I fought a smirk. “You think so, huh?”
“Gonna give it a good go.”
“You’ve got big shoes to fill,” Phoenix tossed out with his normal grumble.
“But my dick’s just as big, soooo…”
“I think you’ve mistaken it for your head,” Trevan razzed.
“Well, obviously,” Brody deadpanned.
A riot of laughter broke out, and I let a smile go before my mood shifted.
“All right, time for Church.”
Second I said it, the mood changed.
Standing a little straighter, my main guys drained their beers before everyone broke apart like the soldiers they were, getting into formation behind me as I strode through the main club door.
The bar was the same as ever, barring the fact that the women who normally decorated it were missing, the walls plain and drab.
Couldn’t help but think about the way that Little Wildfire had set fire to the place last night, desperate for escape when she thought I was out to do her in.
I thought in that moment, it was the most vibrant it’d ever been.
Flames and light and life filling the space.
Energy alive.
My pulse racing in a way that it never had.
The only female there was Lulu. Mouthwatering aromas wafting from the kitchen as she prepped for tomorrow.
This was her home, so she had an exemption.
Always working late because she’d once told me it was the only thing she could do. Needing to keep her hands busy and thoughts diverted from the pain and the loss, though I could only imagine every time she saw one of us wearing our cuts it reminded her of her husband.
Her husband who’d given his life to further our mission.
Without him, she was alone, so I’d given her a permanent place that would always be hers.
She was the one who insisted on the food. Doing her part to care for us the way she said we were caring for her.
Another twenty or so Crows were inside, along with a handful of prospects.
Every patched-in Crow gathered at my back while the prospects scrambled off to their posts.
Their duty during Church was to guard this compound to the last breath of their bodies. It was where they proved their worth and their right.
We strode through the bar and pushed into the long hall that led to the cavernous room at the end.
Exact same spot where that sneak had been doing what she did best last night—clearly trying to gain intel when I couldn’t afford for her to have it.
Didn’t know what the fuck was wrong with me because I couldn’t stuff down the slog of guilt that lifted every time she asked a question. Questions I had to shut down with some vague, pathetic answers that she still did her best to decipher.
Every time I looked at her, I felt like I was going to bust and spew every secret. Or maybe I was just worried she had the power to infiltrate my thoughts. Dig her fingers around in my mind and discover my secrets. Pluck them free and make them her own.
Clearly, I needed to get my shit together.
