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Chapter no 21

Wreck & Ruin

WE MADEย it back to the clubhouse in record time.

โ€œHas he slept at all?โ€ Boxer asked after a hug in greeting.

I shook my head. โ€œI think heโ€™s running on pure adrenaline. Heโ€™s going to crash soon though, right? I mean itโ€™s been over twenty four hours since heโ€™s slept.โ€

โ€œChurch!โ€ Colt barked.

I looked at Boxer. โ€œFinish your meeting quickly and then he needs to go to bed.โ€

โ€œYou know,โ€ Boxer said, stroking his jaw, โ€œhe wouldnโ€™t take kindly to knowing youโ€™re calling the shots.โ€

โ€œTrust me, weโ€™d all be better off if he got some rest. You canโ€™t be clear- headed when youโ€™re exhausted.โ€

โ€œHeโ€™s 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 Coltโ€™s bedroom to change and there was a knock on the door when I was drawing the string tight on my pajamas.

โ€œCome in,โ€ I said.

The door opened and Joniโ€™s face appeared. โ€œHey, welcome back.โ€

โ€œThanks.โ€ I waved her inside. โ€œYou can enter the room, you know.โ€ โ€œWell, you looked like you were about to crash. I wasnโ€™t sure.โ€

I shook my head. โ€œIโ€™m trying to stay awake until at least nine p.m., but Iโ€™m dragging hard.โ€

โ€œYou hungry? I was about to order Chinese food.โ€

โ€œIโ€™m starving. All Iโ€™ve had today is a cheese omelet and a couple of Red Bulls.โ€

โ€œI gotcha. Please tell me youโ€™re a beef and broccoli fan.โ€

โ€œYou know it,โ€ I said with a laugh. โ€œHow have things been here?โ€

โ€œCheese 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€

โ€œSo thatโ€™s why Zip was in such a shit mood,โ€ I said with a laugh. โ€œHe was grumpy as hell.โ€

โ€œI know I should feel bad about what Iโ€™m doing, but I really donโ€™t.โ€

We wandered out of Coltโ€™s room and I sat down on the couch. Joni took it upon herself to order half the menu. โ€œThe guys will be hungry, no doubt.โ€ She hung up the phone and sat down next to me. โ€œI donโ€™t know about you, but Iโ€™m going crazy here.โ€

I nodded. โ€œI feel like a prisoner, which is weird because I know itโ€™s for our own safety, but I canโ€™t help feeling likeโ€”well, fuck it. You know?โ€

โ€œYup. Iโ€™m ready to demand my freedom.โ€

โ€œI missed karaoke night with Shelly. We usually go once a month.โ€ โ€œDude. You sing karaoke?โ€

โ€œI do.โ€

โ€œAre you any good?โ€

โ€œAfter 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 didnโ€™t bother waiting for the guys to finish churchโ€”we dug into the food straight from the boxes.

โ€œWhy are wontons so freakinโ€™ good?โ€ Joni demanded as she shoved an entire dumpling into her mouth.

โ€œNo clue, but Iโ€™m inclined to say MSG.โ€

Joni moaned. โ€œDonโ€™t tell me that. Letโ€™s pretend weโ€™re getting all our vegetables in this one fried food dish.โ€

โ€œDeal.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.

โ€œWhat are you, a baby bird?โ€ I demanded. โ€œFeed me, Mama,โ€ he pleaded.

I slid a piece of beef between his lips. โ€œYouย actuallyย fed him.โ€ Joni grinned.

โ€œIโ€™m afraid heโ€™ll die if I donโ€™t,โ€ I said. โ€œBoxer is the human equivalent of a lab puppy.โ€

Reap and Gray chuckled, but Colt didnโ€™t 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.

โ€œThereโ€™s something we need to discuss,โ€ Joni said. โ€œMia and I are tired of being caged in. We want to go out.โ€

โ€œYou already go out,โ€ Zip stated from the recliner, his eyes on Joni.

Joni glared at him. โ€œGoing to work is not the same as going out. We want a night on the town.โ€

โ€œNot so much a night on the town, just karaoke,โ€ I interjected. โ€œWe can make that happen. Right?โ€

โ€œWhat happened the last time you and Joni went out?โ€ Zip asked pointedly. โ€œOn Blue Angelsโ€™ territory.โ€

Joni opened her mouth to reply, but Colt jumped in and said, โ€œThe brothers from Coeur dโ€™Alene arrive tomorrow afternoon. We should show

them a good time.โ€

โ€œSafety in numbers,โ€ Reap said with a slow nod.

โ€œWe should just have a massive bonfire here,โ€ Zip groused. โ€œNo reason to flaunt shit in town.โ€

Colt rubbed his thumb across his jaw. โ€œI was thinking we could meet the boys at The Rex.โ€

Reapโ€™s eyes gleamed. Zipโ€™s gaze hardened. Even Boxerโ€™s humorous expression sobered.

โ€œSo itโ€™s going to be like that, huh?โ€ Zip asked finally.

Colt looked at each Blue Angel in the eye. One by one they nodded.

