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I gently replace the teacup on its saucer as a feeling of apprehension settles in my stomach. “Is it very serious?”
Abigail shrugs. “I guess. I don’t know the details, but Pocus’s grim face says a lot.”
I let out a tired sigh. “Okay. I’ll be down in a minute.”
Abby nods, flashing me an encouraging smile before opening the door. I wait for her to close the door before falling back on the bed, burying my face in my pillow to muffle the agonized groan that escapes my throat.
What the hell is happening to me?
CHAPTERONE
Pocus waits for the club members to settle in their seats in the meeting room with a pensive expression on his face. Although he hides his distress pretty well, I can tell he has a lot on his mind with everything that’s been happening the past three months. There have been several unexplained deaths on our turf, and the implications are clear. Cops are patrolling areas around the clubhouse under the guise of unraveling the mysterious deaths.
We all know that they are just trying to find reasons to blame the MC. They would happily paint us as a bunch of drug-dealing thugs responsible for the deaths. It’s only a matter of time before they find reasons to pick up as many of us as possible.
Pocus is somehow sure that Anderson Grey is pulling the strings from prison, but even with his sharp instincts, he’s not the kind of man to act based on mere gut feeling. Knix is investigating the matter undercover, and the rest of us are jealously guarding the territory. The past month has been disturbing for all of us, but because of our vigilance, the cops haven’t found a reason to slap us with a warrant. I want to think the past month’s stress is a factor in my strange visions and the accompanying pain… I hope it is.
Pocus clears his throat quietly, a subtle yet effective method of commanding the attention of the men in the room.”What have you found, Knix?”
Knix rises to his feet and looks into the anxious faces of everyone in the room. Returning his gaze to the president, he says, “Unfortunately, I couldn’t identify the exact substance going around. However, I have been able to locate the distribution source and their mode of operation.”
“That’s good news, right?” Hex asks, his voice childlike and hopeful.
“That depends,” Pocus replies grimly before returning his attention to Knix. “Who the fuck is invading my territory and causing all of this mess?”
“The Hellhounds,” Knix replies, his eyes narrowing with a murderous glint. “I made a good friend, Bobby. He’s a handy guy when he’s not knocked out on cocaine. I extracted some information from Bobby about a new hot product circulating only among the upper-class druggies. The operation is hush, so he doesn’t have specific information, but he’s almost certain that Rugal has something to do with the whole thing.”
“Rugal?” Bones echoes with a slight frown. “Why would he deal drugs in our territory?”
“So that we’d take the rap when shit goes south,” Snake replies dryly. “Either that or the motherfucker is out to set us up.”
“That coward wouldn’t dare to mess with the Ruthless Kings, would he?” Bones asks rhetorically, his large nose flaring angrily.
“I wouldn’t put this past him,” Hemlock says. “He never really got over that embarrassing loss to the Ruthless Kings during the last tournament, and he has always coveted our prestige. That sly crook would do anything to usurp us and our territory.”
“How did your friend find out that any of this has to do with the President of the Hellhounds?” Pocus asks quietly.
“Bobby had a friend who happened to be a member of the Hellhounds,” Knix replies. “And this friend wouldn’t stop bragging about this new deal, a deal so big it could completely change the circumstances of their club. Bobby was sure that the deal had something to do with the new expensive drug circulating on the streets. Anyway, one night, I pulled Bobby’s friend aside for a not-so-friendly chat just to be sure. I had to break a few bones, but I got him spilling his guts. Most of what he had to say was the same stuff I’d already heard from Bobby, except for one tiny piece of important information he saved for last. There will be a physical meeting between Rugal and the manufacturer in two days.”
“Do you have a location?” Pocus asks.
Knix’s lips curves into a slow, predatory smirk. “I made sure to get one.”
* * *
The lines blur, zooming in and out of focus. My heart starts a low agitated pound in my chest as I wait for the vision to hit. A sharp pain zaps through my forehead, and I snap my eyes closed with a muffled curse. My heart pulses with an unwelcome apprehension, and I snap the book in my hands closed with a frustrated sigh. It’s the fourth time in two days that I feel like I’m about to get a vision but end up with blinding pain and panic tugging at the edge of my consciousness. Even the painkillers Graveyard set me up with are powerless against the unbearable pain that settles in my head and the burning sensation behind my lids each time I feel like a vision is coming on.
“It’s a beautiful evening, ain’t it?”
I raise my head slightly to gaze at the vast orange globe disappearing into thick clouds and soothing blue skies. On any other day, I’d have smiled at the beauty and let my mind roam freely through the pages of whatever book found its way into my hands. But today, I couldn’t care less. The setting sun is the least of my concerns.
I turn around to face Pocus with what I hope is a sincere smile. “The view from the porch is really the best in the clubhouse.”
Pocus pulls out one of the chairs from around the porch table and quietly lights a cigarette. He takes a long drag and holds out the cigarette to me. Wordlessly, I take the stick out of his fingers and hold it to my lips, inhaling gently and letting the smoke out through my nose. Pocus watches me keenly through the haze of smoke that wafts between us. I take another drag from the cigarette, trying not to wonder what’s going on behind the inscrutable expression on Pocus’s face. I know he can sense my inner impulses like they were his. However, he’s been blessed not only with the gift to discern them, but also with the gift of discretion. Pocus is caring without being intrusive. It’s part of what endears the men to him. More than likely, he’s thinking of the best way to break the silence I’ve worn around like a cloak all day.
“You barely said a word at the meeting.”
It wasn’t a statement I could evade, just an observation that conveyed genuine concern as a friend. I feel a blast of desire to talk to Pocus about everything that’s been going on with me, the pain and the vision problems, but I dismiss it. He has too much on his plate to be bothered by my personal issues. I can deal with a bit of pain here and there. It’s just a lack of sleep. Everyone in the club is running on fumes.It’ll pass soon enough.
