would have understood. But luckily for me, he put his place as my husband and the kids’ father above all else this time.
Even though I would have understood him going, I was damn relieved he was staying close to home. I hoped the four men who were going all returned safely, but it was always a risk they wouldn’t. Zara was one of my closest friends, as was Mercedes, and both their men were heading up to New York. Add to that, the doctor hadn’t cleared me to go back to work, so they were running my cafe on their own. I was worried about overworking the pair of them.
Scout had told me how the club had gone in and cleaned up the mess that was left after the attack, making sure everything was back to how it should be, which I was grateful for. Zara and Mercedes had enough to do without having to clean up blood and garbage off the floor from the raid.
Joey snuffling had me focusing down at my little baby snuggled up against my chest. I had him tucked under my shirt, so his warm little body was up against my bare skin. Grinning, I gently stroked a fingertip down his tiny cheek. He’d come out at a relatively healthy five pounds, four ounces. Big for a preemie, but with Scout as his father, it didn’t come as a shock to me that he was bigger than he should be.
“Just like your papa, aren’t you little man? Big and strong.”
I couldn’t wait to be able to take him home. To be able to spend my days with Ariel and Joey and my nights curled up in Scout’s arms. That was my dream. To have all my family under the one roof, safe and sound. Running my finger over Joey’s hand, I marveled at the softness of his skin. He was pure innocence right now. Completely dependent on me to give him what he needed. But I knew he’d grow up before I was ready. No doubt he’d grow up to be like his father, following him into the Charon MC.
As I watched my sweet boy sleep, I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. Scout was the love of my life, but for so many years he’d denied me. One of the reasons he’d held back had been that he hadn’t wanted me to be put at risk as the president’s old lady. Turns out he was right to worry. The what ifs of what happened in the cafe tormented my mind. What if Ariel hadn’t been able to get Cleo out? What if the men had panicked and just shot us all before running? What if Cindy hadn’t come running with a bat like she was Harley Quinn?
Lifting my hand, I rubbed my stinging eyes. So many what ifs, so many worries for what would happen next time. Because no matter what Scout, or any of the club said, there would always be someone out there who wanted to come after the Charon MC.
“Love, don’t cry.”
Scout’s strong arm went around my shoulders. I moved my hand away to look into his familiar face and I couldn’t hold my tongue any more.
“What happens next time, Scout? What happens if Ariel’s not there next time? And Cleo gets hurt? Is this our life—”
He cut me off by pressing his lips against mine, kissing me until the tension drained from my body.
“I promise you, I will do everything I can to make sure it never happens again. Whenever your cafe is open, or anyone is there, I’ll have prospects protecting it, just like the other businesses in town where our people work. I’m not ever again assuming that Bridgewater is completely safe. I won’t risk you like that. Never again.”
I lifted the hand not cradling our son and stroked Scout’s cheek before running my fingers through his beard. I didn’t know how to respond to him. What could I say? That it was okay? That would be a lie. It wasn’t okay that we needed around-the-clock security to feel safe. I didn’t want to live like that. Nor did I know where all the prospects were going to come from. The Charons were going to have to do some serious recruiting to have enough manpower to accomplish everything he just declared.
“I don’t want to have bodyguards follow me around forever, Scout. It’ll make me feel trapped. And I know the other women will feel the same way. When there’s a threat, sure, but not twenty-four/seven. And it’s not fair to the prospects, which I don’t believe the Charons have enough of, for all of that, anyhow. How about you teach me and the other old ladies how to shoot? I’ll go to a few more of Mac’s classes. Or maybe I should get Cindy to teach me how to swing a bat?”
Trying further to lighten the mood, I gave my man a smirk. Then grinned when he scoffed a chuckle and stood up to his full height as he shook his head.
“Cannot believe she came in swinging like that. Crazy-ass woman.” He paused to sigh and run his hand through his hair. “Yeah, getting you and the other old ladies trained up sounds like a good plan. Mac actually suggested it a while back, but we never got around to making it happen. I’ll bring it up at church next week, get things rolling. But you’re not gonna be doing any of it until the doctor gives you the all clear. No way am I risking the recoil off a gun to damage you while you’re healing up.”
His words melted me. Always so focused on my wellbeing.
“Sure thing, babe. Now, get over here and kiss me.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Since I couldn’t easily stand, he leaned down and, bracing an arm on the wall behind my chair, he cupped my face with his other palm and took my mouth with his. Winding my free hand around the back of his neck, I threaded my fingers up into his hair as he deepened the kiss.
Joey squirmed and grunted and we broke apart. Chuckling, we both glanced down at our son, who hadn’t appreciated the squish he’d been getting between us.
“Sorry, son.”
Scout leaned down and pressed a kiss to the top of his head, making my eyes sting once more. Wish I had my camera handy.
