“Jesus Christ, Daryl,” Dad sighed. “Why didn’t you come to us? The Dogs have always had your back.”
“How are you gonna protect my family? You took your shot at the Spiders and lost. Sure, you got rid of Wolf and slowed them down for a while, but what did you really expect? That the Spiders would all run away and hide forever? Those fucking guys are stone cold killers. They aren’t like the Dogs. They have no code. No honor.”
“Now we know who’s been fucking with us,” I said.
“Warlock’s leaning on everyone,” Daryl said. “The Spiders are recruiting, big time. I’d watch your ass if I were you.”
“You should have come to us, D. We may not be the kind of club that threatens innocent children, but the Dogs of Fire have bigger fangs than you might think. And I don’t care if you like it or not, but I’m putting four guys, two here, and two at your home, round the clock.”
Daryl sprang from his seat. “No, please. If the Spiders see you, they’ll kill my family.”
My father put his arm around Daryl. “You’ve forgotten something. You’re already under the protection of our club. We made that agreement a long time ago, and we will honor that.”
“We’re not scared of the Spiders,” I added.
Daryl turned to face me. His eyes wide. “You should be.”
* * *
Two days after our visit with Daryl, a letter addressed to Hatch arrived at the shop. It was an invitation from Warlock for a sit down. A good ol’ fashioned four on four, on neutral ground. No weapons, no phones. When my father asked Hatch what he planned to do about the invite, Hatch replied, “The window for keeping the peace will never be wider than it is right now.”
Dad then asked, “So, you think peace with the Spiders is possible?”
To which Hatch replied, “Probably not, but I’d like to hear that directly from them, so we know what we’re in for. I won’t have any of our women beaten or our children terrorized. If Warlock wants to pick up where Wolf left off, I’m prepared to come heavy.”
In the meantime, prospects were ordered to stock the compound with enough food to feed members and their families for a month. It looked like a lockdown might happen sooner than later.
* * *
Teagan
Saturday night was family night and I had been pacing the gravel driveway waiting for Daisy to arrive. The second I saw Harm’s truck pull up, I made a run for it and dragged her from the cab.
“Oh my god, you took your time getting here!” I admonished.
“Hi, bestie, how are you? Congratulations on passing your finals,” she teased.
“I already texted you all that flowery bullshit earlier.” I took her hand and pulled her toward the door.
“Thanks for the ride, Harm,” Daisy called.
“You’re welcome,” he called back.
“Where’s the fire?” she asked.
“New recruits,” I whispered in an effort to keep up my ruse of boy-crazy, unattached Teagan.
“Okay, honey, calm your tits.”
I paused briefly and fluffed up my boobs. I was already spilling out of my V-neck, so I had to stuff a little back in. “I willnever.”
She chuckled, following me through the little lobby area, then into the great room. It was already full of our family and friends.
Daisy’s mother interrupted our trip, pulling her in for a hug. “Hey, honey. How’s my girl?”
“Good, Mama.” She leaned back and took her in. “Good lord, you’re supposed to be getting old, woman. Why do you just get prettier?”
This was true. Dani Carver was in her fifties and looked closer to thirty, her blonde hair still long and her face still void of wrinkles. She currently wore a pair of skinny jeans and a Harley-Davidson long-sleeved T-shirt with a pair of knee-high boots.
