“Day after tomorrow. You want to join me?” Isa ran her finger around the rim of her glass.
“Yeah.”
She smiled at him while nodding. He hoped he’d made the right decision. He hadn’t seen his dad since the night he’d almost killed him.Life has a funny way of twisting everything up when you think you got it all figured out.He let out a long breath and went out on the patio to smoke a joint.
***
Charlie had insistedon taking everyone out for dinner, so Rock asked if they could go outside the parish since Clotille didn’t want her family to know she was back in town. Charlie hauled everyone in his Chevy Suburban and made the drive to Baton Rouge, an hour away. They went to a Cajun restaurant, and both Rock and Clotille raved about the food. It was the first time in years that Rock had had authentic Cajun dishes, and he relished every bite.
On the way back, Michael and Aline fell asleep, and Rock nestled Clotille into the crook of his arm while he listened to the music of his favorite Cajun bands playing over the SUV’s speakers. He smiled when Charlie leaned over and kissed Isa, that simple gesture warming him.Isa deserves to be happy and with a great guy who’ll treat her right. She—fuck,we—put up with such bullshit growing up. Charlie’s good for her.
Less than an hour later, Charlie pulled into the garage and he and Rock carried in two very sleepy children. When they’d tucked them in their beds, Charlie told Rock he was going to turn in. Rock grasped his shoulder and squeezed it, an understanding of friendship and gratitude passing between them before Rock padded down the stairs.
“This is for you,” Isa said as she handed him a white envelope. “It was stuck between the iron grid on the screen door. I always check to make sure everything is locked and I saw it. It has your name on it. That’s strange, don’t you think?”
Rock took the envelope from her and saw that the handwriting was the same as the one on the note he’d received stating that his dad was innocent of killing his mother. “Yeah. Probably someone who knows I’m back.”
“Didn’t you say that you received some strange letters in the mail just recently?”
“Yeah.” He tore open the envelope and found a folded piece of paper inside. He unfolded it and it read “Come to Madame Vincennes’ home tomorrow night at nine o’clock. Wait under the cypress tree. It’s very important. Come alone.” He folded it back and slipped it in the envelope.
“Well? What does it say?” Isa said.
“Just welcoming me home. It’s someone playing with me.”
“Maybe one of the many girls you used to date in high school.” Clotille laughed. “Isa’s been telling me how several of them have been asking about you in the past year. Seems like many of them have recently gotten divorced.” She poked him in the side.
He’d never told Clotille about the mojo bag or the strange notes he’d received. He didn’t see how it would concern her, and he didn’t want her to get involved in whatever was sucking him in. “Probably. I’m beat. I’m going to get some shut-eye.” He turned around and walked down the stairs, the sound of Clotille’s soft footsteps echoing shortly behind him.
They lay entwined in each other’s arms, and the soft noises she made while she slept comforted him. A sliver of moonlight spilled into the room and the windows clattered in the strong wind. Sleep eluded him as his mind whirred with images and thoughts like a spinning top. Rock hoped he’d find some answers when he met whoever sent him the note the following night. He hated when he couldn’t fit all the pieces of the puzzle. He’d thought for so long that his father had killed his mother, and now the puzzle was jacked up. Finding out Frederick owned the oil and gas company on the land once owned by his family was a shock to him. He hoped Clotille was telling the truth about not knowing anything about the fuckwad being on his mother’s land. None of it made any sense to him: the strange mojo bag, the notes, and now an appointment.
He listened to the pounding of his heart as it drowned out the moaning wind.
Chapter Sixteen
Hawk leaned againstthe meeting room’s wall as he watched the brothers file in. He and Banger had decided to call an emergency church once Hawk had found out some pertinent information from Liam. He’d been working extended hours to figure out where the Demon Riders were getting their money to purchase the arms from the Gypsy Fiends, and who was funding the Gypsy Fiends’ arms deal. He couldn’t let the fucking Demon Riders get their damn hands on such high-powered weapons. Just thinking of the bloodshed the Insurgents would be subjected to enraged him. The brothers would gladly die for the brotherhood, and he was no different, but when he thought of any harm coming to Cara, his heart squeezed. She was his everything, and he couldn’t even begin to entertain the idea that he could lose her.
He knew the other brothers with women and children felt the same, so it was imperative that the weapons didn’t fall into the hands of rival clubs, like the Demon Riders who were led by the fuckers Dustin and Shack.
“Hawk and I called this emergency church ‘cause we found out some shit about the gun sale that’s due to go down soon. The one with the motherfuckin’ Demon Riders. I’ll let Hawk take it from here.” Banger sat down and gave his attention to the VP.
“After a lot of digging and hacking into programs and layers of security, I found out the Demon Riders have taken on a few more illegal activities. I wasn’t surprised by that since Dustin and Shack made money the same way when they were giving Banger and the mother club the finger and doing whatever the fuck they wanted in Nebraska.”
The brothers grumbled among themselves, cursing the renegade Insurgents who’d sullied their club and disrespected its colors. Chas pounded his hand on the table. “I know I say this every time those fuckers come up at one of our churches, but we shoulda killed ‘em when we had them.” The members yelled out their agreement.
“I agree with Chas. I’m goddamned pissed at myself for letting over twenty years of friendship cloud my judgment. I should’ve ordered the execution of those two sonsofbitches. I fucked up and now the brotherhood is paying for it.” Banger scratched his chin.
“What’s done is done. We’ve all fucked up, so now’s not the time to rehash old shit. We gotta deal with the fuckin’ mess we have in front of us.” Hawk took a gulp of beer. “As I was saying, the money to buy the arms is coming from the Demon fucks’ newest endeavors. They’re into prostitution—and they’re using minors again—counterfeiting, forgery, and it’s looking like they’re dipping into trafficking women.”
“Fuckin’ pussies,” Chicory yelled out.
“I say we should ride to Iowa and burn their fuckin’ clubhouse down with them in it.” Throttle shoved back in his chair, his tattoos shimming across his tense arms.
Hawk watched as the brothers screamed out what they wanted to do to the rival club. He had half a mind to take a posse and ride up to Iowa to kick some Demon Riders’ ass, but he just leaned back and let the anger dispel. After many minutes, the brothers quieted down, resumed their seats, and looked at the vice president.
“Their businesses are something we gotta discuss at another time since we have to break the money flow, or else we’ll be putting fires out like this for too fuckin’ long. Liam found out where the Gypsy Fiends are getting their funding. It’s from Frederick Blair.” Hawk held his hands up as if to quell another outburst. “Frederick Blair is the money behind this deal. He’s getting the weapons from a Russian dealer. And Liam’s goddamned pissed that Blair didn’t use him to make the deal.”
“And Liam kissed his ass by asking us to be the fucker’s babysitter. I knew the guy was a piece of shit the first time I met him. Thought he was too good for us, and he’s as dirty as mud.” Bones shook his head and crossed his arms.