Scout
I was on edge in a way I’d never been before. There was so much up in the air and none of it was within my ability to control. I hadn’t heard from Arrow since he’d sent me a text to say they’d landed in New York earlier. He was due to call in each evening to keep me updated, so I wasn’t expecting a call until later tonight. With any luck, he’d have some good news for me. Although, I didn’t honestly expect them to have been able to sort much out in their first day up there, not when they went in with no fucking plan to start with.
But it wasn’t just my club and the fact I wasn’t able to go with them that had me on edge. Joey was still in the hospital. The doctor was talking like he needed to stay until his due date. Apparently that was protocol. I fucking hated it. Joey was doing well, I didn’t understand why we couldn’t just bring our boy home. I could tell Marie hated it as much as I did, and poor Ariel was getting shipped off to Bulldog�
��s old lady, Rose, more days than not. Poor kid would start thinking we’d abandoned her again if this shit kept up.
Not to mention Marie’s mental state. I knew full fucking well she was trying to hide it from me, but I could see it in her eyes. She was barely holding it together. Every now and then she’d let slip with something. Like last night when she was worried how I’d react to her c-section scar. Crazy woman. Like anything would change how much I loved her. If anything, every little thing she did made me love her more, never less. I mean, for real, she stayed calm while held at gunpoint. Held on for an extra week, despite Joey wanting to come out and see what all the commotion was about. That’s what Marie had told me. Said he was just like me and wanted to see what was going on. She had a point. I’d always needed to know who was doing what around me and if anything was out of place, I did all I could to put it back where it was meant to be.
At least once this shit with Ice Riders and Sabella was dealt with, I could let the others take over running things for a week or two while I spent time with Marie, Ariel and Joey. Sadly, I didn’t know how fucking long I’d have to wait for that, though. Everything was up in the air, from how long it would take to deal with the Ice Riders, to how long it would take to handle Sabella once that was finished.
My phone ringing had me stepping away from the bike I was working on, and when I saw it was Arrow calling through the secure app Keys set up for us, I headed to my office for some privacy. Him ringing this early could be good news, but I fucking doubted it.
The second I had the door shut, I answered the call.
“Talk to me.”
“Not real sure what the fuck we’ve walked into up here. For a start, Parrish ain’t the president anymore. Wolf has the top job now. He’ll be calling you later.”
That shocked me. “Was the change in leadership friendly?”
“Looks like. Although, Parrish still holds power and sway with the club. Actually, I feel sorry for Wolf. He’s president, but he knows if Parrish wanted to, he’d put the call out and the club would ride for him in a heartbeat.”
“Any news on the Riders?”
“In a way. The other thing we seemed to have walked in on up here is a war one of the local cartels—Sinaloa Cartel—has declared on the Knights. Shit escalated this morning and now the whole club’s on lockdown. It’s a fucking mess. But I think we can make it work. The Sinaloa Cartel is the one that the Riders are having trouble with. So, we’re gonna go get the ledgers and go over them. See if we can find anything that we can use to tie up both loose ends. But, Scout, this cartel? The shit they’re pulling? It’s no joke. This is fucking war, brother. In all its bloody glory.”
I winced and scrubbed my face with my palm. Fuck it all. I hadn’t meant to send my men up into a fucking war zone.
“What you wanna do, Arrow? Is it worth staying? I don’t want to lose men to another man’s war.”
“I wouldn’t have volunteered to join this fight, brother. But now we’re here, we’re staying. These are good men and this fucking cartel is coming after their women. Old ladies, mothers, kids... they don’t give a shit. They need to be stopped. And the Knights are gonna need all the help they can get.”
I nodded, even though he couldn’t see me. “Yeah, I hear you. Okay, get the ledgers and see what you find in them. But I don’t want them to be left unattended. Put Bash on guard duty. They’re never to leave his sight, understand?”
Last thing we needed was to have them go fucking missing, end up in the wrong hands that’ll trace them back to Silk somehow.
“Understood. Not sure if there’ll be much of any use in them. I mean, Mac didn’t find anything obvious when he went through them earlier. Riggs, one of Wolf’s men, is gonna go through them. Maybe a fresh set of eyes will see something we didn’t.”
“Yeah, maybe. Fucking things are nearly two decades old now. When you’re done with them, burn ‘em till they’re dust. We got copies down here if we need anything that’s in them again.”
“Got it. Okay, I’d better get back to the fray and see what the fuck’s going down now.”
“Good deal. Stay safe, brother.”
“Always. And, Scout?”
“Yeah?”
“Might wanna keep a bag packed. Something tells me this shit is gonna go down real soon and if you wanna be here for the final fight, you’ll need to be here sooner, rather than later.”
“If it’s before Joey is released, I’ll be there.”
