“What’s it to you?” He said, rising to his feet, stumbling a little as he did so. He was fucked up. No surprise there, but he wasn’t drunk. He crossed his arms against his bare chest and that’s when I noticed the fresh marks on his forearm.
I took a step closer, getting a better look at the bruises that marked his skin, and lifted my eyes back to his.
“You’re using?” I questioned.
He uncrossed his arms and reached behind him for his gun before aiming it at me.
“Get the fuck out of my room, Riggs,” he shouted, unlatching the safety.
The reaper was coming, and he was coming soon.
Chapter Fifteen
I wonder if the Psychic Friends Network is hiring. Dionne Warwick was dead, wasn’t she? If not, the bitch had to be retired by now and I’m a perfect candidate to take her place.
It didn’t take that long for the reaper to show up, ready to claim our souls. In fact, he showed the next day, getting our attention when Blackie’s truck was blown to bits. The reaper has a name and his name is Jimmy Fucking Gold.
I knew these gangsters were nothing but trouble but now really isn’t the time for “I told you so.” Not while our club is on lock down. Not while Jack Parrish was in Bulldog mode, teetering on the edge of insanity.
I knew shit was heavy between Jack and Blackie, and for a hot minute I thought it was because Blackie might be banging Jack’s daughter. But, this runs deeper than a little game of “just the tip.” When Bianci showed up at the Dog Pound with Grace Pastore in tow it became clear that this was more mobbed up bullshit that found its way to the Satan’s Knights doorstep.
It also became clear that Anthony had been working with Jack and Blackie for some time. Clearly, I was doing a bang-up job on keeping tabs on Anthony because I never saw this shit coming. But hey, the motherfucker was still breathing and I should get a gold star for that right?
I lifted my eyes from the beer I was holding as the compound door opened and Wolf pushed his three sons through the door. Pipe followed him with his young, hot piece of ass wife. I think she was one of those mail-order brides that married him for a green card. Gotta love America!
“They come back yet?” Pipe asked.
Blackie had gone to get Jack’s daughter—no shocker there and Jack went to pick up his old lady, Reina. Everyone who ever mattered to a Knight would fill these four walls until this crap died down. At least then we could do our jobs and know the people who mattered most were safe.
Me and Bones? We had each other, no one else to rally together and bring here to keep safe.
The door opened again and crazy came barreling through the door.
Fuck my life.
Maria Bianci walked through the door holding the boy. Talk about déjà vu. All she was missing was her nifty little frying pan. I guess frying chicken cutlets wasn’t on the menu tonight. Adrianna and Kitten followed, and I moved to make my way toward them but stopped myself. Anthony stepped inside, holding the door open for the next two stragglers. Adrianna’s sister, Nikki and her boyfriend, Mike. It was a fucking party at the clubhouse.
For one fleeting second I looked at the Bianci family and felt a sense of relief. I hadn’t realized it, never wanted it, but these crazy sons a bitches had become my heart. I might detest some of them but they were mine to protect until I found what made me tick. Until I found my heart.
And they were here.
Safe and sound.
The whole crazy lot of them.
Plus a few extra.
My eyes locked with Lauren’s as I brought the beer to my lips and watched her turn her back to me.
Lovely.
I was too busy staring at Lauren’s ass to notice the door open again. At least her ass wasn’t mad at me.
Wolf slapped me upside the head, tearing me away from Kitten and reminding me I needed to keep my head. I rose to my feet and followed him as Jack stared back at us, a grim expression on his face and Lacey at his side.
Lacey, not Reina.
“Where’s Blackie?” Wolf asked.
“Gold has him and Reina,” Jack said.
They were five words, representing a declaration of war. I had heard the rumors, listened to the guys tell stories, of times passed, wars fought and won but I had never been a part of one. I had never been a fighting Knight, but I was ready. Saddle me up motherfucker and put me in the zone.
Maybe it was a good thing I hadn’t found my heart like Jack asked because there wasn’t anything stopping me from fighting for what was ours.
We moved to the Chapel, Anthony and Mike too, because when you’re down a brother and your woman’s at the mercy of a crazy fuck, you need all the help you can get. I might give these gangsters a lot of shit but they earned my respect the minute they put themselves in our corner, willing to abide by our code and fight for a brotherhood they weren’t even a part of.
Heart.
They had it in shitloads.
And they were still there.
Brothers not by blood but by choice.