Copper chuckled and kissed the top of her head. “As you wish, Princess.”
The little girl stood in front of me and curtseyed. “Do come in, Queen Tatum. Would you care for a cup of tea?”
“Yes, please,” I said and walked over to have a seat at the card table on the far side of the room.
“Lovely. Please excuse me. I’ll be right back with our tea and cookies,” she said and left the room with Copper following behind her.
“Are you okay?” I asked Josie the moment Riley and Copper were gone.
“I’m fine. Are you okay? Who was following you?” she rushed out.
“I’m good. I don’t know who it was. They didn’t try to make a move, and they kept going when I was pulled over. Luke hasn’t been able to locate the car anywhere in the surrounding area, so they obviously didn’t hang around after I was arrested.”
“What’re we going to do now?” she whispered. “Are we going to have to go somewhere else?”
“I don’t know yet, but we’ll figure it out. I’ll call Luke back as soon as we get—”
I was interrupted when the door opened, and Riley entered the room with Copper behind her carrying a complete silver tea set. “Well, that’s not something I ever expected to see in a biker clubhouse.”
“One more word and I’ll spill the one with coffee in it,” Copper retorted.
I brought my fingers to my lips and pretended to zip them shut. I wanted that coffee. No, I needed it.
Riley climbed into her chair and patiently waited for Copper to pour the drinks. “I’m not allowed to do it because it’s hot,” she stage-whispered.
Another biker entered the room with a tray full of cupcakes and cookies and placed them on the table. “Thank you, Daddy,” she beamed.
“You’re welcome, Princess. You have about ten or fifteen minutes to have tea and cookies with your guests before we need to head home,” he said and started to ruffle her hair.
“No! You’ll mess up my hair!” she shrieked.
“Sorry, Princess,” he said and gently tapped the tip of her nose. “Enjoy your party.”
I honestly couldn’t complain. I hadn’t had anything to eat since breakfast and I was starving. With Josie safely by my side, I could spare fifteen minutes to refuel in the company of an adorable little girl.
“So, Princess Riley, tell me your secret. How do you get those growly men to turn into mush?”
Riley giggled and then whispered, “I’ll tell you, but you have to pinky promise not to tell anyone.”
I held out my pinky. “I promise.”
“You have to open your eyes really wide and blink a lot; like this,” she said and made the most adorable puppy dog face. “If that doesn’t work, then you have to cry a little; but not too much, or your face will get red and icky. You have to be cute.” The entire time she was gesturing wildly with her hands and she ended with a curt nod.
It was all I could do to contain my laughter. “Oh, Princess Riley, you have the power to rule the world one day.”
“That’s what Papa says, too,” she said and shoved a cupcake into her mouth.
8
I pulled into the clubhouse forecourt several hours later. Despite Copper’s order, instinct told me to follow the car, and it was a good thing I did.
“Where in the hell have you been?” Judge hissed as soon as I set foot in the common room.
“Y’all know where I’ve been. That’s why you’re here instead of out looking for me,” I snapped. I didn’t for one second doubt Spazz had tracked my phone. Without another word, Judge turned and walked away from me.
I continued on my way to Copper’s office. I knew he was going to be pissed, but I couldn’t find it in me to care. Luke wasn’t telling us everything we needed to know, and I’d be damned if I let my brothers continue on a path that might get one or more of us seriously injured or killed again.
I rounded the corner to find Copper coming down the hall. His face contorted with rage when his eyes landed on me. “What in the ever-loving fuck is wrong with you? I specifically told you not to follow that car!”
“And you were fucking wrong!” I roared back, barely able to contain my anger.
Judge stepped forward, but not before Copper’s fist plowed into my jaw, causing me to rock back on my heels. “I am your President!” he bellowed.
It took every bit of inner strength I had not to react. Had it been anyone else, I would have dodged his punch and returned my own. But, he was my President, and I respected him, even when I was pissed at him.
