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CHAPTER SEVEN

RiffRaff

We had church with both chapters a little bit ago, then most of us left except for Brick, Dragon, Wrecker, Butcher and Cuda. As I sit at the bar nursing a beer, I remember the dream I had where Wrecker told me I was going to be needed soon. Figuring that this must be why the others stayed behind, I decide to check it out to confirm my suspicions. So, I burst back into church and see the five of them sitting there, staring at me in utter disbelief. Church is sacred and I’m being somewhat disrespectful. However, I have a suspicion about what they’re talking about and feel I need to be involved.

“Keep your britches on, boys.” Looking over at Wrecker I say, “I’m ready. Let’s put these guys out of their misery before they pop a blood vessel.”

When the door flies open again, Selah comes rushing in with her laptop in hand, declaring, “I’m here.” Then she narrows her eyes at Wrecker. “The next time you’re going to talk to me in my damn head, give me some warning. I had just taken a sip of my coffee and nearly choked on it.”

“Since when can you do that?” Butcher asks Wrecker.

Back when we first patched over to our former club, I would’ve said that things of the supernatural were nothing more than a fairytale. However, being healed by one brother from another chapter, and seeing several others turn into Reapers has completely changed my outlook. So, I wasn’t shocked or surprised when Wrecker met with me in my dreams and told me there was a mission for me to handle.

“His power is evolving,” Selah answers for him, shooting him a triumphant smile. “It goes hand in hand with his daywalking ability.”

“Great. That’s just what we need. Another brother who can probe our minds and invade our brain anytime he wishes,” Butcher sneers, shooting Dragon an accusatory look.

Dragon holds his hands up in the air in a defensive pose looking innocent and just as confused as everyone else. “How the hell am I blamed or responsible for his power spike? That shit’s not up to me and it’s not like I’ve trained him on how to do it.”

Brick blows out a heated breath looking perplexed before asking, “Can we get back to the matter at hand here? Y’all can duke this shit out later.”

I have to agree with my boy on this one because time is of the essence. Joceline is in danger and the longer we wait, the more perilous it becomes. The Cedar Creek brothers have gone through enough shit; they don’t need to lose a family member as well.

“In other words, one of you start telling me what’s been going on behind my back!” Dragon demands. I start to worry that the boy is going to burst a blood vessel if he isn’t answered soon.

I hold back my chuckle because his powerful voice is perfect for his position. I have one of those myself, which I rarely use these days since I no longer hold the gavel, but I can respect the authority behind his tone.

“Don’t blame me, I wanted to tell you right away. Blame him,” Butcher enlightens Dragon, leveling a finger toward Wrecker.

Dragon steeples his fingers, placing the points of his fingertips over his lips before glaring at the four jokesters. If looks could kill, they’d be nothing but four piles of burnt ashes at this point. Selah gulps and I watch as Butcher reaches over and places his hand on her leg, wanting that connection with Jillian and the club for myself. Selah lightly places her laptop on the table and gracefully takes her seat. Cuda looks like he’s about to pass out and Wrecker is lounging against the backrest of his chair, acting like he doesn’t have a care in the world.

The commentary starts off with Cuda telling Dragon and the rest of us about finding Joceline crying in her car, her face covered in bruises and lacerations. Wrecker then jumps into the discussion and tells us how he managed to put the pieces together and confronted Cuda on his suspicions. Butcher picks up the conversation, advising that when they were all in Harper’s hospital room, he noticed something off between Cuda and Wrecker when the godmother announcement was made, he cornered him and persuaded him to tell him what that was.

“That’s where I came in,” Selah fesses up. “Butcher asked me to do a little digging on the slimeball and what I found isn’t up to par with what he projects himself as being in the public eye.”

“How so?” Brick asks.

“He has the persona of one who works in politics.” I watch as the lightbulb comes on over my son’s expression. Most politicians we’ve had dealings with are scum, saying one thing but doing another.

Selah turns her computer around and points out some photos she found online of him as he drives through town. “As you can see, he disguises himself as a family man. He says hi to everyone he passes on the street and kneels to play with all of the babies. What they don’t know is that he’s a con man, a predator of a different sort than that of the men we’ve been dealing with in the community.”

“Can you explain that further?” Dragon asks, head slanted to the side. I can tell he’s assimilating the information he’s been given so far, trying to put all the pieces of this fucked-up puzzle together.

Blowing out a breath, Selah picks her explanation back up, saying, “He enjoys the chase. Married women are his repertoire. He likes the cloak and dagger as well as the potential of being caught. Ruining marriages means nothing to him, it’s an adrenaline rush for him.”

Sounds like he and my ol’ lady’s ex are cut from the same cloth, minus that fucker being in politics anyhow. I bite back a snicker at the thought since tensions are still running a bit high, not wanting to draw any attention to myself. I’m on an information gathering session of sorts so I can be prepared for what I’m going to face once I hit the streets of Cedar Creek.

“And my sister? He doesn’t give two shits if she finds out?” Dragon asks, clamping his eyes shut as he processes the hell his sister’s been going through.

Women are to be protected at all costs. That’s been part of my moral compass since I was old enough to string rational thoughts together. I think for some people, that piece is missing, because there are far too many men who willingly subject females to horrific shit. This fucker sounds like he needs to be permanently dealt with, that’s for fucking sure.

“Nope,” Selah answers, “he has her right where he wants her. He’s aware of what her family means to her and uses it against her to keep her where she is. She has a role to play, and he’ll accept nothing less.”

