Hatch nodded. “Warlock and I go way back. He’s smart but he’s got more than a couple of screws loose. He’s unpredictable and impulsive, which makes him dangerous, but vulnerable. I’d hoped he was just testing me to see how far I could be pushed,and that he’d take the gift basket as a shot across the bow and back off, but he’s prepared to come at us hard.”
“And what are we prepared to do?” I asked.
“I’ll tell you right here and now exactly what the fuck we’re doing. We’ve called in reinforcements,” Hatch said.
Both Minus and Sundance nodded. The Primal Howlers were one-percenters who weren’t about to let some club from Gresham, Oregon fuck with their bottom line, let alone their members. Minus’ club, the Burning Saints were technically ex-one-percenters, but I’d hate to be the one who does their laundry. Both clubs were great allies, but the Spiders had allies of their own, including whatever remnants of the Beast still existed.
“More Dogs are coming in from Savannah tomorrow night,” Hatch continued. “We’ve also got people working various other angles to assist us, but that’s all I can say about that. For now, keep your eyes peeled and report anything you see or hear to your road captains or to me personally. The Spiders have been a thorn in our side for too long. I’d say it’s high fucking time we squash them for good.”
* * *
Waverly
Two weeks later, I was heading home after a busy day. I’d been texting with Gio in between clients, and all the warm fuzzies were rapidly settling in my belly. I was pretty sure I was falling in love with him,but I needed to get a handle on those feelings because it was far too soon to make any kind of declarations.
Tonight, however, he was coming to my place for dinner, and we were going to cook together. He was doing so well with his rehab, he could navigate stairs (slowly and carefully), so Katie was dropping him by at six and I would drive him back to Connor and Maisie’s later. For now, I was stopping by the store to pick up ingredients to make my grandmother’s fried chicken and mac ’n cheese.
I headed into my local Fred Meyer and grabbed a cart, wheeling it through the security area, then heading to the back to grab the chicken. I had pretty much everything else. I’d remembered the label of the beer Gio had been drinking, but not the name, so once I procured the chicken, I made my way to the beer aisle, where I was surprised to see Katie reaching for the same brand.
“Katie! Hi,” I said.
Her eyes widened, and she grimaced, but then forced a smile. “Hi, Waverly. How are you?”
“Um, fine. I was going to get some beer for tonight.”
“Yes, that’s what—”
“Okay, I think these will—”
Gio appeared before me in all his gorgeous glory, holding a bouquet of flowers, but he looked different, and it took me a minute to process.
He wore dark jeans, a black henley, with a biker’s vest with a patch on it that read, ‘Razor,’ and a pair of well-worn motorcycle boots.
I will repeat, he worea biker’s vest.
I frowned. “Gio?”
Guilt covered the tight features of his face. “Hey, Fizzy.”
“Why are you dressed like that?” I whispered.
“I was going to talk to you about that.”
“Why are you dressed like that?” I repeated.
“I just came from a meetin’.”
“A meeting,” I parroted. “A meeting where?”
“At my club.”
I felt the blood drain from my face. “You’re a biker.”
“Yeah, but you have to under—”
I bit back tears. “You lied to me.”
“No, baby—”