“There wasn’t time to discuss it and put it to a vote. I caught a glimpse of the driver and thought I recognized him. Turns out, I did.”
“Who the fuck was it?” Copper demanded.
“One of Luca Peccati’s men—Cristofano.”
Copper stormed past me and into the common room. “Church!” he yelled much louder than necessary.
Surprisingly, all of the officers were at the clubhouse. As soon as everyone was inside and the door was closed, Copper pounded his fist on the table and ordered, “Batta, tell them what you did today.”
Leaning forward and placing my elbows on the table, I gave them the short version. “I noticed a car following Tatum and called it in. To get rid of the tail, Dunk and Underwood pulled her over. I continued following the vehicle. Turns out, it was Luca Peccati’s man, Cristofano.”
“You sure about that?” Bronze asked.
“One-hundred-percent,” I stated. “After Tatum was pulled over, I was about to turn around when he rolled his window down to throw something out and I saw his face. I followed him all the way back to Peccati’s estate.”
“Damn it!” Copper barked and slammed his fist onto the table. “How in the fuck have we managed to get tangled up with them again?”
I shrugged. “Beats me. Maybe one of the damsels in distress can answer that question.”
“Enough, Trey,” Copper said quietly, almost calmly, yet there was an edge to it. It was a tone he rarely used, and one that should never be ignored. I took it as the final warning it was and closed my mouth.
“Judge, bring Tatum in here, but make sure Savior or Grant watches over Josie while she’s gone.”
What in the hell was she doing in our clubhouse? I opened my mouth to ask just that, but Copper anticipated my reaction. “Not a fucking word.”
Judge returned moments later with Tatum, who managed to look annoyed while shoving a cupcake covered in pink frosting into her mouth.
“Seriously, Uncle Mr. President, don’t you know how rude it is to interrupt teatime?”
When Tatum took her seat, Copper leaned forward and said, “Luca Peccati.”
Tatum blinked and replied, “Silver Bugatti?”
“Luca. Peccati.”
“Blue. Maserati.”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake! Does the name Luca Peccati mean anything to you?” Copper yelled in frustration.
“I’d say it’s Italian, but other than that, no,” she shrugged.
“You’ve never heard of Luca Peccati or the Peccati family?” Copper asked incredulously.
She shook her head. “No. They must be new, or insignificant, perhaps both. Why do you ask?”
“Because Luca’s right-hand man, Cristofano, was the one following you today,” Copper blurted.
If I hadn’t been watching her closely, I would have missed it; but I saw the slight stiffening of her spine when Cristofano’s name was mentioned, and my blood started to boil. This crafty bitch knew more than she was telling us.
“Well, maybe he has a hard-on for me like your boy over there does,” she quipped and turned to wink at me. “Yeah, handsome, I saw you back there, too.”
“Don’t overestimate yourself, sweet cheeks. It had everything to do with watching out for my club and absolutely nothing to do with you.”
“Mmkay, Batman. Thanks for clearing that up.” With her attention back on Copper, she asked, “Anything else?”
Copper sighed. “Yes, there
is, and apparently I’m the one who gets to tell you.”
Tatum held up one finger when her phone started to ring. “Sorry, I have to take this,” she said and walked out into the hall with the phone pressed to her ear.
“You’ve got what covered?”
“Are you fucking kidding me?”
“No way!”
“Not happening!”
“I don’t care what you think.”
“No.”
“I said no.”
“You know I do.”
“There has to be another way.”
“Fucking fine.”
“Just so you know, I hate you.”
“HATE. YOU.”
Tatum returned to the room looking like she could spit nails. “Bad news delivered. If you’ll kindly point me in the direction of clean sheets and an industrial-size bottle of disinfectant, Josie and I will be out of your hair for the rest of the evening.”
“What?” I blurted.
