Sweet Revenge (Sinners MC Book 1), page 15
“She’s never had a pet, but she said she likes kittens.” I shrugged. “I thought it might make her happy to have something to take care of.”
Sydney squeezed my arm before dropping her hand and looking around the room. She finally snapped her fingers, looked back my way, and her eyes lit up. “I have a cat who came to us pregnant and had her kitties about six months ago. She’s healthy, a little older, but has been spade.”
I looked at her suspiciously. “What’s the catch?”
Her eyes widened. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, you look like you’re not telling me something.”
Her shoulders dropped. “Well, we haven’t been able to adopt her out because she’s kind of a package deal.”
My eyebrow lifted. “A package deal?”
Sydney turned so her body faced me. “One of her kittens, a little girl we named Luna was born the runt. That’s not unusual, but she became very attached to her. Over the months, we noticed they do everything together, eat, play, sleep, you name it, they’re together, so we consider them bonded. That means we need to adopt them out together.”
“Nobody wanted that?”
She frowned. “Not yet. Some people just aren’t interested in taking on two new pets at the same time or they can’t because of where they live or their financial situation. It just takes finding the right person or family.”
“Can I see them?”
Sydney smiled again and started moving. “Follow me.”
She led us to the back of the room where a fluffy gray cat lay watching a little white and gray furball play with a small ball that made a rattling sound. “There they are.”
I squatted down and held out my hand. The mom cat just watched me while the little ball of fur Luna came right over and let me pet her. She purred loudly as she moved through my legs and ran around to sit in front of her mom. “What’s Mom’s name?”
“Lilly.”
I let out a halfhearted chuckle and dropped my head. I felt Sydney’s hand land on my shoulder only moving it when I stood. “You good?”
“That was my mom’s name.” I admitted.
She tilted her head, a wide smile gracing her face. “I think that means it’s fated.”
I laughed. “Okay, I’ll take them.”
Sydney clapped. “You have to let me know what Maggie thinks of her new babies.”
We both turned and saw Ritz standing a little behind us, holding that damn black cat. He smirked. “I’ll take this one.”
We all laughed and followed Sydney out front to complete the paperwork. She agreed to hold them until we went to the pet store and got everything she suggested and then some. She laughed when she helped us out to the truck and saw the amount of shit in the back seat.
“Don’t say a word.”
She rolled her lips together. “My lips are sealed.”
We lifted all three carriers into the back seat, making sure Lily and Luna’s were right beside each other and then got in ourselves.
“Are you saving this surprise until tomorrow?”
“Yeah.” I turned on my signal and pulled out of the small parking lot. “Becs has agreed to keep them tonight.”
We drove the rest of the way in silence until I pulled into the parking lot of Ritz’s building. We grabbed his stuff, and I locked the truck, jogging up the stairs and handing him all the shit after he unlocked the door and set down the cat carrier in his hands. I gestured toward the cat. “What’s his name?”
“Oreo.”
I snorted and laughed, not surprised when he shut the door in my face. Jogging back down the steps, I got into my truck and took off toward Becs’s apartment. I’d already told her not to do anything with the kitty litter. Sydney had mentioned she shouldn’t because she was pregnant so I told her I’d fill the box, and it would be fine until tomorrow. I could tell Becs was excited and already planning to have cake and balloons for Maggie.
I just hoped this celebration would go better than the one to welcome her home. She was definitely in a better place this time; however, she was still shy so we’d have to be careful not to make her the center of attention for too long.
But there was no way she was missing another birthday celebration.
And I had every intention of making this one the first of many.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
GUNNER
“What do we know?”
I turned my attention to Pop who was once again sitting in on meetings. Over a year ago, he’d been appointed the chaplain and became somewhat of a mentor—to the prospects especially—but then his wife died, and he stopped doing all of it. This was the second meeting he’d shown up to recently and I’d say it was safe to say he was finally back.
