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“Come on, ladies,” I say, not bothering to comment on Wyatt’s terrible comedic timing. “Let’s get your stuff and get the hell out of here.”
Charlie and Lucy grab their shit from behind the bar while my brothers and I head to the door with our guns in hand. Jude opens the door and scans the abandoned street in front of the bar. No one is out at this hour, which tells me no one heard the gunshots inside. I thank our lucky stars there are no red and blue flashing lights waiting for us as Charlie and Lucy emerge from the bar, and we all pile in the van.
“We’re going to need new wheels,” Barrett says as he starts the engine.
“I’m on it.” Jude pulls out his phone to text someone while I pull mine out and call our prez.
“Yeah?” Ozzy answers on the first ring.
“We ran into some trouble. Seems that fucker was closer than we thought.”
He lets out a low whistle. “What happened?”
I give him a rundown of the events at the bar.
“What do you need from me?” Ozzy asks.
Jude shows me a text with an address and whispers, “New wheels.”
“Nothing at the moment,” I reply. “But we’re going to have a couple guests for a while.”
I don’t go into details about why we’re bringing the girls back, at least not while they’re within hearing distance. Better to explain the situation with all the brothers there at once and get everyone’s opinions on how to handle the situation, considering the Irish are likely involved somehow.
“Alright. I’ll make sure they have a room, but I want all the details when you get back.” With that last order, Ozzy hangs up.
Barrett parks in front of an old bungalow-style house Charlie directs him to.
“We’ll only be a second,” Charlie tells me before getting out of the van.
My hand gently clasps her arm. “Sweetheart, I’m not letting you go in there until we’ve checked it out.”
Grabbing our weapons, all of us pile out of the van, save for Barrett, who’s going to keep it running and keep a lookout while the girls gather their things.
Lucy unlocks the door, allowing Jude and me to enter the house first to have a look around. The last thing we need are unwanted visitors ready and waiting for the girls to come back. As soon as it’s clear, we head back to the front door to a waiting Lucy and Charlie.
“All good, but make it quick. We don’t know if Jace has your address.”
I’m banking on the fact the three assholes who shot up the bar are tending to their friend’s gunshot wound, giving us enough time to head out of town without being followed.
“Who did you talk to about getting a new ride?” I ask Jude as the girls go to the back of the house where the bedrooms are.
“My brother.”
“Well, shit,” I say, raising an eyebrow. “The great Liam Ashcroft really does have contacts all over.”
“Yup,” Jude huffs.
The Ashcroft brothers aren’t particularly close, probably because they’re too much alike, both being insufferable pricks on any given day. Liam isn’t particularly thrilled with the life Jude leads, and Jude doesn’t feel the need to answer to anyone, especially his older brother. Liam certainly comes in handy in a pinch, though. Given his home base is in Philly, I’m surprised his reach stretches to Texas, but I probably shouldn’t be. ThisisLiam we’re talking about.
“Listen, I know you aren’t thrilled with the idea of getting involved with whatever shit Charlie has going on—“
Jude cuts me off with a wave.
“Look, it’s not that I think Charlie is the problem. There’s no way she was in on this with that fucker, but the way you think you have to be the white knight that comes in to save her is what’s concerning. You spent six years in prison, and we were just shot at because of whatever she’s hiding. I’m not trying to be a dick here, but I know your mom went through some shit, and you saw a lot of it. I’m just worried you’re going to let that cloud your judgment when it comes to her.” Jude looks toward the back of the house, where the girls are still gathering their things. “She’s hiding something, and I don’t want to see it bring down you or the club.”
I silently consider his words. There might be some truth to them. Six years ago, it wasn’t Jace’s face I saw when my fist connected with his face over and over—it was my old man’s. Charlie is definitely hiding something—any idiot with half a brain could see that—but whether or not it’s going to fuck over me and our club is a risk I have to take.
Chapter six
