“You guys look like you have an issue, so let’s hear it,” Deacon said after he shut the door behind Skylar, leaving us outside in the night, the bugs zipping around the porch light above us.

Op folded his arms across his chest and widened his stance. “You get information out of Emerald to give to the DEA?”

Straight to the point, no bushes here to beat around so may as well just ask the question and get an answer.

Deacon tilted his head to the side and pressed his lips together. “Did I lock her in an interrogation room and pry information from her?” he threw back. “No, I didn’t.”

“Then how ‘bout you explain this shit before I punch you in the face for being a sneaky fucking asshole,” Optimus countered. “Because we both know I’ve been waiting for an excuse to do that for a while.”

Deacon rolled his eyes but stood his ground. “And I thought we were getting along so well.”

“So did I,” Optimus growled. I could tell now that Op wasn’t just annoyed that Deacon had used someone connected to the club to get information from, or that Deacon had pretended to be this perfect gentleman when he’d offered his assistance. No, Op was feeling betrayed.

Things had been tense between the two, to begin with, and I knew that Op still held somewhat of a grudge toward him. But the truth was, he’d helped us out on more than a few occasions and stood up for us when shit had turned south. There was a trust beginning to form between Deacon and the club, and unless there was a reasonable explanation, I knew that this move could have just shat all over that and earned us another enemy.

One who knew shit he could possibly use.

Deacon allowed his shoulders to drop and he leaned back against the door. “Look, did I go into this thinking that I was going to find out the things I did? Hell no,” he said with a sigh. “I was interested in the Colony. I had looked into them before, and I knew the type of shit they did there and it fucking disgusted me. I genuinely wanted to help and protect Emerald from having to go back there.”

He looked Op directly in the eye, not once wavering at the dark stare that was thrown back at him, all of us waiting for him to continue.

“The more comfortable Emerald got, the more she would tell me things they wouldn’t let her do, things they would let her do. More details, more things that fucking turned my stomach but that she described as so natural, so fucking normal.” I watched him visibly shudder before he found his composure again and stood a little straighter. “It was eventually the name that popped up that made me think I could use that to help bring these assholes down.”

“Brock Obrien,” I spat, the taste of his name on my tongue was like rotten milk. Deacon’s gaze flicked to me, he was surprised I knew. “Yeah, turns out both Sky and I had Wrench look into him, and his rap sheet was impressive.”

“You don’t even know the half of what he’s got going on,” Deacon seethed. “When I let the DEA know that he was there—with evidence and first-hand accounts from Emerald, and knowing what he was doing, they were able to get the search warrants because of him being a wanted felon.”

“What evidence did she have?” I asked, confused because as far as I knew, Emerald had basically run out of the Colony with a picture of Sky and the clothes on her back.

When Deacon’s eyes moved to the door, listening to make sure the girls weren’t close by, I knew shit was about to get worse.

“We have word that their older brother is coming to get back at Sky for embarrassing him down in Dallas. We need all the details Deacon if we are going to keep these girls safe,” Optimus reasoned, his tone changing. He wasn’t pleading, but he was asking for this bullshit to be put aside so that he could work with us on this, and stop keeping us out of the loop with information that impacts on the club.

Deacon sighed. “Emerald brought her marriage certificate with her, as well as photos of her and Brock on their wedding day.”

Blizzard, Optimus and I all stood there with our mouths hanging open. It took me several moments of processing that information in my head in order for me to even form a response.

“Skylar doesn’t know,” I muttered, and Deacon cringed.

“No, Emerald didn’t want her to know,” he confirmed sadly.

“Shit!” I cursed, running my fingers through my hair.

We all looked up as we heard footsteps coming toward the front door.

Optimus shook his head and clenched his fists at his side. “Shit just got a lot more complicated.”

 

 

After ten minutes of trying to convince Emerald to get on the back of Blizzard’s bike—none of us considered when we rode out here that she would be too scared out of her mind to get on—Deacon offered us a reprise and drove Emerald to the clubhouse in his car.

The clubhouse was still a ball of nervous energy when we arrived, and we’d quickly rushed all the boys into church and given them a brief rundown on who we were dealing with and what the possibilities were.

