Page 24 of Hard as Stone (Stoneheart MC #2)
“Smart kid,” Duck says, crossing his arms as he steps closer to Poppy and her brothers. “Summit can’t sweep this under the rug now. We’ll make sure everyone knows what your father’s been up to.”
The suit’s condescending smile evaporates as an ember of panic flickers in his eyes. “I think you’ll find that navigating this situation without a clear understanding of the consequences could lead to difficulties for all parties involved.”
My jaw tightens as I recognize the threat in his words. These suits think they can walk into our territory and threaten our people? Not happening.
“Difficulties?” Lee steps forward, and there’s nothing playful in his expression now.
Just the cold promise of violence barely contained.
“Like what happened to Martha Wilson? Sweet old lady who’d never sell her daddy’s house until those mysterious code violations started piling up?
Or maybe you mean the supplies that never show up, the permits that get ‘lost’?
Funny how all those problems only seem to happen in the neighborhoods Summit’s interested in buying up, making it impossible for folks to live there. ”
The second suit starts to reach inside his jacket, but Stone’s quiet, “I wouldn’t,” freezes him in place.
“The city will expect those roads fixed,” the first suit says, his false smile completely gone now. “Without your father or the contract money, you three will be held responsible for the delays, the missing funds?—”
“Like hell we will.” Poppy’s voice carries across the lot, strong despite the tremor I can feel running through her body. “You really think anyone’s going to believe three kids somehow masterminded this? That we somehow made all that money disappear?”
“What people believe is often a matter of... presentation.” The suit’s eyes are cold. “Your father made certain promises, Miss Bennett. Arrangements that need to be honored.”
“But our father took all the money!” Hugo protests. “How are we supposed to?—”
“Not our problem.” The second suit straightens his tie. “As you rightly pointed out, you are Bennett Construction now. And Bennett Construction has obligations to fulfill.”
“Or what?” Felix demands. “You’ll ruin us? Pretty sure Dad already took care of that.”
“There are always consequences for breach of contract.” The first suit’s voice drips with false concern. “Fines, legal action, criminal charges for misappropriation of funds...”
“Enough.” Stone’s quiet command cuts through the threats. “You’ve made your point. Now get off our property before we show you exactly how we handle threats to our people.”
The suits exchange glances before the first one plasters on another fake smile. “We’ll be in touch. Remember—you have deadlines to meet.”
“And we have memories,” Lee adds softly. “Long ones.”
We watch them retreat to their SUVs, the tension holding until they pull away. Only then does Poppy sag against me.
“What are we going to do?” she whispers. “Those roads need to be fixed, but without money or equipment?—”
“We’ll handle it.” Stone’s voice carries absolute certainty. “Duck, you still got those shell companies set up?”
Duck’s eyes light with understanding. “Ready and waiting. Clean paperwork, legitimate backing.”
“Good.” Stone looks at Poppy and her brothers. “How’d you like to keep Bennett Construction running? Only this time with club resources behind you?”
“You’d do that?” Hugo asks, hope creeping into his voice.
“Club takes care of its own,” Stone says simply. “And seems to me having a legitimate construction company would be mighty useful for fixing up this side of town.” His eyes meet mine. “Assuming your woman’s willing to let us help?”
I feel Poppy straighten beside me. “The west side needs those repairs done right,” she says slowly. “Not just Summit’s patch jobs meant to drive people out.”
“Then it’s settled.” Stone nods to Duck. “Get the paperwork started. Let’s show Summit exactly what happens when they mess with our town.”
“Can someone please explain what just happened?” Hugo asks once we’re all inside the garage. “Because it feels like we just went from living under Dad’s iron fist to being adopted by a motorcycle club.”
“More like rescued,” Felix mutters, collapsing onto a stack of tires. He watches the way Hawk and Stone interact with their crew, the easy respect that flows both ways. “Never seen a family business run like this before. Jesus, Pops. Your old man’s a biker?”
“He’s not my old man. I’m his old lady,” Poppy corrects, her fingers touching the property patch on her cut. “And yeah, looks like you two just got upgraded to MC adjacent.”
Lee snorts from where he’s leaning against a tool chest. “Could be worse. Could be stuck with Summit’s snakes.”
“Speaking of snakes,” Stone cuts in, all business now. “Duck, how fast can we process that paperwork?”
“Give me till end of day.” Duck’s already pulling out his phone. “Got a guy who specializes in quick turnarounds. Legal too, before you ask,” he adds with a look at Poppy’s brothers.
“Good.” Stone turns to Felix. “Those plans you found—the drainage system. Tell me everything.”
