CHAPTER SIXTEEN
The next morning, I feel like someone worked me over with a baseball bat.
Groaning, I stretch and roll over, bumping into Marcel. “You’re here.”
“Where else would I be, Sunshine?”
“I woke up last night, and you were gone.” I hesitate for a second, hating that I sound so needy. “Was everything okay?”
Marcel pulls me into his arms, and I take refuge against his warm, bare skin. “I couldn’t sleep, so I went downstairs. I didn’t want to wake you up.”
“Oh.”
Marcel must sense my unease or doubt. He brushes the hair off my forehead. “Look at me. I went downstairs and talked to Z. That’s it.”
I don’t want him to think I don’t trust him. Not after everything he’s done for me. “I trust you. Yesterday was so—”
“Your uncle put a lot in your head. I get it.” He throws the covers back and taps my leg. “Come on. You must be hungry. Let’s get you fed.”
“Ugh, if anything, I feel sick.”
“Even more reason to get up and face the day.”
“You’re mean.”
Marcel ignores my reluctance, and thirty minutes later I find myself downstairs about to sit down and have breakfast with Z, and two other brothers whose names I don’t remember.
“How are you feeling today, sweetheart?” Z asks.
“Like a truck full of baseball bats ran me over,” I answer as Marcel pushes in my chair.
Z seems to read the uncertainty in my expression correctly. “Charlotte, I don’t know if you met him before, but this is Dex,” he says, tipping his head toward the bigger guy sitting next to him. “And that’s Ravage.”
Both of them give me a nod and tell me they’re sorry about what happened. No one even pretends that they don’t know about my uncle’s attack. It’s oddly refreshing.
As we’re finishing breakfast, Hope and Trinity join us.
After we go through the whole how are you this morning ritual, Hope asks, “Do you know when you can go back to your apartment?”
To my surprise, Marcel has an answer. “Liam is supposed to call me when her place has been cleared.”
Trinity reaches over and squeezes my hand. “Let me know when, and I’ll come over and help you.”
“Thank you.”
After breakfast, I meet Rock, Wrath, and Murphy in the living room.
“How’s your girl?” Wrath asks.
Surprised that’s his first question, I answer with a clipped, “Fine.”
“You good?” Rock asks. His way of asking if I’ll behave when we meet with Whisper.
“Won’t say a word, Prez. Promise.”
Z and the girls find us outside.
“You ridin’?” Z asks.
“Yup.”
“All right, brother.” Z holds out his fists for a bump.
“When did that happen?” Wrath asks.
“Murphy and I went out yesterday.” My gaze moves to Charlotte. “Before everything…”
“Got it.” Wrath holds out his hand and as I slap it, he pulls me in for a hug and smacks me on the back a few times.
Charlotte watches the whole scene with wide eyes and a hint of a smile.
“You taking this rat bike to our meet?” Z bitches. “Makes us all look bad.”
Murphy and Rock share a look, but neither of them tell Z to shut up, so I guess that’s up to me. “Fuck off.”
Everyone—including Z—gets a laugh out of that.
Heidi meets us in the garage with Alexa and I hold my arms out for her. “Morning, baby.”
She squeals and makes her usual morning happy noises along with clapping her hands. She’s even happy to have Charlotte hold her for a minute.
“Are you sure you don’t mind, Hope?” Heidi asks.
Hope waves off my sister’s concern. “I’m meeting Mara for lunch, and she’s bringing her daughter. Cora loves Alexa. They always have fun together.”
“Thank you. I always worry she doesn’t have any other kids to be around.”
“I have an easy way to fix that,” Z says. “I see three fertile couples right in front of me.”
“Shut the fuck up,” Wrath snarls, while everyone else laughs.
Murphy opens his mouth “I’m—”
“If you say you’re working on it I’ll kill you,” I say, cutting him off.
Heidi rolls her eyes and turns to Hope. The two of them move away to talk without us bothering them.
Charlotte settles her hand on my shoulder. “You know eventually they’re probably going to have more kids, right?”
“Not you too. What did I say about conspiring with him?” I point at Murphy who’s shaking with laughter.
“I didn’t even tell her to say that,” he says.
The rest of my brothers can’t hide their laughter either.
