“I told King I wanted to go after them. It’s on me to finish that. This is retribution for something they started. The rest will come later. He’s playing the long game. He’s smart, Hud. You know, he thinks every little detail through before he executes a plan.”
“I know that, I mean, shouldn’t we be thinking bigger while still dealing with those pussies?”
I sat back, contemplating my friend. He stared right back at me. I could see the internal struggle behind his eyes. He knew more than he was telling me, and it was causing him conflict between his standing in the club and his friendship with me. He scrubbed a hand over his face and up into his hair, glancing about.
The bar area wasn’t too busy, but there were plenty of people about. I’d fended Tanya off once already tonight, but she was still staring. It was getting irritating. Warren caught the direction of the filthy look and looked back at me with one side of his lips tilted.
“You should have kicked her ass out,” I muttered.
“Cos she has a crush,” he laughed, and I scowled at him. “She’s been here years,” War said. “Plus you brought it on yourself trying to make Wave jealous.”
“That wasn’t what happened.”
“Bullshit,” he shook his head at me, like I was an idiot. “Connor nailed it the other night.”
“Fuck off,” I mumbled, picking up my glass and downing the contents.
“Seriously, I know some shit went down between you two before she left, but it was five years ago. You can’t still hate someone that much after that long, without there being some other feelings involved.”
“Are you turning into Connor? You want to talk about our feelings? Should we do our nails?”
“I’ve told you to quit fucking with me about him. And I care about my sister,” he fired back. “I care she might get hurt. And whether or not you think Connor went too far, he’s damn well right. I missed her and yeah, she doesn’t think she wants or needs to be back here, but if I can make her stay, I’ll do whatever it takes.”
That stunned me a little. He missed his sister. I knew that. I could see when he was melancholy about her being gone, when he looked at the pictures he had of the two of them. I’d heard him talking to Connor about her a few times, particularly on their birthday. I couldn’t blame him for wanting her around, but I didn’t know how I would handle that.
“She feels the same way I do,” I said.
“I’m not so sure about that,” he countered, staring at me.
I rolled my eyes, but my heart pounded a little faster, wondering what the hell he meant by that. “You are spending too much time listening to Connor,” I said, to take the focus of my relationship, or lack thereof, with Waverley Curtis. “He’s barely left her side since she got back.”
“Jealous?”
“Stop trying to deflect. What is the plan beyond the guys we’re going after?”
“I’m not the one deflecting,” he narrowed his eyes. But War knew when to stop pushing me. He leaned back and looked around. “Not here.”
I raised my brows. Did that mean he was going to give me more information? He got up from the chair and headed for the door. I followed him, maintaining my focus on his back and ignoring everything else around me.
There were a few people outside, some working at the garage, loud banging coming from behind the doors to the huge space. Everyonesubdued after what went down. War started walking, headed for the lake.
As kids, we had spent a lot of time at the lake, swimming and messing around, especially in the summer. It was where Waverley and I had spent a lot of our alone time too. The bank on the far side was shaded by some trees and rocks. It had been semi-private, easy enough for us to fool around and not be seen by anyone.
As we approached the benches that had been set into concrete, I looked over there, memories filling my mind. I’d got to second base with her underneath the huge willow tree that draped over the lake.
We’d hit third at Ballistic and Rosa’s house, where I had been living at the time, when there was a party at the compound. She was paranoid we’d be caught going too far. But we had some good times here. Seemed fitting we’d be here to discuss her. Although War would shit a brick knowing where my mind had gone.
War bent down to pick up some rocks and started throwing them into the water, side on to skip them across the surface of the lake. It was black with just a small sliver of light where the moon was reflecting. The ripples spread out across the water as the stone hopped three times, then sank into its depths. I waited him out, knowing he was thinking things through.
War filled me in on a lot of things that went on at the officers’ church meetings. I was sure King knew about it. He’d already proven that he trusted me, bringing me into some of their plans with the Kingsmen. Which was why War thought it was okay to tell me.
“King had a package sent to him.” He put his hands in the front pockets of his jeans, looking into the inky depths of the lake. I stood a few feet away, also looking down at the water. “It had a copy of mine and Wave’s birth certificate inside.” He paused, but I kept quiet, guessing the worst part was yet to come. “There were photographs too.”
“What the fuck does that mean?”
“That is what King is trying to figure out. I mean, there is no question we’re his kids. He had that paternity test done when we were born, and he’s had another one since. So the birth certificate is a huge fucking question mark. But the pictures…”
“What about them?” I almost didn’t want to know the answer. War closed his eyes and blew out a breath. He’d seen these photographs.
