CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Ky
“Ky, you got a minute?” Iron asked as I was closing up the shop for the day.
“Yeah, Prez. What’s up?” I asked, giving him my full attention.
“Everything good with your sister?”
“Yeah, we’re working through it. The baby is good. I gotta be honest, I am scared shitless. I don’t know what to do with a baby.”
He let out a soft laugh and I could tell he didn’t have a lick of advice on that subject, not that I expected him to.
“How much longer?” he asked as he crossed his arms over his chest.
“Um, maybe a month?” I felt like I really should have known the answer to that. Iron laughed again and shook his head.
“Well, alright then. I know you got a lot going on but I need you to take care of a handoff tomorrow. Knight, B-ry, Fitz, and Mouse are meeting the Russians and I want you there, too.”
“Yeah, no problem,” I answered knowing that even if I didn’t want to do it there was no way of getting out of it.
Sure, I had shit going on and I was almost to the point of being stretched thin. But no matter what I had going on, I’d be there for my club, whenever needed.
“Thanks, man. There’s a run coming up too. I want you on that one.”
I felt a little bad that I’d stepped back a bit lately. I’d been dealing with Ingram and I appreciated that Iron had given me a little time away to do so. Things had leveled out and we were finally finding a groove. I was grateful to Iron and the club more than I could ever explain.
“Sure thing. Just let me know when,” I said with a soft nod.
“Thanks, Ky,” he said as he clapped me on the shoulder. “Meet at the compound tomorrow at dawn. You’ll ride over to the docks together.”
“Sounds good.”
“Oh, and there is a guy coming tomorrow about the Chevelle. I know you said you were fine with letting it go, but if you’re not, you’d better say something now.” He chuckled as his eyes danced with amusement.
“Nah, I’m good with saying goodbye,” I said with a laugh. “I mean, did you see that sweet sixty-nine GTO I just got in. Man, I can just see it finished already.”
It was a little hard to let each and every one of my projects go. It was easier when it was something I was doing for a customer, but the sad looking, abandoned ones that we picked up for me to make new, well those were the ones that I wanted to keep forever. I knew I couldn’t keep them all, but the thought of giving them up was the worst. It was always good when I met someone that I knew would take care of them once they took them home.
“Black and orange?” he asked like he could read my damn mind on how I was going to paint it. I smiled proudly.
“You fuckin’ know it.”
He laughed as he walked out of the shop, shaking his head at me like I was insane.
The next morning I left the house just as Chris was making his way downstairs. I simply told him club stuff on my way out and he gave me a knowing nod. I liked that I didn’t have to explain that shit to him. I guessed being around the club as much as he had, he got it. Another reason why he was a perfect fit for my life.
I couldn’t think of that shit right now. I needed to get my head into club mode and I couldn’t even show an ounce of distraction. I had the whole ride through the city to get it right. By the time I pulled into the compound, I was ready to fucking go.
I didn’t completely trust the Russians. I mean, really, how could I trust anyone outside of the club? The Russians hadn’t stood by my side and proved their loyalty to me like I had to them. They hadn’t killed beside me or been there for the little things as well as the big. I supposed that was a good thing, it meant that I’d always be on my guard around outsiders and I would never be taken by surprise. I’d be ready to protect my brothers in the blink of a fucking eye and I knew they were the same.
Even I had to admit that the Russians were thick and terrifying. It was true that most of them fought in the underground ring that they owned. It happened to be a few blocks away from the compound. It seemed we all liked the slightly shady side of town. Come to think of it, maybe it was us that made it shady. But that was not my point. If one of them got the jump on me I had a feeling I wouldn’t get up so easily. This made me even more cautious and on guard. I didn’t even try to hide the fact that I was watching each and every single one of them. Fuck it! They needed to know that we weren’t having any shit.
“This looks good, Knight,” Pyotr said as he closed the last crate up, his accent so thick it was hard to tell what he’d said.
He was being respectful and though I hadn’t been around for many of these handoffs, I got the feeling this was how they always went.
