“Fuck. No other relatives are able to take the kids?”
“There aren’t any. The only other relative we know about is Georgia and Lewis’s half-brother, Clay Meyer, whose mother took him then disappeared years ago. She died twelve years ago in Tennessee. I’m trying to track Clay down, but it’s like he’s disappeared off the face of the earth. I have a couple of men searching for him, but so far, they aren’t making any progress.”
“What’s Willa supposed to do, keep them indefinitely? It would be hard for any set of parents to keep up with that many children.”
“Maybe that’s why Lewis was trying so hard to get Willa.”
Knox’s words struck Lucky’s temper, and his foot kicked at the chair Knox was leaning back in, nearly toppling the large man over.
“Son of a bitch! I’ll throw your ass in one of the cells!” Knox threatened as he stood.
“You can try.” Lucky braced himself as Knox scowled, sitting back down.
“I’ve talked to Willa. She understands this is going to take some time. Even if I find Clay Meyer, he’s never met those kids, so why would he agree to take them? I advised her to let me find foster homes for them.”
“I don’t have to guess what she said.”
“She feels too guilty over killing Lewis,” Knox confirmed.
“The bastard would have killed Rachel if she hadn’t shot him.”
“We both know that, and Willa knows that, but she feels like she’s doing the right thing. Maybe she is. They’re better off with Willa than in foster care. It’s her decision to make; that’s for fucking sure.”
“Offer the men you have searching more money to find the uncle. I’ll pay their fee.”
“It’s your wallet. I’ll give them a call.” Knox reached for his phone. “You going to tell me why you want to help Willa out?”
“She used to be a member of my church. I just want to help; that’s the only reason.”
“Keep telling yourself that, brother, and maybe you’ll start to believe it.”
Lucky left Knox’s office, going to his bike, while Knox was on the phone with his investigators. The other brothers were sitting on their bikes, waiting for him.
“Find out what you wanted to know?” Viper questioned.
“Anyone want to make a bet that it concerned Willa?” Lucky didn’t have to see Shade’s eyes behind his sunglasses to know they were mocking him.
“Kiss my ass!” Lucky snarled, already pissed off at Knox’s laid-back attitude toward helping Willa.
“No, thanks.”
Lucky sat down on his bike. “Shade, one day, you’re going to push me too far. You’ve had a problem with me since I was discharged, and I’m getting fucking sick of it. Either tell me what the beef is or get the hell off my back.”
Shade’s face, as always, was impassive unless he was with his wife. “You’re not ready to hear what I have to say. When you are, believe me, brother, I’ll let you know.”
Lucky’s hands tightened on his handlebars as he backed his bike up. “You’re a fucking asshole. I don’t know what Lily sees in you.”
His anger didn’t faze Shade. “Probably the same thing Willa sees in you. At least I was smart enough to catch my woman. I thought Rider was the dumb fuck in the club, but you proved me wrong.”
Lucky roared out of the parking lot, leaving the three men behind.
One day, he promised himself, I am going to kick Shade’s ass. The bastard would have to be drunk off his ass, and Lucky would have to leave town for a few weeks afterward to give Shade time to cool down, but it would be worth the beating Shade would give him to even the score. Some things in life were priceless, and getting one over on Shade would be one of them.
He eyed the street Willa lived on as he passed. Getting his mind off the curvy woman would be another. He hated to admit it, but he was beginning to believe Shade was right—he was a dumb fuck.
*
He was sitting at the kitchen table later that night when Viper called a meeting. The brothers gathered in the room next to the kitchen, filling the two large rooms.
Viper’s hand went up, quieting the room. “The brothers from Ohio will be coming in this weekend. We have two new recruits who are ready to be initiated. Also, Moon wants to stay here. He wants to get out of Ohio for a while.”
“Why?” Rider asked from the back of the crowded room.
“He’s feeling the heat. The mayor’s daughter wanted to join the club because of Moon, so now the mayor has the cops constantly watching the place. He’s hoping that, if he leaves, the bastard will leave the club alone.”
Train groaned. “Don’t tell us we have another Brooke on our hands.”
“Not hardly. Moon says the woman’s not the problem; it’s the father. She’s moved on, but the mayor’s holding a grudge. Guess he doesn’t want to be reminded that his daughter was fucked by a biker,” Viper reasoned.