Page 52 of Monk

Monk

The tension in the clubhouse was thick enough to choke on.

Days had passed since Roberts had walked out of here with his tail between his legs and his throat bruised from Kansas’ grip. Days of waiting for the other shoe to drop. Days of wondering when the Feds would come crashing through the gate with warrants and RICO charges and enough firepower to level the compound.

But nothing had happened. No raids. No arrests. No federal agents showing up with handcuffs and smug fucking smiles. Just silence. And that silence was worse than any threat Roberts could have made.

I stood at the bar, nursing a whiskey that tasted like ash, listening to Kansas, Blackjack, and Whisper hash out the logistics of the Wild MC meet. The weapons deal with Benedict was still on the table, but now everything was complicated by the fact that we had a federal agent with a vendetta and the resources to bury us.

“We can’t afford to be sloppy,” Kansas said, his voice low and controlled. “Roberts is watching. Waiting for us to fuck up. One wrong move and he’ll have enough to bring RICO charges against the entire club.”

Blackjack leaned against the bar, his arms crossed over his chest. “So what are you saying? We cancel the meet?”

“No,” Kansas said firmly. “We need this deal. We need the weapons and we need the alliance with Wild MC. But we have to be smart about it. No phones. No digital trails. Cash only. And we keep the meet location off the books until the last possible second.”

Whisper nodded. “Benedict’s solid. He won’t talk. But we need to make sure no one else knows about this. Not the prospects. Not the hang-arounds. Just us.”

I took a sip of whiskey, letting the burn settle in my chest. “What about surveillance? If Roberts is watching, he could have eyes on the clubhouse. Could have taps on our phones.”

Kansas’ jaw tightened. “Then we assume he does. We operate like we’re being watched twenty-four seven. No conversations about club business inside the clubhouse. No calls. No texts. We go old school. Face-to-face only.”

“Paranoid much?” Blackjack muttered.

“Not paranoid,” Kansas said, his voice hard. “Careful. There’s a difference.”

I set my glass down on the bar, the sound sharp in the tense silence. “When’s the meet?”

“Two weeks,” Whisper confirmed. “Benedict’s got a shipment coming in from Amarillo. He’s willing to cut us a deal if we can move fast.”

“Two weeks,” I repeated, my mind already running through the logistics. “That’s not a lot of time.”

“It’s enough,” Kansas said. “We just have to make sure we don’t give Roberts anything he can use against us.”

I nodded, but the knot in my gut didn’t loosen. Because the truth was, Roberts didn’t need us to fuck up. He already had enough to bury us. Witness statements. Financial records. Dates and times of shipments and deals that went back years.

All he needed was the right moment to pull the trigger, and I had a feeling that moment was coming sooner than any of us wanted to admit.

The door to the clubhouse opened, and I glanced over my shoulder, expecting to see one of the brothers or maybe a prospect bringing in supplies.

Instead, I saw Kali and right behind her, walking into the gathering room like she owned the fucking place, wasmyLina.

My entire body went rigid.

She stopped just inside the doorway, her eyes scanning the room until they landed on me. For a second, just a second, I saw something flicker in her expression. Surprise, maybe. Or recognition. Then it was gone, replaced by that same cold, controlled mask she had worn in the hospital parking lot.

I smirked as I slowly and deliberately turned around to face her, leaning back against the bar with my arms crossed over my chest. My eyes never left hers.

She stiffened.

Good. I wanted her to know I saw her. Wanted her to know I wasn’t going to look away. Wasn’t going to pretend she didn’t exist. Wasn’t going to let her forget what she had done.

Ruby appeared at my side like she had been summoned, and she pressed herself against me, her hand sliding up my chest, her body warm and pliant and eager.

I didn’t look at her. Didn’t acknowledge her. My eyes stayed locked on Lina as Ruby’s fingers trailed down my arm, her breath hot against my neck. “Hey, baby,” she purred, her voice dripping with suggestion. “You miss me?”

I reached down and grabbed her ass, yanking her closer. Hard. Possessive, as I winked at Lina.

Her eyes narrowed, her jaw tightened, but she said nothing and just stared.