Bear had just called the meeting to order when Pop spoke. He seemed angsty, but we all did. We were a still a smaller club, and we were growing, but the idea of taking on a club the size of the Widows was just suicide. The club still didn’t know who I was or, more accurately, who my father was, and I’d decided right before the meeting to change that. I’d pulled Bear aside and told him my plan. I wasn’t sure he thought it was necessary, but I did. These men needed to know what they were fighting and why before I could ask them to stand in the line of fire.
Bear looked my way, and I nodded. “There’s some information you all need to have before we move forward.”
They all nodded but looked suspicious. “What’s up Gunn?”
I glanced at Bull whose eyes were locked on me. Bull had earned his name and his title by being a hard-ass. As our sergeant-at-arms, he was involved in everything that kept our club safe and should’ve known this information. Out of everyone, he had the most reason to be pissed that I withheld any information. “We called the meeting today to update you on the Widows, but what you don’t know because I chose to keep it to myself is that my father is the president of the Black Widows national organization.”
I glanced around the table not surprised when shock was the common expression on the faces of my brothers.
“You kiddin’?” Ritz, who holds the position of treasurer, tilted his head to the side. “Viper is your father?”
“Not kidding.” I leaned forward and rested my forearms on the table in front of me. “I left when I was eighteen, knew Bear from school and got ahold of him. He invited me here to clean up the club with him, and I agreed.”
“How’d you get out?” Bull asked.
I shifted my attention to Bull. “I have some videos I secretly recorded of him making deals with the cartel. Exclusivity to drug trade which means the Widows have more control than any other club in exchange for supplying women and children to the cartel for selling.”
“They’re selling kids?” Tank growled.
I lifted my eyebrows. “And more. It’s why I wanted out.”
“Why the secrecy, brother?”
I met Bull’s stare, not surprised he’d be the one to call me out. I’d expected this and worse, actually. I hadn’t trusted my brothers with this information, and that was on me, but I needed to change that. “Not something I’m proud of. Hoped it would never touch you guys, but I underestimated him. I shouldn’t have done that.”
“You underestimated us.” Bull stated matter-of-factly.
“The way I grew up, you don’t trust anyone, you don’t share information, and you sure as hell don’t show a weakness.”
“You think we’d exploit that shit?” Tank narrowed his eyes.
I ran my hand around the back of my neck. “I come from our number one rival’s clubhouse, and worse, my father runs the whole damn thing. I honestly never thought you’d trust me if I told you.”
“Were you ever planning on telling us?”
I frowned. “No. I hoped it would die with me someday. Hoped I’d never see the fucker again and never bring his poison to our club.” I met the eyes of every man at the table. “I don’t expect you to trust me, and I expect I’ll have to prove myself once again after all this shit is behind us, but right now, we have a bigger issue than my past.”
“This why you’ve been trying so fucking hard to take them down?”
“He needs to be stopped. They all do.”
“That might be the one thing we agree on today, brother.” Bull’s stare was hard, but I deserved it. I broke their trust, and that would not be easily forgotten or forgiven.
“We’ve already been fucking with the Widows. There’s more?” Ritz asked, probably sensing the tension and knowing we needed to stay on track.
Bear sat forward. “You know we’ve been stopping drug shipments by tipping off the Diablos, and it’s been working. It’s been buying us time to gather more evidence so we can be sure we don’t just take down Viper, but also the entire club.”
“So, what’s changed?” Tank asked.
Bear glanced at me and sighed loudly. “Maggie.”
“We figured out my father has Snake, and we’d like to lure him and Snake here. I called him and offered a trade. I’d give him the final video I’d kept as assurance that he wouldn’t kill me, and he’d give us Snake.”
“He wants Maggie,” Ritz guessed, and I nodded. “He knows we have her.”
“Two for two. He’s been keeping tabs on me. He doesn’t trust me any more than I trust him. He knows I have him by the fucking balls with the information I’m holding, so he’s going to fight dirty. Well, even dirtier than usual.”