We said goodbye and hung up. Fuck, I hoped this shit would be over by the time my boy came home. Tucking the phone away, I went back to the bike and because my stupid ass was distracted, I slipped as I tried to undo the main nut on the rear wheel. My hand slammed against the belt guard and got sliced up at the base of my thumb.
“Motherfucker!”
Grabbing a cleanish looking rag, I used it to put some pressure on the wound as I headed to the bathroom to wash it up and get a better look at the damage.
“Boss, you all right?”
“Just cut my fucking hand up. Sure it’ll be fine.”
I knew Jazz would still follow me. He was a good kid, solid. And like Bash, way past due for his top rocker. After tossing the rag and giving it a thorough wash, the bitch was still bleeding. I’d hoped it wouldn’t need stitches, but now I was pretty sure I wasn’t getting that wish.
“Give me a look at it.”
He sat the first aid kit on the bench and flipped it open as I held some paper towels against the slice across the base of my thumb.
Jazz winced when I lifted the blood-soaked paper to give him a look.
“Fuck, Scout. I think that’s gonna need stitches.”
Yeah, at this point I sadly agreed. Jazz was no medic, but I’d let him play the part for now. He was only trying to help. And the cut was on my right hand, so it would have been a struggle to get it done on my own, considering it was bleeding like a bitch.
“Do your best to close it up with some strips. I’ll get Donna to look at it when I go to pick up Marie later.”
I let my thoughts wander as I stood there waiting for him to finish up. Thoughts like the fact I probably shouldn’t have even come in to the shop today. I definitely shouldn’t have returned to work after that fucking phone call. What a mess. I’d sent men to a war, unintentionally, but still. They were there and I was here, being a fucking idiot and getting hurt in the process.
“Okay, you should be good to get to the hospital, at least. You got a cage, right? Not sure you’ll be able to ride with it. And boss, I wouldn’t leave it til later.”
That was another thing—I hadn’t been able to ride much lately. Someone always needed to be taken somewhere, so I was stuck in a fucking cage. And it was August. Fucking summer and I couldn’t make the most of it. Although, we’d had a few scorchers when I’d certainly appreciated the air con. And I had no problem at all jumping in a cage to take my woman or my daughter wherever they needed to go.
“Yeah, I’ll head in and get it looked at. Thanks, man.”
Watching the red of my blood begin to bloom through the white bandage, I knew Jazz wasn’t worth shit as a medic and I’d be heading straight in. Fuck it all. This was the last thing I needed. Grabbing some more paper towels, I put pressure on the wound as I made my way out to my car.
Confident the rest of my crew would clean up for me and finish off the job I was working on, along with keeping the shop running as they’d been doing for the past weeks, I palmed my keys and hopped in my cage.
It didn’t take me long to get to the hospital. I swear at this point I could drive there with my eyes closed. Not that I’d try it. It also hadn’t taken me long to locate Donna, who was working at the main desk outside the ER.
“What the hell did you do to yourself this time?”
She stood in front of me with her hands on her hips and fire in her gaze that she had locked on to where I was back to applying pressure to my wound.
“Slipped working on a bike and cut up my hand.
Might need a stitch or two, but I hope not.”
She nodded. “Well, come with me and we’ll see what the damage is this time.” I followed her through the door into the ER. “This is rather novel, you coming into the hospital for treatment. Can’t say I recall the last time that happened.”
That had me chuckling. “I was coming in anyhow, so this time it was just easier for me to find you. You know how much we all appreciate how you come to us when we need it, right?”
I hoped she did. It was a Godsend having Donna on call like we did. I sat on the bed and held my hand out for her to cut away the shit Jazz had put on me.
“I know you do. And I hope you know how much I appreciate that you keep that bus so well stocked for me to work with.”
Her frown deepened as she peeled all the shit Jazz had applied to my wound. I was scowling myself at it all. The boy must have used have the damn first aid kit. I should have paid more attention, rather than getting lost in my fucking head.
“Dare I ask who had a go at this?”
“Jazz. I wasn’t watching him when he did it. Damn.”
She shook her head as she tossed it all in the tray and set about cleaning the wound.
“Can you move your thumb okay?”
I flexed the digit in question and aside from the pain in the slice, it moved like normal.
“Good. Full movement. You could probably get away without stitches, but since I know how much you use your hands, I’m going to put a couple in to hold it together so it’ll heal up better—and faster. You caught yourself a good one.”
“Fucking main wheel nut wouldn’t budge.”
“And you’re apparently too strong for your own good.”
She cocked a brow at me, but I didn’t respond. She probably had a point. If I’d thought about it for two seconds, rather than just putting more muscle—and anger— into it, I’d probably have avoided the injury all together.
With quick efficiency, Donna had me stitched and bandaged up. She stripped her gloves off and tossed them with everything else in the tray.