“He’s right,” Snapper says, interrupting his brother.
“The fuck?” Shark barks.
Snapper shrugs. “If this were me, I’d have done it already. You too.”
“As the VP—”
“No, see… that’s the problem,” Snapper explains calmly. Always so calm, at least on the outside. Crazy sits right under the surface. “We aren’t thinking like a club right now. We’re thinking like friends. Likebrothersand… boyfriends or whatever the fuck you call yourselves. Protectors, I guess. This isn’t about the club. It’s beyond that.” He straightens his back. “I bet anyone here would agree with you, and if the IR want to get pissed over this, over men who are scum, no longer part of their club, and doing the dirtiest shit known to man, then I’ll be here waiting for them to have words with—and I’ll wipe my ass with their treaty right in front of them.”
“Fuck, Snapper,” I say. “Thanks, man.”
He gives me a small nod.
Shark scoffs. “So, what are you going to do then? Just shoot him? Where you going to hide the body? Ground is too cold for digging.”
I throw my head back and laugh. “I’m sorry. Do you think I’d let him get off so easily? You think I’m going to just shoot him? Fuck no. He’s going tosuffer.”
“Well, it seems you already have a plan,” Shark mutters, scrubbing a hand down his face.
“I think about it every goddamn day.”
Shark looks between Snapper and me, then lets out a heavy sigh. “Look, I’m not telling you not to do it, not as your brother. But as the VP? You know I can’t agree with this. If I know nothing, it’ll be better. It’ll help in the long run with this treaty shit.”
“Fine,” I say, waving him off. “Whatever.”
“Don’t be mad at me, Grizz. I’m trying to help.”
“What do you need?” Snapper asks, typing on his computer. I ignore Shark and answer Snapper.
“Somewhere to keep the fucker for a while. Preferably with no heat and roaches. Or better yet—rats.”
“There’s the old hunting cabin in the woods by the Darby’s.”
I point a finger at him. “Now that sounds like a fucking plan.”
He closes his laptop. “I’ll go check on it. Text me a list of things you need. I’ll make sure they get there.”
“Perfect. And I’ll work on finding his ass.”
“You guys are unbelievable,” Shark says.
“Fuck no,” I argue, looking him right in the eyes. “I’m in love.”
I get a text from Snapper a few hours later, when I’m home, holding both my girls. Dorothea is cuddled into the crook of one arm, while my other is around Anastacia, her head resting on my lap. My cell is on the end table, but I see the text without clicking on it.
Snapper: Everything is ready.
Relief washes over me. Everything is falling into place. All I have to do now is find him and take him to the cabin. The rest… I’ll improvise. I’ll torture his ass for a few weeks, maybe a few months, and then I’ll kill him. Then, we can live in peace.
I love my family, and I would do anything for them. These girls are my family now—my life. And if I thought I would do anything for my brothers in the club, well, I didn’t know a damn thing because I would raze this entire fucking world to keep my girls safe. And someone is about to see exactly what the fuck that means.
Anastacia told me to let it go; said she doesn’t want to think about it anymore. She wants to move on. I should do the same, but I don’t work like that. And maybe giving her the piece of mind that he’s gone and can never hurt her again will pull some weight off her shoulders that she didn’t realize was there.
She says she’s fine, but has she just been drowning for so long that she doesn’t know what it’s like to truly breathe? Can she really just ignore all this shit? It’s hard to believe. I know she’s strong, and I know she’s so focused on moving on, but that doesn’t mean fear and trauma isn’t buried deep in there. It may come out one day, when she least expects it. This could help with that. Knowing he’s gone and he will never come for Dorothea? That alone is worth what I’m doing.
Dorothea takes in a deep breath, letting out the sweetest little baby sound. My heart grows, warming and beating for both of them—only them. I didn’t think I could love someone so much, but my god, the way I feel right now… everything is perfect. So goddamn perfect, and there is no way I’m going to let some fucking scumbag ruin it for me—or more than that, harm either one of them.
The floor creaks, pulling me from my thoughts. Tommy is walking toward us from the stairs.
