by Kiki Leach
"49%." Shadow lifted his eyes toward the ceiling and gradually exhaled. "This shit means we're more partners with those assholes than we ever were with Rocka."
"That's the entire goddamn point," said Coco. "He wanted us fucked with this shit and he got it."
"He wasn't expectin' for our asses to get fucked this goddamn soon." Cheddar sat along the edge of the pool table and bent forward. "T-Bone and his crew found out we knew about 'em bein' the ones to usurp our coke."
"How the fuck did that shit come out?" asked Red.
Cheddar sat up straight and shrugged. "Don't know that part, exactly--"
"It wouldn't fuckin' matter if we did," replied Prez, lifting his hand to cut down the talk between them. Xavier clinched his jaw and gulped. "Don't change what we gotta do."
"It changes every goddamn thing when them findin' out has been the cause of all this shit, Boone!" Red glowered. "We need to know exactly how the fuck T-Bone and those assholes learned what we knew about 'em."
"It makes no goddamn difference right fuckin' now, asshole." Scooter turned on the ball of his foot and opened his hands. "Prez is right, the shit ain't gonna keep us from bein' checked even further by these fuckers and our need to shut 'em down before it happens."
"It fuckin' could." Red stepped in front of LapDog and puffed his chest. "How the fuck did your Prez find out we learned about the coke?"
LapDog peeked around him and glanced at Xavier, who wrapped his arm around his chest and brought his hand to his mouth, brushing it across his lips as his eyes reddened with fear. "You'd have to ask him that shit directly, and I know you fuckin' won't." He dragged his attention back to Red and blinked once, then wagged his head. "But after what you know went down with Rocka, you can't put it past him slippin' up on this shit too."
"Goddamn." Rugger grimaced. "Don't sound like it was too good of an idea to send Mariah's ass out there to talk to him about this shit."
X turned his head and arched his brow in question. "You blamin' Mariah now?"
"Not even close, brother," he answered. "I'm just sayin' that her not jumpin' on his cock while attemptin' to get info mighta kept the shit rollin' in the back of his mind with the hope of usin' it to get us fucked like we've been. That's all. Ain't nobody innocent in here -- we all agreed to put her out there for this shit."
Scooter nodded. "The women are just as fucked in this shit as we are," he said. "Us askin' 'em to participate will keep 'em there if we don't make sure our shit gets handled the right goddamn way movin' forward."
"I agree on that, brother, but movin' forward needs to include bein' more alert to what the fuck could be waitin' at Wexley for X next week," said Coco. He rolled his eyes back to LapDog and sneered. "If T-Bone knows about this shit, it's gotta mean that one of you motherfuckers has been throwin' this asshole's picture or name around campus."
"Not in the goddamn least."
"How the fuck do you figure that shit?" asked Scooter.
"T didn't want the fuckers gettin' spooked by another club and backin' out. It's why once he had been told who your makers were thanks to Rocka, he had the kids lure 'em toward campus with piles of green. They know nothin' about the goddamn Devils."
"Which means that T-Bone learned the shit from somebody else with connections to that goddamn campus." Tractor glared at Scooter, who fell quiet.
Cheddar sighed. "Alright, what the fuck is T gonna know about tonight?" he asked. "'Cause we're not sendin' your ass back to that goddamn clubhouse."
"He's gonna know you assholes got me out here as soon as he realizes those other pricks ain't showin' back up."
"You think he's gonna fuckin' care?" asked Tractor. "When you couldn't get even half of the goddamn job done?" He stepped away from the bar and moved next to Red. "That orange piece of shit out there and the bitches rollin' through with Rider tonight... What the fuck was it about?"
He dropped his head to the couch and swallowed hard. "The truck was wired and meant to blow after pullin' into the lot; original scare tactic that went to shit before anything could come of it."
Xavier deeply exhaled with exasperation and dropped his hands. "Jesus Christ."
"One of the asshole kids made bombs on the side and put 'em under the bed," he said. "The other one was supposed to flip a switch, but when the thing didn't blow, they realized a few wires mighta been missin' or gotten crossed. It's why we shot the place up instead."
