Devon

I rode through the night and arrived at the compound a little after four in the morning. Doc wasn’t kidding when he said it was all hands on deck. All of the Savannah crew members were there, and patches from the surrounding areas were starting to show up. Not just Dogs, but guys from other clubs as well. Badger was a good guy and everyone in the area liked him. More importantly, everyone was more than a little concerned about who these Dixie Mafia pricks were and about how we were gonna protect ourselves against them when they made their next move.

“Sparky, over here!” Doc yelled across the crowded room.

“What’s going on?” I asked once I reached him.

“You look like shit, you okay?”

I nodded. “I rode straight through from Atlanta.”

“You get some coffee?”

I shook my head. “I’m good, just tell me what the fuck is going on.”

Doc waved me over to a table in the corner and we pulled chairs up to it. “Badger was at the job site alone around ten o’ clock tonight. The inspector is comin’ by early next week, and Badger wanted to make sure everything on your final punch list was taken care of before you got back.”

A knot formed in the pit of my stomach as Doc continued, “A 911 call went out about a fire, and when the fire department and the cops got there, they found the club on fire and Badger lying unconscious in the parking lot.” Doc dragged his hands down his face. “They beat the shit out him, Spark. His jaw is shattered, broken arm, broken ribs, the kid’s a fuckin’ mess.”

“Do we know who did this?”

“We can only assume it’s those Dixie Mafia assholes.”

One of the club women set two glasses of tequila in front of us, and I gave her a nod of thanks. I could tell she wanted an indication of a hook-up later, but I focused back on Doc hoping she’d get the hint. She did, and headed toward Curly.

“Why come after the Dogs?” I asked, and the woman walked away.

“Because we’re growing as a club, and expanding our businesses,” Doc said.

“You think it’s that simple?”

“I do.” Doc downed his drink. “For every legit bar we open, there’s a shady one they can’t. If they can’t run dirty clubs, they can’t clean their money or run any business out of ’em.”

“Do we know exactly who they are yet?”

“Working on it. We should know more soon. Right now, we need to strategize and figure out what our next move is going to be.”

“What about the cops?” I asked. “Don’t you have a contact you can trust... Lisa somethin’? Is she doin’ anything?”

“Obviously, the fire put these assholes on the cop’s radar, and Lisa’s cool, but she’s a beat cop. She doesn’t have much power and I’m not gonna wait around like sitting ducks while Savannah’s finest figure out the proper forms to fill out.”

“What can I do?” I asked, nursing my drink.

“You can start off by checking out the fire damage at the bar. Take Dash with you, he could use the distraction. He’s ready to start a war over this.”

This was probably a massive understatement. Badger and Dash were tight... had been for years, so Dash considered him closer than a brother.

I nodded. “Will do.”

“Whatever you do, don’t take Dash to the hospital. He was there all night and he needs a break.”

“Got it.”

“Make sure you get something to eat before you go, and don’t forget about that coffee.”

“Okay, Mom,” I replied.

Doc flipped me off and I headed to the kitchen.

* * *

After a few hours of restless sleep, I grabbed Dash and we headed to the site. Pulling our bikes up to what was supposed to be a new restaurant, bar, and live music venue, we both let out a series of curses. The place was barely recognizable.

The fire damage was far beyond what I’d hoped. Most of the club was destroyed, and after seeing what was left of the place, I was thankful that Badger wasn’t inside the building when it went up. Six months’ work in a pile of smoldering ash on the still standing concrete foundation. Since the water was currently shut off, the sprinkler system was non-functional. Badger would never have survived had he been in there. My gratitude however, stopped there. Whoever did this was going to pay. Big fucking time.

“I’ve seen enough. You wanna go back to the hospital and check on Badger?” I asked Dash. He looked at me in surprise. “I won’t tell Doc.”

“Yeah. Just gotta call Willow real quick, then I’m in,” Dash said.

I nodded and gave him some privacy, taking a couple of pictures while he made his call.

The ride to the hospital gave me some time to think about Poppy and our current “situation.” I was starting to worry that the needs of my club would interfere with my relationship with her. More importantly, would she be able to stick things out when shit like this came up again? I had to make sure that she stayed as insulated as possible from all this, but how could I protect her and be near her at the same time?

We pulled up to St. Joseph’s and parked. I hated hospitals and avoided them at all costs, so I took a moment to get my head straight before we went in.