As Felix spreads the blueprints across Duck’s workbench, I pull Poppy aside. She’s holding it together, but I can feel quakes running through her body.
“You OK?” I ask softly.
She shakes her head. “He took everything, Axel. All those years of ‘saving for our future’—” Her voice cracks.
“He barely paid us enough to live on, kept telling us it was because he was investing in the company, in our retirement. Said if we all worked hard now, we could retire early, live comfortably.” Her laugh is bitter.
“Instead, he was stockpiling it all for himself. He used us. His own kids.”
“We’ll find him.” I cup her face in my hands. “And in the meantime, you’ve got us. The club will make sure you and your brothers land on your feet.”
“Why?” She searches my eyes. “You barely know them.”
“Because they’re your blood. And you’re mine.” I brush my thumb across her cheek. “That makes them family. Fucked up as it is, that’s how the MC works.”
“It’s true,” Lee calls over, because apparently everyone’s eavesdropping. “Fair warning though—family means you get stuck with me as a quasi-brother-in-law. Hope you can live with that, troublemaker.”
A laugh bubbles out of her despite everything. “Could be worse. Could be stuck with Summit’s snakes,” she says, repeating Lee’s words from earlier.
“True that,” he says with a nod. “Fucking hate those guys.”
“Speaking of snakes,” Stone cuts in, gesturing to the blueprints spread across Duck’s workbench. “These tunnels—they’re way too big for just drainage. Summit’s definitely planning something.”
Felix nods. “That’s what we thought. The dimensions make no sense for a town this size.”
“Unless you’re planning to move something bigger than water through them,” Lee says, his expression darkening. “And look where they connect—right under our territory, all the way to the land Summit already has under development. These here are the old mining tunnels.”
Stone’s finger traces the path of the tunnels on the blueprint, his brow furrowed. “These old mining tunnels... they’ve been closed for decades. Deemed too unstable after that collapse back in ‘87.”
“I remember that,” Duck chimes in, wiping grease from his hands. “My old man was part of the rescue crew. Said the whole mountain was like Swiss cheese, ready to come down at any moment.”
Lee leans in closer, studying the intricate network of lines.
“So going by this, my guess is Summit couldn’t buy up property fast enough, so the plan was to use the stormwater project as cover to reinforce and expand the old mining tunnels.
” He traces the intricate network of lines on the blueprint.
“Clever bastards. The mines are unsafe, so they concocted this whole stormwater idea to reinforce everything without raising suspicion.”
Stone nods grimly. “And once the tunnels are stable...”
“They’ve got a perfect underground network for moving product,” I finish, the pieces falling into place. “Drugs, weapons, people—anything they want, right under our noses.” I study the plans, old instincts from my previous life kicking in. “These are federal specifications.”
Stone’s head snaps up. “You sure?”
“Yeah.” I trace the familiar markings. “Saw similar plans cross my father’s desk when he was working state contracts. This kind of infrastructure project needs federal oversight.”
“Which means what they’re planning goes higher than just the city,” Stone says slowly.
“At least, it should.” I meet his eyes, seeing the same understanding dawn. “You want me to make a call, don’t you?”
He nods. “If anyone in your old life will listen?—”
“Most of them wrote me off when I chose the club over the family business.” I drag a hand down my face. “But yeah, I’ve got a number or two that might still work.”
“Do it.” Stone’s voice carries the weight of command. “Summit’s not expecting us to have connections that go over their heads. Let’s use that.”
“OK.” I nod, already about to pull out my phone when Poppy’s hand squeezes around my arm.
“Wait. You have numbers to call for help with this?”
I pull Poppy close, pressing a kiss to her temple. “Remember how I said my family had connections?”
Poppy nods slowly, her brow furrowed. “Yeah, but I thought you didn’t talk to them anymore. Not since you joined the club.”
“I don’t, for the most part. But there are a few people who might still take my call.” I stroke my thumb across her cheek. “People who could make Summit’s life very difficult if they knew what was really going on here.”
Awareness passes over her eyes. “How dangerous is this going to get?”
“Everything’s gonna be just fine, trouble.” I tuck her closer. “I’ve got you. We’ve got you. You’re stuck with the lot of us.”
“Promise?”
Lowering my head, I press a soft kiss against her lips. “Forever.”
And looking around the garage at our mismatched family—her brothers already deep in conversation with Lee about construction logistics, Duck showing Stone the shell company paperwork, the rest of the club ready to back our play—I know it’s true.
Summit thought they could use Bennett’s betrayal to break his kids. Instead, they just gave the MC exactly what we needed to strike back.
And this time, we’re taking the fight all the way to the top.