“I’ll dig into Drake and see if I can find names for the others,” Cypher shuts the tablet case and heads back his room to use his big computer set up.
“Alright,” I have to chuckle a little, otherwise I will throw my chair across the room, “who did we piss off this time?”
“I don’t know the who, but I have a good idea on how I want to make them suffer once we bring them back to The Pit.” If steam could actually come out of Haze’s ears, this is the angry rage face I would imagine being part of that scenario.
If someone intimidated my woman like those men did his, no one could hold me back once I had them in my grasp.
CHAPTER FIVE
DUCHESS
When Whiskey comes out of his office for dinner, he’s quieter than usual. He had sent me a text message earlier, asking me to bring Krew into the clubhouse because everyone was eating together tonight. It’s not unusual for the entire club, plus Old Ladies, kids, and club girls to all have a meal together, but it is unusual for it to happen during the middle of the week when it’s not a holiday or during the nicer weather months. I don’t ask many questions when he gives orders pertaining to the club as a whole, so I’m just going with the flow today.
Yes, I did ask him what was going on.
No, he did not tell me.
I got the usual blanket “club business” answer, so I dropped it.
When one of the Brothers tells a non-member, their significant others included, that something is club business, that is the nice way of them telling you that it is none of your damn business. Only patched members are included in the need-to-know information when it’s something only they need to know.
Now, that’s not to say everyone else won’t find out what’s going on if the situation calls for it, but that only happens if whatever is happening pertains to the person being told. If a certain significant other is being threatened, a lot of times only they will be filled in. If the club as a whole is at risk, women and children included, the officers will call a family meeting and tell us as a group. What they choose to tell us may not be everything they know, but it is enough to make everyone aware of the possible danger.
When that happens, the entire club is more often than not put on lockdown. That means everyone must report to the clubhouse and not leave until the lockdown is lifted.
There are only two people in this whole club who can make that decision though—Whiskey, the President, and Steel, the Vice-President. There are other officers who can suggest we all hunker down for safety, but ultimately the final decision is up to the leaders.
I don’t even get special treatment when something is going on behind the locked doors of Church. As the President’s Old Lady, I have been let in on some situations before other wives or partners knew, but whatever is happening today doesn’t seem to be one of those times. And I have to be okay with that. When I agreed to be Whiskey’s Old Lady, he had been the club’s President for a little over a year, having been given the gavel by his dad. Mountain started this club with four of his best friends, then they passed the reins to the next generation as time saw fit.
It’s spaghetti night for dinner, so I let Krew go wild and get messy while he eats. I cut the noodles up into smaller pieces, but he is still able to pick it up and let him feed himself. I give him a small forkful every so often, along with very mushy steamed carrots, so I know he’s actually getting some food in his belly instead of all over himself, but other than that, I just sit back, feed myself, and watch the room.
The main room gets louder and more crowded as more Brothers arrive. I don’t see many families yet, just the ones who live on the compound, so I’m hoping that’s a good sign that whatever is happening isn’t catastrophic, but I know better than to count my chickens before they hatch when it comes to the Rebel Vipers MC.
Whiskey sits to my right, but spends the entire time talking in hushed tones to Steel who is sitting to his right. Ring is across from them, leaning in to listen. Sunshine is in front of me, one twin on each side of her, feeding them chopped up noodles and green beans. Opal is at another table, eating with Mountain and Blue.
Just as I get up to grab Krew to take him to the kitchen to get him cleaned up and into his jammies, Whiskey stands as well and hollers, “Church in ten!” across the room. Every Brother nods or gives a short one word reply, acknowledging they heard him.
The room gets half as noisy as people start talking again.
“I got him.” Whiskey unbuckles Krew from his highchair, then zooms him to the kitchen like he’s an airplane.
“Careful that he doesn’t puke on you,” I say as I follow them.
“He won’t do that to his dad,” Whiskey laughs as he stands Krew right on the island countertop. “Boy, did you actually eat any of your dinner, or did you just smash it all over yourself?”
Krew shakes his head no as he lets out the cutest belly laugh. I can’t see what silly face Whiskey is making until I step up besidethem, but once I see his puffed out cheeks, I can’t help but laugh too.
“Is your dad being silly, Krew?” I give his side a quick tickle before setting his diaper bag to the side and pull out what I need to clean him up and make him a presentable baby again.
Diaper. Wipes. Onesie. Footie jammies. Pacifier.
He doesn’t always take a paci at bedtime, but I always have a couple close by just in case.
“Yank his shirt off for me, please.” I ask Whiskey as I go to the sink and wet a couple washcloths. Once the shirt is over his head, I grab a hand and start removing the orange sauce from every slimy inch of skin I can see. “Pants and socks next.” Whiskey removes those too, and we then tag team our boy until he is as clean as he can be without a bath.
He even had a lone noodle in his hair. Krew doesn’t have much hair yet, and it’s all really light blonde so it occasionally looks more like peach fuzz, but the ends are starting to curl and I can’t imagine ever wanting to cut them off.
With his blonde hair and blue eyes, Krew has been his daddy’s twin since the day he was born. You would think that since he grew in my belly for nine months, then pushed forever to bring him into this world, that he would look even a little like me . . . but nope. Yes, I have blue eyes as well, but the shade doesn’t match his. He is the copy and paste version of his father.