Copper grimaced. “Tatum and Josie will be staying here at the clubhouse with us for a few days. And since you’ve taken it upon yourself to be more involved than necessary, you’ll be playing babysitter. Church dismissed.”
9
I couldn’t believe Luke was making us stay with the bikers. He could have put us in a hotel, in another safe house, or anywhere else that wasn’t the clubhouse full of semi-hostile bikers.
I snorted to myself. To be the badasses they were said to be, it sure was easy to get them to blurt out important details by simply pissing them off. Of course, I knew about the Peccati family. Even if they weren’t tied to my current case, I’d have to have been living under a rock to not know who they were.
What I did not know was what kind of affiliation they had with the bikers, or why they were questioning me about them.
I returned to the room Josie was in and asked the current biker babysitter, “Is this the room we’ll be staying in for the night?”
“What?” Josie asked.
“I’d have to ask,” the young biker mumbled.
“Well, go ask. I’m tired,” I snapped.
“What are you talking about?” Josie demanded.
“We’re staying here tonight. I’ll explain a little later when we have less ears around,” I said quietly.
A woman I hadn’t met yet knocked on the door as she pushed it open. “Hello, ladies. My name’s Leigh. I’m here to show you to your new room.”
We dutifully followed her to a room three doors down on the opposite side of the hall. “This is one of our guest rooms. It has a double bed and a pull-out sofa. Both have clean sheets. There’s an attached bathroom and there’s also a bathroom at the end of the hall. The kitchen is behind the common room. There’s plenty of snacks in the cabinets and drinks in the fridge. Help yourself to whatever you like. Do either one of you need anything in particular?”
“Yes, I need a phone charger and neither one of us have clothes or toiletries.”
“I’ll ask Spazz to bring you a phone charger. My daughter-in-law should be back soon with a change of clothes for both of you. The bathroom is stocked with plenty of toiletries, including new toothbrushes. Anything else?” she asked, not at all offended or intimidated by my bitchiness.
“Damn, you’re like the hostess with the mostess, biker style.”
“She means thank you,” Josie added.
“Knock, knock,” Layla called. “I thought you might be hungry, so I brought you some lasagna and garlic bread.”
“And I have clothes,” another woman announced. I immediately recognized her as one of the nurses from the hospital. So, she was married to Judge Jonah, which meant Leigh was his mother.
“Okay, maybe this won’t be so bad,” I shrugged and took one of the plates from Layla. I promptly shoved a forkful into my mouth and moaned at the yummy goodness. “Shit. We can’t stay here. I’ll have fat rolling right out of my pants if this is the kind of food you have. Josie, get your skinny ass over here and eat some of this.”
“Filter, Tatum. Use your filter,” Josie playfully scolded while the other women laughed.
“It’s a biker clubhouse, Josie. I’m pretty sure a filter is not required.”
“Only when the kids are here,” Leigh added.
I made a show of looking around. “Score! No kids in sight,” I said and stuck out my tongue.
The girl who brought the clothes stepped forward and held out her hand. “Hi, I’m River, and I want to be your friend.”
I laughed and shook her hand. “That didn’t sound creepy at all.”
“I thought that was better than ‘Hi, I’m River. Would you like to throw knives with me?’”
“Oh, hell yes I would. Let me hoover this lasagna and you’re on,” I said excitedly.
“Yay!” River squealed and clapped her hands. “No one ever wants to throw with me.”
I glanced at the other women in the room. “Really? Why?”
Layla winked. “You’ll see.”
Josie and I followed the group to the corner of the common room where they had dartboards on the wall behind two pool tables. River took one of the dartboards off the wall and replaced it with a large piece of wood. “Do you want to go first?”
“Nah, you go ahead. Show me what you’ve got.”
She flashed me a grin before she turned and stuck a blade right in the center of the bullseye. Before I could blink, she stuck the second and third blade on either side of the first. “Your turn.”