Knight gave a soft nod and took the money. Fitz was right there to grab the bag from him and we all stood tall as Fitz tucked the duffel away in the back of the SUV.
We didn’t need to bring along the car because the guns came in off the freighter right as we got there that morning and didn’t even leave the side lot next to the docks. However, we weren’t dumb enough to ride around with a bag full of money on our bikes. That was just asking for trouble.
“We’ll be in touch,” Knight said stepping forward to shake Pyotr’s hand then giving a chin lift to his second in command, Andrei.
We didn’t move as they loaded up in their three SUVs and drove out of sight, the intensity of the situations easing the moment they were gone.
“I could use some fucking breakfast,” Knight said, looking at me.
Food did sound good right then. I hadn’t eaten this morning and I knew it was going to be a long day.
“I suppose I can head to the garage a bit late,” I said as I checked my phone for the time.
Fitz got behind the wheel of the SUV and drove away, one prospect riding in front of the SUV and one in back. B-ry took off after them, keeping enough distance so that he could see if anything was coming.
“Mouse,” Knight called out as he came walking out from his hidden spot off to the side. “Breakfast?”
“Definitely,” he answered.
“Diner?”
“Yup,” he agreed.
Ten minutes later we were sitting in a booth in the back of our favorite diner. I downed my first cup of coffee, desperately needing the caffeine to hit my bloodstream right that second.
“Things good?” Knight asked after we’d ordered our food.
“Yeah,” I said not elaborating even a little. But there was a strange unsaid understanding between us. He didn’t push more and got that if I needed anything, I’d come to my brothers for help. “You?”
“Yeah,” he answered back and that was the end of that touching moment.
“You guys seriously suck,” Mouse said shaking his head. “Can we try that again? Here, I’ll help out. Ky, how is Ingram doing?” His voice dropped in a mocking manner as he asked the last question.
My head fell back as I barked out a laugh.
“You’re such a fucking idiot, Mouse,” I said shaking my head. “Ingram is good. She went to the doctor and things look good with the baby. Don’t ask me anything beyond that because I honestly don’t know. Yeah, I get that I really need to know these things. I’m still new at this, so forgive my little mistakes.”
Knight chuckled behind his coffee cup.
“Knight,” Mouse said turning his body so he could look at Knight, who was sitting beside him. “How is Gwen doing?”
He was still making fun of us but I admired the guy for having the guts to really dig at us like that.
“She’s good. Working through shit and making me proud, like always,” Knight said and he couldn’t even hide the smile that overtook his face at the thoughts of his woman.
I wanted that. I hadn’t ever had the urge before. I hadn’t even really ever thought of it before. But suddenly a wave of loneliness washed over me and I wondered what the hell was going on.
I shook it off as I turned to Mouse.
“And how is life for you, brother?” I asked a joking smile twitching at the corners of my mouth.
“Great, asshole,” he joked back.
Luckily, that was when the food arrived, effectively shutting us up for a good five minutes while we stuffed our faces.
“What do you think of Mason?” Knight asked after our plates had been cleared. I shifted so that I was leaning back in the booth.
“I like him,” I answered without question. “He’s a decent guy. Seems not only loyal, but caring. I’ve seen him on more occasions than I can count help out someone in one way or another. I don’t get the sense that it is fake either, like he’s trying to make himself look good.”
“Yeah,” Knight said as he nodded, letting me know that he was taking in my words and probably filing them away for later.
“What’s his story. I mean, I’ve heard things but I want to know it from you.”
“Basically, his old club stabbed him in the back, not really sure what happened there, but I’m guessing that he ended up doing some time for some bullshit they pinned on him. His old club is no longer together.”
“I like the guy. I know I’m probably not supposed to say that out loud yet, but I do,” Mouse said tossing his two cents in.
I shrugged. It wasn’t like his opinion swayed mine at all and I was sure that was why he didn’t hold back about it.
