by K E Osborn
Cherry smiles like a proud mama bear. “Aww, this makes me sooo happy.”
Not letting myself get too far ahead, I shake it off. “It may not even be anything.”
“The way he was fawning all over you this morning, honey. Yeah, it’s something.”
My belly swarms with giddy butterflies. I’ve never felt this excited about the possibility of starting something with someone before. I like Phantom, I do, but then it hits me just how much he’s going to hate me when he finds out I’m Rage’s sister, and I was sent here to destroy Defiance from the inside out by the one club they have no time for.
Nausea rolls over me, and I frown at Cherry narrowing her eyes on me. “You okay, hon?”
Shaking my head, I exhale. “Yeah, I ah… need a shower.”
Cherry cocks her head to the side. “Phantom said you were having one before you came down?”
I let out a mock chuckle. “Oh, yeah, right. Silly me… coffee, I need coffee. I don’t know where my head is at. Thanks for the chat, Cherry.” I stand and make my way over to the bar, my breathing coming in short and sharp.
Fuck.
I can’t believe I did that.
I nearly fucked up!
I have to keep my lies in order.
Or I will never get through this.
Nessie eyes me up and down with a frown on her face. “Billie, is everything okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
I let out a laugh which borders on hysterical as I take a seat and place my head in my hands. “I just need a coffee, that’s all. Just a damn coffee.”
Nessie doesn’t say anything else but simply backs away slowly to grab my coffee.
I swear I’m losing my shit.
I sit for a couple of seconds, thinking.
The doubt has taken off on a runaway train.
Is the pen recording?
I need something. Anything!
My brother has to be satisfied enough not to attack the club, and it’s my job to make sure that happens.
I need to find out.
But if I do, then this is really happening, and I am crossing a line—one I can’t come back from.
Nessie places the coffee on the counter, and I peep up at her. “Nessie, you ever do things you thought you’d never do?”
She giggles like I’ve just told a joke, then she looks at me seriously. “I’m a club girl… it’s in my job description to do things I never thought I would do.”
“Right.” I finally crack a smile. “How do you live with those choices?”
She leans on the counter with both elbows, head in hands, her eyes finding mine. “Depends on how bad the situation. But I find the further over the line you cross, the more soul searching you need to do to forgive yourself. If you’re doing it for the right reasons, then forgiveness is an achievable outcome.”
“And what if you’re not doing it for the right reasons? What if the reasons are forced upon you?”
“Then, baby, you better pray those you hurt forgive you because if they can’t, then there’s no hope in forgiving yourself.”
“Thanks for the coffee.” I stand from the stool.
She dips her head at me and smiles.
It’s like the weight of the world is on my shoulders, and its weight is unbearable, but I take the coffee and head for the stairs. Defiance will despise me for what I am about to do, but if I don’t do it, they will all be in grave danger.
Taking the stairs two at a time, I spot Cherry scrutinizing me, but I ignore her gaze, making my way up to my room.
I have to do this.
There is no damn choice.
But is there?
Maybe I should go down to the chapel and alert them. Tell them everything. If they are prepared, then maybe they have a fighting chance?
But do I really think this club has a chance against the Heathens?
Not at all.
The Heathens have had all this time to prepare. They are armed up. They have knowledge they never had before. Everything they need to attack Defiance is at their fingertips, and I know blood will be shed. The problem is, I have no idea whose blood will run heavier. How much bloodshed would it take before victory is declared by either side?
The Heathens are bastards, and they all deserve to be dead, including my brother. But the main issue I am facing is that not one of these Defiance brothers deserves that, let alone the women and children who are here at the clubhouse.
The inner turmoil is crippling my mind.
I enter my room, lock the door behind me, and move over to the desk, placing the coffee down on the round coaster with the Defiance logo. Taking in a deep breath, I pull out my cell, put the volume down as low as I can, and open the app. The record button is illuminated, so I turn it off the mute setting, and instantly, Zero’s voice comes across plain as day.
“We’re moving the shipments tomorrow? Has anyone confirmed this with River?”
“Yeah, with Slick out at the racing track with Oakley, our usual transport is out of commission, so River is having his men do the shipping of the Snow White. River says he’s trained his men on the routes, and they know exactly what to do. Should be a simple, no fuss into Mexico. The Baroness has paid-off border patrol to let us pass without trouble, and even if there is, the shipment is disguised enough not to cause too much drama,” Neon replies.
“Good to know. Glad you’re on the case. The shipment is leaving from the Slavers’ warehouse in the industrial district, right? They’re taking it straight from the distribution center?”
“Yeah, Pres. The biggest shipment is leaving the yard at eight tomorrow night for the border. If it’s all home and hosed, it should be in Mexico by two a.m.”
“Good. Keep me up to date with progress reports. So far, everything is running smoothly with our extra productions, the last thing we need is for the Militia to find out we’ve increased profits without sharing the product and margins. Lord knows that will end up bloody.”
“It’s a dangerous game we’re playing by leaving the Militia in the dark. Maybe we should rethink about bringing Hawke in on this at some point? Our profits are good, so we can share them a little. Having that safety net rather than the problem of will they find out sounds like a better plan to me, Pres,” Neon states.
