Page 13

ALPHA

As I reach the top of the stairs and enter, all my brothers are at their seats or around the walls of the room, awaiting my arrival. I close the door behind me and walk to the head of the table, taking my seat. With a heavy bang of my gavel, I lean back in my chair, the weight of their stares on me.

Clearing my throat, I sit tall, commanding authority. “Okay, here’s what I know, and trust me, boys, you’re not gonna like any of it.” They sit taller, listening intently, and I continue, “So, by now, I’m sure word’s gotten around that the attack on Livvy was carried out by the nephew of Rico from The Rojas Cartel.”

Rip curls his lip. “How did we miss this Javier kook? Was he just totally like snaking around his uncle or some gnarly shit like that?” Rip chuckles under his breath like he’s making a joke, but I shift my gaze to Loki to take over the conversation from here with the facts he has gathered so far.

Suddenly, a cell beeps, and we all turn to see South widen his eyes. “Shit, sorry, Pres. I know we’re not supposed to have our phones in here. It’s just with Bella being sick at the moment—”

I wave my hand at him in understanding. “I meant what I said out there… family first. Check your message, South. It’s absolutely okay for you to have your phone in here at this time.” I smirk with a slight chuckle. “But Loki will have to wipe it as soon as we leave the Chapel. Just in case.”

South dips his head, reaching for his phone from his jeans pocket. “Got it. Thanks, Pres.” He pulls it out, clearly clicking it onto silent, and glances down to read his message.

Loki cranes his neck, closes his laptop, and continues with the briefing. “I don’t completely understand what you said in your surfer terminology there, Rip, but I got the general gist of it. And I think the answer is yes.” Loki glances across to Montana, who gives a single nod of approval to discuss everything. So, Loki continues, “There’s more at play here than Javier taking over from Rico.”

Ink places his fists on the table, his eyes narrowing. “You saying there’s other players involved? Not just the Cartel?”

Loki tilts his head with a grimace. “Yes, and no. They all fall under the umbrella of the Cartel, but from what we’ve been told, and from what I have been able to source, it seems that before we took out Rico and his men, he put in what can only be described as a…” He glances at me for guidance. “What would you call it, Pres?”

Flaring my nostrils, I huff. “An in-case-of-death plan?”

South lets out an audible sigh, placing his cell back down on the table, his face scrunching as he shifts his attention back to the conversation in the room. He glances up, seeing all eyes on him, and he waves his hand through the air. “Please, continue,” he states, though there’s tension in his tone.

Loki hums under his breath, shifting his focus back to the rest of us. “Yeah, Pres, an ‘in-case-of-death plan’ is probably the right thing to go with. Rico started planning with his nephew, in the event of something happening to him, what Javier should do to keep the Cartel viable, and he has.”

“And then some,” I grumble.

The guys shift uncomfortably around the table, realization hitting them that the fight we won with the Cartel is reigniting.

Only this time, it is much, much bigger.

“So, Javier’s rebuilt. He has more men?” Maverick asks.

“More men, more birds. He has The Nest back up and running—”

“What?” Seems to blurt from almost every mouth in the room.

Raising my hands to placate them, I dip my chin in understanding. “I know, but there’s a difference. I don’t think he’s been training them from an early age. He hasn’t had the time. He’s using these women to gain the numbers he needs for his army.”

Dutch raises his brow in curiosity. “In that case, then maybe these birds aren’t as lethal as Haven’s generation?”

Nodding slightly, I agree. “It’s possible, but we also don’t want to go into any fights with these women thinking that. We all know from seeing Haven, fuck, even Poppy in action that these birds could take any of us out within a second. I don’t want to risk that. I don’t want to risk any of you. We play it smart when it comes to the birds… understood?”

“Yes, Pres,” they all reply in unison.

“Unfortunately, that’s not the end of it. I don’t know why Loki and I haven’t been able to figure this shit out yet, but Javier’s moving his new birds throughout the female prison system, or at least into Valerie’s prison. We know there are already birds with her, and we’re currently working on a way to help her and deal with the bird issue.”

Everyone snaps their heads to Montana, their eyes wide. “You know about this, brother?” Maverick asks.

Montana rubs at the back of his neck, the bags under his eyes showing that he hasn’t slept at all. “Yeah, man, I went and saw my mom, and shit in there was fucking weird. Mom wasn’t her normal self, and the guards were warning me about the vibe changing. I knew something was going down, but then everything was happening with Livvy. Anyway, I spoke to Loki and Haven, and here we are.”

Maverick leans back in his chair, lacing his fingers behind his head. “Fuck! Okay, let me get this straight. We’ve got Rico’s nephew, who’s been building an army for this exact moment, ready to step in and claim the Cartel throne. He’s training a new squad of female assassins, and we’ve got no idea how. And for some reason, he’s funneling them through the prison system, including the one where Montana’s mom just happens to be? That about sum it up?”

