Mojave shrugged, hands shoved deep into his pockets. “Seen some kids around town causing trouble. They look the same age as him.” He jerked his chin at Jasper, who glared back at him.
“I’m not–”
Jasper’s eyes flicked to Isla on my shoulder, then back to Jasper. He frowned. “She your sister?”
Confused, Jasper cut himself off mid rant and nodded.
Mojave shook his head. “Nevermind. Can’t be a protective older brother and a bully at the same time. Is the meeting starting soon?”
He wandered off without a backward glance, leaving all three of us staring at his back.
“What was that about?” Simone asked, her tone filled with concern.
I grimaced. “That was Mojave. He’s prior military. Came home from overseas a little… different. He’s not around much. Mostly sticks to himself. The only person who knows where he lives is Killer.”
“I think you mean the only person heallowsto know where he lives,” Rooster interrupted. He’d somehow escaped his jungle gym duties. I didn’t think it’d take long before one of the kids was hanging on him again, but for the moment, he was alone. “Dude’s a hermit. I tried following him home once. He figured it out in less than a mile and somehow outmaneuvered me. It was like he disappeared into thin air.”
“Why the hell were you following him?” I countered with a frown. Something about Mojave always made me want to treat him with caution. Dude felt unstable to me.
Rooster shrugged, his expression unrepentant. “I was curious.” Spinning, he gave his attention to Jasper. At least he’d learned to keep his hands to himself, arms crossed as he studied him thoughtfully. “You ever ride, kid?”
“Ride what?” Jasper asked, confused.
Tipping his head toward the back door, Rooster answered, “Dirt bikes. We’ve got a course in the back. Xander and Flash are out there right now. Want to join them?”
“Is that safe?” Simone interrupted.
Rooster nodded, looking oddly serious as he explained, “We’ve got kits in all sizes that have been approved by Little Sister. They’re never out there alone, and all the kids have to gothrough lessons with one of us before they can get on the course. The worst thing that’s happened on that course so far is one of the littles getting stuck in a ditch. She wasn’t hurt, though, just frustrated. Her daddy went out to help her and she figured it out in the end.”
Jasper looked torn, and I was going to offer to have Skylar take Isla so I could go with him when Prez called the room to attention. “Dirty Devils! Time for church.”
My stomach tightened uncomfortably. He didn’t look happy, which made me think he hadn’t found a solution for our problem yet. I got the feeling this wouldn’t be a fun meeting.
Turning to Simone, I grimaced apologetically. “I need to go. Can you…”
She put her arms out for Isla, nodding. “I’ll take her. Go talk to your friends. Jasper and I will be fine.”
Snorting, I smacked a kiss on her cheek. “Crew. But yeah. Hopefully this won’t take too long. The other old ladies are around if you want to say hi. Sorry I didn’t get a chance to introduce you beforehand.” Getting through all fifteen guys, plus the prospects, plus the kids and old ladies, would take a lot longer than the thirty minutes we’d been here.
“We’re fine, Elias. Just go.” She shooed me away, putting a hand on Jasper’s shoulder to lead him over to the couches where most of the other kids and family were hanging out. My heart rate picked up at the thought of leaving them alone and unprotected, but Rooster leaned in to whisper to me before I could get too worked up.
“We’ve got two prospects on the gate and one by the door. They’re safe,” he murmured. When I raised an eyebrow at him, he shrugged. “Figured it was better to be safe than sorry. Come on. Let’s see what the plan is to deal with these assholes.”
The plan, as it turned out, wasn’t really a plan at all. It felt a hell of a lot like surrender.
“No more driving after dark. If you need a ride somewhere, the prospects will be around to do pick ups. I’m limiting the bar capacity to five or less of our crew, and no parties, no big gatherings. Cameras on your bikes have to be active if you’re going to ride them, no exceptions, which means no tricks or stunts.” He shot a warning look at Circus, who grimaced. “Also, I’m hereby prohibiting wearing cuts outside the clubhouse.”
That rule made us all protest, me especially. My cut was a representation of who I was. I’d worn it since I finished prospecting. My club was my family, and my cut was my identity. I didn’t want to let those assholes win by putting it away.
Prez raised his hands, his expression pained. “I know. I know. I’m sorry. But you all heard the accounts we’ve gathered so far. Battle’s trying to pin the shit he’s doing on us, and he’s using our cuts to do it. His guys follow whoever they find wearing a cut and cause trouble in the area in hopes of pinning it on us. We’ve had three arrest attempts already where the only thing keeping some of you out of jail was video evidence that you weren’t part of it. I don’t want any false allegations right now. So no cuts, no stunts, and no riding after dark.” His face twisted as he added, “I’m also banning the kids from the clubhouse, starting today. I’m taking the threat to their safety seriously. The kids aren’t allowed back at the clubhouse until this situation with Battle is handled.”
My stomach sank. I’d just managed to get Jasper here willingly. I’d hoped it would be the start of me getting back to normal. But if Jasper and Isla were banned from the clubhouse, that basically meant I was too. The only time I got Jasper to allow a babysitter was when we had no other choice when I had to join him in school. And I still wasn’t comfortable with the idea of leaving them alone.
More guys argued, but I barely heard it. It felt like everything I’d ever worked for was being ripped away from me. When I got kicked out at sixteen, the club took me in. They had my back, no matter what and I had theirs. Now, thanks to an asshole who wouldn’t take no for an answer, we were being asked to give all that up. To give up who I was. We couldn’t fight back, couldn’t risk the kids, didn’t carry weapons to protect ourselves. Battle was going to get his way. He’d chase us out, turn this town into another drug ring, and I’d have to walk away to keep Jasper and Isla safe. I’d lose everyone who mattered to me, including Simone. I couldn’t ask her to leave her job. She didn’t have a connection to my crew yet. She was still free to stay if she wanted.
It felt like the floor was disappearing under my feet and I was helpless to do anything to stop it.
SIMONE