“They don’t share a bedroom anymore,” Cuda inserts.

I watch the myriad of expressions on the faces of several of the Cedar Creek brothers, specifically Dragon and Butcher.

“And how the hell do you know that?” Dragon asks through gritted teeth as Butcher’s posture stiffens.

“We’re friends,” Cuda explains. “She keeps the house clean, cooks his dinners, goes to the office parties, but she refuses to sleep with him in any capacity.”

If he’s a cheater, I can’t say as I blame her one bit. I mean, there’s a lot of risks to fucking a lot of different people, and several of them can have dire consequences. He doesn’t sound like the kind of man who wraps his junk up, either, so it’s always possible he has a bunch of illegitimate kids running around. Granted, I’m not tossing that into the conversation at all, but I suspect it’s something that’s crossed at least a few of their minds.

“Can’t blame her on that one,” Brick slips in, shaking his head in disbelief. “What have you uncovered, Selah?”

When Selah answers, she does so confidently. “He has two P.O. Boxes in different towns. One in Cedar Creek, and one in Kemp. He doesn’t receive mail at either location, so I think he’s using them as a lock box of sorts. I have a man on the inside of the Kemp location, we’ve become buddies on the web, and he is going to take a look inside of them for me during his next shift. If by any chance it holds incriminating evidence, I’m going to have him snap pictures for me.”

“Would he be willing to remove the items and save them for us?” Butcher asks his woman, his eyes bouncing back and forth.

“That won’t be necessary,” I interject. “Once we have confirmation, I’ll be taking myself a road trip. I’ll dispose of any incriminating evidence I come across and then I’ll rescue Joceline and her children.”

“Why you?” Brick asks, looking uncomfortable. “You’re still recovering, you don’t need to be going on any solo missions.”

“I’m recovered just fine,” I retort. “Stop worrying so much, son, or you’ll put yourself in an early grave. I’m not going to relapse, and if I do, it won’t be anytime soon. Everyone has seen to that. I’m as fit as a fiddle.”

“He’s the only one who won’t be seen as suspicious since nobody knows his face,” Selah adds, justifying why this is the only route that makes sense. “Wrecker has found him a sponsor who’s going to act as if RiffRaff is a distant cousin who hasn’t visited the town.”

“We’ll be reconnecting,” I chuckle. “It’s been a while since I’ve had myself a vacation. I think I’ve earned myself one.”

While I hate that I’ll have to leave Jillian and Kimber for any length of time, once I explain that it’s club business and what that means, I suspect she’ll understand. Of course, I’m planning to call and text her as often as possible while I’m away, especially since it’s a long ass ride in a fucking cage. Just thinking about her has a small smile playing on my face. I can’t wait for her to meet my family.

Brick sighs when he realizes I won’t be heeding his worry and staying home. “You’re an honorary member, we can’t ask you to put yourself in danger. Those days are behind you,” Brick reminds me.

As if I need to remember that dark time in my life when I didn’t always know who the fuck I was. I’m still a patched member even though I’m no longer the president and it’s time my son remembers that little fact.

“You aren’t asking, I’m offering. Plus, the higher beings say this is the way it has to be,” I remark.

“I don’t like it,” Brick professes. “You need to take some back up with you. Someone needs to protect your six.”

“I have connections of my own,” I express. “I know a few old timers that wouldn't mind coming out of retirement. Wouldn't even blink their eyes if I were to ask them. And for fuck’s sake, stop acting like I’ve got one foot in the grave. I’m not that fucking old, and thanks to Angel, I’m in better health than I was before I lost my mind.”

“That's what we need,” Brick mumbles. “A bunch of bored men riding the streets and painting the town.”

“Sounds like a good time to me,” I tease. There’s nothing better than raising a little bit of hell from time to time.

“Not to interrupt here,” Dragon states. “But if you’re going, RiffRaff, I’d like to have a few of my contacts back you up.”

“Hell, yeah,” Butcher whoops. “Please tell me you’re calling in Marcum and Xavier LeBlanc.”

“Good call,” Wrecker replies, nodding his head in approval.

“Wait!” Brick shouts. “Aren’t these the two you warned us about not too long ago? I’m not sure they are the best men for this job.”

I’m actually looking forward to meeting the two men who take no prisoners when there’s an injustice they’re aware of, and when they find out it’s a woman and kids? I suspect heads are gonna roll.

“This is the only way I can guarantee that nothing will happen to your dad,” Dragon advises. “They're a little off hinge, but nobody is as protective as they are when it comes to family and friends. And I have a feeling if anyone can stand up to them and have them toe the line, it'd be RiffRaff.”

“Or he’ll join them, and we’ll be bailing all three out of jail,” Butcher helpfully adds.

Pssh, as if I’d ever be caught, for fuck’s sake! It’s time to have a come to Jesus meeting with my son.

“Not helping,” Dragon hisses as he nails Butcher with a ‘shut the fuck up’ look.

“Look at Brick,” Butcher chuckles. “He looks like he’s having a Jesus take the wheel moment.”

“Naw, that’s his I’m about to shit a brick look,” Butcher helpfully adds. Brick shakes his head and walks out of the room.

“I guess he needs a minute,” I guffaw. “If things don’t go his way, he puts himself in timeout.”

“Life around here is going to be fun,” Dragon huffs. “Nobody goes anywhere or makes any moves without my say-so. Got it?”

Everyone left in the room nods their heads as Dragon follows Brick out of the room. Shrugging, I get up to go find Brick. It’s time for us to talk and for him to stop tiptoeing around my ass.