“Goddammit, Miller.”
“You get to ask once a day, that was our deal, right? If you ask again, I’m going to make the other side of your face match what those cops did.”
“Got it,” Blaine said. “Now what the hell do you really want me alone for?”
“Ethan. Give me the scoop.”
“I already did in front of the table, Miller. I need to come clean with my brothers about who I am.”
“Who you were.”
“The badge is like the cut, Miller. You can lose it but it never leaves you.”
Miller put a hand to Blaine’s shoulder. “No. You goddamn listen to me, Blaine. You dirty, fucking, scummy, piece of shit asshole… you tossed that badge when you understood it had no meaning. The cut on your back you wear and will wear until you’re dead because it has meaning. You got that?”
Blaine nodded.
“That’s why I need this delivery figured out.”
Blaine shrugged Miller away and stood up. “I love you, Miller. I love every guy that sits at this table. Including Trev, and I barely know him. But if we’re going to exchange bullets and trust, I have to love, right? I know what you need from me. I’ll do anything for this club. For you. I’ll be the diversion, Miller. Just tell me what to do.”
When Blaine got to the door, Miller whistled for him. He looked back.
“Thank you,” Miller said.
Blaine gave a nod and went to the bar.
“What do you want, Blaine?” a young prospect asked with a smile.
Blaine threw a fist, smacking the guy in the mouth. The guy stumbled back, eyes wide, arms flailing. The guy’s hand then grabbed for a gun. Blaine jumped over the bar at him, rage in his heart.
“You want to shoot me?” Blaine asked.
“Why’d you hit me?”
Blaine grabbed the prospect by the throat and threw him to the floor. The prospect groaned and lifted the gun, pulling the trigger.
***
The bullet zinged right by Blaine and hit the wall. Blaine stepped forward and put the toe of his boot between the prospect’s legs. He wasn’t making a threat here, he stepped and twisted.
As the prospect cried - literally - he dropped the gun.
That’s when Blaine dropped down to one knee and grabbed the gun. He quickly took out the clip and hid it, all before the prospect could see.
“You see, you little bitch, you need to stay strong and tough,” Blaine growled.
“What the hell is going…” Gaige was at the bar and then on top of it. He quickly drew his gun. “Blaine. What the fuck are you doing?”
“Teaching this punk a lesson.”
“Step away,” Gaige ordered.
“Let it go, VP,” Blaine said.
“Don’t make me shoot you,” Gaige warned.
“Over a prospect?”
“What did he do to you?” Gaige asked.
“Nothing,” Blaine said. He widened his eyes and smiled.
“You’re sick,” the prospect said.
“Fucking sick,” Blaine said. He put the gun to the prospect’s head. “So fucking sick.” Blaine pulled the trigger.
The prospect jumped and twisted like a fish flopping on dry land.
“Christ!” Gaige yelled.
Blaine stood up and reached back, grabbing at Gaige. He took Gaige’s gun and tossed it to the floor. By then the rest of the guys had all gotten together in the clubhouse to watch the scene unfold.
“Blaine, brother,” Jace said. “What are you doing?”
“Nothing,” Blaine said. He dropped the prospect’s gun on the floor. “Everyone needs to take a punch once in a while, right?”
He grabbed a bottle of whiskey from under the bar and jumped over.
“Don’t go too far with that,” Trev said and pointed to a camera in the corner of the bar. “We have company.”
“Who is it?” Gaige asked.
“The new police chief,” Blaine said. “Fuck.”
four.
“I don’t understand,” Dr. Ashland said.
“You’re not supposed to understand,” Jessa said. “I just need to leave for a little while.”
“Someone threatened you, Jessa. Someone broke into the office and killed one of our patient’s animals. And now you have to leave? Jessa, if you’re hiding something…”
“Look, I’m really sorry to do this. I was honestly just thinking about leaving. And not even saying a word to you. I’m at least trying to be honest.”
Dr. Ashland stood with her hands in her pockets. She had an angelic face, perfect features and looked twenty years younger than she was. But she had a full head of gray hair. Perfect and beautiful gray hair at that. Her eyes were a rich blue color that always begged for honesty.
“I wish I could tell you more,” Jessa said.
Dr. Ashland reached for the door and engaged the lock. “So give it to me.”
“You can talk to Terri,” Jessa said.
“I did that. She said you looked terrified. That something had gotten to you.”
“And I told her it was simply my reaction to seeing a cat with a missing head.”
“And before you looked into the box?”
“We have security cameras,” Jessa said. “Look at those.”
“They mysteriously malfunctioned for an entire hour, Jessa.”