“Next door with Carter.” Hope points to the arcade entrance and he leaves to go find them.
Dante’s girl jumps up and waits for him to take a seat before sitting in his lap. With their age difference, I can’t decide if they’re cute or creepy together. Since I don’t want to fuck either of them, I suppose it’s none of my business.
As soon as Alexa sees Murphy, she stands up in Heidi’s lap and reaches for him.
“Da, da, da!”
Trinity slides out of the booth so Murphy can get next to Heidi and Alexa.
“You being good for mommy?” Murphy asks, taking Alexa and kissing her cheeks.
“Oh my God, she’s so adorable, I can’t stand it,” Athena gushes, stopping to give Romeo a meaningful look.
Once everyone’s settled, the waitress runs over and we order more food.
Hope fixes her gaze on me, trying I think, to figure out if everything’s okay. I reach under the table and squeeze her hand, hoping it’s enough to reassure her for now.
Dante’s girl and Heidi seem to have taken a shine to each other and keep chatting about school. When Alexa’s had enough of their conversation, she reaches over and slaps the table in front of Heidi.
“No one paying enough attention to you, cutie?” Romeo says.
Alexa stares at him for a few seconds before turning her big, questioning eyes Murphy’s way. All of us laugh and Z cracks a “stranger danger” joke.
“Teaching her right from the start?” Romeo jokes.
“Trying.” Murphy slings his arm around Heidi. “She takes after her mom and does whatever the fuck she wants most of the time, though.”
Everyone laughs. Even Heidi.
“That’s not true,” Hope says. “She’s always good. Right, Alexa?”
Alexa grins at her. “Tee!” We haven’t decided if she’s trying to say “aunt” or something else, but it’s what she usually says to get Hope’s attention.
Dante’s gaze slides between Heidi and Hope, finally landing on Hope. “You’re not grandma, right?”
Hope blinks and sits back. “No.”
“Didn’t think so. Too young to be her mom and too pretty to be Gingersnap’s mom.”
Hope chuckles. “I don’t know about that.”
Since we discussed business outside, we mostly relax and listen to the girls talk.
“Trinity’s a photographer,” Athena tells Romeo. “She said she’d help me get some better headshots in Florida.”
Romeo nods at Wrath. “That’s real nice. Thanks, Trinity.”
Wrath’s expression is unreadable, but it wouldn’t surprise me if he asked Trinity to befriend the girl who probably has a lot of information about the Iron Bulls.
That’s why he’s my Sergeant at Arms.
Finally one of the guys from the other club—Savage Dragons MC—ambles in and tells us the highway should be clear for us to continue.
Since the Dragons’ president isn’t with them, Romeo and I take the lead when we return to I-65. Not too far down the road, a tow truck’s pulled over on the side, loading up two bikes. Whoever got pulled over must’ve been arrested.
Only as we pass the tow trucks do I realize I recognize one of the midnight-blue-and-silver Harleys.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
I am not in the mood to meet with Priest and the rest of National again.
But a text went out, stating the meeting was mandatory.
The only thing I’m interested in finding out is what the hell happened to Sway and if he’s made bail.
Priest and Valentina have a suite at a hotel not too far from where Hope and I are staying.
Officers from each charter were asked to attend.
It’s a lot of guys crammed into one space.
“Apologize for the tight quarters. I couldn’t secure a bigger space until tomorrow and this needs to be said now.”
The room quiets and everyone turns toward Priest.
“As some of you are aware two of our brothers were arrested and taken in on the way here.”
Curses and grumbling go around the room. Wrath and I exchange a look.
“I want to repeat what I said before leaving. Stay under the radar. I’m working on finding out what they’re being held for. But we know there’s a possibility law enforcement’s gunning for the whole club and Sway and Shadow are just the beginning.
“Jesus Christ,” Z mutters.
“I don’t want anyone leaving early, unless you were already planning to. Let’s make our presence known. We’re here to have fun and relax. And for fuck’s sake, stay out of trouble.”