“We’re here to vote on what? Handing over Maggie?” Ritz asked.
I nodded, but I already knew I wouldn’t let that happen. I’d grab her, and we’d be gone by morning. I’d already mapped my route.
“No fucking way.” Bull sat forward, his voice dark when he continued speaking, shocking the shit out of me. “We are not trading her up for some fucking vendetta.”
Bear looked over at me before he spoke almost hesitantly to Bull. “Bull…”
“No.” His stare was intense on Bear. “I won’t sacrifice her for us.”
“We don’t want that either,” Bear stressed. “And I know if we vote that way that Gunner and Maggie will be gone by morning.”
All eyes shifted to me. I should’ve known Bear would know my next move. We’d known each other a long time, and he knew me better than any other man in this club. “I’m willing to move her from here and get her across the border somewhere if that’s the way we vote.”
“Fuck that.” Ritz scoffed. “We aren’t losing you or Maggie.”
Tank leaned forward and placed his elbows on the long table. “We formed this club to do the right shit, not the easy shit, not always the safest shit, but always the right shit. I’m with Bull.” He gestured toward the big man. “I vote Maggie stays.”
My eyes scanned over the men jumping to Maggie’s defense before landing on Bull. “There something I should be worried about?”
Bull’s eyebrows lifted. “You really asking me that?”
“You’re quick to jump to her defense. That’s all, brother. I need to make sure we don’t have a problem.” I answered honestly.
“Oh, we have a problem, but it isn’t Maggie.” His voice dropped even lower. “We all saw what that bastard did to her, both in the hospital and when she came here after. Where I come from, you don’t lay your hands on a woman. He needs to be taught a lesson. And now we know that your father needs to be taught that same damn lesson.”
“You want Snake?” Tank asked, interrupting the heated stare between me and Bull. “Use her as bait.”
I was shaking my head before he finished speaking. “My father will expect that. He knows I’m not going to let Maggie go that easily. If I concede, he’ll know I’m up to something.”
Tank nodded in Bear’s direction. “What if Bear concedes?”
I looked at Bear who looked just as confused as I felt. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
Tank looked over at Pop. “Didn’t Becs do some nasty makeup on your grandson last year for Halloween?”
Pop smirked. “She sure did. I thought the kid was really fucking hurt when she sent him in the house and told him to pretend he got beat up.”
Tank grinned. “If that makeup fooled an old biker like Pop, why wouldn’t it fool your fucktard father?”
I snorted out a laugh and noticed all the guys were chuckling. Bear sat back and crossed his arms over his chest. “You want Becs to do Gunner up, then I call his father, tell him we all voted and Gunn tried to take off with Maggie when the vote was to give her up. I send a pic of him beat to hell and tied up. Something like that?”
Tank jerked his chin up. “Exactly. Would he buy it?”
Bear rubbed his hand along his beard and looked around the room. “No. I don’t think he would.”
Pop inhaled deeply and sat forward. “But he would believe a coup.” His eyes flicked around the room. “They know I’m an old timer, believe in the ways I practiced for years, and that is always putting the club first. Maybe me and Bull”—he gestured toward Bull—“miss the old ways and don’t like the new direction. Maybe we’re pissed that our leaders are choosing a woman over the brotherhood. So, maybe we convince Tank and some of the new prospects to join us. We gather up members, take you both out and make the deal.”
“It’s a long shot.” Bear said.
“It sounds like a good fucking time to me.” Bull smirked.
I shifted my attention to Bear. “You got any other ideas?”
His eyes moved around the room, and he frowned. “No, I don’t.”
Pop leaned on his forearms and turned all of his attention on me. “If we do this, Gunn, you’re gonna hear me say shit about Maggie, about the club. It’s all shit I don’t mean, but shit that will convince him I’m trying to take the club back. I’m telling you now you need to keep cool or stay out of the fucking room. She’s gonna be nothing but pussy when I talk to your father. He’s gonna need to hear it to believe it.”
