Page 11 of The MC’s Surprise (Bikers and Babies #4)

Vegas

T he demand from Prez to get back to the clubhouse was a little surprising.

I was just there. But I could hear the seriousness in his voice, so despite how badly I wanted to stick around and see where things went with Sierra, I hopped out of her truck and met up with Mojave, who hightailed it back as soon as I told him about the call.

When he said he would give me a ride, I thought he’d borrow someone’s cage, but I should’ve known better.

Mojave didn’t talk to people unless he absolutely had to.

It was an awkward ride home on the back of his bike and I was grateful no one was outside when we showed up.

The ridicule would never end if they saw me riding bitch on Mojave’s bike.

The kids were gone by the time we got back, which was another surprise. It wasn’t that late and it was a weekend. But the look on Prez’s face said a lot. He looked pissed and ready for a fight. He waited until the last of us trickled in before calling the room to attention.

“Alright. I’m sure many of you heard what happened earlier tonight. I’ll tell you what I know, but I need a guarantee from every damn one of you that you won’t go looking for revenge.”

I had no fucking clue what he was talking about, and when I looked around, I wasn’t the only one. Rooster shot me a questioning look from across the room, and I shook my head to let him know I had no clue either.

Prez shot a pointed look at Axel. I did a doubletake when I took in the normally stoic bar owner.

His face was flushed and he looked ready to rumble.

Only Killer’s hand on his shoulder seemed to keep him in place.

Quiet murmurs of agreement filled the room, and when Axel dipped his chin in reluctant agreement, Prez finally told us what was going on.

“Over the past week, the station has been getting persistent reports of disturbances from property damage to assault. All witness reports have one common feature. These crimes were all caused by bikers in leather vests. Now, before I continue, I need to ask. Does anyone have anything to tell me?”

My stomach dropped. No way was this another instance of petty officers framing us. Was it?

I waited, knowing deep down that it wasn’t my crew who did this, but needing to hear it out loud anyway.

The most trouble the crew got into was speeding tickets and noise violations when their bikes were too loud.

They kept the rowdy behavior here at the clubhouse and at the bar.

It’d stun the hell out of me if one of them was actually a part of this mess.

“No, Prez. No one’s causing any trouble,” Rooster replied with a frown, looking around the room. “Right?”

All responses were clearly in the negative. None of them knew what was going on, and they weren’t part of it. I figured Prez would know that, would trust us like I did, but I watched as his shoulders came down as he visibly relaxed. I frowned at him.

“You thought we were involved?”

Prez shook his head, pulling off his suit jacket and tossing it on the table.

I hadn’t even realized he’d changed into his suit.

He’d been in casual clothes when I left.

“No. I know my crew, and you guys don’t act this way.

But after a day like today, it’s better to ask than to go off of faith.

” Rubbing the back of his neck, he continued.

“But that leaves us with a bigger issue.

It means there's another club coming around, causing trouble. That could mean a couple of things. They could be hoping to chase us out, take over the territory, or they could just be looking to cause trouble for us. Hell, they might not even know we exist. But either way, the police in the area know us and are already pointing fingers.”

Dex shoved out of his seat, his teeth bared in a snarl. “That’s bullshit! You didn’t even do anything!”

Growls and shouts of agreement filled the air. I was with the newbie. This was bullshit. We just got a handle on the harassment and now the department was going to feel justified in picking that shit back up again thanks to this.

“What’s the plan?” I asked, forcing everyone to quiet down to hear what Prez had to say.

“For now, I want everyone on high alert. If you see something, say something. Until we figure out who is causing trouble, we’re going to keep taking heat.

Which also means I need everyone on their best behavior.

No wild partying, no driving recklessly.

I don’t even want to hear about any speeding tickets.

Because right now, if they can charge you with it, they’re gonna throw the book at you.

I don’t want any of you in jail. Understand? ”

Everyone bobbed their head in agreement, though no one looked happy about it.

“What about tonight? Are Buzz and Nova getting charged?” Axel demanded.

My head whipped around. “Wait. What?”

Prez didn’t go into the full story, choosing to reassure Axel instead.

“No. They were brought in for questioning. Nothing more. They just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Which is why I want you guys to pay attention. If someone is causing trouble, I don’t want you hanging around because they’ll pick you up too without hesitation.

They’re not looking at the patches on our backs right now.

If you’re riding, they’re suspicious automatically. ”

“Do we need to be worried about a fight?” Butch asked.

God, I hoped not. We weren’t a violent crew, as much as the pigs portrayed us that way. I had a casino to run. I’d lose everything if I ended up in jail.

“Not that I know of. I haven’t been contacted by anyone at least. If anyone hears anything, call me right away. That’s all for now. I want the officers to join me for a meeting. The rest of you head home. I get the feeling this is just the beginning of our issues with this.”

The group split up, the murmur of grumbling complaints filling the room as some people headed upstairs and others headed out, the mood of the party broken.

The officers headed for church and I sat at the table, scrolling through my phone for any news reports or videos about what had happened.

There was one about some recent criminal activity but it was vague to the point of being a useless article.

