Chapter 21
Big
It had been just over a week since we’d gotten Josie’s stuff moved out of her apartment and over to the house. We were already settling into our own routines. I’d make her a cup of coffee before I left for the club, and she’d take it out to the back porch to drink while she worked on her class assignments. After the day was done, I’d come home and we’d spend the night together. I’d always liked my house and tried to make it a place I could be proud of, but since she’d moved in, it felt like home. It wasn’t because of the subtle changes she’d made around the house, the hot meals on the table, or even the cleaning and all the laundry. It felt like home simply because she was there. At the end of the day, it gave me a sense of peace knowing she’d be there waiting for me, just like she would be later tonight.
Knowing that later Josie was going to be at the house grilling steaks, I was eager to get my ass on my bike and out on the road, but I had a shit ton of work to finish before I could leave. I was busy getting it done when Maverick came by my office. “Cotton’s called us into church.”
Surprised, I stood up and followed him out into the hall. The guys made it back from the run without any issue, so I wondered why he’d call church so unexpectedly. “Something up?”
“Nitro.”
We all knew it was coming. Eventually, there had to be some kind of resolution between Nitro and the club, but with the way things played out, it wasn’t going to be some simple fix. I followed Maverick into the meeting room and took my seat at the table. Once everyone was settled, Cotton told us, “Got a call from Nitro. He wants to come to terms… see if we can come up with some kind of agreement.”
“What kind of agreement is he looking to get?” Clutch questioned. Clutch was one of our more level-headed brothers. He liked to weigh all the options before he made any decisions, but from the angry tone in his voice, I could see he was pissed.
“That’s up to us.” Cotton inhaled a deep breath. “Nitro double-crossed us. There’s no going back from that shit.”
“As a club rule, we should put a bullet in his ass,” Guardrail growled. He wasn’t a man who believed in second chances. Period. “That’s what happens when you fuck with the club.”
I’d been there with Nitro when it had all gone down and knew firsthand just how bad it had gotten. “I don’t necessarily disagree, but he did get Tristen back without causing a war between us and the fucking cartel. And he covered all the costs. He covered everything to get her back safe. That has to count for something.”
Stitch leaned forward and looked at Cotton. “Maybe so, but if we can’t trust him, we sure as hell can’t do business with him.”
Cotton leaned back in his chair as he crossed his arms. “Been dealing with Nitro for a long time. We had a good run, but Stitch is right. Nitro violated our trust. There’s no way we can continue to do business with him.”
“Then, where does that leave us with our next shipment?” Guardrail asked.
“We’ve got other suppliers. We’ll have to pool resources and make it work. That’s what we do.”
Knowing Josie would want to know if her sister would be back in town, I asked, “When is he coming?”
“Told him to come by this afternoon. Gonna bring Tristen with him.”
Guardrail turned and asked Cotton, “And what’s going to happen with her?”
“Figure that will be up to Tristen. She wasn’t an ol’ lady, just a hang-around. We were there for her when she needed us. It’s time for her to decide where she goes from here.”
“Guess we have our answer.”
“We do.” Cotton stood up as he said, “Meeting adjourned.”
I wasn’t surprised by the brothers’ decision to end things with Nitro. He’d fucked up, and in the end, it had cost all of us. I just hoped it was worth it. Once everyone dispersed, I headed back to my office and messaged Josie, letting her know that Tristen was coming to the clubhouse. It’d been less than an hour after I’d messaged her when she came rushing into my office. “Is she here?”
“Not yet, but it shouldn’t be much longer.”
“I can’t believe she didn’t tell me she was coming,” she pouted. “I just talked to her last night and she didn’t say anything about coming home.”
“Maybe she wanted to surprise you.”
“Maybe, but she could’ve given me a hint.”
I reached for her, pulling her onto my lap as I kissed her. “Not so good with surprises, are ya?”
“Well, it depends on the surprise.” She leaned in and pressed her lips against mine. The kiss quickly became heated. She felt so fucking good pressed against me, and we were just about to get carried away when Stitch knocked at my door. “We’ve got company.”
“They’re here.” I stood up and carefully lowered her feet to the floor. “I need you to go to Tristen’s room and wait there until I come to get you.”
“Why?”
“This isn’t up for debate, Josie.”
She looked up at me with worried eyes. “Wait… Is there going to be some kind of trouble because Nitro is coming to the clubhouse?”