Shrugging, I sigh. “Just one more small thing.” The guys scowl at me, slumping down into their seats, as I continue, “When Haven was captured by Javier and being held with Livvy, they had an old member of The Nest with them. One who was sent to work with Javier when The Nest was still operational. So, from what we can tell, because she was on mission when we disbanded The Nest, she has no clue it’s gone and that she is technically free.”

Phoenix steps off from his place against the wall, his brows furrowed. “This bird, the one with Javier, did she have anything to do with Livvy?” he asks.

We all turn to look at the newly patched member. He shouldn’t even be here for this, and he definitely shouldn’t be talking.

But I need all brothers to know where we’re headed.

Fighting all my instincts to mouth off and say how much I want us to find Nighthawk and take her out, I know Haven wants the opposite.

She might be too close to it.

She might be hoping she can save Nighthawk like we saved her.

Maybe we can.

Or maybe we’ll have to feed Nighthawk to the pigs.

Either way, if I don’t give Haven the chance to at least try, she will never forgive me, and I already lost one wife. I haven’t even been given the opportunity to marry Haven yet. I don’t want to lose her before I get the chance to officially make her mine.

So, if I have to bite my fucking tongue and let her play out this fantasy of being able to turn Nighthawk to our side, then I will do it.

But I will also be here for her if it all falls into a heap because, if there is one thing I have learned, it is that you can never trust a bird.

Exhaling, I nod my head. “Her code name is Nighthawk, and from my understanding, she was tasked with the mission from Javier to torture Livvy—”

“So, she killed Livvy?” Pheonix barks, marching right up next to Maverick beside the table.

Maverick glares back at Phoenix, his eyes wide. “Step back from the table, Phoenix,” Maverick warns.

Phoenix looks down in shock, seeing where he is. Then, almost as if a rubber band snaps him into place, he jumps back against the wall and into his original position, his eyes instantly locking on me. “Fuck. I didn’t mean to step out of turn, Pres. It’s just, you know, I appreciate patching in here after being a Prospect with the Serpents, and—”

“All right, relax, Phoenix. We’re all on edge, but in answer to your question, yes. I think Nighthawk’s torture is what inevitably led to Livvy’s death.”

The brothers around the table scowl in their discontent, all except for South, who I notice is back on his cell, completely ignoring the conversation around the room. But I choose not to bring attention to that in front of everyone at the moment. The intensity of the way he’s typing a message into his phone already has my alarm bells ringing.

Shifting my gaze to the rest of the guys, I continue, “And the last piece of information you all need to know about Nighthawk—”

“There’s more?” Eggs burst out, causing a joint grunt around the Chapel.

“Afraid so, and this is where you’re all really not gonna like what I have to say.”

“We already hate what you’ve said so far, Pres. With all due respect , of course .” Dutch chuckles.

Smirking, I tilt my head. “Of course. Well, Loki figured out the true identity of Nighthawk.”

They all groan, Ink slamming his forehead onto the table with a thud. “God, if she’s someone important, I’m gonna need a fucking drink, a tattoo, and a good dose of Adderall.”

Grimacing, I huff. “Hope you filled your prescription then, brother.”

He lifts his head off the table, his eyes wide as everyone else stares at me. “Oh fuck! Who is she?” he asks, his tone deflated.

Casually, I point to Loki. “VP, you wanna do the honors?”

Loki moans, curling his lip. “Not really,” he mumbles, but he opens his laptop, types in a couple of things, and then turns the screen so everyone can see her picture. “This is the image we have of Nighthawk. Every source of information I can find tells me that her name is Cassandra Marshall. She was taken at two years of age and has been training at The Nest for the last eighteen years.”

Their faces scrunch, trying to figure out how they know her name, trying to put the pieces together. “She’s a hardcore assassin just like Haven. Been in it all her life?” Strings clarifies.

Nodding, I fold my arms over my chest. “Correct—”

“Wait! Did you say her last name was Marshall?” Maverick asks, his brows knotted together in concern.

And the pieces start falling into place.

Loki simply nods, not adding anything else as Maverick groans audibly. “As in Governor Marshall, who sold his fucking daughter to the Cartel when she was two to boost his political campaign? The assfucker we just sent to prison?” Maverick snaps.

The rest of the brothers sit taller, their eyes widening.

Loki closes his laptop softly and shrugs. “So now you know as much as we do and what we’re all up against.”

Silence floods the Chapel as I take in my brothers’ stunned faces. I know exactly what they’re feeling because I feel it too.

But the more time we waste on the weight and heaviness of this burden, the less time we have to prepare. So, I just need to get the fuck on with it.