โ€œYouโ€™ll call Bishop,โ€ Colt told Zip. โ€œTell him about the new meet up spot.โ€

Colt was speaking in riddles, but I knew better than to ask him to explain. Heโ€™d explain when we were alone.

Hopefully.

โ€œAre we done for the night?โ€ Torque asked. Heโ€™d been standing in the corner of the room, tatted arms crossed over his shoulders. โ€œI got a pregnant Old Lady at home whoโ€™s demanding ice cream.โ€

Gray grinned. โ€œIt just gets worse. Trust me.โ€

โ€œSheโ€™s carrying my kid.โ€ Torque shrugged. โ€œShe 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.

โ€œWhatโ€™s The Rex?โ€ I asked Joni as we cleaned up the takeout containers.

โ€œThe Rex Hotel. In Dallas.โ€

โ€œWhy are they telling the other Blue Angel chapter to meet there?โ€ โ€œI have an idea, but Iโ€™m not one hundred percent sureโ€ฆโ€

โ€œJoni. Tell me.โ€ โ€œAsk Colt.โ€

โ€œAsk me what?โ€ Colt said from behind me, causing me to jump and drop fried rice all over the floor.

โ€œReally?โ€ I asked in exasperation. โ€œHow do you do that?โ€ โ€œDo what?โ€ he asked with raised eyebrows.

โ€œWalk 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. โ€œAre you ready?โ€

โ€œFor?โ€ I looked up into his eyes and got lost for a moment.

โ€œYeah, thatโ€™s my cue,โ€ Joni muttered. โ€œIโ€™ll be in my room reading a book, trying not to pass out from boredom.โ€

โ€œYouโ€™re coming to Dallas with us, right?โ€ Colt asked.

She nodded. โ€œTry and stop me. I gotta get out of this place.โ€

Colt grinned. โ€œSee 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. โ€œIโ€™m 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.

โ€œWhy are we going to Dallas?โ€ I asked. โ€œAre you going to tell me?

โ€œYeah, Iโ€™ll tell you.โ€ He sat down on the bed. โ€œTake your shirt off first.โ€ โ€œYouโ€™re not going to distract me with sex.โ€

โ€œWasnโ€™t planning on distracting you with sex.โ€ โ€œThen whyโ€”โ€

โ€œI 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. โ€œThere are two reasons weโ€™re going to Dallas. One, you and Joni want a night out. I donโ€™t want you out in Waco because of Dev, but I donโ€™t have a good enough reason to keep you both locked up.โ€

โ€œHmm,โ€ I hummed, my eyes drifting shut.

โ€œTwo, 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. Iโ€™d heard of The Rex Hotel empire, but Iโ€™d 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.

โ€œI still donโ€™t understand why weโ€™re going there, though. Iโ€™m sure there are dozens of places we could go to in Dallas. Some shitty dive if all weโ€™re doing is welcoming the Blue Angels from Coeur dโ€™Alene 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 downโ€”heโ€™d been awake longer than me and no doubt his crash was imminent.

โ€œRoll over,โ€ I told him. โ€œHmm?โ€

โ€œRoll 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.

โ€œDamn, that feels good.โ€ He didnโ€™t speak for a while and I thought heโ€™d fallen asleep. He surprised me when he said, โ€œCampbell has resources that we could use right now.โ€

โ€œYour brothers from another chapter arenโ€™t enough?โ€

โ€œCorrect. The guys from Coeur dโ€™Alene are mostly former military and they can handle their own, but thatโ€™s just defense. We require something bigger than that.โ€

โ€œWhat about other MCs in Waco? Canโ€™t you ask some other clubs to help you push the Iron Horsemen back?โ€

โ€œItโ€™s not just the Iron Horsemen,โ€ he said. โ€œA cartel too, remember?

Thatโ€™s a different level of shit entirely. You know?โ€

โ€œItโ€™s their city too. If the cartel has their way and takes over through the Iron Horsemen, that doesnโ€™t just affect the Blue Angels. It affects all of the clubs.โ€ I leaned over so I could look him in the eye. โ€œWhat arenโ€™t you telling me?โ€

He ground his jaw tight before answering. โ€œWhen this is all said and done, we want to be the only shop in town.โ€

I frowned. โ€œYou wantโ€”oh. You donโ€™t 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€

โ€œThis is why you donโ€™t tell smart women shit like thisโ€”they figure out your motives within minutes. What do you think about that, darlinโ€™? You wanna be married to the king of Waco?โ€

โ€œYouโ€™re not the king. And weโ€™re not married.โ€ โ€œNot yet. On either account.โ€

โ€œI still canโ€™t believe youโ€™re the type of man that wants to be settled.โ€ โ€œYou get tired, you know?โ€

โ€œYeah, it mustโ€™ve 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€

โ€œWho says I traded?โ€ he joked.

I reached out and pinched his thigh.

โ€œWoman, you took a lot of work to get into bed.โ€

โ€œYeah, like two weeksโ€”if that. God, do I feel bad for you.โ€

He laughed mischievously. โ€œYou 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€ โ€œWhatโ€™s that, Colt?โ€

โ€œFishing for compliments isnโ€™t your style.โ€

He fell asleep with my hands stroking his back, a smile on his face.

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