I looked down at her with my eyebrow raised, letting her know I wasn’t going to give her an answer. Her voice shot up several octaves when she argued, “Really? This is one of those things I’m not supposed to ask about?”
She looked so damned cute standing there with her arms crossed and that little scowl on her face. “Yep.”
I heard her sigh with aggravation as she followed me out into the hall. “I really don’t like that rule. Keep your mouth shut, don’t ask questions. Blah, blah, blah. It’s so frustrating.”
“You’ll manage.”
“Yeah, I can manage, but it doesn’t mean I’m gonna like it.”
I opened Tristen’s door and motioned for her to go inside. “No one said you had to like it, Josie, but as my ol’ lady, it’s one of the things you’re gonna have to deal with.”
“Your ol’ lady?” Her eyes lit up as she smiled.
“You heard me. Now, get your cute ass in there and stay put until I get back.”
I was about to turn to leave when she said, “You know what?”
“Hmm?”
She walked over and rose up on her tiptoes as she planted her lips against mine. “I may not like your rules, but I kind of like you.”
“Kind of?”
“Yeah, but don’t let it go to your head.”
“I’ll do what I can.” I gave her a quick slap on her ass and headed out the door. “Hold tight. It shouldn’t be long.”
I headed down the hall towards Cotton’s office, but stopped when I heard his voice coming from the bar. When I walked in, Cotton had his arms wrapped around Tristen, hugging her tightly. “Looking good, kid.”
I almost didn’t recognize her with her dark, wavy hair and fancy clothes. Her blue eyes filled with tears as she said, “Thank you for all you did to help me get back. I was worried I might never see this place again.”
“I’m sure the girls will be glad to see you, too. Cass and Peyton are in the kitchen. Why don’t you go check in with them while we have a word with Nitro?”
She hesitated as she turned back and looked at Nitro. Once he’d given her a slight nod, she turned back and answered, “Sure. It would be great to see them.”
By the time she was gone, Guardrail and Maverick had come into the bar. We all gathered behind Cotton, glaring at Nitro as we waited for one of them to speak. A lesser man would’ve been intimidated by the show of power, but Nitro seemed unaffected as he looked at Cotton. “We’ve come to a crossroads, brother. I know you are set on severing ties between us, and I’m not here to change your mind.”
“That’s a good fucking thing, because there is nothing you could do or say that would change my mind,” Cotton growled.
“Figured as much. Known you long enough to know how goddamned stubborn you can be.” Nitro had balls of steel to run his mouth, but he was never one to hold back.
“Being fucking stubborn has nothing to do with it. We trusted you, and you stabbed us in the motherfucking back,” Cotton shouted.
“I saved your girl from the fucking cartel, Cotton. Got her the help she needed to get back on her feet. If that’s stabbing you in the back, then it is what it is.”
“Don’t try to turn this around, brother,” Cotton roared. “You fucked this whole thing up, and you know it. Had to be the fucking hero for some girl, and to hell with the consequences.”
“I had my reasons.”
“Pussy isn’t a fucking reason to turn your back on the club.”
Nitro took a step towards Cotton and snarled, “Walking a thin line, Cotton. Truth is, you’d do the same damn thing if Cass was standing up there, being sold like a piece of fucking meat.”
“I wouldn’t have double-crossed the brothers.”
“You’re a goddamned saint, Cotton. Never had any fucking regrets. Must be nice to walk around in those fucking boots of yours.” Nitro shook his head in disgust. “No sense in continuing this bullshit. What’s done is done.”
“Couldn’t agree more.” Cotton’s expression was full of anger as he nodded towards the door. “Nothing keeping you here.”
“If you’re ready for me to go, then get Tristen back in here. Ask her yourself and see what she really wants to do. If she chooses to stay here with you and keep the life she had, then I’ll walk out of here and never look back. But if she decides to go with me, then I’m taking her. Either way, this shit ends today.”
Cotton turned to me and said, “Go get her.”
I nodded, then turned and headed for the kitchen. When I walked in, the girls were talking a mile a minute and didn’t even notice when I came through the door. “Tristen, Cotton needs you.”
The chatter immediately stopped as they all turned to face me. Tristen’s eyes widened with worry as she started walking towards me. “Is everything okay?”
“It’s fine,” I assured her. “Just need a minute.”
She followed me back into the bar, and I could see that she was nervous as she walked over to Cotton. “Big said you wanted me.”
“I do.” He stepped closer to her and placed his hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her as he said, “Need to know what you want to do.”
