Something was going on with him, but Coal was extremely levelheaded. I knew he’d ask for help if he needed it; otherwise, he’d talk about it when he was ready.
I made the mistake of looking at the clock and cursed. It was already five o’clock in the morning, which meant there was no point in going back to sleep. But, it also meant I didn’t have shit to do after showering and getting dressed. After having a cup of coffee, I decided to head to the clubhouse because it seemed like someone was always awake no matter what time it was.
I was right. When I walked through the front door around six o’clock, Tiny, Splint, and Spazz were in the common room eating breakfast. “Hey, look what the cat dragged in,” Tiny said.
“Morning, brothers,” I said and jerked my chin toward the food. “Any of that left?”
Leigh emerged from the kitchen with Splint’s father, Dean, right behind here. “There’s plenty left,” she said with a smile. “Help yourself.”
“Thank you,” I replied and loaded my plate with food. Leigh’s cooking was not something I ever wanted to miss out on.
“What’re you doing here so early?” Splint asked.
“Couldn’t sleep and I got tired of staring at the walls in my bedroom,” I said with a shrug.
“Your bedroom? You weren’t with Avery?” Spazz asked.
“Not last night,” I said tersely, hoping they would let it drop. I didn’t feel comfortable talking about what was going on with Avery since it had more to do with her than me.
“How’s Sienna?” Splint asked.
I smiled like the proud father I was. “She’s getting bigger every day. If everything keeps going the way it has, she should be able to come home in a few weeks.”
“That’s awesome, man. I’m glad to hear she’s doing well.”
We continued to shoot the shit until everyone but Spazz had to leave for work. “Have you been able to find anything new?”
He shook his head. “No, but it’s not for lack of trying. Byte’s been hitting dead ends, too. It just means we need to dig a little deeper.”
“I just want whoever is responsible for hurting Claire to pay for what they did. Claire being hit is the reason I picked up the kids that day, and that led to Sienna being born weeks before she was ready. We all could’ve died that day.”
“But you didn’t, brother. Remember that,” Spazz said and clapped me on the shoulder right as Copper arrived.
“Church in an hour,” he barked and headed for his office.
“Sounds like he got in touch with Luca,” Spazz mumbled.
Spazz was right. Copper had been in contact with Luca Peccati and arranged a meeting at a restaurant in Cedar Valley at noon.
“Judge and Batta will attend the meeting with me, but I want the rest of you in Cedar Valley and on standby. I’m not anticipating any trouble, but it’s always better to be prepared for anything,” Copper continued.
Fuck! Harper was supposed to be coming up to talk to Avery. I was already having trouble figuring out how I was going to get her to the clubhouse without an explanation, and that was before I found out I wouldn’t be able to be there.
“You all right, brother?” Judge asked and clapped me on the shoulder.
Suddenly, an idea came to me. “Do you think your mom would be willing to help me out with something?” I asked and quickly explained my plan.
Judge grinned. “I’ll give her a call. I’m sure she’d be happy to help. And, you just saved your own ass by asking. If Mom found out Harper was in town and she didn’t see her, Mom would’ve been all over your ass like shit on Velcro.”
“Me? What about Harper?”
Judge laughed. “Harper can do no wrong in my mother’s eyes. She’s the daughter Mom never had, and she’s the baby of our blended little family.”
“Noted. Thanks, man.”
A few minutes later, Judge let me know that Leigh agreed to pick Avery up and bring her to the clubhouse for lunch. I hoped Avery wouldn’t be pissed at me, but more than anything, I hoped Harper would be able to help her.
We rolled into Cedar Valley thirty minutes before the scheduled meeting. Since I still couldn’t ride, I rode in the SUV Grant was driving. He seemed okay when we first left Devil Springs, but the closer we got to Cedar Valley, the jumpier he became.
