“Of course he will, he’s too intrigued not to. Besides, he hates this club and everything we are. If he thinks someone is feeding the authorities information that could potentially take down the Devil’s Bastards, he will want on board.”
***
Destiny roared up outside of the little house Anastasia had rented. She was no longer stripping but working at the store with the aunts until she found something permeant and was hopefully willing to put her up for a few nights.
Anastasia opened the screen door and walked out on her front stoop, baby on her hip. Most of her visible wounds were fading out.
“I always get a little concerned when a bike pulls into my driveway.”
“Even when it’s me?”
“Especially when it’s you,” Anastasia said as Destiny walked up the steps and picked Brooks up from his mother’s arms and walked inside. She removed her sidearm and set it on the end table before sinking down into the rocker with the baby. She took a deep breath of his sweet scent enhanced by the baby lotion and snuggled him close.
“I need a favor,” Destiny said once she was comfortable.
“Is it a favor for you or for the club?”
“Is there a difference?”
“I’m not sure,” Anastasia replied as she took a seat on the arm of the couch.
“I got kicked out of my apartment for the time being and wondered if I could maybe possibly crash here.”
“How did you manage to get the boot?”
“Houston’s home. Wants the apartment back. Don’t really want to move back in with the nosy aunts and I would prefer you two’s company over one of the boys.”
“We are a tad bit cleaner. Thought you would be invited to Fabio’s.”
“Houston suggested it.” Destiny rolled her eyes and Brooks reached up and tugged on her lower lip and giggled.
“And Fabio didn’t?”
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Is there anything you want to talk about?”
“Not right now.”
“I was the only person you told about that night you gave it up to him. You were chomping at the bit to give me every raunchy ass detail the second you got home. Passion like that doesn’t just fade away.”
“You had some hot and heavy sex back in high school too. It’s been ten years, you want to start talking about everyone you screwed back then and then have me accuse you of holding onto lingering, loving feelings?”
“If I ever had sex like that, hell yeah, I would hope that would last or come back around. I would want to keep that going for as long and as frequently as possible,” Anastasia said, setting Brooks down in his playpen.
“The sex wasn’t that great,” Destiny tried to state.
“Liar. Besides, rumor has it Fabio was shacked up with you the night this shit happened to me.”
“Fabio was too drunk to ride, he needed a place to stay, and it was strictly platonic.”
“Even if it was, it’s not like it hasn’t crossed your mind.”
Destiny caved after a second, feeling a bit of heat in her face. Since when did she blush? She had never blushed in her life. “OK, it has crossed my mind and there have been… moments… but it’s been strange. I have other priorities, more important things to worry about than fucking things up by screwing Fabio.”
“It’s more than just sex with you two. At least for him, he gets too attached to you. Worries about you when you’re gone. I only ever seen him on true benders immediately following your leaving again. You’re a Callaghan, you and your brothers don’t know how to love. Damn if Wes and Brianna didn’t though, they were the damn Romeo and Juliet of the patch. One day someone will come along and break down that barrier of yours and Houston’s. Love is precious, and even in this life of ours, so damn rare and important. It’s amazing, Dallas, let yourself feel it.”
“Have you ever been in love?”
Anastasia smiled sadly back at her.
“Brooks’ father?”
“Something like that. I know that cut is important to you but maybe, just maybe, when this is over with Leto. You take and re-evaluate it. If the love of this club is more important than a life with love could be.”
23
Destiny pulled up outside the clubhouse just minutes after dropping her bags off with Anastasia. Alec and the rest of the crew had just pulled in and there would be immediate plans to meet up with the Apache.
“I don’t like the amount of new patches they have, Alec! Let me call in the Nomads before we do this. I can have nine more patches here in six hours tops. Nine more bodies, eighteen more trigger fingers!” Houston was shouting inside the bar room as Destiny threw open the door. Apparently, knocking heads was the level of planning they had reached in her absence.
