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Chapter forty-one

The attack at the bonfire should have been enough warning that things were heating back up. Even though the attack came from the shit going on with Crow, it was only a matter of time before Killer started his shit back up. I didn’t know which direction it was going to come from, but he would be hitting somewhere. He’s already been keeping us on our toes with the way he’s changed up his normal signature. Instead of coming for Bailee directly, like he typically would, he’s playing psychological games. He’s chosen to come after the club for protecting her.

When the alert from the security system at Dirty Wrench goes off a few days later, I know he’s chosen his intended target.

I stand inside the shop, staring around at the broken mess of glass and the dented metal of cars that belong to customers.

Thank fuck we have insurance, otherwise, the amount that’d come out of the club’s pockets would hit us hard.

“They also hit the trucks carrying our shipment of alcohol for Sinful Saloon,” Crank says from beside me.

“Shit. How bad?” I ask.

“Lost the driver. Bullet to the head. They got about two thousand worth of product. Jake called it in yesterday to give us a heads up.”

“Dammit. Fuckin’ know it’s Killer, but no goddamn proof.”

“Nothing on the cameras?” Dirty asks.

“Seen everything go down, but the motherfuckers were wearing balaclavas. Wasn’t wearin’ anything to give away any affiliation. Killer’s fuckin’ smart. Wouldn’t have made it as far as he has in this life if he wasn’t. He’d make sure there’s nothin’ to come back on him until he’s ready,” I answer.

“Fucker is changing how he does things. This isn’t how he typically takes care of problems,” Ronin adds.

“He’s pissed ‘cause he ain’t been able to get to Bailee,” I tell him. “Mark my words, brother, there’s a goddamn war comin’.”

Killer is gearing up. He’s gonna strike when we’re not expecting it. Between all the fires we have to keep putting out to keep Bailee safe and take care of Crow’s shit, it won’t be hard for him to find an opening. We need to prepare for a war because there’s one on the horizon.

I’m about to head home to my girls when my phone pings with a message in the club group chat.

WRAITH

Club’s going on lockdown. Get your families and get to the clubhouse.

Fucking hell.

Knew when I saw Crow run from the security room that shit was going down.

Let’s fucking hope I can get Lee on board with being locked down here.

I drum my fingers against the tank of my bike as I wait for her to answer.

“Hey, handsome,” she greets.

“Need you to get a bag ready for you and Lyra. Club’s goin’ on lockdown.”

“Okay,” she says quietly. “Do you need me to grab anything for you?”

“Not goin’ to fight me on this?”

“I know enough about club life to know that there wouldn’t be a lockdown without a reason. You’ll get no fight from me, bossman. We’ll be ready when you get here.”

“Be there soon,” I reply, hoping she can hear the appreciation in my voice.

Bikes and cages come and go from the clubhouse as everyone rushes to bring their families in.

I roll out, stopping at the gate to warn Prospect Axel to check any strange vehicles or people who pull up.

It doesn’t take me long to make it to the house. The prospects are helping Bailee put their bags in the back of the Bronco while keeping an eye on their surroundings.

“Where’s Lyric?”

“Right here, Daddy,” she says, her arms full with her blanket and pillow.

I brush my hand over her head before turning back to Bailee and pulling her into my arms. “Know the last place you want to be is stuck in the clubhouse. Thanks for not givin’ me shit.”

Bailee lifts her hand to my cheek. “Not over this.” Rising to her toes, she brushes her lips against mine. “Let’s get to the club, bossman. We can chat behind the walls of safety.”

After securing Lyric in her booster seat, I grab Bailee by the back of her neck and pull her face to mine, sealing our mouths together. I shove my tongue past her lips to steal a few sips of my favorite taste before pulling away.

“Get your ass safe,” I tell her, grabbing the seat belt and guiding it across her. “I’ll be right behind you.”

Bailee scoots the seat up to fit her short-ass legs and turns the engine over. It rumbles to life, and she smiles at me as her fingers wrap around the steering wheel.