I fired off a text to Poppy, letting her know I was safe and would fill her in on how Badger was doing as soon as I knew, then followed Dash inside.

We went upstairs and through a waiting area where two Dogs were stationed as guards. We greeted them and walked by the nurses’ station, which was located adjacent to Badger’s room. A few of the nurses seemed to recognize Dash from the night before, and blushed as we walked by. He was a chick magnet wherever he went, but seemed oblivious to everything around him currently.

A doctor and a nurse were examining Badger when we walked in.

“Good morning. Are you family?” the doctor asked.

“Yes, we’re his brothers,” Dash answered immediately.

“Can you tell us how he’s doing, and more about what happened to him?” I asked.

“I can tell you that your brother is very lucky to be alive.”

“What happened to him?” I repeated.

“From what we can tell, he was severely beaten by multiple assailants. He’s sustained massive internal injuries as well as a broken arm, wrist, four ribs and multiple lacerations and contusions. He’s in a medically induced coma right now as we try to control the swelling in his brain. He’s far from out of the woods, but I’m cautiously optimistic about his overall condition.”

“Fuck,” Dash breathed out.

“Thanks, Doc,” I said, and the medical staff left the room.

Dash lowered himself into the chair by the bed and dropped his face in his hands.

“You wanna head home and sleep for a bit?” I asked. “I’ll stay here with Badger.”

Dash shook his head.

“Suit yourself,” I said, and sat on the windowsill. My phone buzzed in my pocket and I pulled it out to find a text from Poppy. Since there was nothing I could do for Badger at the current moment, I headed into the hallway and gave her a call.

“Hi, honey,” she said immediately. “How’s Badger?”

“Not good.”

She sighed. “I’m sorry, Dev. This has got to suck.”

“Yeah.”

“You can’t share anything else, can you?”

“No.”

Poppy didn’t speak for a few seconds and I waited for her to give me some snarky-ass comment that I’d have to manage. She may be familiar with the life and who we were as a club, but she’d never been in a relationship with a biker and her dad kept her insolated in order to keep her safe.

I was surprised when she asked, “Can I do anything?”

“No.” I relaxed and shook my head. “Just needed to hear your voice. It helped.”

“I wish I was there.”

“I’m glad you’re not. I don’t want you on anyone’s radar.”

“Dad’s coming,” she said.

“Yeah?”

“Mum called a few hours ago.”

I raised an eyebrow. “How did that conversation go?”

“I told her everything.”

Shit.

“Really?” I asked, carefully.

“She won’t tell Hatch, Dev. She promised. I want us to tell him face-to-face anyway.”

“This doesn’t touch you, baby,” I countered. “I’m gonna tell him.”

“He’s my dad. I should tell him.”

I rubbed my forehead. “Poppy.”

“I need to make sure he’s not going to kill anyone when he hears that you’re shoving your face in my pussy.”

“Goddammit Poppy,” I hissed. “We won’t be telling him any of that.”

“Like I would ever tell my dad that... I love you, Devon... I want to keep you around.”

She giggled and I raised my head to the ceiling, sending up a silent prayer of patience. “I swear to Christ, Poppy, you pick the weirdest times to bust my balls.”

“Maybe I need a spanking.” I couldn’t stop a chuckle and Poppy said, “There it is.”

“You’re gonna pay for that,” I threatened.

“I can’t wait. Just needed to hear you smile a little.”

“How can you hear someone smile?” I challenged.

“I can just tell. You were probably standing in the middle of the hallway, legs shoulder width apart, your body hunched over like you’re waiting to strike, but now you’re leaning up against the wall, one hand in your pocket... am I close?”

I pulled my left hand out of my pocket and rolled my eyes. “No.”

She chuckled. “Hmm-mm, sure.”

I smiled. “Love you, Poppy.”

“I love you, too, honey.” She yawned. “I’m going to go and try to sleep, but call me if you need me, okay?”

“Okay, baby. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

“Unless you need to talk to me before.”

I smiled. “Yeah.”

She hung up and I headed back into Badger’s room.

* * *

Poppy

I didn’t wake up until well past noon on Saturday, but I wasn’t happy Devon hadn’t texted or called. I decided against calling him only because I was worried I might interrupt something dangerous or important... but I did send him a short text, letting him know I was thinking about him. I showered and dressed quickly, just in case I needed to be ready for something, then I walked out of my room and down the hall. Arriving in the kitchen, I froze.

