Page 12 of Victorious, Part 2 (The LA Defiance MC #6)
Ink’s jaw tightens, but he doesn’t argue further. There’s something in his expression though, a protectiveness that goes beyond club loyalty.
“There is something else,” Cassandra says hesitantly.
“Something I haven’t told you about Senator Wilson’s timeline.
” Every head in the room turns toward her.
“The legislation he’s planning to introduce?
It’s not scheduled for next session or next year.
It’s going to be fast-tracked through an emergency vote next month. If it passes…”
“Javier gets legal control over the prison system,” I murmur.
“Not just control. Authority. The ability to operate openly with government backing.” She looks around the room. “We’re not just racing against his expansion anymore. We’re racing against legitimization.”
The implications hit everyone at once.
If Javier gains legal authority over correctional facilities, there will be no stopping him.
No legal recourse.
No federal intervention.
The shadow government he’s building will have official sanction.
Javier can begin his takeover, and once he starts, he won’t stop.
“How long do we have?” Alpha asks.
“Three weeks… maybe four? Depends on how quickly Wilson can push it through committee.”
“Then we need to move fast.” Alpha stands again, his presidential authority settling over him like armor.
“Loki, I need you to start coordinating with other Defiance chapters. Find out what resources they can commit and if they can handle operations in their cities. This is bigger than just Los Angeles now.”
“On it, Pres. I’ll reach out to Houston, NOLA, Tampa, and Vegas. See what kind of coordinated response we can mount. And I’ll make sure to get on the line with Torque from Chicago. Fill him in on everything, see if he can get other chapters involved too as our National Charter President.”
Alpha gives a simple nod in agreement. “Montana, reach out to Warden Garver. Set up a secure communication line and find out exactly what intelligence he can provide about internal security.”
“Copy that.”
“Haven, I want you working with Nighthawk on identifying priority targets. If we’re going to take this network down, we need to know which facilities are most critical to their operation,” Alpha instructs.
I nod, already mentally cataloging what we’ll need.
“The rest of you, start thinking about what this means for our families, our security, our future.” Alpha’s voice carries the weight of hard truths.
“Because if we fail, if Javier succeeds in building this thing, there won’t be anywhere left to run.
Not for us, not for our kids, not for anyone who refuses to bow down to his version of ‘order.’ ”
“What about the Vegas chapter?” Maverick asks. “Clover and Phoenix are headed there. Do we bring them back?”
Alpha and I exchange glances. We both know that bringing Clover back means putting her directly in harm’s way. But leaving her in Vegas might not be safer if Javier’s network is as extensive as we think.
“For now, they stay put,” Alpha decides. “Vegas is our backup plan. If things go sideways here, we need somewhere safe to regroup.”
“And if things go sideways there?” Maverick asks, his concern for our sister evident.
“Then we pray Phoenix remembers everything we taught him about protecting what matters,” I answer, my eyes meeting my brothers in solidarity.
Clover is going to be okay.
She has to be.
Because her coming back to Los Angeles right now is not the answer.
Even if every part of me is dying to see her and make sure she’s okay.
Phoenix will take care of her, and I know deep down, Maverick understands that too.
He sits back in his chair, nodding at me once.
It’s hard keeping her away, but he gets it.
The meeting continues for another hour, hammering out details, assigning responsibilities, and facing the harsh reality of what we’re up against. As the brothers begin to file out, I notice Ink lingering near Cassandra’s chair.
“You need anything?” he asks her quietly. “Coffee, food, someone to test your combat reflexes?”
She looks up at him with genuine surprise. “You offering to spar with me?”
“I’m offering to make sure you don’t disappear in the middle of the night, thinking you need to handle this alone.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” she says softly. “For the first time in my life, I actually have somewhere I want to stay.”
The look that passes between them is charged with something I recognize, the beginning of something that could either be beautiful or completely catastrophic.
Knowing this club, it will probably be both.
“Good,” Ink says simply. “Because we protect our own here.”
“Even former enemies?”
“Especially former enemies. We’ve got experience with redemption arcs.”
As the brothers have filed out completely now, heading back to their lives and families and the illusion of normalcy, I catch Cassandra’s arm.
“You okay with this? Using your intel to help coordinate with the other chapters?”
She considers the question seriously. “I’ve spent my whole life following orders from people who didn’t care if I lived or died. At least this time, I’m fighting alongside people who actually give a damn.”
“And Ink? You notice he’s been hovering around you like a protective mountain?”
A faint smile crosses her face. “I noticed. It’s… nice. Strange, but nice. I’ve never had someone worry about me just because they wanted to.”
“He’s a good man. They all are.”
“I’m starting to see that.” She pauses, looking around the now-empty chapel. “Is this what family feels like? All this… caring and worrying and planning and fighting together?”
“This is exactly what family feels like,” I confirm. “Messy, complicated, and worth dying for.”
“Then I guess I’ve never had family before.”
“You do now, Cassandra. You do now.”
She smiles brightly as we head downstairs.
I can’t help but think about how much has changed in just a few days.
Cassandra went from enemy to ally to something approaching a sister.
Our understanding of Javier’s threat has evolved from personal vendetta to existential crisis.
And somewhere in Vegas, my little sister is probably having adventures she’ll never tell me about with a man who’s supposed to keep her safe.
But here, in this clubhouse full of leather-clad warriors, motor oil, and the kind of loyalty that transcends blood, I know we have something Javier will never understand.
We have each other.
And sometimes, that’s enough to ignite a change in the world.
Even if we have to burn the old one down first.
Alpha appears at my side as we reach the main floor. “Penny for your thoughts, Little Lamb.”
“Just thinking about how complicated life gets when you start caring about people.”
“Worth it, though.”
“Yeah,” I agree, watching Cassandra and Ink engage in what appears to be a debate about optimal sniper positions. “Definitely worth it.”
He hesitates for a moment, then pulls me to a complete stop, looking in my eyes. “Haven?”
“Yeah?” I reply, furrowing my brows.
“When this is all over, when we’ve dealt with Javier and his shadow government and whatever other fucking nightmares are waiting in the wings…” he hesitates again.
So, I finish his sentence for him. “We’re getting married. Somewhere far away from all this chaos.”
He chuckles, pulling me to him. “I was going to say we’re taking a very long vacation, maybe on a sandy beach somewhere, so I can see you in a skimpy bikini, but… I prefer your version.”
I lean into him, feeling the solid warmth of his presence. “Good. Because I’ve had enough of postponed weddings and interrupted honeymoons for one lifetime.”
“Deal. But first…”
“First, we save the day. Again.”
“Pretty much.”
As I look around the clubhouse, at Navy organizing supplies, at Loki coordinating with other chapters, at the brothers preparing for war while trying to maintain a semblance of normal life, I’m struck by how much these people have become my everything.
We’re about to face something bigger and more dangerous than anything we’ve encountered before.
But we’re not facing it alone.
Because at Defiance, you’re never alone.
It doesn’t mean that this bird’s cage isn’t getting a little rattled at the thought of what is to come, though.
Because this war we’re facing is going to be life-altering.
I feel it in my wings.