“On it,” Smoke nodded, then left the basement, running up the stairs.
“Look guys. This shit is getting too close to home. I want Remi guarded twenty-four seven. She is not allowed to leave the compound. If she wants something, you get it for her. She is mine. I claimed her tonight. When the time is right, I’ll put my patch on her, but until then, I need her protected.”
“Sure man.”
“We got it.”
“She ain’t going nowhere.”
“My princess will be safe, Reaper. Give you my word.”
“Sorry, I lost my shit, but after seeing that picture of her, I just couldn’t anymore. I’m calmer with her. I can’t explain it, but she centers me. She isn’t going anywhere, not as long as there is breath in my body. Got me?”
“Yeah,” everyone nodded.
“Until Chains and Savage return, we are shorthanded. I need all able body men to step up. This means I need all of you to get the rest of the boys in line. I can’t do this alone. No more fucking around. I want this clubhouse locked down—no one in our out. I want men at the gates, and I want the fence line activated. Everyone needs to be carrying. I don’t give a fuck if they have a record or not. Until the threat to Remi is taken care of, we are at war.”
Hellhound stepped forward and said, “You heard the Prez. Time to lock and load!”
ELEVEN
REMI
"I swear!” Shamrock grimaced as I laughed so hard my stomach hurt. Shamrock, Snake, and I were currently in the kitchen sitting at the table, eating breakfast while Shamrock was regaling me with a wild story from his younger years in San Francisco. I had woken up to an empty bed, and when I went to search for Max, I was told that I was basically grounded, unable, and forbidden from leaving the clubhouse. When asked why Shamrock told me it was for my own safety and that Reaper would explain later when he got out of church. So, instead of throwing a fit like I wanted to, I just accepted my current situation and went with it. That’s how I found myself at the kitchen table with Snake and Shamrock. “My momma took a willow switch to my ass. I still have the scars.”
“He’s right, Remi. I’ve seen them. It’s like his backside was stitched together.”
“But why did you do it?” I asked, wiping away my tears.
“Because I wanted to see if I could. I just watched this Bruce Lee movie, and he looked so cool. So, I thought I’d try it. Didn’t mean to cut my momma, but she moved. It was only a little nick.”
“She needed fifteen stitches, asshole.”
“Well, she shouldn’t have bought me the knife set.”
“She didn’t. You stole it from Marvin.”
“Oh yeah, that’s right.”
“And how old were you again?” I asked, taking a drink of my coffee.
“I was about ten, maybe eleven.”
“We’re you always a handful?”
“Yeah. Momma always said I was more trouble than I was worth.”
“But she still loves you.”
“Yeah, she does. What about your Mom?”
Shrugging my shoulders, “My mom was nice. She died when I was sixteen. Car accident.”
“Sorry about that,” Shamrock whispered. “I don’t know what I’d do if my momma died. She’s the only one who really gets me, ya know.”
Nodding, I finished my coffee and rinsed my cup out before placing it in the dishwasher. Leaning against the counter, I wondered what it was that they all did every day. Did they have jobs, women at home waiting for them, children? It seemed as if they all hung around the clubhouse, doing nothing.
Pushing off the counter, I went to sit back down when I felt him behind me. I knew it was Max. I could feel the air thicken as my body heated with excitement. Last night was amazing, and I hadn’t gotten the chance to tell him because he wasn’t there when I woke this morning. Apparently, he’s been in Church all morning with several of the guys discussing club business and such. Turning to face him, I smiled as his arms came around me, and he nuzzled my neck, making goosebumps rise all over me.