“Yeah, I get it. But the only problem is, we’ve made this bed now. We tell him we’ve upped production, he’s gonna know we’ve been doing it under his nose for months without him taking his cut. We’ll take a hit. If we know anything, it’s that Hawke is unpredictable. I just don’t know whether the hit will be in profit or in our blood. A lot of us have much more to lose now when it comes to people they can come after.”
“It’s something we need to think about… minimize the damage and maximize the benefits,” Neon states.
“I hear you. On another topic… what do we think of the new girl?”
“Phantom’s chick?” someone asks.
I furrow my brows and raise my top lip at his tone.
“Yeah, she’s strange, isn’t she?” Zero asks.
I tense my shoulders listening even closer.
“There’s something off about her, for sure. Phantom’s all-in, he was from the moment he met her in the hospital, but I’m not sold on her story.” I think that was Texas’ voice.
“I ran her background check. Everything seems legit. Problem is… it’s almost too squeaky clean. I don’t know, I get a vibe like she’s not fully here, like she’s hiding something from us. I don’t know what it is, though. From everywhere I have dug around, I see she’s never been around an MC, so it could just be that she’s nervous around the patch, but I don’t know,” Neon states. “When someone is this clean, it makes me wonder what the fuck she’s hiding and how is she doing it. I am continuing to dig. If there is anything, I will uncover it.”
“Right, I get what you’re saying. I want everyone to watch her like a hawk. No one is to talk to Phantom about this. You’re right, he is all-in with her. If she’s going to fuck up
, he’s going to be the ticket.”
My stomach churns, my palms sweat, and my bottom lip quivers as I listen to them talking about me like they already know I’m a mole.
“I’ll get this paperwork signed, and then we can get on with the fucking day. Anyone else got anything to say?” Zero adds.
There’s nothing but silence, then there’s a bang followed by chairs scraping.
“Neon?”
“Yeah, Pres?”
“Run Billie’s report again, check for inconsistencies. I want to know who the fuck this woman is. While you’re at it, put a bug in her room, I want to know anything that’s going on in there. Check into this cuddling job as well. That all seems too ridiculous to be true.”
“You got it. If there’s anything, I’ll find it.”
My heart hammers in my chest when the door shuts on the chapel, then there’s silence. The pen is still recording, but there’s no one in the room.
I have no choice now.
They are going to find out who I am, and it’s only a matter of time.
I grab the last half hour of recording and send the audio file to Rage. Then I dial his number, and he picks up. “You didn’t waste any time, little sister.”
“I sent you an audio file. They’re onto me, Rage. They’re gonna bug my room. I won’t be able to contact you.”
“Then you’ll have to contact me somewhere other than your room, won’t you? Think outside the box, you idiot. Is there anything on the recording I can use?”
My fingers shake so much I can hardly hang on to the cell. “There’s a shipment going out tomorrow night of something they called Snow White.”
“Cocaine, huh? Did they say where.”
“They did. I… I can’t remember, but it’s in the recording I sent.”
“You did good, Billie. There will be no attack tonight, so don’t worry your precious little head. And just make sure anything you say from now on in your bedroom is measured and precise because they will be listening. You know now your acting isn’t good enough. So… do better!” He ends the call, and I drop my head onto the desk, letting out a long exhale.
“Fuck!”
PHANTOM
Everywhere I turn, something reminds me of Billie. I can’t get that kiss out of my head.
As I walk into the hospital, I make my way past the cafeteria where we first met, and a slow smile crosses my face. She may have been running from something, but I’m sure glad she ran into me.
With a pep in my step, I make my way to Prinie’s room and round the corner. She’s not there. I check the bathroom, then let out an exhale. Turning, I make my way for the nurses’ station and give the nurse behind the desk a quick head bob. “Hey, can you help me?”
“I sure hope so,” she chimes, her eyes lingering on me in that typical way.
“Prinie Walker, she’s not in her room. Do you know where she is?”
“I’m only supposed to let family in to see her…” the nurse leans a little closer, “… are you family?”
“Practically. We live together, does that count?”
Her eyes widen, and she jerks her head back like she’s shocked. “Oh, but her baby’s father comes in every day… I didn’t realize she lived with another—”
“Oh, sweetheart, we have quite the unique relationship. We’re a real close unit. There’s a heap of us living together. She’s like the princess that belongs to all of us. Just Wraith, the baby’s father, he’s her main guy. The rest of us are just… well, like her slaves.”
The nurse’s eyes widen. “Like some kind of harem?”
Prinie is going to kill me for this.
“Yeah, exactly. So, now you know why you need to take real good care of her. She’s important to a lot of people. Our family couldn’t function without our princess.”
She shakes her head like she is in some kind of awe. “I mean, I read about these reverse harems all the time, but I had no idea they actually existed. That must be so…” she starts to pull her shirt in and out from her chest, “… hot.”
Letting out a chuckle, I waggle my brows. “Oh, you have no idea. But I need to see my woman, so if you could tell me where she is?”
“Right, of course. She’s in the NICU with the baby.”