After the room clears to only a few people, I make my way over to Priest.
“What can I do to help?”
Yeah, Sway’s a pain in my damn ass, but I can’t stand knowing a brother’s sitting in jail.
Priest takes me aside. “Nothing to do right now, Rock. I got attorneys for each of them, but for it’s moving slow. I’ll let you know if I hear something.”
“Thanks.”
He mentions something about a party downstairs, and I nod absently. Hope and I already have plans.
Outside, Wrath’s waiting. “Well?”
I shake my head. “Nothing yet.” I lean in closer. “Gonna call Glassman when I get back to the room and see what he can find out for me.”
“He know any lawyers down in Ala-fuckin’-bama?”
“That prick knows people everywhere.”
“You still coming by tonight?” Murphy asks when we meet up with him outside.
“Yup. Hope’s looking forward to it.”
I nod to Z and Wrath. “Check this party out Priest mentioned. I at least want some of our guys there.”
“You got it,” Z says.
“You’re here!” Heidi opens the door wider and throws her arms around me even though we just saw each other last night. “For once I get to invite you over,” she says breathlessly.
I can’t help smiling at her excitement. “Oh wow. The house is really nice.”
She and Murphy give us a quick tour of the small beach house they rented so they could be close enough to go to the rally with us, but far enough away from the noise and crowds for Alexa.
Rock and I are at a hotel right in the thick of things with everyone else.
“It’s so peaceful here. I might come stay with you,” I tease.
“You can. We have an extra bedroom,” Heidi says. Completely serious.
“I’m kidding. It’s fine.”
“You wouldn’t be imposing,” she insists, gesturing toward the living room. “Carter, Charlotte, and my brother are here too.”
“Hey, Carter,” I call out. I haven’t had much of a chance to talk to him on the trip and feel bad. I don’t want him to feel excluded.
He waves and goes back to his sketchbook.
“He’s been very inspired on this trip,” Teller says with a slight eye roll.
“That’s great.”
Murphy, Teller, and Rock end up grilling outside on the patio. Charlotte and I talk about the work waiting for us when we get home.
“Is it bad that I kind of want to set my office on fire when we go back?” she jokes. At least I think she’s joking.
“If we don’t have that fantasy once at least once a month, we’ll go insane.”
“When the arson investigators come knocking on our door, I’ll pretend I never heard that,” Carter says without lifting his head and looking at us.
“You blend in awfully well, Carter,” I tease.
“Necessary skill in our family.”
Charlotte’s mouth twists into a grimace. “He’s not wrong.”
Curious about what he’s been so diligently sketching on our trip, I inch closer to him on the couch. “Am I allowed to see your sketches?”
He glances up with wide eyes. “You want to? Why?”
“Well.” I flick my gaze in Charlotte’s direction, seeking assistance. She smiles. “Teller keeps saying how talented you are and—”
“He does?”
Slowly, he turns his sketch pad around. It’s a black and white sketch of a seagull on the sand with the ocean in the background that he’s coloring in with pencils.
“Sketched it this morning on the beach,” he murmurs.
“He’s really good at everything,” Charlotte gushes. “You know some artists only focus one or two things, but he’s good at everything. Portraits, cartoons, drawing, painting, sculpture—”
“My sister’s exaggerating,” Carter says.
“Show her the one you drew last night,” Charlotte insists.
He huffs and sits up. I get the feeling Carter’s not pretending to be humble, but really is embarrassed by all the attention.
“I’d love to see, Carter. But not if you’re not comfortable sharing your work.”
He relaxes and flips through the large pad of thick paper. “I don’t mind.” He stops on one drawing and pushes the pad into my hands.
“Oh wow,” I breathe out. It’s a black-and-white drawing of a sleepy Alexa and Heidi being held in a protective Murphy’s arms. Exactly the way I often come home and find them lounging in my living room late at night. “Wow, Carter. You really captured them beautifully.”