"What about the pussy?" asked Scooter. "Rider said he'd never seen the bitches near his place before tonight?"
"They were bait in case that fucker decided against bringin' the truck out here. That coke was bait to keep 'em around."
"Shit." Prez gradually turned to Rider and made a face of disgust. "They complimented that piece of shit before you had 'em hoppin' their happy asses into the back?"
Rider lifted his shoulders. "I'm fuckin' sorry, Prez--"
"Yeah, you and your fuckin' sorry are gonna be dealt with soon -- just hold onto that shit." He turned back to LapDog and scrunched his brows. "If those fuckers got no clue about X, he's still good to roll out there next week."
"Not if more motherfuckers are roamin' campus," said Tech. "I know we're gonna have our own crew checkin' the place again, but we need to make sure they're the only patches or potential patches out there. LapDog needs to make a few calls and get that shit handled."
LapDog burst into a fit of laughter and rolled his eyes between the brothers. "You got me tied up in here like a goddamn hog and think I can get shit called off -- How? Callin' T to have 'em back off would alert him to what the fuck is goin' down out here and why."
"You need to get a call to somebody out there and make sure that campus is clear by Monday fuckin' mornin' otherwise that dick won't be the only thing you're left chokin' on before the goddamn night is up," said Prez. "I don't give a fuck what kinda lie you gotta tell to make it happen."
"How the fuck long do you plan on keepin' my ass out here? Anymore than two goddamn days and he's gonna send the prospects to start sniffin' around your compound like bloodhounds."
"Prospects won't be a goddamn problem and we can make sure your ass ain't found within a fifty mile radius of our club at the same fuckin' time. Don't worry about shit outside of what the fuck you're gonna need to do to keep your cock in place and that brain inside your skull if it still fuckin' exists." He spun back around to Xavier and pointed toward the kitchen. "You should get your girl home. We'll handle the rest of this shit out here with Lap and make sure everything remains in play at Wexley next week; keep you up to date on anything that changes by tomorrow, yeah?"
"Alright, brother, thanks." Xavier sprinted past the bar and down the hallway of the club before stopping at the kitchen and easing inside. Mariah dropped a plate into the sink as the door closed and gasped before whirling on her heels and clutching her chest in a panic. X lifted his hands in defense of her reaction and remained in place. "It's just me now, darlin' -- I'm sorry."
She released a calming breath and dropped her hands along the sink, then sank into the metal and gulped. "Did LapDog..." She stopped to clear her throat and sniffed. "Did he mention anything of why this happened tonight?"
"T-Bone," he said. "Motherfucker is pullin' every trick he can find inside his goddamn hat to keep me from headin' back to Wexley next week."
"I knew it," she muttered, slapping her hand against the metal and shaking her head. "I fucking knew it, Xavier--"
"Darlin'--"
She pushed herself to stand directly in front of him and pointed. "He is going to get you killed with all of this," she spat. "Or he's going to try and keep trying until you and this club have had enough and back off from any attempts to get your business back up and running."
"He ain't gonna fuckin' succeed, Mariah. Even if it ain't me headin' out there -- even if the club decided to pull back on this Professor shit, we're gettin' our coke back one way or a goddamn nother."
"It's the 'nother' part of all this that is going to keep me worried until it'
s over."
"I know. But the shit won't see an end without my help in makin' it happen sooner before--"
"You're dead." She turned back to the sink and dropped her face inside her hands. "The fact that I had to keep my composure while Kyla lost her shit out there... that you handed me a gun and expected me to shoot if LapDog or someone else made his way inside..." She pressed her hands together as tears rolled from her eyes, coating her cheeks and the collar of her shirt. "The fact that I almost lost you tonight right in front of me, Xavier -- you have no idea how that feels."
"I know that you ain't gonna lose me from this shit." He moved in behind her and slinked his arms around her waist. As he pulled her back against his chest, she sank into his warmth and reveled in the weight of his touch.
"That's not a promise you can keep after what happened out here tonight."
