by Lane Hart
“Me too,” I tell them.
Reece seems thrilled that Cynthia is moving in to the clubhouse, which everyone gladly approves, and he’s training up the prospect to help out with the security.
I’m guessing we need it since he didn’t give me any shit about bringing a woman to Eddie’s this morning, so he wasn’t paying very close attention to the cameras.
“We ready to adjourn?” Chase asks impatiently, already sliding his chair backward.
Torin’s even about to slam the gavel down when I cringe but speak up before they all disappear. “There’s something I need to bring to the table.”
“Oh, right. Sorry,” Torin apologizes, laying the gavel back down. “Is there a problem?”
Shit. How the hell do I tell them this?
Reaching up to scratch the side of my head as I figure out the best way to explain this, I say, “Could be, yeah. Now, it’s not my fault or anything, but I may have made the club a new…enemy.”
“Enemy?” Reece snaps angrily at me. “What the fuck did you do, man?”
“All I was doing was protecting what’s mine, same as any of you would’ve done,” I respond defensively.
“What the hell happened?” Torin huffs, leaning back in his chair with his arms crossed over his chest.
“Well, I, ah, accidentally killed a fucker who may be the right-hand man to the Russian mafia boss.”
Curses erupt from every mouth in the room.
“Are you serious? How did you ‘accidentally’ kill him?” Sax asks me.
“I put a bullet through his head,” I answer honestly before adding “along with three of his buddies.”
“Jesus fuck! Why the hell did you do that, man?” Cooper grumbles before the rest of them can recover enough to ask.
“Because they broke in my house to rob me or kill me, probably both,” I explain. “And they were the same assholes who had been threatening my in-laws.”
“I don’t know which is the most confusing part of all the shit you just said, the house part or the in-laws,” Reece mutters. “It definitely isn’t the murdering part. That seems par for the course, so why don’t you just back the fuck up and tell us what’s going on, brother.”
Reaching up to rub the back of my reddening neck because everyone is pissed at me, I tell them, “Well, I ah, bought a place out near the cape, needs a little fixing up but I got a good price.”
“Oh-kay,” Chase drawls. “You moved out of the clubhouse. Fine. What’s with the in-laws? You’re not married.”
“Actually, I am,” I reply, flashing them my wedding band.
“To whom?” Reece ask. “You were just trying to get with Cynthia a few months ago!”
“It’s all pretty new. Things happened fast,” I say in a rush since this is what I wanted to avoid, them finding out I bought Kira to be my wife. Getting to the point, I tell them, “Look, it doesn’t matter. The point is, if the Russian boss knows about my ties to the MC, he could come after us when his men don’t turn up.”
“That’s just fucking great!” War shouts at me. “Can’t have a year of peace without one of you going and stirring some shit up!”
“It’s not like I went looking for trouble!” I yell back at him. “I was trying to mind my own business at home when those fools broke in!”
“You were home with your…wife?” Torin asks still sounding perplexed about how I was able to convince a woman to marry me.
“Yes. My wife,” I grit out. “We made it official six weeks ago. Coop was there.”
All of their heads turn to the end of the table where Cooper silently nods his involvement before they look around at each other.
“Why hasn’t anyone but Coop met her yet?” Chase asks me.
Scratching at the side of my head again to try and figure out a way to explain it without a full admission I say, “Ah, well, she’s sort of shy,” which causes Coop to choke out what sounds like a laugh and a cough.
“Shy?” Gabe who rarely talks in a meeting speaks up and says, the one word heavy with skepticism. “You and shy don’t exactly go together, bro.”
“Tell me about it,” I huff with a grin because the last few weeks trying to get Kira back into my bed has felt like a lifetime. “But I think I’m finally wearing her down.”
“By murdering men?” Torin asks.
“Yeah, men who were taking every penny from her parents. Now they’re done.”
“Done?” Reece asks. “You’re not that stupid, are you? The first names on that Russian boss’s shit list is going to be her folks. You need to get them someplace safe with new names and shit, the sooner the better before he realizes his men are missing.”
“Fuck,” I grumble since I hadn’t thought of that. I was too busy disposing of the bodies to think about her folks. “Guess you’re right.”
“Wow,” Torin says as he scrubs both hands over his face. “The Russian mafia?”
“I didn’t know it at the time,” I tell him. “If I had, I wouldn’t have gone straight to ending them.”
Maybe.
“Well, what’s done is done,” Torin responds. “I’ll talk to Jade and Knox. They’re close friends with the east coast’s Italian and Irish mafia boss.”
“Holy shit! Your sister knows both mob bosses?” Maddox asks with awe. “She’s a badass.”
Torin holds up a single finger. “Jade and Knox know the Italian and Irish mob boss singular. Ivan killed his father, the Italian boss, and then married the daughter of the head of the Irish mafia after her father went to prison. He’s been in charge of both syndicates for years and you barely hear a peep out of them now.”
“Wow,” Maddox responds. “Must be one tough motherfucker.”
“You think he can help with the Russian problem?” I ask hopefully.