Hatch lifted his cup of coffee toward me and grinned. “Hey, baby girl. Surprised?”

“Yes, but it’s a happy surprise,” I said, closing the distance between us and hugging him. “What are you doing here?”

He held me close and kissed my head. “Figured you could fill your old man in on a couple of things before I head out to Savannah.”

I closed my eyes and asked, “Like what?”

He chuckled. “We’re goin’ with that, huh?”

I pulled away and busied myself by making a cup of coffee. “Spit it out, Sid. What do you want to know?”

“Need you to look at me, Poppy.”

Steeling myself, I turned to face him and tried to keep a serene look on my face. He leaned against the fridge and studied me. I hated when he did the Dad stare on me. I caved when he did it... telling him everything I’d ever done wrong (including whatever I’d been caught doing) and getting punished accordingly (usually in the form of being grounded).

What I always came to find out, was that nine times out of ten, my parents never really knew the full story until I told it, and since I rarely did anything that concerned them, I rarely got grounded.

Not this time, though. I was a vault.

“What’s goin’ on with Devon?” he asked.

“Badger got beat up really badly,” I said. “He’s in the hospital.”

Hatch grinned, taking a sip of his coffee. “I know that, baby girl. Not what I asked.”

I shifted from one foot to the other. “You’ll need to be more specific.”

“Okay, cards on the table.” He set his coffee on the counter and crossed his arms. “What, specifically, is going on between you and Devon?”

I dropped my eyes and stared at the floor.

“Eyes, Poppy.”

I looked at him and sighed. “We’re together.”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning, in a committed romantic relationship, together forever, kind of thing.”

He shifted (ever so slightly) and ran his hand through his beard. “When did all of this start?”

“For me? The second I met him.”

“Yeah, baby girl, none of that’s a secret,” he said. “Wanna know when he engaged.”

I sighed. “About a week ago.”

He looked surprised. “No shit?”

“No shit,” I breathed out.

“You happy?”

I bit my lip. “Stupidly.”

He grinned, holding his arms out to me and I walked into them. “You’re growin’ up so fuckin’ fast, Poppy.”

I hugged him tight, the leather of his cut pressing against my cheek. “I love him, Daddy.”

“I know you do.” He stroked my hair.

“Are you mad?”

“Does he treat you right?”

“Too soon to tell,” I admitted, and glanced up at him. “But he’s always been good to me, even when I wasn’t being particularly nice to him.”

Hatch smiled. “Then I’m not mad.”

He let me go and I grabbed my coffee. “I really thought you were going to kill him.”

He dropped his head back and laughed. “God damn, if only that were an option.”

“Hey now. That’s my man you’re talkin’ about.”

“Bottom line is that your mother has raised a woman just like her. I couldn’t have been prouder to have been part of that process for the past decade. You’ve got a good head on your shoulders, and you can read people, so Devon’s a good pick for you.”

I beamed. “I know.”

“I trust him with you, Poppy, but one step out of line, and I’ll end him.”

“I know that too.”

“You talk to your mom already?”

I blushed. “Yes, but you were already on a plane...”

“It’s okay, Poppy. You and your mom are allowed some secrets.”

God, my dad was the best man on the planet... Devon had a lot to live up to.

“Thanks, Sid.”

“Come on, let your old man take you and Gracie out to lunch. I have a plane to catch, but not for a few hours.”

“I can’t believe you stopped here first,” I admitted.

“You’re more important to me than the club, Poppy. Never forget that.”

I hugged him again. “I love you.”

“Love you too, baby girl.” He patted my back. “Go get Grace.”

“Okay.”

I knocked on her bedroom door and she pulled it open, fully dressed, her purse in her hand. “I’m ready to go.”

I grinned. “What time did Sid get here?”

“Around noon. He told me not to wake you. When we heard the shower start, he told me he wanted to take us out to lunch after you talked, so I got ready while you had your convo.” She walked out of the room. “But now I’m starving and your dad’s paying, so I want to eat.”

“Well, let’s hustle.”

We followed Hatch out to my car and after lunch, I drove him to the airport for a teary good-bye, then went home to wait by the phone like a good biker woman.