Page 36 of Pike

“We’re good, Prez.”

“We will be good. We’re gonna make plans. We’re gonna make this right. We’re gonna take them down,” he says with a growl. The boys cheer in agreement. It’s been a while since we’ve gone to war, and they’ve all been eager lately.

“When and where?”

“We don’t know yet. We need to stake them out. Find out how they’re movin’ and where. Find out what they’re up to. I want to know every fuckin’ move they make. I want intel.” He looks around the room at the rest of us. We grunt as I pull out a cigarette and light one up.

“I’m in,” I tell him. The others follow suit.

“We get what information we can while keepin’ out of sight. They got close once, but that won’t happen again. Do what you gotta do to get that intel, too.”

“Does that mean we can grab one or two of them?” I ask with a smirk.

“Not yet. I want to see what we find out first, and then we’ll grab them. You’ll get to have your fun, Pike. I promise you that much. This is as much about your old lady as it is about you. I wouldn’t take that away from you.”

“Speakin’ of her, she’s safe at my house. Ain’t no one gettin’ in there without me knowin’ about it.”

“That’s good. We want her safe, but when shits close to goin’ down, I want Feather here. I don’t care how you have to sweet talk her or tie her ass to your bed. She’s here, and that’s final.” I nod my head. I agree with that. Once we start moving in on them, they will pull out all the stops. They will do what they can to hurt us and use her if they find her. She’ll be safer here when we lock down the clubhouse.

“Heard that, Prez.”

“Van and Free, I want you to take about five guys out with you tomorrow night and start gatherin’ intel. I want to know every move they’re makin’. I want to know every time one of them shits the wrong way,” he tells them.

“We got this,” Free adds.

“Good. I think that’s it for now unless anyone has anything else to bring to the table?” he asks, looking around the room. No one speaks up, so that’s the end of church.

Chapter 18

Feather

What a life I live. Where did I screw up? I know I messed up when I met Blake. That’s a given. He ruined who I was and who I wanted to be. He broke me, and he didn’t even have to try.

I thought I cared about him. I thought that doing what he wanted me to do meant, he would care about me too and maybe, just maybe, stop what he was doing. He didn’t care about me that much. In fact, over the past few days, I realized he didn’t care about me at all. He cared about what I could do for him or what he could gain from me. And it worked. He took advantage, and I let him. I feel so disgusted with myself for what I’d done. Another tear slips down my cheek as I think about it. And the fact that I lied to Pike? That hurts the most. That man has done nothing but try to help me and I lied to him. I feel ashamed. I swipe at the tear on my cheek before grabbing the bottle in front of me and taking a small pull. It burns going down, but I don’t care. Tonight, I’m going to wallow in my self-pity and drink until I can’t see straight. I need to forget all the bad things I’ve done.

At least, that’s the plan.

The door opens, and I startle a little when I see Pike step in with a bag from the local restaurant. He looks at me and then at the bottle on the table in front of me.

“I see you found my good shit,” he says with a smile. “I brought you dinner.”

“Thank you. I’m not that hungry, though,” I tell him, my voice slurring slightly. I might be drunk already. Hell I’m not much of a drinker as it is.

“You’re drunk, my little Jailbait.”

“I’m drowning memories.” Is it hot in here all of a sudden? I feel like my body is on fire just because Pike walked into the room.

“Demons swim, darlin’. I’d know,” he tells me. I cock my head to the side and study him for a long second before I shake my head.

“Not mine. They are drowning.”

“You think so, but tomorrow they’ll still be there. You need to eat,” he declares, setting the bag on the table in front of me. Food is the last thing on my mind right now. I lick my lips and stand, throwing myself into his arms. I’m lucky he caught my drunken ass, or I’d be laid out on the floor right now. He chuckles and wraps his arms around me, holding me against him.

“What am I gonna do with you, Jailbait?”

“You could fuck me.” Pike pulls back a little to look down at me, and I see the feral look in his eyes. He’s so fucking gorgeous, and I can’t get enough of him.

“You’re so drunk. You don’t talk to me like that,” he says as he looks at me.

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