“I’m keeping an eye on the web,” Wraith murmured beside me. “So far, I haven’t been able to find a club affiliation.”

“I don’t know what all the fuss is about,” Rusty grumbled. He was still bowing out of his position, but he showed up tonight because he knew it was important and we still hadn’t filled his place yet. “This kinda thing happens. They’ll blow through and be gone in a week, just like always.”

Prez shook his head. “Maybe in the past, that was pretty common. But this feels more targeted than a rowdy crew passing through the area. They seem to be deliberately causing mayhem to draw attention and then disappearing without a trace, leaving us the only viable option to pin the blame on.”

“Do you have any idea who it might be?” Rooster asked.

Prez shook his head and none of the officers seemed to have a clue.

“I don’t know. I need more information. For now, keep an eye on the crew.

Buzz and Nova being nearby seems like coincidence, but if this really is on purpose, we need to consider that they were targeted.

If we have any trouble with the cops, call me immediately. ”

The tension in the crew was palpable. Everyone was uneasy, and no one was willing to go out alone.

No one wanted a repeat of when Butch was picked up last year.

I almost made the suggestion to stop wearing our club colors until all this blew over, but it felt wrong to even think about.

Being part of a club wasn’t wrong and we shouldn’t be punished just for riding bikes.

Since I knew I was picking up Sierra, and there wasn’t a chance in hell I was putting a pregnant woman on the back of my bike, I borrowed Tank’s truck to get her and bring her back to the clubhouse.

Now more than ever, it felt important for her to share her ideas.

Maybe if we got the town to see us as something other than criminals, they’d stop targeting us and actually focus on the real culprits.

I did my best to not take my mood out on her, opening her door and forcing a smile so she wouldn’t stress.

She had enough going on without adding more stress.

I didn’t want anything happening to her or the baby.

Honestly, I almost wanted to change my mind and keep her the hell away from the club.

The cops had shown up to the clubhouse in the past and I didn’t want her caught up in shit like that.

“Is everything okay?”

“Huh? Yeah, why?” I asked distractedly as I drove toward the clubhouse.

“Because you’re gripping the steering wheel like you’re about ready to rip it off the console. Did something happen last night?”

I grimaced. “Yeah. But its nothing you need to worry about.”

She hummed, but it didn’t really feel like an agreement.

I silently berated myself for not keeping it together.

I was a shit partner for putting this stress on her.

I should’ve made up an excuse and picked her up another time.

I was just so desperate for a change, I was grasping at any plan we could come up with.

Hers was the best by far and I was too wound up to explain it right.

A hand rested on my shoulder, drawing my focus. “Pull over.”

I did as asked, turning down a side street with parking so I could pull over safely. When I shot her a questioning look, she tipped her head, her expression soft. “Tell me what’s wrong.”

Defeated, I let my shoulders slump as I explained what happened the night prior. I got all the details from Axel after our meeting, but it didn’t make it any easier to swallow.

“They hadn’t been doing anything. They hadn’t even been on their bikes.

They were just in the area and wearing vests, and that’s all it took.

I thought we were finally past this shit, but they just keep coming back.

They say we’re a problem, but we don’t cause nearly as much bullshit as the pigs do. ”

She snorted at the term, but her amusement was short lived. “Okay. I understand now why you look so pissed off. What’s the plan?”

“Right now, we don’t have one. We’ve got no clue who is causing the trouble, and even if we did, there isn’t much we could do about it. We’re not that kind of crew. We’ll step up if we need to, but I don’t want it to go that way. We’ve got too much to lose as a crew.”

The steering wheel creaked as I gripped it a little tighter. In a surprising move, Sierra unbuckled her seatbelt, sliding along the bench and putting her arms out for a hug. At my frown, she wiggled her fingers.

“Come on. You need a hug. Then we’ll figure this all out.”

Huffing a strained laugh, I unbuckled and wrapped myself around her, sinking into her without putting too much pressure on her.

I missed this. Even before we started sleeping together, Sierra was always offering hugs and cuddles to those who needed it.

I’ll admit I sought her out probably more than I needed to. She was a world class hugger.

“Kind of feels like something is between us right now,” I commented lightly, resting my chin on her shoulder.

“I don’t know why you’d think that,” she snickered.

When I felt more steady, I leaned back a little, gesturing to her belly. “Can I?”

Her smile lit me up and she nodded, taking my hand and putting it on her belly.

It still felt insane that it was my kid in there.

It was hard to wrap my head around, especially with everything going on right now.

Moments like this, where she let me feel the little kicks and be present in the moment, helped a lot in keeping my head on straight.

“Come on,” she urged, nudging me toward my seat again. “Maybe my ideas can help. If people see you guys out doing good things, they might question if they believe you’re responsible for the other stuff. The more people on your side, the better.”

I let go, albeit reluctantly, and the rest of the drive to the clubhouse, she kept me distracted with ideas she had that could help.

It was never ending. It was amazing seeing how her mind worked.

By the time we got to the clubhouse, I felt a little better.

With someone like Sierra on our side, we could pull this off.