Choosing to stay mainly sober, Destiny opted out of the whiskey and reached for a beer from the refrigerator instead. She sat down on the stool next to Charlie and pulled a cigarette and lighter from her pocket and reached down the bar for an ashtray.
“How long they been going at it?” Destiny asked Charlie.
“Alec rolled in about twenty-five minutes ago. So twenty-four minutes of heated screaming.”
“Good to know I didn’t miss much.” Destiny took a drag.
Bryant walked up behind her and draped an arm over her shoulder. “Who is going to agree with your hot-headed brother?”
“You mean the first to agree?”
“The first will probably take the heat of Alec’s wrath,” Bryant replied.
“You don’t think we can handle this alone?” Charlie asked Bryant and Destiny.
“I think this is going to be a pissing match and the show of arms couldn’t help,” Destiny replied, turning her head back to the yelling and screaming between her brother and uncle. She scanned the room. Jay, Riccardo, and Vat sat around a table opposite the room from them. “Where’s everyone else?”
“Fabio is making a few calls to check in with the other chapters. Make sure they get home or close to it before we start breaking Apache ties. Roads can be dangerous. Eric is swapping his show bike out for his daily rider and Vince is checking in with his wife, cussing us all probably,” Bryant filled in.
“He’s just riding the minimum now to keep patch. I figured he would be pissed off about having to have a show of power. He doesn’t want to do all this again,” Charlie added, cracking the top on a beer can.
“Drew?” Destiny asked.
“Haven’t seen him since the funeral. Don’t know if Riccardo was able to track him down or not,” Bryant added and Destiny bit her tongue as to keep her opinion to herself.
“Give a whistle for me?” she asked Bryant and she winced as the shrill sound pierced through the hushed chatter and the shouts of Houston and Alec.
“Anyone care to hear other opinions or do we just not give a damn about civilized discussion?” Destiny asked, taking a last drag before putting it out.
“You want church called now?” Alec asked.
“Not church but since you two can’t seem to come to an agreement on anything, thought it was best to do some talking amongst the rest of us.”
“And just what might that opinion be?” Houston hissed.
“What time is our face to face?”
“Seven,” Alec replied and Destiny glanced to the clock. It was after three now. Houston said he could have nine bodies here in six hours. They had less than four before they had to ride.
“I don’t like the new patches and prospects. They are gearing up for a war, we already knew that, they won’t like us bowing out but if we can convince them that we are liabilities right now and that police heat could be on us, it might save our asses. I don’t suspect it will though. Hopefully they just won’t want to start another battle front by crossing the line. The amount of bodies they are recruiting means they aren’t being so careful, they aren’t picking just the cream of the crop, they are taking in anyone they can get their hands on. They don’t have the skill or experience, let alon
e the balls that this room has.” She paused her speech as Fabio ducked back into the room. “But we have to be ready. We have to be smart and not just arrogant about it, as good as we are, we need a phase two, and we could still take a hit tonight. I pray against it but it’s still a possibility. We don’t have the time to get the Nomads here before we meet but we need to try and do a round up. If something goes wrong with us or the Fort Worth or the other chapter cutting their own ties, the extra guys will be helpful. I assume the nine that Houston has in mind aren’t retiree Nomads either, walking straight and true.”
“Not in the least. They are fighters. They will be ready to rumble.” Houston grinned in excitement seeing that his sister, for once, had his back.
“I think we take an unofficial vote. Amongst the Bastards who are present, it’s just keeping our family close. Apache showed their dick size today outside a respectable family business. Our family business. We can afford to flash ours around for a few days and draw our own line in the sand.”
“I’m with her,” Jay replied, Riccardo quickly seconded.
“We took a hit this week, we need to remind them that we are still the Alpha dog, we don’t need no part of a turf war with the Pride. That shit is all said and done. Last thing we need is to be part of a damn color war,” Vat tossed in.
Alec looked around the room and was met with nods. “Don’t make you long in the tooth, Pop. No sense in raising a pack like this if you can’t call them out to hunt once in a while,” Destiny told him. Houston was already on his phone dialing in to his charter.
