I wasn’t exactly sure what was going on as Eagle pulled me to my feet, and we followed Optimus out the meeting room door. As we entered the main room, Op put his fingers to his mouth and let out a loud whistle, gaining the attention of everyone in the room.
“Blizzard and I are stepping out for a little bit,” he announced loudly. “When we get back, we will be calling church to discuss some urgent matters regarding some danger to the club. So if you’re drinking, now would be a good time to stop and get as sober as fucking possible. I also recommend having your arms on you at all times from now on, just in case shit turns sour sooner than we expected.”
The men in the room moved quickly while the women instantly went to the kitchen to start preparing food and coffee to try and get the boys sober. It wasn’t the first time something like this had happened, and we all knew exactly what to do and worked like clockwork.
“I’m going to go and help,” I told Eagle stepping toward the kitchen, but not getting very far before I was being pulled back into his arms.
“I got something else to say before you all run off,” Eagle called loudly, causing everyone to freeze. “As of right now, Skylar is no longer a club girl. You horny bastards can get your kicks somewhere else.”
A round of cheers went up throughout the room, and I let out a loud laugh, shoving Eagle in the chest. He looked down at me and smirked. “I was pretty sure I hadn’t given you an answer yet,” I told him, trying my best not to smile, but the joy that overcame me was not something I could fight.
There really was something about this man, and he knew me. He didn’t shout from the rooftops that I belonged to him, he didn’t give the usual speech where he used the word mine far too many times. He just let them know that I was done being a club girl and that we were exploring where this could go and that while we did that, I would be with him only.
He placed a soft kiss on my lips, and I snuggled in closer to his body. I knew shit was going to get bad and that there was a possibility that Abel was going to come after my family—these people, my real family. But right now, I was allowing myself to enjoy this moment with him, because this was a changing moment in my life, and it deserved to be appreciated.
“Welcome to the family,” Op said, patting Eagle on the back with a subtle smirk like he wasn’t surprised one bit. “Not that you weren’t already, but I’m happy for the both of you.”
I nodded and grinned back. “Is it okay if Sky and I come with you?” Eagle asked before Op could disappear into the night. Optimus was still smirking at the two of us, but he raised an eyebrow in question. “Now Sky is with me, and shit is hitting the fan, I’m asking if it’s okay we bring Emerald back here to keep her safe.”
Optimus nodded without a second thought. “Yeah, I think that’s a good idea. She can help Emerald pack while we have a few words with our great law enforcement officer.”
I ran and grabbed a jacket while the boys walked Rivet back out to his club. Just as I was passing by the bar, someone grabbed my arm and I turned to see Jake. My body stilled, the smile on my face instantly dropping.
“I just wanted to tell you I was sorry,” Jake said, his voice rough. It didn’t seem to me like a forced apology, his face looked almost sad and worn down. “All the things I said, they weren’t aimed at you. I had some shit happen, and I was feeling shitty about my own decisions. You just happened to step into the firing line.”
The emotion in his voice was real, and it was honest. He let me go and my body relaxed, but instead of accepting his apology and walking away, I stepped closer. “There are some women out there who take advantage of the men whose hearts are kind,” I told him, placing my hand on his shoulder. He was surprised, his eyes moving from my hand up to my face. I offered him a supportive smile. “That just tells me what kind of man you are, and I hope you continue to be that man, and not let this person change that.”
A smile tugged at his mouth, and he hung his head, shaking it a couple times before he looked back up at me, his eyes a little redder than before. “I’m glad my brother found you, he deserves to have someone like you in his life. Someone who helps him to breathe.”
I tilted my head, a little confused by the remark, but before I could ask what he meant, I heard my name being called.
Jake and I smiled, and I knew that we were good, as I turned and jogged to the door where Eagle was waiting.
“Everything okay?” he asked, wrapping his arm around my back and leading me out into the night.
“Yeah, everything is great.”
He couldn’t see the beaming smile on my face in the darkness, but the warmth that flooded through me was that of a raging fire.
And just when I thought things couldn’t get much better, he laughed softly. “Good, let’s go get your sister.”
Rivet and his huge crew of bikes followed us into town, taking a turn off before we got into the suburbs of Athens. The loud roar of the group vibrated through my body, a great feeling to know that the club had other people out there looking out for us, people who would have our backs at a moment’s notice.
That’s what I admired about the Brothers by Blood, there were people out there who didn’t like them, for the most part, because they really were the good guys. But the people who stood beside them and supported them were ten to one because the brothers were respectful, they held their values and lived by a set of rules that were to be admired.
They were a family, in so many more ways than blood could ever make them.
We pulled up outside Deacon’s house, backing the bikes into the curb before shutting off the engines. The lights were still on inside, and as we climbed off, I noticed the porch light flicker on and the door open.
I wasn’t really sure I understood entirely what was happening, but I knew that the guys were not happy with Deacon. For what I could figure out. He used to be a part of the DEA and Rivet had said that one of the prophet’s daughters had given the DEA the information they needed to get their search warrants.
I really liked Deacon, so I was hoping that I wouldn’t have to lose my mind at him if he had put my little sister in the middle of a shit-storm or taken advantage of her to get something he wanted.
As we walked up the steps to the porch, Eagle took my hand in his, Deacon’s eyes immediately zoned in on the movement. “Well, that’s new,” he said with a grin, before looking at Op. “You guys must be running out of club girls.”
“We need to have a few words,” Op said, clearly not amused by the joke. “Sky is going to help Emerald pack while we do.”
Deacon’s face instantly turned to a mask, a strangely scary version of him that I had yet to meet. “No problem, she’s in the living room,” he said, stepping aside and waving me through the door.