He shrugs.
“I told him to give it to them as a wedding present.”
“I’ll get them a real present.”
“This is very real, Carter,” I assure him.
“Thanks.”
The sliding glass door slides open and the guys come in from the porch carrying plates of grilled fish and steaks. Carter flips his pad closed and runs down the hall with it.
Heidi carries a sand-covered Alexa inside. “I’ll be right back. Let me just clean her off.”
“Hose her down outside, hon,” Rock says, pointing to the door. “There’s one right around the corner.”
“Oh. Yeah that’s probably better.” She walks backward onto the deck and Murphy follows her.
A few minutes later Alexa’s angry howls can be heard through the open windows. “I’m guessing she didn’t like being hosed off,” I say, staring at Rock.
He shrugs. “It can’t be that much colder than the ocean.”
Murphy carries a wet and furious Alexa in a few seconds later. “Go ahead and start eating. I’ll be back.”
Heidi-soaked to her skin-follows him down the hallway.
Teller watches them and shakes his head. “I’m not even going to ask.”
The rest of the night is a little calmer. Before midnight Rock and I finally head back to our hotel, promising to meet up with everyone tomorrow afternoon.
“Murphy had the right idea,” Rock says on our way to the bike.
“Jealous that we’re going back to a hotel.”
“Honestly, yes.”
I chuckle as he hands me my helmet. “We’re right near everything we came for.”
“Yeah and in my twenties that would’ve been great. Now, it’s going to be loud and annoying.”
“Do you want to look for somewhere else?”
He stops and stares in the direction of the beach. “Nah, we’re all settled. Just… next time.”
“Oooh, Mr. President.” I snuggle up close behind him. “Are you inviting me on another road trip?”
“Baby, you have a permanent invitation for every road trip for the rest of my life.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
If a good woman is capable of soothing a man, a great one will only make him more wild and violent.
That’s exactly how I feel when a prospect from another club not-so-subtly checks out my wife.
Three days we’ve been at the rally without incident. This morning we came down to Main Street to check out the rows and rows of custom bikes lined up on the street.
And right there on the sidewalk in broad daylight, some fuckwit’s staring at Hope’s tits. As usual, my beautiful woman’s oblivious to the attention.
Next to me, Wrath chuckles. “Are we scaring him? Or delivering him to his president after a solid beating?”
“Haven’t decided yet.” I glance at him and shake my head at the murderous gleam in his eyes. “Feeling more bloodthirsty than usual?”
“Don’t like some little punk thinking he can flirt with my president’s ol’ lady right in front of us.”
It’s more than a club or respect issue for Wrath. It’s a Hope thing. As much as he loves teasing her, he won’t tolerate anyone else disrespecting her.
Hope’s strained laugh jolts me into action. My eyes narrow on the hand brushing her shoulder and the uncomfortable way she takes a step back.
My instinct to protect at all costs catches fire.
“Here we go,” Wrath rumbles.
I charge forward, shoving two bikers out of my way. Blood boils through my veins. I search the crowd for Z, but he’s already moving toward me. Farther away, I spot Teller and Charlotte. Thank fuck Murphy’s at the beach with Trinity and Heidi today. Teller pulls Charlotte away from the crowd and I nod at him.
We reach the prospect and I tap his shoulder. “You blind, motherfucker?” I ask in a low voice.
“Rock!” Hope’s eyes flare and relief softens the tension in her shoulders. Perhaps sensing my rage, she wraps her hand around my bicep and tugs. “He was just telling me about a party his club’s throwing.”
He turns to me with bloodshot eyes and a serene smile. “Yeah, man, you’re all invited.”
My gaze zeroes in on where his hand’s still resting on Hope’s shoulder. She shrugs it off and steps closer to me. I can’t tell if he’s willfully disobeying basic biker code, if he’s high, or plain stupid.
“Anyone teach you not to put your hands on another man’s ol’ lady?” My low voice attracts more attention than I intended. Or maybe it’s the sight of Wrath, Z, and I all glowering at this one lone prospect.
