Pie’s brows shoot up. “Who the fuck would shoot you? We don’t have enemies. Not since the alliances we’ve forged.”
“Yeah,” Rocky grunts. “Been quiet as hell around here—mostly boring as hell.”
I absentmindedly stroke Buddy’s fur again. It seems to center my thoughts. “I don’t know who it was. Could’ve been meant for Gwen, but I doubt it. They were in a beat-up brown van, although there was more rust than paint on it. It took off when they heard sirens.”
Pie leans forward. “Not much to go on, but I’ll hack into cameras and security in the immediate area. See what I can find. Could be worth reaching out to the other clubs—see if anything feels off with any of them.”
Rocky nods. “Knife and I can tighten security. Might be time to bring in some more prospects to keep the businesses going. Splinter’s almost ready to patch in, and we haven’t really reached out to new guys.”
“Do it,” I say. My voice is firm. Confident. They’ll handle it, and we all know it. We talk logistics and contingency plans. The usual shit when something big is brewing. Finally, I sit back. Time for the part I know will make the room twitch.
“My woman works at the hospital as an APRN. She’s not from this lifestyle. I’d gather to say it’s foreign to her. She also wasn’t really happy to be caught in a firefight this morning. It’s going to take some work to win her over, but I intend to do it. Until she agrees to be my old lady and move into my home, you sons of bitches need to keep word from leaking out to Dee. I don’t need her bullshit fucking this up for me.” Once again, I look right at Rocky and Knife. “You know who I’m talking about,” I add.
They both shift in their seats, nodding quickly.
“Yeah, Prez,” Knife mutters.
“We’ll lock it down,” Rocky agrees.
“Good,” I exhale before I turn to Pie. “When’s the Christmas shopping thing with the low-income families?”
Pie perks up. “Saturday morning. Walmart in Westport. Same as usual. We’ve got twenty families again this year.”
Every year, we take local kids shopping—new clothes, a winter coat, good shoes, and a real quality Christmas present that’s on their wish list. It costs a damn fortune, but the club works all year to make sure we have the funds. Business has been good. Between the garage and parts store in town, the marina, and the fine dining restaurant opening soon … we’re solid. We’re also going to open a dinner boat, where you can have fine dining while riding on a boat. We’ve had enough feedback to know that will bring in stupid amounts of money soon. Hell, we’ve already had inquiries about having weddings held on the boat. For that reason alone, we’re looking at larger than normal houseboats. We’re going to pull out all the stops.
Finally, I close church. When I look down, Buddy’s eyes snap open, locking onto mine like he was just pretending to sleep. Hell, maybe he was. I grin. “Yeah, I like you, mutt.”
I scoop him up, holding his warm little body against my chest. “You ready to go find your mama?”
Buddy yips—a clear, sharp sound that even sounds happy. I’d almost swear he understands every damn word I say to him.
“Would you like a nice leather cut like mine, Buddy?”
He whimpers softly and licks my hand. I’m going to take that as a yes.
“Then I’ll get you one. But you've gotta help convince your mama to move in so we can watch over her together.”
Another yip. Another lick. Yeah, he gets it.
“Let’s go see your mama,” I murmur, carrying him out.
Buddy yips again, this one sounding determined as hell. We walk out together. I’d love to ride my bike, but it wouldn’t be secure for Buddy. I need to think about that. Plus, it’s damn cold out there. I don’t want to get my woman sick by putting her on the back of my bike. It’s almost Christmas, and the snow flurries are already falling. That means I head for my black Yukon. I climb behind the wheel. Buddy jumps up and sits on the armrest between my seat and the passenger side. He spins around a couple of times and then settles down. For the first time in longer than I can remember, something warm settles in my chest.
“It’s a good day,” I whisper as the engine rumbles to life. I glance at Buddy. “Going to need to get you a dog seat so you can ride safely, Bud.”
Buddy gives a soft growl of protest, making me laugh.
“Caleb is going to love you,” I murmur, imagining the two of them together. “Yeah, you’re mine now, Buddy.” I want the womanandthe dog. I’m not sure what Gwen’s response will be to that news, but there’s one thing Gwen doesn’t know about me yet.
I always get what I want.
My Dog & My Panties Betrayed Me
GWEN
Wyatt is in my living room.
Those words have just been circling around and around in my head for the last ten minutes. It’s as if I’m stuck on some merry-go-round that is slowly spinning out of control. The big, gruff biker with the intense eyes and the stupidly broad shoulders is sitting on my couch, and I’m in my bedroom freaking out over a sweater dress like a teenager before prom.
