“Hello?”
“Hey, babe, just wanted to hear your voice. I’m getting ready to take care of some business that came up.”
She’s silent. “Scale of one to ten?”
“About an eight,” I say. We’ve developed our own short hand for dealing with club business. I can’t tell her what I’m doing, but I can tell her what the level of danger is.
“Jesus.”
“Yeah. You know I love you, girl, don’t you?” I ask, holding the phone to my ear with my shoulder as I pack my saddlebags and pull my vest out from the back of the closet.
“Yes, and I love you, too.”
“When this shit is over and Mouth is out of the picture, I want to do this right. Me and you in our own place.”
“Okay.”
I blink. “Yeah?” I say cautiously. She gave in way too easily.
“Yes, I want that, too. I’m ready for the next step with you. I miss you just as much as you miss me when we’re not together. I want to take advantage of every minute I have. I let the fear hold me back a little. I’m over that. It’s not worth it.”
“More reason for me to get things in order,” I say.
“Be safe, and come home to me?”
“Always, D’Rose. You know that.”
“I do, love you.”
“Love you, too, girl.” I hang up before we draw things out further. I need to get my head on straight. I add my cell phone charger to the bag, shrug off my cut, and put on a bulletproof vest over my shirt. After slipping on a hoodie, I add my cut. Grabbing my saddle bag, I throw it over my shoulder and leave the room.
~~
My body is tense, and my heart is thudding in my chest as we pull up into the chapter. Wizard is the first off the bike, going into the club with Stone behind them and all of us following behind like soldiers.
“All you motherfuckers line up,” Stone barks.
“What the fuck, brother?” Big asks.
“Shut the fuck up and get in line, bitch. This shit falls onto your shoulders, too,” Stone says.
Big clamps his mouth shut. You don’t argue with the President of the mother charter. You take that shit, swallow it down, and fall in line. Which is exactly what Big is doing when he lines up and bites his tongue.
“Which one of you motherfuckers thought they could run up on us and we wouldn’t know it?” Stone asks.
A few members break out and head toward the back.
“Get those motherfuckers!” Stone booms.
I run out the front door and round the back, catching one of them unaware. I cock my wrist and nail him in the jaw. He falls like a bag of bricks, hitting the concrete hard. A bullet whizzes by my head. I fall down and a shot rings out. The sound makes my ears buzz. I see another brother lying face down on the pavement. A dark spot is blossoming by his lower back.
“Shit, man, you okay?” Brick asks.
“Damn, yeah, but barely brother,” I answer.
“Close fucking call,” Brick says.
I nod, and move to kneel over the unconscious brother slowly coming to, as Brick rolls the one with a bullet over.