“How do you wanna handle it?”
“I’m gonna contact Jax and tell him I wanna see him today at my house. I want youhere too. I want all this wrapped up before tomorrow, ‘cause I plan on spending Christmas Eve and Christmas with Portia and Cheryl without any bullshit.”
“What do you wanna do about Pierce?”
“Graham Pierce is another issue.”
“We gotta make sure he doesn’t follow through on his takeover,” Samson adds.
“Oh, don’t worry, that’s not gonna happen. I’m gonna make a quick call to Cobra. Nobody knows how to deal with a snake better than the Serpents MC.”
“Shit, I still can’t believe it was Jax who folded.”
“I know, that’s why I want you here too when I set him straight.”
“You think we’ll have a problem with him?”
“Nah, he not dangerous, just misguided.”
“I’m looking forward to watching that bastard Pierce squirm.”
“Don’t worry, that fucker will feel us for all the shit he tried to do, and all the shit he did to me and Cheryl in the future.”
“The future?”
“I’ll explain later, but let’s just say, we’re gonna expose him for the piece of shit he is, then we’re gonna hand him over to the Serpents. Nothing says ‘fuck you’ like an outlaw MC.”
“Can’t wait to give that fucker what he deserves.”
“It was you who saw what Pierce was about all along,” I say. “I was blinded by the money, but that’s all gonna change.”
“Just don’t change too much.”
“Nah, but thanks to your ghost last night, I was reminded of where I came from and the sacrifices we both made.”
“Ghost? Last night? How much whiskey did you drink at the Gold Mine?”
“It had nothing to do with booze.” I peek into the kitchen where Cheryl and Portia are setting out the ingredients to bake cookies.
“When should I come over?”
“Give me about an hour. I’ll contact Jax, then I’m gonna make cookies with Portia.”
“You’re gonna what?”
“You heard me.” I enter the kitchen to Portia’s smiling face. “See you in an hour.”
“Did I just hear you give Samson the next two days off?” Cheryl asks. “And tell him that you’re going to make cookies?”
“Of course, tomorrow’s Christmas Eve.”
16
NICK
An hour and three dozen sugar cookies later, Jax shows up. When I called him earlier, I heard the hesitation in his voice, but he was too savvy not to show up. Rule of the streets is play your last hand all the way out and, when all else fails, just keep throwing bullshit.
I wipe the flour off my hands and herd him into my office on the other side of the house.