I chuckle. “Thing’s a beast compared to you.” I shut the door and slap the roof. “Let’s roll, baby girl.” Then I turn to the prospects. “I’ll ride tail. I want you two up front. First sign of trouble, you protect them at all costs. Clear?”

“You got it, RC,” they reply in unison before mounting their bikes.

I keep my eyes peeled for trouble as we travel back to the clubhouse, but thankfully, we don’t run into any.

It puts me on fucking edge.

The parking lot is packed when we return.

Bailee jumps down, glances around with a grimace, then turns back to help Lyric down. My little girl isn’t wary at all. She hops down with a huge smile, her body humming with excitement at spending so much time with her honorary family.

I climb from my bike and go to them. “Get some prospects to grab your stuff. You two get in the clubhouse while I help Wraith get everyone else situated. You know where my room is? If not, Lyric can show you.”

“I remember.”

Distaste colors her tone, and I know it’s because of what happened with Rachel the last time we were here.

“Ain’t got to worry about her, baby girl.”

She shrugs. “I wasn’t, but thank you for reassuring me.”

“Will when I can,” I promise, pulling her to me to steal a quick kiss. “Get this sexy ass inside with our girl.”

Bailee grabs my beard when I step away and guides my mouth back to hers for another kiss before she backs away with a bite to my lip.

“Minx,” I growl, smacking her ass. “Inside.”

“Sir, yes, sir,” she sasses, earning another growl from me.

She laughs as she grabs Lyric’s hand and glances down at her. “Race you inside?” After Lyric giggles and nods, she adds, “Last one in has to deal with Dad’s stinky socks tonight.”

Lyric takes off with a screeched, “Not it!”

Bailee blows me a kiss before chasing after her, and I watch them go with a dopey smile on my face.

“Oh, you got it bad, brother,” Linc chuckles from beside me.

“Don’t fuckin’ know what you mean,” I say with a scowl.

Linc places a hand on my shoulder and gives me an affectionate squeeze. “You fucking do. Gotta say, it looks good on you. Rarely saw you with a smile with the other one.”

“Never had much to smile about with her.”

Before I get a chance to say anything else, a gorgeous car comes squealing up to the gates. I tense, grabbing my gun and aiming it at the black car idling in front of us.

Pretty fucking sure we’re all shocked at the beautiful, tiny woman who slides out of the driver side. Long black hair swings in pigtails over her shoulders, and wide curious eyes peer out from behind the large black frames perched on her nose. She only stands about an inch above the roof of her low-sitting car.

This tiny slip of a woman doesn’t let all the guns aimed her way stop her. She moves her fingers in a little wave. “Hiya, boys.” She spots Sage trying to peek around Crow’s big-ass shoulders and amends her greeting. “Oops. And girls. I’m looking for Hendrik Quintero, Ghoul, and Whizz. I promise I’m no threat to you, but there is one coming, and if you let me in, I’ll tell you all about.”

I move closer and hear Tweek whisper, “Holy fuck. This is Chimera?”

The hacker Crow, Tweek, and Jagger have been working with to help bring down the people who murdered Crow’s family.

Wasn’t expecting . . . her.

She hasn’t really paid attention to Tweek yet, her eyes mostly staying glued to Crow. “My arms are getting really tired, so if you could decide my fate quickly, it would be totally cool. Also, I kinda gotta pee. I didn’t have time to stop on my way here.”

Gremlin grabs Sage to take her inside while Wraith, Crow, and Thrasher walk to the gate. I stay at their backs, close enough to hear what’s being said and to get to them quickly if needed, but far enough away that I can protect them and the rest of the people in the club.

“What’s your name?” Wraith demands.

With a sigh, she drops her arms and holds her hand out to him. “Keegan Kennedy, at your service.” Wraith refuses to shake her hand, and her face drops.

Was she really expecting him to take that chance?

My lips twitch when she pushes her glasses up her nose and starts muttering to herself about us considering her a threat so, of course, we wouldn’t want to shake her hand. The brothers behind me are working hard to contain their amusement too.