“I think Iron and Mason would work well together. Mason seems intense but he actually comes off as laid-back once you get to know him. Iron is very gruff but he’s also really caring. I don’t know, I just see the two of them running the club the way I’d like to see it run. Not that it’s not good the way it is now. I’m just saying that Mason would be a good addition to the table.” That was the truth of how I felt.
“Exactly,” Mouse said like I’d taken the words out of his mouth.
“I feel like Iron is going to call for a vote soon,” Knight said and it didn’t slip by me that he hadn’t shared his feelings on the matter. “I’m just ready to have everything done so we can move on and focus on other shit.”
“I hear that,” I said as I reached for my wallet and pulled out some cash. “Alright, work calls.” I tossed the money on the table and got to my feet. I left the two of them there to chat while I made my way out to my bike.
“Oh, hey, man,” Lake said as I walked into the garage.
“Hey,” I said with a chin jerk.
“You got some parts in this morning. I set the boxes on your workbench.”
“Thanks, brother,” I said and made my way over to my space.
I wasted no time tearing open the boxes. Some of these parts I wouldn’t need until after I finished the paint job, but I still wanted to check them all over.
Before I even pulled out the tail light covers, I knew they were wrong.
“What the hell?” I muttered as I snatched them up and was all prepared to march my ass to the office to make a not-so-nice call. They were clearly for a later model than the one I was working on.
“Somethin’ wrong?” Lake asked from across the garage and even though he was a good ten feet away, I could still hear the fact that he was trying his hardest to hold back a laugh.
“Lake,” I said with a warning in my tone.
“What?” he called back doing his best to sound like an innocent kid.
“Why am I holding seventy-threes in my hand when I’m not only working on a sixty-nine, but know I ordered that year as well?”
“I don’t know, man.”
Oh, he knew. He fucking knew it was wrong and there was something going on right now. But I didn’t understand what the hell it was that I was missing.
“You sure it’s not a seventy-three?” Brand’s voice said from behind me as he walked into the open bay door.
I whipped around like I had been bitten by a snake.
“You fucker,” I said and started laughing so hard I almost had to bend over. “Good one. Guess you figured it out, huh?”
“Yeah,” Brand said nodding his head and looking a little less than thrilled at the whole thing. “I was talking about it with this guy I was tattooing last week. And he informed me that there was no way it could have been a seventy-nine because there is no such thing as a nineteen seventy-nine Chevelle.”
“That’s great,” I said laughing again. “Sorry, dude.”
I wasn’t sorry. I only wished I could have been there to see that moment.
“You got me back,” I pointed out. However, it almost didn’t seem like it was even.
“You’re an asshole,” he said with a smile and we clapped each other on the back as a sign that it was all good.
“Your real parts are in the office,” Lake said as he shook his head at us.
Brand headed off to open the tattoo shop and I walked away to get my real parts. I couldn’t even stop smiling at the whole thing. Maybe it was what I needed right now. A little break in the heavy craziness that had overtaken my life the last few weeks.
I got lost for the rest of the day in my new project, occasionally stopping to help do an oil change when shit got backed up. I didn’t mind, sometimes the break was just what I needed.
By the time five rolled around, I was just ready to get out of there. Odd as it was, I was ready to relax and eat a good home cooked meal. That was one thing I’d been spoiled on since moving into the beach house. I was a lucky fuck that got a hot cooked dinner almost every night. Sometimes I’d help out but if I was being honest, I wasn’t as great as Ingram and Chris in the kitchen. I just hoped that I showed I cared enough by cleaning up after.
Yeah, I was a pretty lucky guy at the moment.
But I couldn’t help but think about what the hell was next.
I couldn’t help but wonder when the rug was going to get pulled out from under me.
I didn’t think that I deserved all the goodness and patience that came from Chris, or the unconditional love that came from Ingram. I wanted more than anything to be the man that they saw me as. I felt like I could only ever hope to be that great. But I wasn’t ready to let them down just yet. It might take me a lifetime, but I wanted to prove that I could be good for both of them—in different ways, of course.