“About?”
“Do you want to come back here and stay at the club… or do you want to leave here with him? The choice is yours, doll.”
She paused for a moment as she looked over at Nitro. There was something about the way she looked at him that let me know her answer before she even said the words. Moments later, she looked back at Cotton and said, “I’ll never be able to thank you for all you’ve done for me, Cotton. I don’t know what I would’ve done if you hadn’t let me stay here. All the guys have been good to me, and I love all of you… but, I don’t belong here anymore.”
“You sure about this?”
She glanced back over at Nitro and then answered, “I am. This is something I need to do.”
He removed his hand from her shoulder and took a step back. “You gotta do what’s right for you, Tristen. I get that. Just know the door is always open.”
“Thank you, Cotton,” she cried as she gave him a hug. She quickly wiped her tears away as she turned and looked at us. “I guess I better go get my stuff.”
“I’ll give you a hand,” I offered as I followed her down to her room. I didn’t mention Josie, so she was a little surprised to find her sister anxiously waiting inside when she opened the door.
“Tristen!” she shouted as she rushed over and gave her a big hug. “I can’t believe you’re really back! Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”
“It was a spur of the moment kind of thing. I wasn’t expecting to be released until later in the week, but Dr. Jeffries said I was ready.”
Josie took a step back and studied her sister for a moment. “So, you’re really okay?”
“I’m more than okay, Josie.” She walked over to her closet and pulled out several suitcases. “I could use some help, if you don’t mind.”
“What are you doing?”
“I’m packing.” She walked over to her dresser and pulled everything out of the drawer, shoving it into one of the suitcases. “Can you grab the stuff out of the closet and put it in the hanger bag?”
With a puzzled look, Josie asked, “Why are you packing?”
“Because I’m leaving. Nitro has arranged for me to stay in one of the lofts in his apartment building.”
I could see the wheels turning as Josie stood there staring at her sister. “You’re really leaving?”
“I’m moving, not leaving. I’ll just be a few minutes away, and I’ll have a place of my own.”
“You mean a place Nitro is paying for?” Josie argued.
Tristen turned to face her sister. “He is, but not for long. I’ll pay rent once I get my first paycheck.”
“Paycheck? Where are you—?”
“Stop, Josie. Just stop. I know this isn’t a perfect situation, but it’s a fresh start. I need your support on this.”
Josie took in a deep breath and sighed. She was worried, but anyone could see Tristen had come a long way over the past month. “Okay. I’ll pack the clothes in the closet. Don’t forget all that stuff you have in the bathroom.”
I leaned against the doorframe and watched as they filled up the suitcases with her clothes, shoes, and makeup. They were just about to finish up when Nitro came up beside me. “They about got it?”
“Getting close, I think. She’s got a crap-ton of stuff crammed into this little room.”
“Guess I better start loading this into the truck.” I followed Nitro as he took a step inside and grabbed several of the bags. The girls continued talking and packing as he walked out to the parking lot and loaded the bags into the back of his SUV. Once we were done, Nitro offered me his hand. “Thanks, brother.”
“Let the dust settle, and I’ll be in touch. Know Josie is gonna want to check in with her sister.”
“You know my number.”
Just as we got everything loaded into the truck, Tristen and Josie came outside with the last of her bags. Before Tristen got in the truck, she assured Josie once again that she was sure about leaving. “I’ll call you in a couple of days. I’ll come meet you for lunch or something.”
She gave her a big hug, and then turned to get into the truck. Before they pulled out of the parking lot, Josie walked over to Nitro’s window. When he’d rolled it down, she leaned in and said, “I’m trusting you to take care of her, Nitro. Don’t let me down.”
He gave her a slight nod. “You know I will.”
We watched silently as they pulled out onto the main road. Once they were out of sight, Josie looked over at me. “You think she’s going to be okay with him?”
“I do.”
“Okay. Then I’ll try to stop freaking out.” She tried to feign a smile, but I wasn’t buying it.
“Might want to try harder,” I teased. I wrapped my arms around her, holding her close as I kissed her on the forehead. “She’s going to be fine. I’ll make sure of it.”
She sighed with relief and smiled. “How did I get so lucky?”
I’d never planned to fall in love. I never found much use in it and certainly never really thought I was any good at it, but all that changed when I met Josie. Looking at her and seeing the undeniable love in her eyes, I knew how good I had it, and I would move Heaven and Earth to hold onto it. “I’m the lucky one, Josie.”