Alec sighed. “Call your aunts and figure out a few rooms. Between us and Stella we have a few spare rooms with you kids gone.”
“Fabio and Houston should do their best to be accommodating. Houston can vacate his apartment and go back home with you and Aunt Kristy. Not everyone will be thrilled being mothered. And doesn’t Fabio have two spare bedrooms?”
Houston and Fabio were both on the phones and paused their conversations to turn and protest. Alec silenced them, agreeing with his niece, and the boys told her where to get off. She replied with a double middle finger and headed back outside. Payback’s a bitch.
“They are so going to make you pay for that.” Vat laughed, running up behind her.
“Oh I count on it. You ready for tonight?”
“It’s been some time since I got to shoot some cocky-mouthed assholes. I look forward to someone stepping out of line.” Vat flashed his Glock at his side.
“You know that isn’t what we are hoping for, right?”
“I know but I still look forward to action. You are the only one who has had much fun here lately.”
Destiny shook her head. There was a long list of things disturbingly wrong with that man. She clambered up on the picnic table and whipped out her phone. There was going to be a lull in action for a bit. She hadn’t slept well last night, and if her apartment was still her own she would crash for a few hours. She had no desire to load up and head to Anastasia’s just for a nap, as she felt like she needed to pitch in with the baby while she was there and that meant that napping wasn’t likely.
Destiny drug her feet back into the clubhouse. Most of the crew had dispersed and she looked over at the couch. The old ladies had shampooed the furniture in the few days following the bike run. They believed in neatness and Destiny believed in irony. It would have to do. She collapsed onto the couch and stretched out.
***
Destiny was in the middle of a very nice dream, where she was wearing a damn flowing sundress of all things, when she was poked. And not the dirty kind of being poked. A sharp poke hit her side and she remembered only slightly where she was before opening her eyes. She pulled her nine from her holster that was hanging low on the back of the couch and aimed it in the general direction of the obnoxious poking.
“Fabio called, said to wake you up. Got a Nomad due in a few minutes and you got to get woken up. We ride out in a half hour,” she heard Pup the prospect stutter out.
“If you can’t handle me aiming a pistol at you in my sleep of all things, you need a new line of business, Pup.”
“Just wasn’t expecting it, is all.”
Destiny opened her eyes and looked over at Pup. He held a pool stick in his hand. “What’s with that?” she asked as she holstered her nine.
“Vince said it was best to wake you from a distance. He suggested it.”
“Bud, you got to stop listening to everything they say about me.” Destiny sat up and pulled her holster back on and then grabbed her cut.
“Go to hell, Vince,” she said, sitting down next to the old man at the bar.
“Likely we will be there soon enough,” he said, pouring himself a tumbler of bourbon.
“Guessing Carla isn’t very happy about all of this?”
“I was new back during the war with the Pride. Newer than Eric even, barely sporting a patch. I didn’t see the heat of things, Ray N. and Wes didn’t much trust newbies. Not from loyalty lacking but from just not knowing how they fight. Unlike Cochise, he didn’t feel it was a new patch or prospect fight if they could avoid it. I was in a couple skirmishes and got winged in the arm. She took our daughter and left after that for a while. Your mom encouraged me to leave. Family first. This club is family but to me it wasn’t the family, it was to her and your father. Anyway, Carla came back a year later after your mother died and the BP war ended. And I made the promise I wouldn’t do anything knowing it could put myself or her and the daughter in danger. Daughter is all grown up, living in Dallas, got a good job. Carla wants me to leave the patch or go Nomad at the very least and move to Dallas, got a grandson about the age of two now.”
“You don’t have to do this, Vince,” Destiny said, staring down the old man.
“Yes, I do. Same as you. This isn’t the BP war, this is a move to prevent another hell. For all we know, it could be an easy break off. Little fight, little retaliation, and one step closer to the only straight line this patch will ever walk.”