“Right, so, this is what we’re facing. By no means is this a small task. I’ll be honest with you, I don’t even know if we can take on something this big with this many moving parts… a Cartel, The Nest, a corrupt prison system, and the Governor’s daughter, who’s also an assassin. This fight’s gonna be big, and I honestly don’t know yet how the hell we’re going to come out on top.”

Pausing, I take a breath and peer around the room. “Maybe this is too big for us. Maybe we should back away from this fight and let Javier have whatever fucking territory he wants. But that would be the easy way out. It would be letting Rico and Javier get away with all the injustices they’ve done to not only my family but to the club over the many years they’ve been terrorizing us just to gain more territory in California.” Shaking my head, I turn up my nose. “That doesn’t sit right with me. These Rojas assholes come, and they take without care or prejudice. They burn our lives to the ground and dance on our ashes. Well, not anymore! We took out the Cartel once, we can do it again, and again, and a-fucking-gain if we have to.” A loud cheer roars through the clubhouse, my brothers thumping their fists on the table in support.

“We’ll come up with a plan, a solid one, and we will take Javier down. We will figure out this prison shit and make sure that Valerie is safe in the process.” Montana’s shoulders relax as he dips his head at me in thanks. “And as for The Nest and the birds? I think we have to bring in Nighthawk to see where her loyalties truly lie.” I take a deep breath. “But before we initiate all of this, my previous offer is still on the table. Anyone who wants to leave before we create this game plan is absolutely allowed to do so. As I have stated, this war will not be easy. Fuck, the chances of us winning are probably impossible, but I know I am going to give it my all. And I expect that if you stay, you’re going to fight with everything you have for yourself, your brother beside you, and anyone else who fights alongside LA Defiance in this. So anyone have anything they want to say, now is the time?”

A comfortable silence floods the room, eyes shifting between each brother, though no one speaks.

A slow smile crosses my face, and I sit back in my chair, letting out a long breath. “Okay then, we move ahea—”

“Actually, Pres,” Maverick speaks up, interrupting me, his expression falling like he’s ashamed to be talking right now. Everyone stares at him, not with judgment but understanding. Sadie’s pregnant with their first child. It’s completely understandable for him to step out of this fight.

Sitting forward, I raise my hand, not needing him to say anymore. “Understood, Mav. You need to take care of Sadie and your baby—”

“No. I mean, yes, I do, of course I do. But that’s not what I’m talking about.” Furrowing my brow, I tilt my head for him to continue. “I’m staying. There’s never any question about that. This was always going to be my fight, but Clover was due to take off for that road trip to Vegas for her paid social media, whatever fucking thing she’s supposed to be doing. She delayed it for a few days, but I’d really appreciate it if she got out of town while all this shit is going down. I don’t want her here while this is popping off.” He clears the evident emotion from his throat. “We’ve been through so much, and I fought so fucking hard to get her to a good place. My baby sister means everything to me, Pres. I can’t… I can’t have her here for this. I won’t risk her.”

I can’t help but notice the way Phoenix drops his chin to his chest, almost as if a wave of relief washes over him as he stands behind Maverick like a statue against the wall.

The way Phoenix and Clover act around each other hasn’t gone unnoticed. The clear chemistry they have but never act on—probably because Maverick is so intensely protective of Clover. But also, Phoenix is Sadie’s younger brother, and Sadie is Maverick’s Old Lady.

It’s a complicated web, for sure.

But young love always is.

“Maverick, if you need Clover to get out of town, you tell her to go. If you want Sadie to go with her, I’m all for it. I just need your head in the game. If that means having your girls gone, then do what you gotta do, brother. We support you no matter what. And to me, it makes sense. Hell, if I could ship Poppy outta here, I would in a goddamn heartbeat. But I know if I tried, she’d probably kill me herself, the fucking little freak of nature.”

The guys all chuckle under their breaths.

Maverick sits back in his chair, relaxing his shoulders, a faint smile crossing his lips. “Thanks, Pres. I mean it.”

I dip my head at him, then pick up my gavel, noticing South still on his cell, clearly deep in thought. Ignoring it again, I glance around the rest of the room. “Well then, we know what’s happening. Now we get our shit in order and come up with a game plan. Maverick, you do your thing with your girls, get that taken care of, and once they’ve hit the road, we can really start trying to make a move on our first steps. Montana, if you get any word from Val at all, I want it instantly. Don’t wait to tell me. No matter what’s going on. Understood?”

He nods, relief clearly flowing through his body. “Got it. Thanks, Alpha.”

“And I’ll do the same. I’ll call the warden and have a man-to-man chat with my old buddy. See if he knows what the fuck is going on in there and what we can do to rectify this bullshit.” Montana nods in agreement. “Get some rest, that’s an order. I need everyone at the top of their game, at all times, from here on out,” I demand, then slam my gavel on the table.