"It's a promise I'm gonna keep for you, darlin'. A promise I'm gonna keep for us and what we're gonna be once this shit is over."
"What will we be once this is over?" she questioned.
"I don't know; don't fuckin' know and wish I did. But we're gonna be able to figure the shit out together."
She leaned her head as he stared into her face and brushed the back of her fingers across the roughness of his cheek. "I love you," she told him. "No matter what, I'm here."
He bent forward to kiss her so softly that she moaned against his lips; then he brushed his mouth against hers and tickled her nose with the tip of his own; she grinned. "Love you more than life itself, darlin'. You're gonna know how much of that is the goddamn truth once we hit the end the end of this shit."
"You promise?"
"Yeah, baby, I promise; gonna do whatever the fuck I can to keep you here and push what we got goin' with each other beyond this club."
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Xavier
By Monday morning, Xavier and Cheddar were back at Wexley.
"You ready for this shit here, brother? Round fuckin' two?" Xavier glanced at him and nodded as a wave of nerves crashed into his chest like a baseball bat covered with spikes, then snatched his briefcase from the floor of the truck and gulped. Cheddar arched his brow and clutched the steering wheel, then bent his head aside and glared. "Why'd you want my ass droppin' you all the way back here and off campus? This abandoned post office carry some sort of significance for your ass? You get pussy near that tree or some shit?"
Xavier snickered and sat back. "Nah, motherfucker."
"Then what?" he questioned. "The brothers swept this place from top to fuckin' bottom last night and into this mornin'; and we learned LapDog wasn't actually full of shit about these fucks not knowin' who we are as a goddamn club, along with tellin' the truth about him havin' nothin' to do with Kyla bein' kicked outta those goddamn dorms, which means the shit's gotta be on T-Bone."
"I understand all that shit."
"Then why back here? Mariah's still off campus today, yeah?"
He nodded again. "She's home; anxious as shit for me to get this goddamn day over with and back there to her."
"She's 'home'?" Cheddar grinned and wagged his brows. "Motherfucker, you are really tryin' to domesticate that bitch."
"She ain't the 'stay at home' forever type, asshole; you know that shit."
"Not talkin' about that -- I mean you actually wantin' her there with you all the goddamn time like we talked about before. You've been likin' that shit more than you wanna admit 'cause you think it fucks you up somehow, but it don't; temporary's gone out the goddamn window, brother -- shit flew right the fuck out the same night we got shot up."
He pushed his brows together and cleared his throat in remembering, then sighed heavily and bobbed his head. "How's Kyla holdin' up with that shit? She still havin' nightmares 'bout bullets flyin' past her goddamn head?"
"Not as many as before. She likes it better when I got my arms wrapped around her for most of the night or when she's nappin'; said she feels safer and whatnot."
"And you talkin' 'bout me tryin' to domesticate a bitch?" He chortled. "Some shit like that woulda happened with anybody else and your ass woulda sent hers out the goddamn door like Gabi."
"I know, but shit with her is different, like I been sayin'. It ain't just about fuckin' all the time, we actually talk and shit between all that. She told me that night after gettin' back home that her old man was killed in a drive-by; said she saw him get hit from her bedroom when she was about ten years old; it's why she started freakin' the fuck out once the bullets started flyin' out there."
"Jesus. Sorry for that shit, brother."
"She said what happened was meant for somebody else that was livin' with 'em at the time, didn't say who, but her old man was the one who got hit. Bitch was cryin' all goddamn night tellin' me this shit; I just kept her in my arms 'til she finally fell the fuck asleep and never let go."
"Shit." He paused and turned his attention straight ahead as a thought rolled into his mind that he couldn't seem to shake. "She ever ask you anymore 'bout Gabi and what the hell went on with that shit?"
"Nope. But she ain't been carin' too much on that since I told her it was only fuckin' and nothin' more; not to mention the shit was only a handful of times and I wasn't the only asshole out there learnin' the anatomy of her pussy." He dropped his hands into his lap and made a face. "You ain't ever said if you hit that up for yourself back then."
"I didn't; don't hardly remember her ass bein' out there to be fuckin' honest 'bout it."