“We can’t ask him to get tangled up in our shit,” Torin responds. “But maybe they’ll have some suggestions for how the fuck we’re supposed to proceed with the Russians without it ending in a bloodbath. If I had to guess, Ivan’s probably had run-ins over the years with them.”
“I’m sorry,” I blurt to the guys. “I didn’t mean for this shit to happen. But she’s my wife. What else was I supposed to do when they barge in our house?”
“Are we done for today?” Reece asks while glancing down at his watch. “Until Torin talks to Jade and Miles gets his in-laws somewhere safe?”
“Yeah, I guess so,” Torin agrees. “We’ll meet back here in the morning to see where we’re at. And we’ll need you to beef up security everywhere.”
“No shit,” Reece mutters.
“Adjourned,” Torin says with a slam of his gavel on the table. Turning to me as most of the guys jump up out of their seats, he asks, “Where’s your wife now?”
“She’s at the salvage yard with Eddie. That’s why he stayed back,” I explain.
“Good, that’s good,” he agrees. “I’m gonna make some calls to Jade, see if she can get us on a conference call with Ivan. You want to stick around here and see what he says?”
“Yeah, I can do that,” I reply even though I would rather be in bed with Kira. Getting up from my chair, I tell him, “I’ll make a few calls and be around so give me a ring when you have some information.”
“Will do,” Torin responds with a heavy sigh.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Kira
The sound of my ringing phone pulls me out of a deep sleep. When I sit up and open my eyes, it takes several long seconds for me to remember why I’m not on the black leather sofa in our living room.
Miles killed Zeno and three other guys yesterday, so now we’re hiding out at a junk yard.
Right.
The phone stops and then starts again, so I throw off the covers and scurry to pull the device from my purse.
“Hello?” I answer.
“Hey, you had me worried there for a minute,” Miles says.
“Sorry, I was sleeping so good.”
“I hate to wake you up, but you didn’t say what
your parents are going to do. Are they still at home?”
“No, my mom said they were leaving yesterday,” I reply. “Why?”
“Good. That’s good,” Miles says with an exhale of what I think is relief. “They need to lay low someplace with no paper trail. Tell them to use cash, no credit cards for all purchases and not to use their real names if they stay at a hotel.”
“Okay. I’ll call them now,” I assure him, thinking it’s sweet that he’s worried about my parents. “Are you on your way back?”
“No, not yet,” he grumbles. “I have to stay around here for a while, but I promise I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“Yeah, sure, that’s fine.”
“There are some tests in the bag I left on the bed,” he tells me, and I glance over to see for myself.
“Should I wait, or do you want me to go ahead?”
“Up to you,” Miles says. “I thought you might want to get it over with, find out for sure.”
“Yeah, I do,” I agree. “But I want to wait until you’re here too.”
“We can do that, whatever you decide,” Miles says. “Just hang tight and I’ll see you soon.”
“Okay, bye,” I say before he ends the call.
Concerned about my parents’ safety, I call my mother’s cell phone next. She quickly tells me that they are fine and actually enjoying themselves on vacation in Florida, so I withhold from them the fact that Zeno and the others are dead. They took out cash from the bank before they left so there’s no way for Kozlov to track them down. Eventually their money will run out, though. I’m not sure what will happen then…
For now, all I know is that my mouth is so dry that I need about a gallon of water, so I slip into the kitchen. I’m looking for a glass when Eddie says, “I thought I heard you up and moving around.”
“I’m so thirsty I could drink out of the sink. You mind if I…”
“Help yourself,” he says with a wave of his hand. “Get any sleep?”
“I did, thanks.”
“Blackjack must have had a rough night too. He’s curled up asleep with Sparky,” he tells me with a grin.
“Aww. I’m glad they’re getting along.”
“Me too,” Eddie agrees. “How about I clean up and fix us some lunch?”
“You don’t have to go to any trouble,” I tell him.
“How about an omelet since we missed breakfast?”
“That would be great,” I say when my palm goes to my growling stomach. I especially need the sustenance if I’m eating for two.
After I get cleaned up in the bathroom, Eddie tells me to sit at the bar when I offer to help. I don’t miss the fact that there’s a gun-shaped lump under the back of his shirt or that, even while he cooks, he keeps an eye out the kitchen window.
“There you go,” he says when he slides a plate in front of me and then cuts into his own omelet with a fork while standing at the bar.
I take a bite, and tell him, “This is delicious, Eddie.”
“Glad you like it,” he says between bites. “You must be important to Miles. I’ve never seen him care enough to be protective of a woman before.”
“He’s good to me,” I say.
“Is he?” he asks, not sarcastically but like he’s curious.
“Yeah, he is.”
“Honestly, I wasn’t sure, especially with the dishonorable discharge. Then the court martial prison sentence,” Eddie tells me. “Miles keeps to himself most of the time, and I don’t blame him. Men don’t usually come back from war or prison the way they go in. I didn’t know him before, but I’m guessing he’s a different man now and struggles with it each day.”
Miles was kicked out of the military and went to prison? Wow. I wonder why.
“He told me he was in the Marines,” I say. “Is that where he got his tattoos?”
“Maybe.”
“You don’t know what they mean?” I ask.
“Even if I did, he’ll need to tell you his own ghost stories.”
