I scowled at her.
“What the fuck, Catori?” I asked, sounding a little bit more annoyed than I’d intended.
She ignored my surly attitude and threw herself at me, wrapping her arms around my waist, and planting herself in my chest.
“Thank you.” She pulled back, yelling it in my face with the biggest goddamn smile on her face. “Be safe.”
Then she was skipping back to the house where Harlow was watching on with a soft smile on her face.
I waited until she was back in the house with Harlow, the door solidly closed behind them, before I pulled out of the driveway. I waited for the gate to completely close behind me before I headed to my dad’s place the long way. I didn’t want to be seen arriving the back way. That led people to know where I lived, and right now, I didn’t want anyone to know where I lived.
Not that I didn’t trust the boys. I did.
What I didn’t trust were the people that were constantly at Lynn’s house.
He was the mayor of Kilgore, after all.
Though his house was in Souls Chapel, he had a lot of people coming out to his place for meetings, and some of them showed up unannounced.
Though that happened rarely, I didn’t want to accidentally lead anyone to Catori’s whereabouts.
As I pulled into Lynn and Six’s place, it was to find her leaning on her car, staring at a box in her hands with confusion.
I pulled the bike up to a stop next to her and shut it off before asking, “What is it?”
She showed me the box. “It’s a package for a ‘Dollahite’ or some weird shit. I think it belongs down the road. But it says ‘LIVE’ on it, and now I’m wanting to know what’s in it.”
My lips twitched. “Open it.”
She looked at me curiously. “Isn’t that a little bit illegal?”
I shrugged. “Maybe. Maybe not. Who the fuck cares?”
She fell into step with me as we walked into the house.
We both diverted to the kitchen as she found a butcher knife from the knife block in the middle of her kitchen island and sliced through the tape on the box.
Just as she was about to open the flaps, I placed my hands on the counter and leaned into it, curious what it was right along with her.
She opened the flaps of the box and a snake slithered out.
Acting on instinct, I did what any sane, red-blooded man would do.
I picked the knife up and brought it down right across the snake’s neck, cleaving it in two.
“What the absolute fuck was that?” someone bellowed from behind me.
I was still busy staring at the twitching copperhead that’d been only inches away from biting Six on the hand.
Its mouth was still open, ready to strike, too.
Lynn came forward, his face a mask of shock, as he pulled Six away and started to check her for injuries.
He pulled her hand up to inspect it as I said, “Maybe we shouldn’t have opened the package.”
Six burst out laughing.
Bruno, who’d been the one to yell ‘what the absolute fuck was that’ came to stand beside me as the snake bled out on the counter.
“Who the fuck would order a goddamn poisonous snake to be shipped to him?” he asked.
“I have no fuckin’ clue,” I grumbled as I tossed the knife onto the counter.
My day didn’t get any less exciting.
In fact, eight hours later, after arriving home from a job that I’d gone on with Trouper, Trick, and Hunt, it was to find a full-blown party going on at my place.
There were cars, bikes, and people everywhere.
Sure, all of those people belonged to me in some way, so it was okay.
But still.
“What’s going on here?” I asked Beckham who was swaying with Hiro on her hip.
Hiro, also, did not look happy in the least.
He looked fuckin’ pissed.
“Well...” She hesitated. “It started out with Six. But then everyone started drinking, people got called, men followed those that were called, and then this happened. Please, please, please tell me Trouper is with you.”
I grinned and reached for Hiro, giving her a break.
“He actually went up to Lynn’s place for a second because him and Hunt are reviewing some video feed from today. Something that Trouper thinks he saw that he thinks Hunt needs to check out,” I said. “I’ll keep him with me. His hollering doesn’t bother me.”
Beckham looked thankful and relieved.
“He’s teething.” She winced. “I had no clue that teething would elicit screaming like this, though. I almost took him to the doctor today.” She fretted her lip. “Maybe I should have.”
I shrugged. “Go have a glass of wine. I’ll pass him off to who we know he really wants when Trouper gets back.”
Beckham snorted, gave me a thankful look all over again, and then disappeared into my cabin where the door was hanging wide-ass open.