Page 158 of Burning Ember

He holds me for a few minutes, but then murmurs that he has to go. Slowly he draws back. “I can have Rigor follow you to Bethany’s if you’d rather shower and get ready there. I know I said I wanted to keep you close, but if you need a break and don’t want to be here while I’m at church—”

I touch his lips. “No, it’s fine. I’ll get ready in your room. Plus Lily already said she’d bring me something to wear.”

“You trust her to pick somethin’ decent out for you?”

“How bad can it be?”

He chuckles while nuzzling my neck. “We are talkin’ about Lil’ Bird, right? You know damn well it’s gonna be bad.”

Yeah, it is. But I’m kind of looking forward to driving Mav a little crazy tonight. I like that dark side of him. I can’t wait to see it again. Giving Lily free reign means I’ll be seeing it in spades tonight, which suits me just fine. I want more of what we just shared.

And yet it scares me how much.

Courage to confess what makes us weak is a strength not many possess.

MAVERICK

The awkward dance Edge, Dozer, and I play around the table upon first walking into church is almost comical. No one knows where the fuck to sit.

Finally, Septic who looks tired as hell after completing a twelve-hour shift watching Cap grumbles, “Just sit the fuck down. Nobody gives a damn where. That’s exactly the shit we’re here to sort out.”

The president chair remains open and everyone takes their normal seats around the table, except Edge. Dozer takes his VP chair, to Cap’s left. I take my usual seat to his right. It’s where I’ve sat since Griz was diagnosed, and became secretary. The brothers move in another chair beside Dozer for Edge.

Ordinarily sitting across the table from D wouldn’t be a problem, but it is today. He’s mad-doggin’ me. The veins on his arms pop with how he’s gripping his chair, as if he’d love nothing better than to duke it out right here and now.

“What?” I bite out and pop my chin at him. “I told you it was done . . . over. Leave her alone and we’re not gonna have a problem.”

“And if I don’t?”

Griz slaps the table. “We’re not here to deal with your bullshit. Both of ya are damn lucky Cap’s not around to see y’all brawlin’ in the yard over a woman. He would‘a kicked both your asses blue.” Griz shakes his head disapprovingly.

Edge turns to Dozer. “What’d I say? We got more important business to discuss than this petty shit goin’ on between you two.” Looking between us he orders, “There’s obviously still some bad blood, but it needs to get sorted. Take it to the ring and put an end to it. Tonight. Clear?”

“Let me just say somethin’.” Griz meets my eyes and then let’s his gaze travel over to D. “Somethin’ you young dumb fuckers need to get through your thick fuckin’ skulls once and for all. We don’t fight over a woman. When brothers do that kind of shit, you rip this club apart. We all agreed to live by a code. This club and everyone in it comes first. United, we live, ride, and fall. We do that, we survive together. We don’t, we fall together. You don’t believe in that no more . . . You don’t want to honor it . . . Then get the fuck out.”

His last words echo in the silence, or at least they do in my mind.

Griz rubs his hand over a couple of his rings and then knocks his knuckles on the table. “One more thing and then I’ll shut my old mouth. I get why you’re angry, brother,” he says to D. “Mav’s stole somethin’ good from us all and took it for his own.” Surprise rockets through me and I stare over at Griz. “So hand his ass to him, settle up in blood, and be done with it. But, brother, it also needs to be said so there’s no miss understandin’. Youaregonna leave her alone. She’s been claimed. She’s where she wants to be. We all see that. So from now on, she’s off your radar. She belongs to a brother and that’s that. You got me?”

Through the speech, Dozer’s eyes continue to blaze with fury, but the tension slowly drains out of his body. When Griz finishes, and after a moment more of heavy silence, D looks at me. “Tonight, we’ll settle up. You and me. Then it’ll be done.”

I nod. Elation rolls like a cool breeze of wind through my chest. All I can think about is that the club just recognized Ember as my old lady and not one brother had any objection to that. I couldn’t give a fuck that I have to pay for deceiving Dozer in blood. I’d pay any price.

“We got real shit to discuss now. Yes. Because . . . fuck . . . I’m about five minutes from passin’ out on this fuckin’ table,” Septic mutters. He runs his hands vigorously over his face then sweeps them through his dark hair that hits his shoulders.

Clearing my throat, I say, “Then let’s get to it.”

All eyes turn to me. “Checked with Whiz this morning. No hide or hair of our boy Henry since his credit card popped up near that cabin. The guy’s vanished.”

“I still think someone got to him first,” Taz adds.

“One overturned lamp doesn’t mean shit,” Dozer fires back. “Could just be they left in a hurry.”

“Okay, so we got a ghost for a witness who knows how to hide like he’s in witness protection. Sounds fishy to me. What else we got?” Edge asks. “Does the guy have a relative we can push for info? Someone who might know where he is?”

Taz says, “He’s got a sister. That’s whose credit card he was usin’. So we know for sure she knows somethin’s up.”

“Okay,” Edge nudges D. “You and Taz, what do you say you head out in the mornin’ and go pay her a friendly visit? And I do mean friendly. Scare her enough and she’ll probably give him up.” To Taz he asks, “She got kids?”