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I send my glare his way, but he’s focused on Shadow.
“Bring me hard proof they’re behind it and we’ll move,” I promise. I go in for the pity strings next. “I’ve known Sway since I was a teenager. Car-bombing their clubhouse will bring too much heat, but no one wants this fucker caught more than I do.”
“Amen, brother,” several of the guys mutter and nod their heads at me.
Crisis averted, I adjourn the meeting. Shadow storms out with Smoke right behind him. Rooster catches my eye and nods before leaving.
I want to order Teller and Murphy to park their asses, but I don’t want to look like I’m holding separate meetings with the guys from my club. Not when things are still so precarious.
Still, Teller’s smart enough not to wander far. I find him and Murphy in the hallway outside my room.
“Look who it is. Tweedle-dee and Tweedle-pain-in-my-ass,” I greet as I open the door and shove push both of them inside.
“Which one am I?” Teller snarks.
“You’re definitely a pain in my ass.”
Murphy snort-laughs and drops down on the edge of my bed.
“Get your ass off my bed. I sleep there.”
“Not like I’m gonna wipe my ballsack on your pillow. What’s your problem?” he bitches but moves to one of the chairs in the corner.
“Why you two gotta feed into Shadow’s bullshit? We can’t afford to go to war with the Vipers. Not in the state this charter’s in.”
Teller shrugs. “Will you be disappointed if I don’t have a better answer than keep your enemies close?”
Murphy taps the side of his head like he’s about to Jedi-mind trick me. “Sometimes you win the war by subduing the enemy without fighting.”
I stare at him for a second. “You’ve been living with Rock for too long.”
Clearly accepting that as a compliment, he grins at me. “Seriously, Shadow knows I got no love for him. If I take his side against you, he’ll trust me more.”
“Or know he’s being played.”
“He ain’t that smart, bro,” Teller says. “Besides, he brought up some good points. Vipers are cowards. Trying to take out Sway the way it went down is right in their wheelhouse.”
“I get that, but Rooster says Shadow’s been pushing to go after the Vipers since way before this. He’s using this as an excuse to call up support to take over Jersey territory.”
“Ah, all right.” Teller frowns. “Talk to Rock about it, but I think Priest was pretty clear at National that he didn’t want any charter starting a war for territory they couldn’t finish without big losses or bringing the attention of law enforcement.”
“Yeah, I got that vibe from Niner too. Even though National keeps riding our asses to grow membership.”
“Growing membership and dominating more territory are two separate things.”
“Thank you for the semantics lecture, professor Whelan.”
Murphy’s still grinning at both of us. “Rock will be so proud of you, Z.”
“Shut up, ginger.” I pinch the bridge of my nose and take a breath. “Shit, I don’t know how the fuck he’s put up with all of us for so long.”
“Come on.” Teller snorts. “Our club’s not nearly as obnoxious.”
Murphy wobbles his hand back and forth. “Debatable where you’re concerned.”
Teller glances around the room. “You sweep this for bugs?”
“Every night.”
Satisfied the room’s clean, Teller continues. “I’m gonna sit down with Hustler and go over the books. Their reports are so sloppy, it made me twitch. I’ll see if I can get them set up better while I’m down here.”
“Appreciate that.” I glance at Murphy. “I got a lead on a house right next to yours. Want to come look at it with me?”
“No shit?” He smiles and stands. “Yeah, let’s go. Actually. I need to make a call. Meet you out front?”
“You’re really moving Lilly down here?” Teller asks after Murphy leaves.
“Yeah, I miss the shit out of her and Chance. Hate having such a long drive to see them.”
“She can’t meet you halfway or something?” he asks with a little too much sarcastic jackass in his voice for me to let it slide.
I press a hand against Teller’s chest, pushing him back a step. “Are we good here? I need to know I can trust you to watch out for Lilly when I’m not around.”
His jaw flexes. “You can always trust me, brother. You trust her, though?”
Shit. Been waitin’ for this moment.
I swore I wouldn’t divulge the information Rock shared about his newly-discovered paternal relationship to Teller. It’s a promise I won’t break. I’m sure the news has been an emotional clusterfuck for Teller, something this move downstate hasn’t helped. While I’m sympathetic, I can’t afford to have him be a dick to Lilly.
“Listen,” I say a lot calmer than I’m feeling, “I appreciate the concern, but whatever’s in our past is between her and me.”
“Real talk, Z?”
Apparently, my warning wasn’t clear enough.
“This is as real as it gets, brother.” I spread my arms and motion for him to hit me with whatever he wants to say.
“Known you a long time. Almost as long as Rock and Wrath.”
“Yeah?”
He shrugs and looks away. “I hate that she did that to you.” In a lower voice, he adds, “That’s a lot of time you missed with your son.”
I should punch him for getting me choked up now. “I appreciate that more than you know.”
“How can you accept that kind of betrayal so easily?”
Have I accepted it? Accept probably isn’t the right word. It’s more like I don’t see the point in dwelling on things that can’t be changed.
“She even tell you why?” he persists.
No, she hasn’t. But that’s not Teller’s business.
“All you need to know is she’s my old lady and she’s a good mother to my son.”
That last part was a bit of a dick thing to say. Teller’s own mother was a neglectful bitch who left him in charge of his baby sister when he was only ten years old so she could whore around. Eventually, she abandoned both of them at their grandmother’s.
He swallows hard and works his jaw from side to side. “Man, Alexa isn’t even my kid and I hated those couple months she was living up in Alaska. Think about all the things you missed with him. You’re really okay with her keeping Chance from you for more than two years?”
Only his genuine concern about the situation stops me from punching him. “No, I’m not okay with it, but that’s our issue to work out. Not yours.”
“A problem of my brother’s is a problem of mine…” He gives me a cheeky smirk to go with the familiar biker saying.
I stare him down and speak slowly so my message sinks in this time. “My only problem this second is you’re not hearing me.”
“I hear you.”
I continue as if he hadn’t spoken. “I need you to help her feel comfortable and safe down here. There’s no one in this clubhouse I trust more than you and Murphy to look after her so please, I’m asking as your friend and your brother, don’t be a dick.”
He drops the attitude but stares at me for a few seconds before speaking. “You got it.” He hesitates. “Wait, did she tell you I gave her a hard time?”
“No, but I know how sensitive you are,” I say to throw him off.
“Yeah, about as sensitive as a brick wall.” He laughs and shakes his head, then turns serious. “You stuck up for Charlotte from the jump. Even when Wrath kept questioning her loyalty, you had my back.”
“So show me the same respect. That’s all I’m asking.”
He shoves his hands in his pockets and nods. “You got it, brother.”
“You two need more time alone?” Murphy asks, poking his head inside the room. “I thought we were meeting out front.”
“Yeah, Teller and I needed to straighten out a few things.”
r /> “We’re good,” Teller assures me.
I hope he’s right and this is the last time I have to defend my relationship. To any of my brothers.
Chapter Eight
Z
Three bikers roaring into the gated community makes an impression. The poor rental agent pulls a face like she’s regretting her life choices when we pull up.
I flash what Lilly says is a panty-dropping smile and the agent blushes. “I’ll open it up for you. Take your time.”
Murphy and Teller watch her go with matching smirks.
“What do you think?” I ask.
Murphy nods to the house on the left. “It’s literally next door.”
“I wasn’t kidding.”
Teller and Murphy follow me up the driveway. We stop on the porch “You’re not mad I’ll be right next door checking up on you two?”
“Fuck no.” Murphy answers. “Safer to have us close together.”
Teller shakes his head. “I can’t believe I’m sharing a house with you two again. I have enough nightmares about you violating my baby sister as it is.”