“Ghost stories?” I ask with my fork frozen in the air.
“Did Miles tell you what he did in the Marines?” Eddie asks.
“He said he was a sniper, that he’s good with guns,” I reply.
“And what exactly is it you think Marine snipers do with their guns during wars?”
“Oh,” I mutter in understanding. “He killed people.”
“They don’t shoot to injure,” he responds.
“But he’s a good man even if he kills people.”
“Anything is possible,” Eddie tells me. “And as long as he’s good to you, does it really matter?”
When a phone starts buzzing, I jump up from my stool, thinking it’s mine, but then Eddie’s fork clatters to his plate as he pulls out his and reads the screen.
“Shit,” he grumbles.
“Everything okay?” I ask.
“Yeah, but I have a feeling Miles is going to have some MC business keeping him busy for a while.”
I don’t think much of that statement until he goes to the front door and holds it open, whistling for Sparky, who slowly waddles in with Blackjack on his heels, happily bouncing around with his new friend. When I go over to scoop up Jack, Eddie shuts the door and then turns about three different locks on it, making me nervous.
“Just locking the place down as a precaution,” he says when he starts to the back door.
“Are you sure Miles is okay?” I ask him in concern.
“Oh, yeah, doll. He’ll be just fine.”
The racing heart in my chest, however, doesn’t believe him.
Miles
After Torin makes a call to Jade, and we wait, I need to keep moving, do something.
“I’m going to see if Gabe can give me some ink while we wait for them to call back,” I tell Torin.
“Yeah, I’ll let you know when we set the call up.”
With a nod, I head up the stairs and out of the bar, crossing the street to the tattoo studio.
When I walk inside, a jingle sounds, causing Gabe to glance up from his desk in the corner.
“What’s up?” he asks when he stands and comes over to me.
“You got time to ink me?”
“Sure,” he responds. “I’ve got the black ready to go, figured you would want to add four more birds.”
“That and some lettering here,” I tell him, pointing to the inside of my forearm.
“Cursive freehand work?” he asks.
“Yeah, I trust you,” I reply. The kid’s got a steady hand and is a genius with a needle.
“Let’s get started then,” Gabe says. “Have a seat in the first chair and I’ll go wash up.”
“Thanks,” I tell him as he disappears into the back.
When he returns, I’ve removed my shirt and cut, and Gabe’s gloved up and ready to get to work.
“You want the new four here?” he asks, rubbing his fingertip over the upper part of my ribs.
“Yep.”
“Got it,” he says before he starts cleaning the area.
“You talked to Ian lately?” I ask him to fill the silence and because I haven’t heard much from our brother lately.
“Been a few weeks. Why?” he asks tersely.
“Just wondering how he was doing.”
“He’s getting through,” Gabe replies. “Crankier every time I see him.”
“No shit,” I mutter. I spent plenty of years behind bars myself, so I hate it for him. “When’s his release date?”
“Ah, I think he’s got about another year left if he doesn’t fuck it up and get any more violations. I can’t believe he got hit with some fucked-up assault charge and ruined his good behavior days.”
“Still a year, really?” I ask. “Seems like he’s been in that fucking place forever.”
“Four years, ten months and eleven days,” Gabe says off the top of his head. “Not that I’m keeping count or anything.”
“Right,” I drawl over the sound of the buzzing needle. “You were still
a prospect when he went in, weren’t you?”
“Yeah.”
“Still can’t believe he was stupid enough to speed while carrying.”
“Me either,” Gabe grumbles. “One fucking mistake cost him five years of his life, and he blames me for it.”
“You? Why would he blame you?” I ask in confusion.
“No clue,” he quickly responds before clearing his throat and saying, “Birds are done and small enough you won’t need any wrapping on them. You want to write out the lettering or tell it to me so I can figure out the spacing?”
“Ah, yeah,” I agree as he wipes the area on my ribs clean and I pull my shirt back down to sit up in the chair.
“Let me grab some paper and a pen,” Gabe says before he gets up and then returns with a notepad in his gloved hands. “Ready when you are.”
“Okay,” I say. “I will share my life with you, build our dreams together, support you through times of trouble and rejoice with you in times of happiness. I promise to give you respect, love and loyalty through all the trials and triumphs of our lives together.”
When Gabe doesn’t say anything, I look over and tell him, “That’s it. That’s all of it.”
“Wow, man,” he replies as he blinks his long, dark eyelashes rapidly.
“Are you fucking crying?” I huff.
“No. No, absolutely not.”
“Yeah, you are. You can’t fucking tattoo me when you’re crying!”
“Give me a second,” he says before he puts the notebook down on the side table and wanders off into the back.
When he comes back, I ask him, “Did you find your balls?”
“I’m a sensitive guy, and it’s sweet,” he mutters. “Especially for a tough guy like you.”
“Yeah, well, it’s not like I came up with it or anything. It was our wedding vows,” I explain. “I just memorized them.”
“You love her,” Gabe replies with a grin.
“What? It’s not like that,” I disagree. “You know the things I’ve done. I’m a cold, heartless murderer. You’ve seen the birds and added to them. You know how many kills I have.”
