AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Nana waved the spatula, sending bits of food splattering on my face, my shirt, and a sleeping Karma. “Lila says you’re not fit to move yet. You’re not going anywhere until she gives the all-clear. Doctor’s orders.”
Everyone in the room froze. And stared. There was an audible gasp from someone. Karma snored.
I didn’t mind Nana speaking her mind when we were alone or with Lila but not in front of my crew. I couldn’t have a ninety-year-old woman in fuzzy slippers undermine my authority with only a spatula.
I gave her my death stare. But I didn’t know why I bothered. If it hadn’t had any effect on her last night, it wouldn’t now.
She stared back, unflinching.
This was pointless. She wouldn’t back down, so I opted to ignore her instead. “Finn, do as I say. I’ll be there tonight.”
“Yes, boss.”
“Humph. We’ll see about that.” Nana went back to the stove, whistling and cooking.
Finn got two of my guys and left with Butch.
Leo hauled himself off the chair. “Let’s talk somewhere private.”
Leo, Denzel, Jamal, and I went into the guest bedroom and closed the door.
“How did they find out about Lila?” I asked.
“They didn’t,” said Leo. “One of the Devil’s Eyes saw you driving by chance and tailed you here and called in Butch and a few guys. Then they charged in.”
“What were you thinking?” Denzel asked. “Since when do you not notice you’re being tailed? And where was your piece when they came in? How could you let your guard down during a fuck?”
What the hell was he doing talking to me like that? Did he think because I let Nana get away with it, I’d actually let one of my men talk down to me?
“Who the fuck is this chick?” Denzel went on. “Does your father know about her? He’d be so disappointed in you right now.”
He’d be even more disappointed if he found out I was willing to let him die in prison for a woman.
“Denzel,” I fisted his shirt. “I don’t fucking answer to no one. Talk to me like that again, and I’ll rip your tongue out. If your loyalty is to my father, then you have five seconds to leave and risk it out there on your own. If not, then you change your fucking attitude. Right now. I am the boss. I let you stay on because you were one of the first members at my pop’s side.”
Denzel’s eyes grew wide. And anxious.
I always thought it was Leo feeding my father information since he went to prison, but now… “My misplaced loyalty to the original crew ends now. If you ever leak info about me or the organization to my father again, I will treat you as a traitor. I’ll do to you what I did to Jimmy. Do you understand me?”
“Got it, boss.” Denzel bowed his head. “Sorry.”
I let go of his shirt. “What about the rest of the MC?”
“We’re still on the lookout for members,” Jamal said. “So far, we found and killed two more members and their sergeant at arms. We dumped all the bodies at their chaplain’s house as a message. We have Butch, their president. Fiona was their VP, and one of the guys you killed was the enforcer. They don’t have a lot of members left and practically none in positions of power. I think they’ll have to disband and join other chapters across the country.”
That would be the best scenario, but I wasn’t an optimist. “Keep a close watch on them and keep me posted.”
Jamal nodded and left the room as he took his phone out. Denzel followed him, leaving me with Leo.
“There’s gonna be a lot of new scars on you, Hawk.”
“I’m fine.” He didn’t know it, but I owed him an apology. I’d been ruder than my usual self to him all these years, thinking he was still my father’s right-hand man instead of mine. I had been too blinded by hatred for my father to see that Leo had always counseled me wisely. And in a way that had helped me transform my organization in the direction I wanted.
I had been too stubborn to see that he even cared about me. I should have realized it when he had offered to take care of Jimmy for me. I had thought he felt I was too weak to do it. But now I realized it was because he had wanted to take the burden from me.
“Uncle Leo, I…”
Surprise filled his cloudy eyes. “You haven’t called me that in years.”
