Once I’m done getting ready, I slide my feet into a pair of sandals, giving my feet a break from my combat boots for a change, and walk out the door. The need for coffee and food is calling my name fiercely. Caffeine of any form would help right about now.
“It’s about time you woke up. Henley figured out you’ve been here, and she about tried to tear down the hallway to go get you,” Sadie says. She’s sitting at the bar with Raven and Persephone. Henley is nowhere in sight though.
“Well, you know how things go. It’s been a long week. Where’s my girl?” I ask.
“She just fell asleep for her nap. Henley’s been waking up at six o’clock in the morning these days. After lunch, she’s down for the count,” she states.
“Kind of like someone else in this group.” This comes from Raven. I roll my eyes and make my way around the bar that also leads into the kitchen, hoping there’s some kind of food readily available.
“Har, har,” I tell her. “Where are the guys?” I holler so they can hear me.
“They had something to take care of in town.” This comes from Persephone, Shovel’s ‘Ol Lady.
“Oh, okay. Oh my gosh, who made cinnamon rolls, and what do I have to do to get the recipe?” I ask after I see a huge batch baked to perfection, the glaze swimming in the pan. I grab a few and come back out to sit with the girls.
“That’d be me. I had to quadruple the batch but did it yesterday for this morning. Don’t get used to it. That was a nightmare,” Persephone says as I bite into one.
“They’re delicious. You should make them more often or, you know, give up all the details.” I noticed she dodged the recipe bit.
“Hmmm, it’ll cost you.” Oh crap.
“Never mind. I don’t need it that bad.” Raven snorts because we all know when one of us ladies wants to trade for something, it’s usually something nobody wants to do.
“Here you go.” Sadie hands me a cup of coffee.
“Thanks. If you want, since I’m not doing anything this afternoon, I’ll take Henley for a little bit,” I offer. It’s been too long since I’ve had some girl time with her.
“That’d be great. If I hear her ask for Monroe one more time, I’m tossing her the phone and she’s calling you. Apparently, I’m chopped liver when you’re involved.” Sadie knows that’s not true, so do the rest of us women.
“Good, it’s settled. Persephone, thank you for the cinnamon rolls. Sadie, I’m going to go get your little booger and feed her with plenty of sugar and paint her nails the darkest shade of red. I have to piss your husband off. And, Raven, it’s always a pleasure to see your pretty face.” I finish my coffee and food, then I’m off to hang out with the sweetest little girl on the planet.
Nineteen
Cannon
I fuckin’ hated like hell leaving the warmth of Monroe’s body, but there was shit that needed to get taken care of. Namely Jeremy Parsons. Shit yeah, I told Ruger the second I got a chance yesterday when we got back. Of course, now that all the brothers are here, I asked Shovel if we could hold church.
“Seems we got Cannon here askin’ for church. Thinkin’ we already know what it’s about, but first, we gotta get Shadow to fuckin’ sit down.” We patched him in last night; of course, we didn’t have anything to discuss, so his chair wasn’t on our minds. Getting him tatted, his cut, and drinking was our focus.
“Thanks.” Shadow takes a seat. All the rest of us are already sitting.
“The floor is yours, Cannon.” Shovel nods my way. Everyone is here—Razor, Doc, Ruger, Dice, Crank, Rage, Bullett, and Shadow. It’s like déjà-fuckin-vu all over again.
“I met Monroe at the hospital last night. Like I said I was goin’ to do after the club run. What I didn’t expect was some schmuck attempting to walk her out and talkin’ to her. Furthermore, the dumb fuck stood there and stared at her ass while she gave me a welcome home.”
“Stop makin’ me wanna gag.” This comes from Doc.
“Like I was sayin’, he watched us the entire time. Came back and asked Ruger to figure out who he is. All I had to go on was the name Jeremy, but like everyone knows, Ruger is like a dog with a bone and got a lock on who he is. I figure he’s the one who sent the flowers too.” Doc looks pissed. Everyone at the hospital knows Monroe is his daughter. There’s a strict off-limits rule he put out there, not that I allowed that to apply to me.
“If you’d put a fuckin’ rock on her finger like you better be doin’ soon, or were gonna have words again, this shit wouldn’t be happening.” Doc may seem laid back when he’s working, but when it comes to Monroe, there ain’t shit that would stop him from keeping her safe.
“Already have the ring. Tryin’ to wait until we both get a solid twenty-four hours without shit happenin’ one way or the other. Now, this doesn’t have to be a club thing. This can be a me thing or a Doc and me thing, or we can make it a club thing. It’s up to everyone in this room, but something will be done, and soon,” I tell them like it is.
“Eh, I’ve been bored lately. I’m in,” comes from Razor.
“Shit yeah, I’m in,” Ruger states.
“Yeah, yeah, this is a club thing. Everyone in agreement so we all don’t gotta sit here and sing kumbaya before we all agree?” Shovel says, gavel in hand, waiting for everyone to nod their heads in agreement. I didn’t have any doubt in mind that my brothers wouldn’t pull through, no matter what the past brought.
“It’s settled, then. Get your asses in gear. It’s Saturday, and I’m sure there’s other shit we’ll need to do around here or our own houses, not to mention the family barbecue that’s happenin’ tomorrow. We’ll meet out front in thirty minutes.” He slams the gavel down, calling an end to church. I start to head back to my room to check on Monroe when Doc stops me.
“Glad you’re making my little girl your wife. Also happy that you have no problem showin’ that punk kid his place. Thankful that she has you.” Doc claps me on the shoulder then walks away before he gives me a chance to respond.
Twenty
Cannon
We all ride into town in formation, Rage in the front as the road captain, Shovel and Razor next, the rest of the brothers in the middle, and me being the Tail Gunner in the back, staying alert in the event something or someone tries to attempt to cut us off or is out seeking revenge.
Ruger knew exactly where this Jeremy character would be and what his work schedule was like. If he wasn’t working, he could be found holed up in his run-down trailer out on a couple acres. The best part being there aren’t any neighbors for miles and miles. This is going to be easy, and there’ll be no blowback on Monroe or us if we do this right.
We make it down the long dirt road. I’m chuckling at the look of things. Jeremy’s outside, standing with a shotgun at the ready, wearing a shirt, shorts, and boots, not seeming to be put together. The trailer is just like Ruger said—old, dilapidated, and not a single soul for miles. I wonder if anyone would even notice we’ve been here, let alone if we set this place on fire.