“I can handle it.”
He nodded once. “You make sure of that, son, because this may be our only chance to save that girl of yours for good. You don’t think you can listen to the shit I’m gonna spew, you stay out.”
I leaned forward. “I’ll do anything to keep her safe.”
Pop stared directly into my eyes and nodded his head once. “I believe that.”
“How long do we have?” Tank inquired.
I sat back. “I say we give it a few days. He’s threatening us, but he’ll also need to believe we had a little war amongst our own men before Pop makes the call.”
“Agree.” Bear said.
“This our plan? A takeover?” Bull asked for confirmation.
Bear scanned the faces at the table before he took the vote, which was unanimous. He nodded and looked at Bull. “This is our plan.”
“What about Dimarco?” Ritz looked around the room. “We telling him the plan?”
Bear shook his head. “Not yet. We have Pop make the call, make sure Viper takes the bait, then establish our plan for the trade. After that, we’ll decide what we share.”
“Sounds right.” Bull crossed his massive arms over his chest. “When we telling the other patched members?”
“Same as Dimarco. After a plan is set. They’ve all been warned to stay alert, so let’s keep it that way for now. We don’t need too many hands in this deal; that’s just too many ways for the real plan to leak.”
“We need to trust our men.” Ritz said seriously.
“I agree, but we also need to have something concrete in place to tell them so I can give them direction. We don’t need the chaos that comes from too many loose ends.” Bear stated.
Nods circled the table before Bear spoke again. “Okay, any other business?”
“Gunn bought Maggie two cats today.”
Ritz smirked at me when all heads once again turned in my direction. I exhaled slowly and explained. “Tomorrow’s her birthday.”
Tank raised his eyebrows. “She want cats?”
I shrugged. “She said she likes cats. I thought she’d like one of her own. She never had her own pet, never had an opportunity.” I frowned at Tank. “A lot of us grew up hard, but I don’t think any of us grew up like she did.”
“I agree with that, brother.” Ritz agreed.
“Becs is planning a little party here tomorrow,” Bear added. “She told me this afternoon, and she plans to let the others know.”
Ritz raised his eyebrows. “You think she’ll be okay with that?”
I thought back to the day she got out of the hospital and how hard she slammed her body back into mine. I could feel her shaking with fear when I wrapped my arms around her, my own pulse only slowing when she started to calm down. I’d never seen fear like that, and I never wanted to see it in her again.
I looked at Ritz and answered honestly. “She’s not the same girl I brought home from the hospital that day.”
“She’s getting stronger,” Ritz added. “Shows up in the kitchen most days for lunch and she talks. That’s a huge change.”
“She’s starting to trust us,” Bull agreed, his attention focused on me. “And that means everything.”
I dropped my head, knowing the last hit was for me, and I deserved it. I should’ve trusted them, but I wanted to be in the club and stay in the club, and who the fuck would’ve trusted a Widow’s kid? I heard Bear call the meeting to a close and waited while everyone filed out of the room before standing and making my way to the door.
“Brother.”
I stopped at the sound of Bear’s voice and turned back around. “Yeah?”
He stood from his seat and walked toward me, stopping when only a few feet separated us. “I would’ve never let him have Maggie.”
I thought about our conversation from earlier, and I wasn’t so sure. “Didn’t sound that way, brother.”
“You know”—he rubbed his hand along his beard—“since you came here, you’ve been living with one foot out the door, always ready to run. I get you’ve been in survival mode, and I even get why, but Bull’s right. You need to learn to trust us, or there’s no fucking reason for you to be here.” He put his hand on my shoulder. “We built this club back up from the ruins, both agreeing how we wanted it to be, and you’ve committed to the rebuild, but I’m still not sure you’ve committed to the club.”