The front door of the club slammed open hard enough that both Vince and Destiny drew their weapons. Houston in all his cocky ass glory was leading the line of ride ins. Scottie, her favorite Nomad who had previously stated he would not fight, he was too old to be this outlaw, fell second to him. Houston’s VP was next to Scottie, raised a true-blue cowboy Texan, Tate’s skill sets as far as she knew were about as specific as Houston’s: ride bikes, drink whiskey, bed women, and throw punches. Whatever remained from the cowboy years, if anything, he didn’t show them. Behind Tate was one of the California Nomads in the area that Destiny didn’t know that well.
And behind the California boy was… Rocky.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Destiny asked, walking up and wrapping her arms around her old friend she had just seen that morning, although it had felt like much longer.
“Thought to myself, ‘can’t let Double D be the only Fort Worth cut down here for an Apache standoff.’ Scottie was still in Fort Worth when he got the call from Houston, so I hopped on my bike and came on down.”
Destiny wasn’t sure that she believed his story of just wanting to stand tall with the Bastards. She was sure this had to do with him hunting the rat that leaked the information to the cops that got his boy Leto killed.
Alec stepped out of the back room where church was held. “Suit up.”
Destiny and Vince headed down the back hallway past the apartments. She opened up the closet and pulled out totes of spare bedding, bills and bar receipts and other miscellaneous crap. Six totes in, she ripped two floorboards up and dropped a ceiling tile, unpacking back stashes of ammunition. She removed the back paneling and revealed a black steel gun safe with a keypad lock.
She punched in the code and swung open the door to the reserve stash of shotguns, AR-15s, AK-37s, and a handful of pistols. The Bastards would come prepared if nothing else.
“I’ll drive the van with Scottie. We will try and stuff a couple of the boys in it as surprise with the heavy
artillery if need be,” Vince said, speaking of their black cargo van as she passed out the guns to him and he leaned them up against the wall.
“Try and get Rocky to go with you,” Destiny added. “I worry with just burying Leto this morning that he won’t be in the best of states and be looking for a fight.”
“We will see what we can do,” Vince said, taking the last gun. Destiny shoved the boards all back into place and hurriedly tossed the totes back in.
Fabio, Vat, Bryant, and the Pup made their way down the hall to help haul the load back into the barroom.
Alec quickly passed out orders. Pup, one of the California Nomads, and Charlie were staying behind at the clubhouse just to be on the safe side, in case any Apache wanted to stir up trouble before the crew got back. The security guards from the Devil’s Stomping Grounds were trusted well enough to hold down that fort and the wives weren’t worried enough that they felt they couldn’t keep themselves safe. Apaches weren’t stupid enough to go after the families over a security deal being backed out of.
Scottie, Vince, Jay, and Rocky were assigned to the van. They would have the heavy artillery in the back and be the trigger fingers for it if worse came to worst. Rocky was none too excited to be assigned to the van but in his state over Leto it was the best thing for him.
The rest of the boys, and Destiny, would be front and center. “Let’s ride,” Alec said and they streamed back outside to their bikes. The parking lot roared to life and two by two they followed Alec and Bryant out onto the street. With the crew they were running, Destiny fell almost mid pack. Alec and Bryant, Houston and Tate, Riccardo and Eric, and then she and Fabio, followed by the rest of the crew, van in the back. The pecking order as it was, presidents and VPs, then sergeant of arms and elders. Then, as Fabio had referred to them, first guns.
It was a small, old back road next to a dried-up bank-owned tumbleweed patch not far from Hesser’s place where the Apache had agreed to meet. Away from suspecting eyes and innocent civilians.
Apache were already present when they rolled in. Destiny wasn’t sure how she felt about that just yet. She doubted they were smart enough to send anyone out into the field to set up sniper style, but there was always that chance. It’s what she would have done if she had control of the plans.
The Devils Bastards MC: Destiny Dallas Callaghan Page 16
