Steeling myself for whatever I fucked up now, I held my breath as my woman marched over to me and spoke. “Max, that bitch will be here in twenty minutes. Did you get some of the boys to set up those tables and chairs?”
“Shit baby,” I cursed. “I forgot.”
I whistled loudly, getting everyone’s attention. When all the brothers milling around stopped what they were doing, I said, “Need volunteers to set up tables and chairs.”
Several of the men jumped to their feet and headed out back. Turning back to my woman, I smiled. “There. All taken care of.”
Remi narrowed her eyes at me and sneered, “It was supposed to be already done. That cunt is going to bust my balls when she gets here and it’s not done.”
“No, she won’t. Why don’t you spend some girl time with Ari and the kids? Hell, take them to town for ice cream. Take a few of the boys with you. Leave the bitch to me.”
Remi narrowed her eyes at me. “What are you up to?”
“Nothing. I’m innocent baby.”
Ghost smirked lightly, shaking his head.
Fucker better keep his mouth shut. I didn’t need my woman finding out what I had planned for her wedding planner. I wanted that bitch to answer some of my questions and if I didn’t like her answers, I wasn’t above killing the cunt. Remi said nothing as she huffed, turned on her little feet and walked away.
Taking a breath, I punched Ghost in the arm. “What the fuck man? You’re supposed to protect me.”
“Not from your woman. I like my balls where they are.”
“Pussy.”
“Yo Prez!” Massacre shouted from outside. “We got a visitor!”
“Fuck.” I muttered, hanging my head.
This was all I needed.
I hated visitors.
Visitors were bad omens. Not that I believed in that shit. Just every time we had a visitor, shit went sideways. Pushing off the bar, I stopped dead in my tracks as Massacre’s large body flew backward, landing hard on his back.
Brothers immediately jumped to their feet, reaching for their guns.
“What the fuck, man!” Massacre groaned, rolling to his side, rubbing his jaw. “What the fuck did I ever do to you?”
Before anyone could say or do anything, a large body filled the doorway. Standing strong and firm, the large man looked intimidating, to say the least, but as the brothers realized who had finally come home, every fucking one of those chickenshits slowly backed away.
Pussies. The whole fucking lot of them.
Even Ghost, who was supposed to be my second, my VP, my best friend who always had my back when shit went sideways. Did he stick by me? Fuck no. That mother fucker, moved to the side with the other pussies, leaving me front and center with the one man who had every right to kill me.
I never thought about what would happen when the two of us were in the same room again. I knew I had let him down. I made a promise that I failed to keep. I always ranted on and on about brothers keeping their word and yet the one thing he asked of me, I failed to do. No matter what I said, her death was on me. I knew it and so did he. When he stood there, looking through me as if I was the piece of shit he knew I was, I knew whatever happened next wasn’t going to be easy.
Nothing ever was where he was concerned.
He was always the quiet one.
Never really talked and time apparently hadn’t changed that. He was waiting for me to say something, anything. Of course, the second I uttered a single word, he would pounce, throw a knife or shoot me. I wasn’t stupid. I knew how he thought.
Giving him my back, I leaned over the bar and grabbed two beers, placing them both on the bar top. Popping the caps off both beers, I pushed his beer to the side of me and sat down, taking a long pull of my beer. I knew I was putting off the inevitable. I wasn’t scared of him. Never. I just didn’t know what he was going to do and that alone was enough to make to pause and think. As I drank my beer, I could clearly see him in the mirror behind the bar.
He hadn’t moved an inch.
Fucking pain in my ass.