I watch her dance in place as she explains to Wraith and Crow that the people she’s been tracking for Crow found her location somehow and are after her. She says she has surface-level information from her deep dive, so she’s coming to us for protection. Not surprised that she couldn’t find more about us. Tweek and Jagger—or Ghoul and Whizz in her world—are fucking fantastic at what they do. I’m honestly surprised she was able to get through their walls at all.

“Whichever one of you is Hendrik, or Crow, or whatever the heck you go by, you got me into this mess, and I’m not some super-duper assassin who can take out my enemies with super spy skills,” she says.

Fuck. She reminds me so much of fucking Tweek.

Keegan goes on to explain to Crow how he owes her protection since he’s the one she is doing the work for. When he asks who is after her, her face contorts in a grimace before she tells him it’s the Castellano Cartel. We all tense and spit out curses. I don’t think there’s anyone in the U.S. who hasn’t heard of Big Daddy Castellano and his son, The Serpent.

Wraith asks Crow what he thinks, and he tells him that he believes she’s probably telling the truth, which makes her a bit huffy.

“I say she doesn’t get to roam free until Tweek and Jagger have done a thorough job of vetting her,” Crow says.

Normal people in our crowd would have an issue with that order, but not this chick. Fuck, no. She bounces on her goddamn feet in excitement instead.

“Oh, are you talking about Ghoul and Whizz? I’d love to meet them. They’re so good. Not as good as me, but way better than any others I’ve gone up against.”

She’s speaking nothing but truth. Tweek and Jagger are some of the best fucking hackers I’ve seen. So, if she was able to break through the walls they have in place to keep people out of our shit, then she’s damn good.

This woman isn’t even upset when Crow informs her again that she’s going to be locked in a room until we can clear her. She just tells him that the keys to her car are in it and that one of the guys can bring it while she’s taken to her cell. Ronin, the crazy fuck, about creams his damn pants, begging to be the one to get behind the wheel, and this chick leaves him stunned with the smile she aims at him. Then she skips along beside the rest of us as we lead her up to the clubhouse, smiling and waving at everyone like she’s known them forever.

Until we close in on Tweek and they get a good look at each other. Their bodies jolt as if they’d been struck by a force we can’t see. Judging by their wide eyes and colorless faces, it’s not far off.

“Ian?” she whispers.

Well, fuck.

Given she used his birth name, she must be from that past of his that he doesn’t talk much about.

When he mutters her name in shock, her eyes flash with pain. She blinks, washing it away, and continues with her chirpy self.

I wonder how much of it is a facade and how much of it is the real her.

There’s a story behind that pain in both their eyes.

Thrasher and Wraith take Keegan inside while I stay behind with Crow to check on Tweek.

“You good?” Crow asks.

“Yeah.” Tweek’s throat convulses. “We sort of knew each other in high school.”

Seems more than a sort of fucking thing, but what the hell do I know.

“Those looks you exchanged were more than a ‘sort of knew each other’ deal. I don’t need your story. Just want to know you’re okay,” Crow replies.

Tweek runs shaky fingers through his bright blue hair and nibbles on his lip ring. “I’m good. I treated her shitty while we were together and seeing her now just fucked with me.”

Crow tells him to get his head straight, and then we move inside.

As soon as we get in, Wraith calls for Church. Bailee and Lyric aren’t around, so I’m guessing they took off up to my room already. As much as I want to go to them, they’ll have to wait. There’s too much going on that we need to clear up before we settle into the fucking lockdown.

With the information Keegan willingly gives us about the Castellano Cartel, we’re able to get a game plan in place. Instead of locking her in a cell, he’s asked Tweek and Jagger to work with her on finding everything they can on both the cartel and the Night Skulls. By the time Wraith pounds the gavel, calling an end to Church, we’ve plotted out our course of action.

I warned them that we’d be going to war. It’s coming for us faster than we were prepared for, but we’re the fucking Dirty Mavericks and we’ve never run from a fight.

It’s going to get rowdy, it’s going to get violent, and blood will be spilled.

The madness will descend upon us all when the battle begins.

Our demons will clash with theirs.

Let’s just hope ours are a hell of a lot meaner than the monsters coming for us.