WE MADEย it back to the clubhouse in record time.
โHas he slept at all?โ Boxer asked after a hug in greeting.
I shook my head. โI think heโs running on pure adrenaline. Heโs going to crash soon though, right? I mean itโs been over twenty four hours since heโs slept.โ
โChurch!โ Colt barked.
I looked at Boxer. โFinish your meeting quickly and then he needs to go to bed.โ
โYou know,โ Boxer said, stroking his jaw, โhe wouldnโt take kindly to knowing youโre calling the shots.โ
โTrust me, weโd all be better off if he got some rest. You canโt be clear- headed when youโre exhausted.โ
โHeโs just gonna fill everyone in. Should be a quick meeting.โ Boxer squeezed my shoulder and then followed his brothers out to the shed.
I went into Coltโs bedroom to change and there was a knock on the door when I was drawing the string tight on my pajamas.
โCome in,โ I said.
The door opened and Joniโs face appeared. โHey, welcome back.โ
โThanks.โ I waved her inside. โYou can enter the room, you know.โ โWell, you looked like you were about to crash. I wasnโt sure.โ
I shook my head. โIโm trying to stay awake until at least nine p.m., but Iโm dragging hard.โ
โYou hungry? I was about to order Chinese food.โ
โIโm starving. All Iโve had today is a cheese omelet and a couple of Red Bulls.โ
โI gotcha. Please tell me youโre a beef and broccoli fan.โ
โYou know it,โ I said with a laugh. โHow have things been here?โ
โCheese has been keeping Zip in the loop about me. I made sure to flirt extra hard with Doctor Patterson in front of Cheese. Made him extremely uncomfortable. It was awesome.โ
โSo thatโs why Zip was in such a shit mood,โ I said with a laugh. โHe was grumpy as hell.โ
โI know I should feel bad about what Iโm doing, but I really donโt.โ
We wandered out of Coltโs room and I sat down on the couch. Joni took it upon herself to order half the menu. โThe guys will be hungry, no doubt.โ She hung up the phone and sat down next to me. โI donโt know about you, but Iโm going crazy here.โ
I nodded. โI feel like a prisoner, which is weird because I know itโs for our own safety, but I canโt help feeling likeโwell, fuck it. You know?โ
โYup. Iโm ready to demand my freedom.โ
โI missed karaoke night with Shelly. We usually go once a month.โ โDude. You sing karaoke?โ
โI do.โ
โAre you any good?โ
โAfter three tequila shots, who cares?โ
She laughed in a way that showed me she had seen a night or two of karaoke in her time. We kept up a steady stream of chatter and the two prospects on duty brought in several bags of Chinese takeout. Joni and I didnโt bother waiting for the guys to finish churchโwe dug into the food straight from the boxes.
โWhy are wontons so freakinโ good?โ Joni demanded as she shoved an entire dumpling into her mouth.
โNo clue, but Iโm inclined to say MSG.โ
Joni moaned. โDonโt tell me that. Letโs pretend weโre getting all our vegetables in this one fried food dish.โ
โDeal.โ
The backdoor opened and the brothers strode inside, looking tense. Not even the sight of Chinese food brought a smile to their faces. Well, except for Boxer, who plopped down next to me and opened his mouth.
โWhat are you, a baby bird?โ I demanded. โFeed me, Mama,โ he pleaded.
I slid a piece of beef between his lips. โYouย actuallyย fed him.โ Joni grinned.
โIโm afraid heโll die if I donโt,โ I said. โBoxer is the human equivalent of a lab puppy.โ
Reap and Gray chuckled, but Colt didnโt show any signs of humor. Instead, he walked over to the refrigerator and grabbed himself a beer. He held it up and I shook my head. Colt closed the fridge and then leaned against the kitchen counter.
โThereโs something we need to discuss,โ Joni said. โMia and I are tired of being caged in. We want to go out.โ
โYou already go out,โ Zip stated from the recliner, his eyes on Joni.
Joni glared at him. โGoing to work is not the same as going out. We want a night on the town.โ
โNot so much a night on the town, just karaoke,โ I interjected. โWe can make that happen. Right?โ
โWhat happened the last time you and Joni went out?โ Zip asked pointedly. โOn Blue Angelsโ territory.โ
Joni opened her mouth to reply, but Colt jumped in and said, โThe brothers from Coeur dโAlene arrive tomorrow afternoon. We should show
them a good time.โ
โSafety in numbers,โ Reap said with a slow nod.
โWe should just have a massive bonfire here,โ Zip groused. โNo reason to flaunt shit in town.โ
Colt rubbed his thumb across his jaw. โI was thinking we could meet the boys at The Rex.โ
Reapโs eyes gleamed. Zipโs gaze hardened. Even Boxerโs humorous expression sobered.
โSo itโs going to be like that, huh?โ Zip asked finally.
Colt looked at each Blue Angel in the eye. One by one they nodded.
โYouโll call Bishop,โ Colt told Zip. โTell him about the new meet up spot.โ
Colt was speaking in riddles, but I knew better than to ask him to explain. Heโd explain when we were alone.
Hopefully.
โAre we done for the night?โ Torque asked. Heโd been standing in the corner of the room, tatted arms crossed over his shoulders. โI got a pregnant Old Lady at home whoโs demanding ice cream.โ
Gray grinned. โIt just gets worse. Trust me.โ
โSheโs carrying my kid.โ Torque shrugged. โShe wants ice cream. She gets ice cream. And any other thing she wants.โ
The group broke up almost immediately. Torque and Reap headed out at the same time while Zip went out back to make a call, no doubt to Bishop, whoever he was. Colt was talking to Gray and Cheese in hushed tones and Boxer continued to lounge on the couch, his eyes half closed.