Z must deem me “healed” or some shit because he gives me even more grief when we get to my bike. “Look at that thing. Where the hell is Charlotte supposed to sit?”
Well that certainly quiets everyone down.
Charlotte glances at the single seat. “I’m fine.”
“I’ve had it since I was a prospect,” I explain to her. “It’s seen better days. The other one, The one I crashed was newer and a lot nicer, I—”
She stops me with a hand on my arm. “You don’t have to explain yourself.” She leans into me and bumps me with her shoulder. “When you’re ready, I’ll go shopping with you and let you know what I like.”
I wrap my arms around her waist and pull her close, sliding my hands down to cup her ass. “Is that right?”
“Well, my ass won’t fit on one of those tiny pillion seats.”
Leaning down, I brush my lips against her ear. “What did I tell you about trash-talking my girlfriend’s ass?”
Her eyes glitter with mischief. “I don’t remember. I guess I need another lesson.”
I groan and close my eyes. This isn’t the time for the painful erection only Charlotte can cause me.
She kisses my cheek. “Your brothers are waiting for you.”
“You’re evil.”
No denials, only wicked laughter from my girl.
“Let’s go!” Z shouts. Rock, Wrath, and Murphy are all busy saying goodbye to their women. “For fuck’s sake, we’re gonna be gone for two hours max. Not two months. Jesus.”
We ride in our regular formation to a park that borders Empire and Slater counties.
Neutral ground.
Whisper’s waiting for us with Hudson and Keeper.
“Rock,” Whisper greets. The rest of us get a nod.
Instead of, Sergeant-at-Arms, Whisper’s patch now reads President.
Whisper gets right to the point. “Appreciate you giving us time to sort this out.”
“Our clubs have a long history of working together, Whisper,” Rock reminds him.
He acknowledges that with a nod. “Merlin’s been distracted.” He slides his gaze my way. “It’s been interfering in a few areas.”
“Seems he’s been a little too interested in our business lately. Both club and personal,” Rock says.
“Merlin wanted in on Ironworks,” Keeper explains.
“That why he’s been bringing South of Satan MC into our territory?” Rock asks, staring Whisper right in the eyes.
Keeper shifts and looks away.
Whisper dips his head but doesn’t acknowledge their interference in our business.
“That’s a relationship Merlin was pursuing on his own,” Hudson says, earning a stern look from Keeper.
“Where we at, Whisper?” Wrath asks.
“Voted this morning. We don’t want any action in Ironworks. We got our own ventures we’re committed to. But Merlin got us into some things and I need him to get us out,” Whisper explains.
Rock glances at me and I let Whisper know what it’s going to cost him. “That’s fine. I need some answers from Merlin about a couple things, though. That gonna be a problem?” I ask.
“He’s staying in lock-up for the time-being,” Whisper says. “But when I can, I’ll make him available to you.”
“Is that acceptable?” Rock asks me, and I nod my agreement.
Whisper pulls an envelope out of his cut and hands it to me. “I think this is yours.”
I recognize it as the money I gave Merlin to pay off Charlotte’s loan and take it. “Thank you.”
“We done here?” Rock asks.
I lean in and lower my voice. “I’d like to have a word with Whisper.”
Rock nods, giving me the okay to speak to the Wolf Knights’ President.
“He’s got a few questions,” Rock says.
Whisper jerks his head toward some picnic benches and we walk away from our brothers.
“You got something on your mind, Teller?”
“What other clubs were you doing business with six or seven years ago?”
Whisper stops, turning to stare at me. I shouldn’t be asking about their club’s business.
“What’s this about?”
“What clubs would have been invited to one of your Christmas parties back then?”
He narrows his eyes at my persistence. “You need to give me some context, Teller.”
“A party Charlotte attended.”
His brow wrinkles and he takes a step back. “Someone hurt her? In our clubhouse?”
I nod once.
“Shit, Teller. I don’t know. I’m always down in Florida that time of year.”
Another dead end. “I figured you didn’t know.”
“Wait a minute.” Whisper narrows his eyes. “You saying Merlin knew she got hurt? And never handled it?”
“That’s what I’m saying.”
He kicks the toe of his boot into the dirt a few times. “Fuck. I’ll see if I can ask some of the other boys and find out.”
“Thank you.”
He holds out his hand and I shake it.
I guess Merlin lives to see another day.