Oh, this was going to be fun. I plucked the blades from the target and returned to where she had been standing when she threw. Then, I took three large steps back and sunk the blades in the same places she did. We continued taking turns, moving farther away from the target each time until we were roughly halfway across the room.
“Do not even think about it!” Copper shouted from behind us. “I don’t give a shit if you want to throw over in that corner of the room, but if you want to throw from this distance, you need to do it outside during the day.”
“Uncle Mr. President,” I whined.
“No,” Copper said firmly.
“Fine,” I pouted and handed the blades back to River.
“Damn it. I have to work tomorrow and the next day,” River grumbled.
“Your next day off will be fine. I don’t think we’re going anywhere anytime soon,” I told her.
“In that case, I’ll be back for a rematch in a few days.”
With that, Josie and I said our goodbyes and returned to our designated room.
“Before anyone else comes through that door, will you please tell me what in the hell happened today?” Josie asked.
I dropped onto the sofa and exhaled slowly. “When I left the shop to pick up lunch, I noticed I was being followed. Luke called in a favor and had the local PD pull me over and arrest me. The tail disappeared, the truck was impounded, and now we have to stay here for a few days. Oh, and they replaced the truck with a minivan.”
“Do you know who was following you?” she asked worriedly.
“I didn’t, and neither did Luke, but the big, grumpy biker followed the car following me and figured out who it was.”
“Well,” she prompted. “Who was it?”
“Cristofano,” I whispered.
She gasped and slapped her hand over her mouth as the tears started to slide down her cheeks. “He’s trying to find me.”
“Looks that way,” I agreed.
“Do they know who he is?”
I shook my head. “They know who he is, but not in any way that pertains to us.”
“What are we going to do? If he thinks he’s found a lead, he won’t give up,” she said vehemently.
“Luke and I have taken everything into consideration. For right now, we’re going to stay here. If we stay out of sight for a few days, he’ll think we were just passing through and will start looking somewhere else, especially if we lure him in another direction.”
“What if he doesn’t?”
“We�
��ll cross that bridge when we come to it. As much as I hate to admit it, these bikers have the means to keep you safe, and I can guarantee no one will look for you here. I know it’s hard, but trust me, we’ll be okay.”
10
After our talk, Josie changed into some of the clothes River brought us and fell asleep almost immediately. I, on the other hand, had too much pent-up energy to rest. The longer I stayed in the room and tried to go to sleep, the more I felt like a caged animal. After two hours of tossing and turning, I decided to try something different.
I quietly climbed out of bed, slipped my shoes on, and stepped out into the hallway.
“Where in the hell do you think you’re going?” a gruff voice asked, effectively scaring the shit out of me.
“I can’t sleep. I was going to walk a few laps around the clubhouse.”
“No.”
“Excuse me?”
“I said no.”
“Noted,” I retorted and turned on my heel.
He was on his feet and in front of me in a flash. “You can’t go walk laps around the clubhouse, because I’ll have to go with you. And I can’t watch her if I’m with you.”
Well, damn, he sort of had a point. “I pinky promise to be on my best behavior.”
“Not fucking happening.”
I growled in frustration and came very close to stomping my foot. Taking a step closer, our chests were almost touching when I asked, “Why are you such a pain in the ass?”
“I’m just returning the favor, sugar tits.”
I scoffed and turned away from him to go back to my room. Once inside, an idea hit me. I made a beeline for the bathroom and gathered up everything I would need before heading back out into the hallway. “I’m going to take a shower down there, so I don’t wake Josie up.”
“Those bathrooms don’t have showers,” he informed me with a cocky grin. I wanted to scream in anger, cry in frustration, and punch him in his smug face. Clearly, I didn’t do a good job of hiding those emotions as moments later he sighed and opened the door opposite from ours. “You can take a shower in there.”
I cautiously peered inside like I was looking into a portal to Hell. “What’s in there?”
Batta (Blackwings MC - Devil Springs Book 4) Page 5