Clint signaled for Zodiac not to take the bait. Tricky couldn’t be happy for his daddy to be the one calling the shots. His ego demanded someone suffer for his shame.
Despite his silence, Zodiac couldn’t hide his rage. Exile cracked his knuckles next to me. On my other side, Nine remained quiet, yet I felt him bitching in his head.
“They’re going to know,” Tricky said when no one reacted to his earlier words. “The same three guys ending up dead in random ways won’t fool anyone.”
“It’s about plausible deniability,” Clint said while Rock glared at Tricky. “If their friends in your club or their families back in Baton Rouge want to go to war, nothing we do will change that. But if they’re reluctant to spill blood, we’ll give them an out by making the deaths look random.”
Tricky didn’t respond, so Jagger pointed out, “The guys today took beatings. Boone and Nine broke bones. No way will Bob, Vinny, and Aaron be able to fight anyone in a real way for months.”
“But they’ll know it’s coming,” Clint explained. “And their people will think that’ll be the end of it. While they keep their eyes on the upcoming brawl, we’ll focus on how to kill them quietly.”
An understanding filled the room. Tricky might not approve of the solution, but he had no other option but to go along. A war would leave his club outmanned, and his father wouldn’t back him.
As for me, I was already imagining beating the shit out of the dickheads. I didn’t know which one attacked Goldie versus which one put his hands on Nova. Any of those assholes wouldsuffice for the time being, as long as the three of them ended up buried.
NOVA
Boone and Dan returned home together. I heard them speaking in hushed voices before they found me waiting for them in the foyer. Boone smiled first and reached for me.
“Tomorrow, the Crimson Guard is getting together at the Sorority House to hash out what happened. Do you think you can survive without me while I’m gone?”
As Boone wrapped his arms around me, I studied Dan’s face. My brother tilted back his hat and sighed.
“If you ever see those fuckers around, text Boone and me. Don’t wait until they talk to you.”
“Are they going to cause more trouble?”
“Probably not,” Boone said and shrugged. “But trusting stupid people to behave is usually a mistake. Hit us up if you ever see them around your location.”
Joining us, Goldie muttered, “That’s it?”
“Clint will explain everything at the meeting tomorrow.”
Goldie frowned at her brother and then at me. “I was hoping he’d return with a head in a duffel bag.”
“What would he do with the head?” I asked.
“We could play soccer with it.”
I smiled at her and thought about her riding in the dark back to the Sorority House. “Do you want to stay here tonight?”
“No. I need to be surrounded by pissed foxes. That’ll distract from my fucking hair.”
“You look sexy,” Yarrow said and hugged her daughter from behind. “If I were a man, I’d want to date you for sex reasons.”
“Thanks,” Goldie said and turned around to hug her mom. “I know you’re picky about who you have sex with, so that means a lot.”
Smiling at his daughter’s comment, Blackjack asked Boone, “Is there anyone around who can supervise Goldie on her ride home?”
“And so it begins,” Goldie muttered and glared at her dad. “I don’t need a babysitter.”
“I’m not sure that’s true,” Blackjack replied immediately. “Your hands are busted up. Maybe you should have someone drive you.”
“Nine’s heading to the Sorority House,” Boone said as his sister looked ready to flip out. “He’s staying the night there. You could ride back with him.”
Goldie nodded and kissed her mom’s cheek. “That’s what I’m talking about. Me being an adult in control of my destiny.”
Blackjack shook his head. “You’re coming off vulnerable. I should drive you. In fact, Boone can drive while you sit on my lap in the passenger seat.”