"Guess you wouldn't since your mind and cock remained on Mariah the whole goddamn time she was there and gone; she talk anymore to Gabi before today?"
"Day after the shit went down and that's it; said she'd been tryin' to call her to make sure she was still good with helpin' us out, but her phone keeps goin' straight to goddamn voicemail."
Cheddar grimaced. "You notice Scooter ain't been too open about her either since VP started questionin' the possibility of her somehow bein' involved with all that shit. And with her stayin' with him now, claimin' she's too goddamn scared of bein' alone since Mariah's at your place...?"
"Anybody would be scared after what the fuck happened."
"She ain't just 'anybody' when it comes to this shit, X. That truck and those bullets were meant for the club itself -- for the brothers; LapDog said himself they were gunnin' for your goddamn skull to keep this shit from happenin' out here today. Why the hell would that bitch feel affected by any of this shit on a personal level unless she knew somethin' about it? Takin' that motherfucker to the back right before it all went down, suckin' his dick to keep him occupied, it's just too fuckin' convenient for my ass."
"What the fuck are you tryin' to say with this shit, Cheddar?"
"That she started somethin' with him that night to keep his ass from gettin' knocked down by a goddamn bullet."
Xavier looked aside and frowned. "You're really thinkin' this shit?"
"I'm goddamn near positive on it -- bitch is calculated as fuck; nothin's changed on that end. I also think she told him some shit between all the fuckin' once they got home, and he's keepin' it from the club."
"I don't fuckin' know 'bout that," he replied. "But I also can't be sure on his shit anymore; outside of church and the garage, motherfucker ain't been spendin' as much time on the compound and when he does, keeps to himself; maybe her pussy's really got somethin' to do with it."
"If she did tell him some shit and he's wrestlin' with tellin' the club, that ain't gonna be good for his ass; not with Prez and sure as fuck not with a VP that's gonna wanna have her damn near scalped for whatever the fuck that shit might be."
"I know; maybe I'll call him up after leavin' here or when I get some kinda break between classes; have him come out to the house so we can have some time one on one."
"Might be a good idea; let him know that a pussy like hers ain't worth losin' his patches over; she ain't no Mariah or Kyla, yeah?" He lifted his chin. "You better start headin' up there before that Pugh asshole comes out lookin' for you and we're
fucked on your first goddamn day as Professor Motherfuckin' X."
X laughed aloud as he reached for his door and pushed it open. "Yeah, motherfucker."
"Hold on a second." Cheddar tapped his shoulder in an attempt to hold him back and squint. "You never said why you wanted my ass droppin' you off back here instead of on campus."
"I don't know -- I guess if they see me walkin' up, the shit looks more professional like the rest of these pricks out here comin' in from nowhere; I ain't just some asshole bein' dropped off for a goddamn interview this time around, yeah?"
Cheddar leaned into his window and shook his head, staring at him with confusion. "That shit don't make a single lick of goddamn sense, X."
"It did inside my fuckin' head." He stepped out of the truck and loosened the collar of his dark blue button-down shirt, then adjusted his cock inside his black slacks and slammed the door; he pointed. "Be back here in eight hours unless I call your ass sooner, alright?"
Cheddar nodded and restarted his engine as Xavier crossed the street and headed uphill.
After passing a slew of eagle eyed, female students that looked too eager to know his name, he landed in front of the University Center and latched onto the door.
"Mr. Stevenson." X dropped back and looked over his shoulder as Pugh stepped forward with a slanted smile; he tipped his head while admiring Xavier's clothes and cleared his throat. "Much more appropriate for today," he said, flicking his thump upward in approval. "Not a tattoo to be seen for at least a mile across campus."
X turned on his heel and jerked his shoulders. "I heard what the fuck you said last week. Didn't wanna cause any problems on my first goddamn day out here."
"Good. But the language is something we'll still need to work on before you get in front of the students. Shall we move forward with this?"
"Yeah, I was 'bout to head inside to your office."
"That's great, but I was hoping to take our meeting elsewhere first," he replied, his tone lowered as his gaze sharpened.