I glance at Wolfe. He’s stroking his beard and analyzing me.
“You heard the man. Layla is one of us now,” he says, snapping the gavel down. Everyone rises as our meeting ends, and a few of the guys pat my head and shake my hand. They all know. It’s an unwritten rule. If I lay claim to Layla as my ol’ lady, every single one of these men will protect her and respect her as their own.
“Ax,” Wolfe says, using his two fingers to signal me over. He’s still sitting at the head of the table, leaning back in his chair. The other guys filter out and I take a seat next to him. He leans in.
“Does she know what this means?” he asks.
I nod. “Mostly,” I answer honestly.
“She needs to understand completely,” Wolfe says, with no room for argument. “That package you’re waiting for, it has to do with her?”
I nod.
“Then don’t fuck around. Show her what it means to be one of us. If a woman is going to be in the fold, if we’re going to trust her, she needs to understand the truth. Let her decide what she does and doesn’t want to know going forward, but she needs to be aware of what it means to be with you. To be with us. There’s no other way.”
I know this already, of course, but I was hoping to ease her into it. I’m not an unfeeling beast. I don’t want her to be a part of the dark things we have to do. But I know Wolfe is right. I have no choice. She needs to know the lengths we go to for the club and for our family.
“Will do,” I answer.
Wolfe smiles, which is highly fucking unusual. “Then I’m happy for you. A fuckin’ one-woman man. Never thought I’d see the day.”
I smile back. “Neither did I, but this woman will be the mother of my children,” I say firmly. Because I know it, with everything in me. “You know she has a couple of friends coming tonight,” I add offhandedly, just in case he’s looking for something new. Wolfe has been known to run through every sweetbutt in this place.
Wolfe chuckles deeply and takes the final swig of his bourbon. “Don’t try to fuckin’ drag me into your domestic bullshit.”
“Never say never.” I shrug. “That’s what I used to say.”
“Never,” he adds as we stand to leave the room.
I don’t even clear the doors of the chapel before Kai pulls me aside to where he’s talking to Jake.
“Steadman came through. That package you wanted? We located it,” Kai says.
Jake nods. “Where does Layla live? How long before you pick her up? I could use some help on a run and Donny wants to talk about Gator. You want to ride with me?”
“She lives on Pine Lawn. She’s coming with her friends at seven, so yeah, I’ve got you.”
“Good.” Jake grins, patting me on the shoulder.
“The prospect and Mason are in Lakeside. They’ll bring the package,” Kai adds. “Can’t believe we found him so easily. Fucking cops are useless.”
“You could always trade your patch in for a badge,” I offer.
“Wouldn’t get near as much pussy with a badge,” Kai jokes. “You guys need me to come with?”
“Nah man, we’re good,” Jake tells him.
Kai lights a smoke and I nod to him. “Thanks for the help with this, man.” Then I grab my phone and make a quick call to Steadman’s burner.
“You came through for me,” I say when he picks up.
He breathes a sigh into the phone. “Yeah. Whatever you’re gonna do with him, Ax, just keep it neat. I don’t want … anything left in this jurisdiction that I have to deal with tomorrow.”Anything—meaning a body.
“Don’t worry. We’re just gonna have a little chat,” I assure him.
“That’s exactly what I’m afraid of, Ax.”
CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