โWhatโs The Rex?โ I asked Joni as we cleaned up the takeout containers.
โThe Rex Hotel. In Dallas.โ
โWhy are they telling the other Blue Angel chapter to meet there?โ โI have an idea, but Iโm not one hundred percent sureโฆโ
โJoni. Tell me.โ โAsk Colt.โ
โAsk me what?โ Colt said from behind me, causing me to jump and drop fried rice all over the floor.
โReally?โ I asked in exasperation. โHow do you do that?โ โDo what?โ he asked with raised eyebrows.
โWalk silently in heavy boots.โ I gestured to the broom next to the fridge. Joni handed it to me. I quickly swept up the mess and dumped it into the trash.
Colt settled his hand on the curve of my neck and gently brought me into the side of his body. โAre you ready?โ
โFor?โ I looked up into his eyes and got lost for a moment.
โYeah, thatโs my cue,โ Joni muttered. โIโll be in my room reading a book, trying not to pass out from boredom.โ
โYouโre coming to Dallas with us, right?โ Colt asked.
She nodded. โTry and stop me. I gotta get out of this place.โ
Colt grinned. โSee you in the morning.โ He dragged me to our room and shut the door.
I flopped down onto the bed and buried my face in the pillows. โIโm pretty sure I could sleep for days.โ
He laughed. A moment later, I heard his boots hit the floor. He came over to the bedside table and set his wallet and pistol on it before removing his jeans, cut, and T-shirt.
โWhy are we going to Dallas?โ I asked. โAre you going to tell me?
โYeah, Iโll tell you.โ He sat down on the bed. โTake your shirt off first.โ โYouโre not going to distract me with sex.โ
โWasnโt planning on distracting you with sex.โ โThen whyโโ
โI just want to feel your skin, okay?โ
I wormed my shirt off and then lay back down. His fingers began stroking down my spine as he talked. โThere are two reasons weโre going to Dallas. One, you and Joni want a night out. I donโt want you out in Waco because of Dev, but I donโt have a good enough reason to keep you both locked up.โ
โHmm,โ I hummed, my eyes drifting shut.
โTwo, Flynn Campbell is the owner of The Rex Hotel empire. Our fathers knew each other when they were younger. The Rex is a safe place, so to speak.โ
My head whirled. Iโd heard of The Rex Hotel empire, but Iโd never been to one of the hotels. I knew they were decadent, expensive, and catered to the elite. More surprising was that my biker boyfriend was a friend of sorts with the owner.
โI still donโt understand why weโre going there, though. Iโm sure there are dozens of places we could go to in Dallas. Some shitty dive if all weโre doing is welcoming the Blue Angels from Coeur dโAlene and giving Joni and I a chance at temporary freedom.โ
Colt felt silent but his hands continued to caress my tight, sore muscles. He was the one who needed to be rubbed downโheโd been awake longer than me and no doubt his crash was imminent.
โRoll over,โ I told him. โHmm?โ
โRoll over onto your stomach. You deserve a massage.โ
Colt heaved his mass away from me and collapsed onto his belly. I straddled his lower back and then got to work on his tight muscles.
โDamn, that feels good.โ He didnโt speak for a while and I thought heโd fallen asleep. He surprised me when he said, โCampbell has resources that we could use right now.โ
โYour brothers from another chapter arenโt enough?โ
โCorrect. The guys from Coeur dโAlene are mostly former military and they can handle their own, but thatโs just defense. We require something bigger than that.โ
โWhat about other MCs in Waco? Canโt you ask some other clubs to help you push the Iron Horsemen back?โ
โItโs not just the Iron Horsemen,โ he said. โA cartel too, remember?
Thatโs a different level of shit entirely. You know?โ
โItโs their city too. If the cartel has their way and takes over through the Iron Horsemen, that doesnโt just affect the Blue Angels. It affects all of the clubs.โ I leaned over so I could look him in the eye. โWhat arenโt you telling me?โ
He ground his jaw tight before answering. โWhen this is all said and done, we want to be the only shop in town.โ
I frowned. โYou wantโoh. You donโt want to involve the other clubs because you want to be able to go to them and tell them you cleaned it all up, so you and the Blue Angels will have all the power.โ
โThis is why you donโt tell smart women shit like thisโthey figure out your motives within minutes. What do you think about that, darlinโ? You wanna be married to the king of Waco?โ
โYouโre not the king. And weโre not married.โ โNot yet. On either account.โ
โI still canโt believe youโre the type of man that wants to be settled.โ โYou get tired, you know?โ
โYeah, it mustโve been really exhausting to have all the club groupies throw themselves at you. Mindless, string-free fucking. Sounds rotten. Why did you trade all of that for me?โ
โWho says I traded?โ he joked.
I reached out and pinched his thigh.
โWoman, you took a lot of work to get into bed.โ
โYeah, like two weeksโif that. God, do I feel bad for you.โ
He laughed mischievously. โYou know what I mean. You were worth it.
Youย areย worth it. I knew what I was getting when I went for you, Mia.โ โWhatโs that, Colt?โ
โFishing for compliments isnโt your style.โ
He fell asleep with my hands stroking his back, a smile on his face.