“He’s so little,” I muttered, my eyes never leaving the screen.
“I have set up a live feed that will be monitored twenty-four seven. The house is bugged, so I will know about anyone who shows up or calls. Also, I was able to get Colin’s medical records, and you’ll be happy to know he is perfectly healthy.”
“What about the other two?” Ghost asked.
“Same. I have all their information and DNA, but until I can match them, I don’t know who they belong to and Ghost. I am letting you know that I gave Gadget a direct order. If anything feels off, he is to pull Colin immediately and disappear. I know I said we should do this legally, but like most of the men in this room, we don’t have a lot of faith in the legal system.”
“Agreed,” Ghost said. “I will take the heat if shit goes sideways. Anything on Diablo, Bianchi, or Toxic?”
“Diablo is still in Chicago. Why I don’t know. Sypher is on that. As for Bianchi, my other brother Merc is on that, I haven’t heard from him yet, and Toxic, well, that mother fucker was spotted in New York City.”
“What the fuck is he doing there?”
“No clue.”
“Not good enough. Call Matrix and tell him his bonding time is over. You and Sypher can’t handle all this alone. You need help. I want him on Toxic.”
Phantom nodded.
“Player, I am going to leave it up to you to tell Catarina about Colin. If you want to show her the live feed, do it, but you need to make her understand that this is a process. We don’t have a timeline on it. The legal system doesn’t move like we do.”
“One shot, Ghost. I’m giving you one shot at this. If it doesn’t work, I will get him myself, and I don’t give a fuck what anyone says. That’s my son, and I want him back.”
“Understood. All right, everyone, the ladies have been cooking up a storm, and if my nose is any indication, the food is almost done. Sandman and Savage stay behind. I need to talk to you both.”
With that, Ghost slammed the golden skull gavel on the table adjourning the meeting.
Eighteen
Player
Walking into the kitchen, I smiled, seeing Catarina laughing and talking with the other women. She needed this badly, and I was grateful to them for everything they had done. Seeing her slowly folding the pasta into the sauce at the stove, I knew she made it from scratch. It smelled heavenly, and I couldn’t wait to have some authentic Italian food again. My mouth watered just thinking about it.
Heading over to her, I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her neck. “God, baby, that smells so good.”
“I hope I made enough. Ari told me that there are over forty men here.”
“They can eat somewhere else.”
She laughed. “Reggie, that’s not nice. What would your mother say?”
“Make your own plate. I’m not a maid?”
“Not funny. You know your mother would ensure that everyone was well-fed.”
“Well, Mom ain’t here, and I’m starving. Those fuckers can find their own woman to cook for them. You belong to me.”
“Player, you leave that girl alone. She is a freaking genius in the kitchen. Go help the others set up the tables and chairs,” Remi said, sitting at the kitchen table buttering bread. Turning, I smiled at her, seeing her arching her back as she rubbed her growing belly.
Remi was a sweetheart and had acclimated quickly to the MC life. It helped that Reaper never left her side and was there to help her along the way. Life wasn’t easy in the MC by any means, and it took a particular type of woman to accept it and embrace the lifestyle. Not many women would, but Remi did. She was now happy and becoming the woman she was destined to be.
Ari was the same. A shy woman who barely spoke a few words when she arrived was now an integral part of the club. As Ghost’s Ol' Lady, Ari was the soft side of the club. Whenever a gentle hand was needed, Ari was always there to help. Her kindness knew no bounds. Her generosity was unparalleled, and the love she had for everyone was unmistakable. She was everything good where we were not.
“Go,” Ari smiled at me. “She will be fine. We have this under control. Dinner is almost done. Then you can have her all to yourself.”
Kissing Catarina on the forehead, I left her in the kitchen with the other women and did as I was asked. Outside, men worked diligently to set up the many tables needed for all of us to sit together. Brothers were lining up chairs just as fast as the tables were going up. Some were over by the fire pit, getting a fire going, while others were setting up the tiki torches and lighting them. Say what you want about Northern California, but when the sun sets, the mosquitoes come out, and those fuckers are relentless.
When all the chairs and tables were set up, the women started bringing out bowls and platters of food. There was so much food that several men offered to help, myself included, and when I saw Catarina’s big bowl of Carbonara, I about cried right on the spot. It smelled so delicious, and I couldn’t wait to dig into it. Placing the bowl in front of where we would sit, I ran back inside to help with the four bowls of salad one of the wives made.