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Wildcard frowns. “Not that I know of, although no one would care.”

“You said your SOA was in a relationship with a prospect. Didn’t you?”

“Oh! I see. Chill is a woman. A former Marine and one scary ass bitch. I’m just glad she’s on our side.”

I step back from Wildcard and stare at him in shock. “You have a female member?”

He chuckles. “We have two female members. Viper is our Enforcer, and another person I would never want to piss off. Puma isn’t anything like Squiggy. I wanted to kill Squiggy, but I’d die for Puma. Do you know he set up a program here at 1% that helps women who are running from abusive relationships? He named it after his Old Lady, Alisa. She came to our clubhouse as a favor to a member of our San Diego club. She had a stalker. The guy arranged the death of her husband to clear the way for himself. Puma took her in to protect her and her daughter. Then he fell in love with both of them.”

I’m nodding as he explains. “That’s what the cabbie said when he brought me here. He told the woman at the reception desk that I was a guest of Alisa’s. Later I saw a photo of Puma with Alisa and figured he named it after her. He’s quite large, isn’t he?”

Wildcard barks out a laugh. “Wait until you meet him in person. The guy’s a fucking mountain, but he’s one of the best men I’ve ever met. He won’t let anyone hurt you or Colt. Hell, he’d have no problem taking me out if he thought I was a threat to you. That’s who he is.”

His assurances that Colt will not only be safe at the clubhouse, but would have other kids his age to play with calm my nerves. Somewhat. But the sight of Wildcard getting shot following Mike’s murder still fills me with concern. “I trust you believe the clubhouse to be safe for kids, but I’m still unsure about the man who shot you. How do you know he isn’t a danger?”

Wildcard grins at me. “The man shot me because he thought I had hurt you. He heard from a man he thought he could trust that I sold you into the sex trade instead of taking you to safety. I know he won’t hurt Colt, because he’d never hurt his grandson.”

CHAPTER NINE: WILDCARD

I feel a twinge of guilt at the horror on Brigit’s face. I probably shouldn’t have dropped that bombshell on Brigit the way I did, but I have to get her to stop fighting me about going to the clubhouse.

“He thought you sold me? Why would he think that?”

“Like I said, he was working off some bad information. Someone visited him in prison and told him I was involved in human trafficking.”

“But he knew you. He trusted you? Why would he believe such a lie?”

I shrug. “Prison changes people. I can’t imagine the toll it takes on those inside. He was alone and probably scared. I know I would be. He knows the truth now, and I know he wants to see you.”

“He’s okay? He isn’t hurt?”

I try hard not to wince. I don’t know for certain if he’s okay or not. Fuck. I should have thought this through before I mentioned him. “He’s fine and feels guilty for shooting me. Why don’t you take a shower and get dressed? I can order room service for breakfast. How does that sound?”

Brigit bites her bottom lip, but then nods. “On one condition. If I don’t feel safe at the clubhouse, I’m coming back here.”

“Agreed.”

I use the in-room phone to call in our order. French Toast for Brigit and me. Chocolate chip pancakes for Colt. When I know Brigit is in the shower, I pull out my cell phone. Stepping into the living area, I call Puma.

“I hear congratulations are in order,” Puma says instead of a greeting. “It’s a boy!”

“You fucker, how did you find out?”

“Trouble told me when he called earlier. He was in the hotel when Brigit checked in. Said the little boy with her was the spitting image of you.”

I chuckle. “He’s not wrong. It was like looking at photographs of me at his age.”

“Did she say why she didn’t tell you that you had a kid?” I can hear the concern in Puma’s voice. He’d only recently discovered that he had a son, Mal. Mal’s mother had tried to contact Puma about his impending fatherhood, but Puma’s former agent kept that from happening.

“She did. I’m not happy, but I understand her point of view. When I left her in Boston, I told her not to call me unless it was an emergency. She knew she was in danger from Squiggy and didn’t want to expose our son to danger. I should have reached out to her after Squiggy died. So I’ll take the blame for not making it easy for her to tell me.”

Puma’s silent for several minutes before he grunts in agreement. “I can understand that. Squiggy was a piece of shit. He ruined fuck too many lives. So, do we get to meet your son? What’s his name?”

“Colt,” I reply with a smile. “I’ve talked Brigit into going back with me to the clubhouse, but she has concerns. Not surprising since she saw Preacher shoot me. Speaking of which, I told her that Preacher was at the clubhouse. He’s still in one piece, right?”

“Yeah. Chill wanted to work him over, but I told her to wait. He’s still in the cell waiting for me to decide what to do with him.”

“Any thoughts?”