I walked out of the meeting room in search of my woman, finding her at the bar giggling together with Emerald and Jess. Wrapping my arms around her from behind, I felt complete when she melted into my arms and lay her head back against my shoulder, turning her face so I could capture her lips. The kiss was soft, but fuck it drove me damn near crazy, and I pressed my hips into her back, letting her feel just how ready I was to take her to bed and show her just how fucking happy I was that she was mine.

“I need to get Emerald settled in her room, then I’ll be ready to go to bed,” she murmured softly, pressing her lips to my neck. “Tonight has been a little crazy.”

“Yes, I was getting ready for bed before you arrived tonight,” Emerald said, her voice so sweet and innocent it never failed to throw me for a loop.

Skylar snorted as she jumped off the barstool and tugged on her sister’s hand. “Oh, is that what you were doing when you were shoving the hand full of corn chips in your mouth,” she teased.

Emerald protested but allowed Sky to pull her away. She smiled at me over her shoulder. “I won’t be long.”

I groaned, and Jess laughed at me as I turned and walked away, my cock hard and pressed against my jeans uncomfortably. I didn’t even give a shit. Skylar had my head fucked up, and it was taking all the strength I had right then and there to not turn around, and throw her over my fucking shoulder. The funny part—I knew she’d fucking love it.

I dropped down into an empty chair, reaching around Hadley to snatch Leo’s fresh beer off the table in front of him. He instantly turned to me. “Who peed in your fucking cornflakes?” he asked with an eyebrow raised before adding. “Tell them to get you a beer next time instead of stealing mine.”

Hadley rolled her eyes at her man before also turning her body to face me. “Trouble in paradise?”

“Dunno what the fuck you’re talking about,” I grumbled, chugging back half the beer before setting the bottle on the table. The bitter taste of the ice cold liquid sent a chill through me, and I wiped at my beard with the back of my hand.

“My bullshit detector is on high alert,” Hadley threw back.

I straightened my shoulders. “I have a detector that’s on high alert, too,” I threw back, enjoying the way her whole body stilled. “One that has me questioning why whenever I see you, you’re drinking soda.”

She shoved me in the arm, hard enough to throw me off balance. “Shut up!” she hissed, her eyes darting around wildly to see if anyone was paying attention. My eyes shifted to Leo who just sat at her back, grinning like a Cheshire cat, and I knew instantly that my suspicions had been on point.

I smirked as I wrapped my arm around Hadley’s shoulder and pulled her into my side. “Fucking good to hear. How pregnant are you?” I asked, chuckling as Leo pulled her out of my arms and into his. The gesture was playful, he knew Hadley and I had a different kind of friendship, but he wasn’t a man to let his woman wander too long in another man’s arms, didn’t matter who it was.

Hadley huffed. “The question is how far along, not how pregnant,” she answered, keeping her voice low, her body relaxing as Leo’s lips settled against her neck. “And the answer is fourteen weeks.”

“I thought you were starting to look a little—

“Ouch!” Hadley punched me straight in the stomach, I barely felt it, and I knew she could hit a lot harder but she pulled her fist back, turned it around and raised her middle finger.

“Stupid men and their stupid rock hard abs calling me fat,” she mumbled as she grabbed her soda, almost spilling it in her rush and drank half of it down.

Leo shook his head and chuckled. “Anyone ever tell you not to piss off a pregnant woman? Hormones man, fucking hormones.”

“Where did Skylar go? I need another girl in this testosterone filled atmosphere.”

“She went to get Emerald settled in her new room for the night,” I grumbled like a pouty fucking child and not giving one fucking shit about it.

Hadley’s face softened, and then she said something that stunned me. “I think you may have just found your purpose,” she whispered quietly.

My mind went back to the conversation we’d had when she was mourning Slider’s death.

 

“Remember that their purpose was done, yours is not,” I told her as I stood to my feet. “Your purpose is Leo and Macy. They need you.”

I turned to walk out of the room, feeling a wave of emotion build around me that I didn’t know what to do with. I needed to escape, but when Hadley called my name, I found myself frozen on the spot. “You survived too. So what was your purpose?” she asked, sending a pain straight to my heart.

I looked at her over my shoulder and answered truthfully. “I don’t know yet. But one day I’ll find out.”

 

A smile tugged at the corner of my mouth, and I nodded.

Maybe she was right.

Maybe I had found my purpose.