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Natalie was out front. All of the blinds were pulled down.
“I’m starting to regret that sign,” Natalie said.
“You might want to call in a few of the ladies to help us out.”
“I can help,” Tabitha said. “A bit of training on the till and I’ll be good to go.”
Why did I say that?
Because this is your family now. It’s time you stopped fighting it.
Lexie cupped her face and kissed both of her cheeks. “You’re a lifesaver.” Lexie took Tabitha’s hand, leading her into the office. “We’ve got ten minutes.”
“I’m nervous.”
“Don’t be. How are you feeling?”
“Other than the sickness, I feel pretty good.” She pressed a hand to her stomach. “It’s a lot to take in. I don’t know if I should tell Simon yet. You know, he’s doing well with the club. His schedule is all over the place, but we’re making it work.”
“He wants to earn his patch. Devil has said he’s always there. Each phone call, he’s the first one to arrive.”
Tabitha chuckled. “I think it pisses him off that Dean got the patched-in member before him.”
“He’s going to earn it, you know that. Devil is going to pass the patch on to him when he’s ready.”
“I know.”
Lexie took Tabitha’s hand. “No, I mean, the patch, the President’s patch.”
This made Tabitha pause. “He is? When?”
“Not right now. Simon’s young, but Devil has already said he has qualities as a leader. The five men he brought, they’re all showing signs of being team players. There’s no doubt in Devil’s mind that his son has what it takes to be the club leader.”
Lexie smiled. “I’m so proud of him. It won’t be today, or tomorrow, and not next year. When he’s ready. When everything is stable, and he’s had been patched in for a while, you know. Only when the time is right.”
“Simon probably already knows.”
Lexie shrugged. “So why do you need Simon to go and pick up Nathan?”
Tabitha gave her a complete rundown of her conversation with Nathan. “It broke my heart. I can’t stand it.”
“Kids crying are the worst,” Lexie said. “You always feel like there’s something you can do to make it right, but nothing ever feels good enough. I’ll make a call to Devil. See what I can do.”
“Thanks. I’d call Simon, but if he’s in a meeting, I don’t want it to look badly on him. I know he’d put me first, and—” She winced. “Am I making him sound less like a leader?”
Lexie chuckled. “Devil puts the club where he needs to. Sometimes I felt like he put the club before me, but he balances it. I know deep down, nothing will ever happen to us because his heart is always in the right place. I don’t always see it where it’s supposed to be, but it’s there.”
They both chuckled.
Lexie put a hand on Tabitha’s stomach.
This was the only thing she hated about being pregnant. The unnecessary touching. Lexie was family, but when she’d been pregnant with Nathan back in Fort Wills, she’d walked around a supermarket and had no choice but to threaten people who dared to touch her. It had been a thing.
Maybe this time it would be different.
“When are you going to tell Simon?”
“Soon, I guess. Will you take Nathan this weekend?”
“I’d love to.” Lexie chuckled. “I’m going to get another grandbaby. I’m so happy.” She pulled her in for another hug.
“I hate to break this emotional meeting, but it’s time to open the doors.”
Tabitha pulled away and chuckled. She realized she’d been crying and shook her head. Always with the damn tears.
****
“You’re sure you’re ready for this?” Devil asked.
Simon looked up at his father. They’d just ridden back from a three-hour meeting with all of the Billionaire Bikers MC, Lash, and a couple of guys from The Skulls.
“I’m ready.”
There was a compound about a three-hour ride out of town. The Billionaires had the details, cameras, and footage. At least twenty young women were being held in cages. All of them exposed. What Simon had seen had turned his stomach. The girls were being forced to earn basic luxuries like a bath, clothes, even the use of the toilet. They were also having to beg and do things for food. The men, they were the lowest forms on earth.
He couldn’t believe just how depraved some people were. Devil was giving him a crash course in what the club was doing and why they did it.
“Do you need a drink?” Devil asked.
They sat in Devil’s office. He held up a bottle of whiskey and a glass. Simon shook his head. “I don’t need any food. I’m sorry. I seem a bit out of it.” He ran a hand across his face.
“It’s always shocking at first.”
“But this isn’t the first time you’ve helped. I’ve witnessed some of the women and men, even kids, you’ve saved.” The Skulls and Chaos Bleeds not only helped to protect the vulnerable, but in most cases, they were the ones who also went in, extracted, and even killed. “How does it keep happening?”
