“I’m not,” I lie through my teeth, hoping I sound convincing enough but alcohol always fucks with me.
“We’re drunk enough that I won’t remember anyway, probably.” Nikki busts out laughing, and I can’t help but smile.
“I like him, alright? Just don’t say anything,” I tell Nikki.
“It won’t matter. Anyone who’s got half a brain can tell you have something for him,” Faith’s southern voice comes out of nowhere and she looks back at me
God, I hope that isn’t true. I don’t want Ricochet to know how I feel. Not now . . . not when I have so much left to do. Hell, when all of this is over, he might not even want anything to do with me. I wouldn’t even be able to blame him, not after all the secrets I’ve kept from him.
Chapter One
Ricochet
“There’s some shit goin’ on, Prez. I can smell it,” Chuckles speaks up, demanding attention from every brother and sister in the room.
“I second what Chuckles is saying. Things have been too quiet, Prez. I don’t like this . . . it means somethin’ is goin’ down and we need to figure out what, sooner rather than later,” Muffler, our club’s road captain, speaks up. He’s never typically a vocal man when it comes to shit seeming off, so if he’s talking about it, well, it means he’s worried.
Boss glances around the room, looking at every man and woman in here. She shakes her head and laughs while taking her seat, but the way she laughs tells us all she doesn’t find this funny. “I just have to say how much I love it when you jump on my back before I’ve even taken my fuckin’ seat. You ever hear of other Prez’s who let their people talk to them like that?!” she snaps directly at Muffler and Chuckles, who don’t dare say a word. We’ve all been around Boss for years now, which means we know her personality. While it might look like she’s askin’ a question, only a fool would answer her when she’s this heated.
“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” she huffs. “There’s been some activity up in Boston the past few weeks. That’s what I called church for, the new intel I got. Of course, I wanted to verify it myself before telling anyone this shit.”
Most of us nod while Chuckles simply stares. He respects the fuck out of Boss, but he was good friends with her father, so sometimes I get the impression he’s judging the decisions she’s makin’. Old man needs to quit his shit. He isn’t her daddy and she’s not runnin’ around wantin’ everyone’s opinions.
I tune out a couple of the guys while they ask Boss questions and glance around the room, noticing there’s a missing seat—Venom.
Where the hell is she?
While my eyes are focused on her seat, Abyss catches my gaze and asks the question I’m wondering right now, “Where’s Venom at?”
Boss glances over to Abyss. “She’s workin’ an event right now.”
Venom works security with a couple of the others on occasion as another way to earn some extra cash. Being in Queens means we have no shortage of quick ways to make cash, especially since artists love to come here to perform for intimate crowds, or at Madison Square Garden.
“Ah, I didn’t know she signed up for some extra shifts,” I mutter lowly, getting a smirk from Boss. She’ll probably end up making some sort of sly comment about how I’m far too concerned when it comes to Venom. She’s always insinuating I have a thing for her, but I don’t. At least, I’ve never acted on it.
Fuckin’ a friend is never a smart decision, even if she’s as chill as they come and looks like a damn vision. Hell, her and I mesh together so damn well it’s crazy we haven’t slept together yet, but she hasn’t expressed any interest and I’m not exactly in the mood to fuck up my friendship with her.
“I’m gonna end up sending a couple of you to Boston, but I haven’t made any decisions as of yet. I want to get more information on how things play out up there. Last thing I want to do is alert anyone we’re watching and spook them off.” Boss has personal reasons for wanting to fuck up this cult. They’re the reason her father’s dead. While they’ve killed thousands of women across the United States, I don’t think Boss gives two shits about them. The nail in the coffin is the fact, after she and her father had finally begun to repair their relationship, the cult ripped him away from her. The woman has a wound in her heart that’ll never heal. She’s cold like her father but fuck if she isn’t her mother’s daughter. She’s the best of both worlds and I’m damn sure that’s why Cowboy locked her down.
“Alright. Heard anything about Vex’s progress?” Muffler asks.
Vex is one of our full patch members. She’s down in Virginia working undercover as a college student since the cult loves to target that demographic. They go after women just starting their lives, who might be secure but they’re not overly confident in said security. It’s sickening, the way they go after the most vulnerable women.
“Yeah, she hasn’t given me much . . . but she thinks they’re using Virginia as a recruitment ground in addition to furthering their cause,” Boss comments.
“Recruitment?” Chuckles repeats.
Boss nods. “Yes, they’re trying to bring both men and women into the cult, to procreate and obviously keep it alive for many more generations to come.”
“What sick bastards,” Omen curses under his breath, getting a bunch of muttered agreements in response.
“When we goin’ to crack some skulls?” Hoodrat, one of our other full patch members asks.
“Whenever I say it’s time. Vex is doing her thing and we’re making progress, so we won’t fuck that up. I want to know as much as I can about them, and the last thing I’ll do is act stupidly and lose every bit of progress we’ve made. When we’re ready to crack skulls I’ll let you know, so don’t worry your pretty little head, Hoodrat,” Boss grumbles.
He smirks and crosses his arms over his chest. “Awe, did you just call me pretty? Wouldn’t want to make Cowboy jealous now, would we?”
The club is known for swinging around with other people’s partners from time to time, but I don’t see Boss doing that when it comes to Cowboy, unless it’s another woman. “Better shut your mouth before someone else does for ya,” Chuckles speaks up, getting an eyeroll from Boss.
“Enough of this shit, let’s get back to business. Vex is doing well and I’ll keep everyone updated as I receive more information from her. In the meantime, I’ll be gathering bits of information about our new friends up in Boston and then I’ll send two of you up there.”
I want to speak up and ask her to send two of us up now, but I won’t. Boss always has a reason for doing things the way she does. I just wish I knew where she’s heading with this. Most of the time waiting is good, but sometimes if you wait too long it only ends up fucking you over more.
Chapter Two
Venom
“Momma?” Peyton’s voice rings out like I’ve never left. Opening my eyes I see nothing but brightness. A shining, white light surrounding me. For a moment I wonder if I’m in Heaven. This is what they make it sound like, a bright place like this. Though I don’t think I’ve been much of a religious person after everything I’ve endured. In all honesty, I’ve lost a good bit of my faith because of it.