“That sucks. I really wanted to watch him cry,” Shade mumbles.
“I think we were all looking forward to that,” I say, feeling let down that he’s not a woe is me, pitiful drunk. I wanted him to acknowledge that his sins against the club is what led him to this.
We watch, enraptured, as Maloney scribbles his note, word for word scripting it after the one we typed up for him. It’s chicken scratch, but legible enough that it’s easily read. When he signs it, he looks up at Riptide and asks, “Now what?”
“I’m bored,” Shade gripes. “I was hoping he’d put up more of a fight than he is.”
“Same,” I grunt.
LoneStar and Indiana make a game out of putting guns to their foreheads, playing Russian roulette with Maloney. Egging him on about which one out of the three of them have the biggest balls. Of course, their clips have been removed, but Maloney is too sloshed to realize it. I take a step back when it comes to his turn and he pulls the trigger. I may want to see his blood painting the walls, but that doesn’t mean I want to wear it.
“Shade,” Rip calls his name.
“On it,” Shade responds as he walks to the front porch and grabs his supplies. “Need y’all out of here before I start.”
“We’ll wait for you outside,” Slayer says as we all shuffle out of the house.
I pace once we make it outdoors. Now that this has been taken care of, all I want to do is get back to my goddess. “One down,” Riptide announces. “I don’t think the others will be as easy.”
“You think if we take Jerome and Patrick out the Onyxs will dismantle?” I ask, stopping my roaming and turning to them, curious about their thoughts.
“I don’t think they’ll be easily tracked, Icer,” he reiterates his earlier statement. “If my suspicions are right, we won’t see hide nor hair of them until they’re ready to attack. Taking them out is going to require some patience on all of our parts,” Riptide advises. “But I can guarandamntee this, they’ll bite off more than they can chew when that day comes. I’m gonna shove every bullet I own down their throats.”
They may be coming in with more numbers than we have, but we have the experience to back us up. This isn’t the first war we’ve faced, and most likely, with the number of enemies the Kings tend to rack up, it won’t be the last. Nevertheless, they’ll be the ones six feet under when it’s all said and done because nobody fucks with the Kings and lives to talk about it.
EPILOGUE
Letti
Things are backto normal around the clubhouse. Once Maloney was found deceased, the town scrambled to replace him until the Texas Rangers stepped in and disassembled the entire squad. It was epic! For now, they’re in charge which has the council scrambling, trying to cover their tracks so that when they do an investigation, their misdeeds aren’t discovered.
So far, the Rangers have no interest in us, their focus is on the corruption of Canton, and my fingers are crossed it stays that way. We officially hired a tutor for Elodie, which I’m still not certain about because anytime she steps anywhere near my Viking, he turns on his feet and runs in the other direction. I’ve asked him about it and all he says is she’s a pain in his ass.
“Rip,” I call his name, stealing his attention from its interest in nuzzling Van’s neck.
“What’s up?” he asks, never removing his lips from her flesh.
“Tell me about this Jersey chick and why she has my old man running any time she’s near,” I demand.
He barks out a laugh before answering. “Back when we were kids, that girl had an obsession with Icer. He thinks it’s because she wanted him in a way he wasn’t interested in, but I know the real reason she stayed glued to his backside, and it’s not what he thought.”
I raise my eyebrows to the point they’re blending in with my forehead and narrow my eyes at him. “Wanna share that reason so I don’t go over and yank every strand of hair in her head out of her scalp?”
He lifts his head and gives me a piercing look. “Because he made her feel safe, Letti. She’s tried to explain it to him and thank him for his protection, but anytime she’s tried, he scampers away.”
I mull that over and decide that I’m gonna help her out. He needs to hear why she attached herself to him and she deserves the chance to give him her thanks. “I’ll take care of it.”
“Knew you would,” he says, going back to his prior activity. As I continue to observe, I notice Jersey’s friend that tagged along with her when she moved here give LoneStar a run for his money. For every smartass thing he says, she has a comeback that has his jaw dropping. I sit back and watch the fireworks, because once those two give in to what we all can see, it’s going to be an explosion of color.
“What has you smirking like you’re up to no good, goddess?” my man asks as he lifts me from my seat, sits down and places me on his lap. When he follows my line of sight, he sighs. “Letti. Don’t.”
“What? I’m not doing anything,” I reply, trying to sound innocent.
“If it’s meant to be, let it happen organically. Promise me you won’t play matchmaker. That always backfires when someone steps in and puts their nose where it doesn’t belong.”
“You know me,” I sassily say.
“I do, that’s why I’m asking you not to get involved,” he states.
“We’ll see,” I say, turning my torso and putting my lips over his. “Kiss me, Viking.”
“Always and forever, my goddess,” he replies, giving me my own type of explosion. When we pull apart, he lays his forehead on mine and says, “Love you, Letti.”
“Love you more, Viking,” I breathlessly respond. My love for this man is infinite. I hope that all of the guys find what we have because they’re my family and you always want those you care about to be just as happy and content as you are.
Time will tell.
The End