It finally seems to dawn on him that he made a mistake. His gaze bounces from my President’s patch, to Hope’s First Lady patch, and over to Wrath. “Fuck. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean no disrespect.” He holds his hands up and takes a step back, bumping into Z.
“Who are you with?” I ask.
“Dark Venom MC outta Georgia.”
While Hope’s still clinging to my arm, she hasn’t said a word to try and convince me not to choke this motherfucker. Knowing how soft my girl is, how much she hates violence, I’m guessing he made her pretty damn uncomfortable. I gently nudge her behind me toward Wrath and step closer.
“And what’s the penalty for touching a brother’s property up in Georgia?” I ask.
His bloodshot eyes widen and he drops his hands, clasping them behind his back.
“Dark Venom? Slick Rick still in charge?” Z asks.
“What’s going on?” someone to my left asks.
I turn and take in the beefy biker with the snakehead tattoo crawling up his throat and a patch that reads Vice President.
“He belong to you?” I jerk my head toward the prospect.
The VP looks me over and straightens up, widening his stance. “Who’s asking?”
“I am. Your boy put his hands on my ol’ lady.”
The VP briefly closes his eyes before glancing at the prospect. “You fucking serious?”
“I was lettin’ her know about the party like Bobby said.”
“Single chicks. Muffler bunnies, not other club’s old ladies. Tha fuck’s wrong with you?” He gestures to Hope. “Couldn’t be more obvious she ain’t a fuckin’ bunny.” He throws a smirk Hope’s way. “No offense, darlin’.”
“I’m fine, really,” Hope says, not bothering to move closer. Either that, or Wrath has a hold of her.
The VP nods at me. “Do what you gotta do. I ain’t gonna dispute it.”
Exactly what I was waiting to hear. I spot at least two other Venom brothers in the crowd, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t more of ’em. I’m fully confident Wrath, Z, and I can handle it, but I’d rather not star
t a street brawl if it can be avoided.
I pull back and punch the prospect in the face, knocking him to the ground. Blood gushes from his nose and he covers his face with his hands.
“You got off easy,” the VP shouts down to him. “Woulda broke your damn fingers in our clubhouse and you know it.”
The kid shakes his head and holds up his hands as if to explain he got the message.
“Are you okay, Hope?” Wrath asks against my ear.
Too shaken to say speak, I nod.
“Hey, look at me,” he persists.
I force a fake smile and turn. Concern darkens his blue eyes, making me feel weak and vulnerable. “I’m fine, Wrath. Were you worried I was going to try to stop Rock?”
He doesn’t crack a smile, because I suspect he’s not at all fooled by my false bravery. “You know better by now.”
True. I don’t love the violence. Hate that Rock needs to make his point with his fists. But it’s what I signed up for. I’m firmly inside the biker world on this trip. Citizen rules of civility don’t apply. And if the rules dictate the prospect gets a fist to the face for touching me, so be it. He knows what he signed up for too. Never mind that he was creepy as fuck.
What I am worried about is the brief altercation spilling over or escalating into more violence. Wrath’s certainly warned me enough times how out of control these situations can get. I suspect that’s why his arm has remained firmly clamped down on my shoulders ever since Rock stepped forward to speak to the other MC’s Vice President.
Relief spreads through me and this time I glance up and give Wrath a more genuine smile. “Thank you.”
He raises a blond eyebrow. “For?”
“Having my back.”
“Always, Cinderella.” A devious smile curves his lips. “Try to stay out of trouble for the rest of the day, okay?”
Even though he’s baiting me, I cross my arms over my chest. “I didn’t do anything.”
“Too pretty for your own good, Hope,” Z says, joining us.
“Is that supposed to make me feel better?”
“Yes,” he answers simply.
Shaking my head, I turn back to the crowd, searching for Rock. He’s speaking to the Vice President of the other MC. The prospect nowhere to be seen.
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