“Just the way I like them.”
“You’re fucking weird.”
“Says the guy who spends his spare time building bombs.”
“It’s kind of the same thing.”
“In what universe?” I shake my head, swigging more beer.
“It’s all about mechanics. Without that knowledge, I’d have blown my head off years ago.”
“I seem to recall you almost losing a hand when you were a kid.” A voice says behind us.
Dirt stands beside me, and Casper gets him a beer without him having to ask. He is long past being a Prospect, but Dirt is an officer. It’s second nature to get them what they need. We are lucky enough to have a tight-knit family here. Men who respect and work well together. It’s a testament to King’s leadership of the club.
“Nah, a finger, maybe, not the entire hand. And what self-respecting bomb maker hasn’t come close to losing at least one digit?”
“Yeah, right.” Dirt eyes him. He tips his head at me. “Either of you seen War?”
“Not today. But I’ve been holed up in the garage.”
“There’s a surprise,” Casper mutters. “Not seen him either. Hustle was around here somewhere before, though. He’s probably with him.”
Dirt sighs.
I exchange a glance with Casper. There is more to that than Dirt is saying, but we don’t question council business. Dirt leaves, drinking his beer as he heads toward the back of the clubhouse where King’s office is. I don’t hang around to speculate with Casper.
I’ve noticed the changes in our Vice President. War has always been easy-going. He’s a good guy to be around. I always thought that was due to being younger. The rest of the council has two decades on him. It surprised a lot of guys when King made him VP. It caused some unrest, but he proved himself. Everyone is happy to serve under him.
Since the whole mess with the Kingsmen went down, War’s changed. A lot of guys put it down to his sister being kidnapped.
We’re not close enough to talk about it, but I’m the kind who observes. When I was on my own as a teenager, it was the only way to survive. Being aware of everything going on around me saved my ass plenty of times.
The others may not notice, but War is disappearing more and more. King shut down the chatter about it, I’m sure he’ll show up for the wedding. Everyone will.
The place is going to be crazy. It’s been a long day, and Casper is right, I am tired. I leave the beer half drunk and head to the garage to pick up my bike.
I can only hope I don’t have any more nightmares, but I’m not optimistic.
Chapter Two
Cassie
“Oh my God, it’s so hot. The ice is melting. The flowers are wilting. Everything is going to shit. This is going to be a fucking horrible day. Cancel the wedding. I’m not doing it.”
All of this spews out of the bride’s mouth in one long stream. The stylist is trying to fix her hair, while she is flapping about every little thing.
No one is paying attention to her. I’m certainly not. I sit on the ottoman in Waverley and Hudson’s bedroom, flipping through a magazine.
“Why am I here again?” I ask Waverley as she passes me to hand the veil to the stylist, who looks as if she’s about to wrench Lana’s head off her neck.
Waverley smiles but doesn’t answer. She’s one of the bridesmaids and already in her dress. I have to admit, it’s more elegant than I thought an old lady would choose for her bridesmaids. Then again, Waverley could make the most garish of dresses beautiful.
It’s a pale pink tulle, floor-length gown with off the shoulder cap sleeves, and a sweetheart neckline. There are two other bridesmaids,who I presume are family, but they disappeared downstairs when the complaining and crying started. I should have gone with them.
Waverley passes me a glass of champagne before I can open my mouth to say anything more and gives me a knowing arch of her eyebrow. She can tell I was about to say something cutting. It is probably best my mouth is filled with alcohol.
I get up and walk to the windows that look over the back of the property. It is a pretty, but very private view over their small backyard and through the wooded area on the club’s property. I love this house, the others built around it are beautiful too, but never in a million years will I be caught dead living in an MC compound.