Everyone stands. A gentle chatter among the guys begins as they start to make their way out of the Chapel, but I rise, watching South with his head still buried in his cell, my stomach clenching with an uneasy feeling.

Something’s not right.

“South, stay behind,” I call out, my voice firm in tone as he glances up from his cell and quickly slides it into his jeans pocket. The other guys move past him and continue down the stairs.

South glances at me like he thinks he’s in trouble. I gesture for him to come back to the table. He moves, but I tilt my head to the door first. “Close the door, brother.”

He stops, hesitates, then moves for the door, clicking it shut, then heads back to the table, sitting in his position. Two seats away from me. I lean back in my seat and let out a long breath, seeing the clear dark circles beneath his eyes. I’ve been so caught up in my own shit that I’ve been neglecting the people I’m supposed to be in charge of.

The people I’m supposed to be taking care of.

“Pres, I know I’m not supposed to be on my cell—”

“South, stop. Take a breath,” I interrupt him. He exhales, his elbows moving to the table, and he rests his head in his hands, his clear exhaustion taking over. “I saw you with those texts the whole damn meeting. Kept my mouth shut. Figured whatever was in them was already fucking with your head. Talk to me, brother. What the hell’s going on?”

He sits back, trying to put on a brave face, and stiffens his posture. “Nah, brother. It’s fine. The club has too much happening right now—”

“Bullshit! I can take half an hour to talk to a brother when shit’s not going right for him. South, tell me what’s going on, or I’m going to have to call Ingrid up here and see what she has to say about all this.”

South clenches his eyes shut, pain flushing over his features. “Ingrid’s not here, Pres.”

Sitting forward, my pulse races faster. “As in, she’s left you? Or do we have to go rescue her?”

The corner of South’s lips turns up like I’m amusing him. “Is it crazy that I wish it were either of those options right now other than what it actually is? If it were one of those, we could fix it.” He shakes his head. “But I can’t fix this. I knew it was coming, but still…” He doesn’t finish his sentence, his eyes drifting off into the distance like he’s replaying a memory as it finally clicks in my mind.

My stomach flips, my chest squeezing at the thought. “Your sister, Bella?” I question, and he slowly turns back to look at me, gulping a lump down his throat.

“Ingrid and Louis are with her now. Bella’s been at the hospice for a number of weeks, and we’ve been going to see her as often as we can, but she’s been in a rapid decline for the last few days.”

“Fuck! South go! Spend time with your sister. Being with Bella is the entire reason you and Ingrid uprooted your lives in New Orleans and came to Los Angeles. Spend those final moments with your sister. You can’t get them back.”

South scrubs at his face, clear tension pulling him in two directions. “I’m just like Maverick, Pres. My duty is to my club. To my brothers. With Ingrid and Louis safe at the hospice, I can do what I need here and not worry about them being hurt in the crossfire. Ingrid will take care of Bella. My son will be safe, and I won’t have to bear the wrath of Hurricane if anything happens to his mother during this all-out war.”

Trying to fight back my chuckle at how scarily accurate he is with the Hurricane comment, I simply nod in understanding. “All right. But if at any time, any time at all, you need to leave because Bella’s getting to a point where she needs you, you go. You just fucking leave no matter what the hell is happening. That’s a fucking order that you can not disobey. Do. You. Understand. Me?”

South’s eyes glisten, only for a moment before he blinks them away rapidly, clearing his throat and sitting taller, puffing out his chest. “I understand you. And I will. Thank you, Pres.”

Sliding my chair back, I stand, South moves with me, and I walk over to him, looking him dead in the eyes. “Take it from someone who’s just gone through this but had no warning. When you see Bella, you tell her what she means to you. About all the great things she did for you in your life. About what an amazing person she is, and how thankful you are to have had her in yours because once she’s gone, and that opportunity passes you by, well, the regret is a fucking heavy weight on your shoulders. So, make the time, South. Make the fucking time… Bella deserves it.”

South’s bottom lip trembles as he tries to keep himself together. He sniffles as I lean in, wrapping my arms around him, and pull him to me, slapping his back a couple of times. He lets out a stuttered breath as he slaps my back in return. Bikers aren’t known for emotional embraces, but manly back-slapping at moments like this is exactly what we both need right now.

We pull back, a silent nod to each other, and then we head for the door.

It feels like the club is losing a lot right now, and by the time this war is over, we may have lost even more. But if today has shown me anything, this is the family we all love. The family we’re all fighting for. If one of us hurts, we all hurt.

And that is why I’m risking it all to surge forward and take on this fight.

The odds are stacked against us, but no one ever thought David would beat Goliath , either.

But the thing people never realized is David didn’t win with might— he won with Defiance!