“Thanks… it’s not hard to start up your own harem, you know? Just find a couple of guys who are willing to share, then it goes from there. You’re hot, you could definitely do it.” I wink at her.
She picks up her glass of water, drinking dramatically while I chuckle to myself, walking off toward the NICU.
“Bye!” she calls out desperately, but I keep walking.
I’m such an asshole.
Poor girl.
Making my way to the NICU, I glance through the giant glass window. Prinie is sitting beside Leo’s incubator, staring at him. My chest tightens, but I know I need to try to get her to come home. I sanitize myself, then make my way inside the room, her eyes catching me when I approach. A weak smile lights her face, and she places her hand on the side of the incubator. “He’s doing good today… getting stronger.”
“Just like his mama.”
She frowns, shaking her head. “I don’t feel very strong right now.”
I place my hand on her shoulder for comfort. “Prinie, you’re one of the strongest women I know… aaand I might have told the ward nurse that you’re the leader in a reverse harem, so she thinks you’re super powerful.”
Prinie bursts out laughing. “You what? Are you for real?”
Shrugging, I bob my head. “She wasn’t gonna let me see you, so I told her I was part of your harem.”
She giggles. “I miss this, you being your crazy self. Us having a laugh…” She gestures to the seat beside her. “I’m sorry shit became strained.”
I let out a long, drawn-out breath. “None of that matters. You’re happy with Wraith. You have a wonderful family with Sephy and Leo. You deserve it, Prin.”
She rests her hand on my knee, then turns to face me. “But you do, too, Phantom. You’re such a good guy. You deserve to be happy and find someone who makes you happy. I could never have been that girl for you.”
Threading our fingers together, I say, “I know. There’s some shit happening at the club you should know about.”
“Tell me!”
“On Christmas Day, Texas and I were in the cafeteria here at the hospital, and a woman came in. She’d been attacked in the alley at the side of the hospital.”
“Well, shit! Is she okay?”
“Pretty banged up and shaken too. We’re trying to figure out if it was targeted or just a simple mugging. We went to one guy’s house who we thought it could have been, but it was a dead end.”
“So, this woman… what do we know about her?”
“Her name is Billie. She’s kinda punkish, a little like you were back in the day.”
“Mm-hmm, go on...” Prinie widens her eyes, assessing me.
“She’s sweet, can be a little reserved maybe, but she has this fire about her that lights up sometimes—”
“Ha! You like her!”
I jerk my head back. “I didn’t say that.”
“You don’t have to. It’s written all over your goofy face and in your body language. You completely change when you talk about her.”
“I do not.” My shoulders slump.
She turns back to Leo. “You certainly have a type, don’t you?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Punky chicks with a fire inside them?”
I shove her in the side. “She’s not you, Prinie.”
She turns back to me with kind eyes. “No, I know that. I’m just saying I’m glad you’ve found someone to focus on. Are the feelings reciprocated?”
“We had a fucking epic kiss last night.”
“Really? Oh my God, Phantom, lead with that! I am so happy for you.”
My stomach churns in excitement for what this could be with Billie if we have a chance. I have no idea, but I hope it
’s going to be something. “It feels good right now. It’s new, I don’t even know if it is anything, but it feels like it could be.”
Her eyes well, and she sniffles. “Oh, I’m just so happy.”
“You’re such a dork!”
“I blame the hormones.” She wipes under her eyes.
“So now we know I’m doing good, we need to make sure you’re doing okay.”
“I should have known they would send in the big guns to do their damn bidding.”
“Not sure anyone has ever classified me as a big gun before, but I’ll take that as a compliment.”
She cuddles into me with a sigh. “Phantom, out of everyone, we have this connection. You were there for me when I really, truly needed you.”
“I always will be, Prin, just like I am here for you now. And Prinie, I understand you love Leo with everything in you, and not being in the same building as him twenty-four-seven is going to hurt so fucking bad, but he is going to be taken care of. You need to take care of you, so when he comes home, you’re able to take care of him properly.”
She sniffles again, clenching her eyes tightly shut. “I know all this, I do. It just doesn’t seem like enough of an incentive to leave him.”
“Then what about this… your daughter is at home wondering when her mommy is gonna come and tuck her into bed at night again.” She lets out a small sob. “By being here, you’re missing out on her. You can come every day to see Leo. He’s not going anywhere. You know Zero will station a prospect at the NICU when you and Wraith aren’t here to guard him. He’s going to be okay... but you won’t be if you wear yourself out, then you’re not gonna be no good for no one.” I let out a heavy sigh when her eyes meet mine. “You’ve just come out of a coma. You need time too. Time with Wraith and your daughter…” I pause for dramatic effect. “You know I’m right.”
She purses her lips like she is fighting back her emotions. “You’re a fucking asshole, that’s what you are.”
I let out a small chuckle. “Why? Because I’m right?”
“Yeah, because you’re freaking right! Don’t get a big head about it or nothing.”
I pull her closer and plant a kiss on her temple. “So… we’re going home?”
Her bottom lip trembles as she places her hand inside the incubator onto baby Leo’s chest. “It goes against every motherly instinct in me, but yeah, we’re going home… just another few minutes with him first?”
