Page 11 of Stripping Keys (Devil’s Riot MC Tennessee #6)

“They’ve not heard anything so far. I’ve made them aware.

If we’re gonna do this right with minimum bloodshed, I hate to say it, but they’ve got to be in the loop of what’s goin’ on here.

The last thing we need is for them to be against us when shit goes down,” Blow growls, slamming a fist down on the table.

“We don’t know how it’s going to go or when, but to take these bastards out completely, we have to be levelheaded and smart about it. ”

Though Blow is known for being hotheaded and blowing his lid, he’s not done that as much lately. It’s like he knows something that the rest of us don’t. Makes me want to ask what that is. Had Marla shared something else with him he hasn’t given to the rest of the class?

“We need to wait until they make the first move,” I speak up, knowing it was the right thing to do.

“If we play any hands ahead of time, they’ll come at us tenfold.

There’s a chance they don’t know anything has been reported to us.

That’s the purpose of Marla not sending the files to me electronically.

She brought them in person to minimize anyone being alerted to the fact we now know anything. ”

“Exactly,” Blow grunts and raps his knuckles on the table. “We need this to go right. Anyone else got anything to add, or think of as a way to deal with this?”

For the next thirty minutes, we all continue discussing and modifying what we’re gonna do.

In the end, it’s decided that we keep going as we would typically, but on high alert.

None of the women go anywhere without someone on them.

Marla was to stay in lockdown. We didn’t want to take the chance of anyone seeing her and doing something that would end up getting her in deep shit.

I didn’t mind the idea of her being on lockdown, I’d take care to make sure she was secure at all times. I didn’t think she’d like the idea very much, but at this point, she doesn’t have much choice. Whether she wanted it or not, she was being protected.

My brothers and I also came to the agreement that West could stick around. Evidently, Griz had a sit-down with him and found he was one of the only people who could help keep Marla in his words ‘in check’. That’s not exactly what I would call it, but whatever works, works.

Blow finishes church with the banging of the gavel. I hang back wanting a moment with him and Nines both. Whatever it is they know, I want. My gut is telling me it’s big, and I’ve never been steered wrong with my gut before.

“What’s up, brother?” Nines asks, the moment the three of us are alone.

“What is it you two aren’t sharing?” I go ahead and ask flat out.

Blow and Nines share a look before looking back to me, Blow cocking a brow as he does. “What makes you think we know something we haven’t shared?”

“Prez, I think more than anyone else in this club, I’ve learned to read between the words and even body language. You two know something more that you haven’t shared. I want to know what it is.”

Nines leans forward, braces his elbows in front of him, and hands are clasped. “Hate to say this, brother, but some things we can’t share. It’s not our place to share it.”

“So, there is something.” I nod at his confirmation.

“Like Nines said, some things aren’t our place to share,” Blow grunts, leaning back in his seat.

“But since I’ve got a feeling she’s yours, I’ll tell you this, she’s worked her ass off for this club, and for that she has our gratitude.

Not everyone sees it that way. They don’t know what we do.

” He motions between him and Nines. “They also don’t know her history.

We do, and because of that, she also has our respect. ”

Those last words surprise me more than if I’d been slapped in the face. Marla doesn’t just have my Prez and VP’s gratitude but their respect. That’s not something to take lightly. Honestly, it’s the same as them saying she has their protection.

Still, I didn’t forget him saying that she’s mine. Do I tell them? Can I? The claim I hold on her is one that I won’t let go of. She’s mine, but still she’s forbidden to me. No matter how I view it.

“You gonna claim her?” Nines asks, watching me closely.

“No,” I tell them. I claim her now, it won’t be good. I might not be able to let her go, but I’m not letting her in fully either. Ol’ ladies are meant to be let in on things no one else knows. I can’t let her know the truths I hide. Meaning I can’t fully claim her as mine.

Both men look at me with a questioning expression, but neither speaks those questions out loud.

Clearing my throat, I get to my feet. “I’ll keep looking into everything and keep tabs on what we do have and if any players involved start to make a move.”

No way was I going to wait for them to speak about my answer to claiming Marla. I have other things to do than deal with that. It might make me sound like a complete asshat, but I already knew I was an asshole, so what difference does it make? Hell, I locked Marla up in my room.