“Fiona! What the fuck?”
“Looks like I do remember you. The last thing you taught me before you left was how to throw a punch. Hope you’ll let me know if I did it right, since you never came back home. This is my first opportunity to get your feedback,brother,” I sneered.
Clutching the side of his face, his eyes widened at my tone, confusion and anger morphing his expression. Before he could speak, I got in his face.
“Stop. I don’t want to hear a single word out of your mouth.” I looked him up and down, unable to help the disdain that crossed my face as I finally locked eyes with him.
“You can fuck right off and go back to pretending I don’t exist. You certainly don’t exist to me.” I turned on my heel and headed for the nearest exit.
Rushing out of the clubhouse, as soon as I got into the open air, I jogged a bit, the gravel under my feet slowing my pace, but needing distance from the memories trying to smother me. I didn’t realize Bash was behind me, and when he touched my arm, I whirled on him.
My breathing was erratic, and my eyes were wild, part of me wanting to run back in there and scream at my brother until I had no voice left, the other telling me to run as far and as fast as I could. Lost in my racing thoughts, Bash finally pulled me into his arms, acting as if I were a wild animal.
“You’re shivering,” he said, gently clutching me tighter to his chest. My body had a mind of its own as I burrowed into him, letting the weight of his arms around me keep me centered.
“Wanna get out of here? We don’t have to talk about what just happened back there, but I don’t want you to be alone.” I nodded into his chest.
“Think you’re up for the bike?” It wasn’t something I had thought about before. I had never been overly interested in bikes, and didn’t even know how to ride a regular bicycle. At that moment, though, the idea seemed perfect. I didn’t feel capable of driving or interacting with anyone.
I was on the verge of losing myself entirely to the maelstrom in my mind, but as soon as I was seated behind Bash, I felt a new sense of calm. Wrapped around him, I knew he would keep me safe and that, for once, I didn’t have to take care of everything.
Bash
When Guard came over to let me know Prez wanted to see me, I knew it had to be urgent. It was getting late, and I was surprised Reaper and Seph were still there. Both of them sat at a table, the other members giving them a wide berth. They had been together for over three decades, and their love for each other had only grown over time.
Looking at my father walking next to me, his relationship with my mom was similar. Growing up in the club, I didn’t always understand their loyalty to just one woman, especially when we had so many options. When I met Fee, it all made sense. I hadn’tbeen a monk, by any means, but I never promised a woman more than I was willing to give.
With Fiona, any rules or thoughts I may have had about relationships in the past were out the window. I saw her by my side, wearing a cut with my name on the back, while she bossed the Brothers around with the rest of the Old Ladies.
“Prez, Seph.” I leaned over to kiss her on the cheek before taking a seat at the table. I was only mildly surprised when Seph stayed seated, knowing she was far more involved in club business than most women.
“Sorry to pull you away from your lady, Callum, but something came up that we need to get on the radar ASAP. We’ll fill you in now, then, I promise, you’re free for the rest of the weekend,” Seph said, her voice terse but kind.
“What’s going on?” I asked, on high alert. It would have to be something serious for both of them to call a meeting in the middle of the party.
“We got some intel from the SC charter on a family that might need our help. They’re over in Virginia. Politician’s wife, barely twenty-four, with two small kids. He’s much older, and had some sort of business relationship with his wife’s father before they were married,” Prez stated blandly, but the look he was giving me was anything but calm.
“Nothing seems to be on the up and up. Now, this politician is getting a bit big for his britches and has gotten quite used to using his young wife as a punching bag. Due to his notoriety, this will be a higher-stakes mission. I want you and Atlas to meet with Keys on Monday to figure out the best way to make this woman and her kids disappear. Then, gonna need you to work with Bull and Edge on an extraction plan,” he finished, and I finally understood where the fire was coming from.
“Of course. We’ll work on it right away. I’d start tonight, but I don’t think anyone is in a proper headspace for it. I’lltalk to Keys, see if he can get started on putting together some information tomorrow. That way, we’re prepared to meet on Monday,” I replied through clenched teeth. I hated there wasn’t more I could do, that we couldn’t drive there right then and pluck the small family out of their house.
That impulse was hard to force down, but over the years, we’d learned that the more preparation and planning, the smoother the extraction would go. Taking the time allowed us the ability to set up an entire new life for the person in danger, rather than removing them from a situation and leaving them to run from their enemies the rest of their lives. We wanted to help them leave for good and start over fresh. It was one of the hardest parts of the job, knowing we had to wait and do the research.
“Alright. That’s settled then. We reconvene Monday with a plan,” Prez announced, and I nodded in agreement. Spotting Keys a few tables over, I excused myself to touch base with him while he was in sight.
“Keys, a moment?” I asked, and he nodded, his face set in its usual stoic expression.
“I’m gonna get you some names tomorrow. Need you to pull all the info you can find on the husband. We’re meeting Monday to start the extraction plan. This is a high-level one. We have to move fast.”
“Understood. Give me the names, and I can get started tonight,” he replied earnestly.
“It can wait until tomorrow. Just wanted to give you a heads up.”
“You got it, boss,” Keys said, nodding seriously. I gave him a pat on the shoulder before heading back to Prez’s table.
“Okay. Keys will get started tomorrow, digging up any info on the politician. Feel free to give him the names tonight.”
“Will do,” Reaper said. Before I could leave the table, Seph pinned me with one of her looks that felt like she was trying to look inside me and reveal all my secrets.
