Page 81 of Daughters of Chaos

My answer makes her lips curl at the edges. It's not her usual smile and I know whatever they were discussing before must be weighing heavy on her mind. It makes me feel like an ass for not paying attention, but I couldn't help it. All the shitty updates we've been getting on the Bastards have only made my mood worse the last few days.

They've been quiet. Too quiet. Laying low after the bar fire, but no news isn't good news when it comes to them. It only sets us all more on edge, waiting for the next shoe to drop. It's excruciating.

Raptor launches back into business mode, laying out the plan for the club until Viper gets back. Hold down the fort, keep an eye on the remaining businesses, don't do anything reckless, and watch your back.Such an uplifting message.

At least some good news has come out of this—Viper and the others will be back tomorrow. If all goes well with the Devils, they'll be bringing some friends along. We just have to sit tightfor one more day. Less than twenty-four hours and we can breathe a little easier.

Dom's crew won't know what hit them when we show up with a small army to take him and his guys out. This time next week, the Desert Bastards will be no more. As long as everything goes to plan.

49

Phoenix

Sweat coats my skin as I run through another round of self-defense practice with Rae, Lace, and the guys. We've been at it for hours now, trying to soak in every ounce of knowledge we can before Dad and the others get back. Everyone knows once that happens, all bets are off. The club will make their big move against Dom's crew, hopefully putting an end to this war once and for all.

Whatever we can learn now will help us defend ourselves should anything go wrong. I hope so, anyway. With Rae's teaching, I feel pretty confident now, but you never know how low your opponent will stoop when they're desperate to win.

"Alright, Nix. Use that momentum and sweep his legs like I showed you," my sister calls out as I spar with Archie in our makeshift ring in the living room.

He tries to move out of the way before I can strike, but he's a second too slow. I do exactly as Raven showed us, kicking my legs beneath his, sending him sprawling onto the floor with a loud huff. Archie groans as everyone else lets out loud whoops and cheers at his expense.

"Great job, Nix," Raven shouts as Mason helps me up.

I smile at her, proud of what I've accomplished tonight. "You looked hot, babe," Mason whispers in my ear, shooting me a smoldering look. "My own little badass."

If I wasn't already burning up, I for sure would be now. The way his eyes spear me with such intensity always makes my heart race. No matter how much time has passed, I can never seem to get enough of him. The MC war is suddenly the last thing on my mind. One look from my tattooed bad boy has me forgetting we're in a room full of people and ready to jump his bones.

Mason bites his lip, pulling me into his side as Jesse and Bones start ribbing Archie. "Dude, she kicked your ass," Bones laughs as Jesse helps him off the floor.

"She's so small, and she took you down like you were nothing."

Archie flips them off, grumbling as he brushes off his jeans. "Yeah, well, she's fast. And surprisingly strong."

"And only half your size," Bones cackles.

"Shut up, dude. Lace almost knocked you out earlier," Archie retorts.

Gaping at his fellow prospect, Bones pouts, "She got a lucky shot. I didn't see her punch coming. I had something in my eye."

Jesse doubles over laughing. "Yeah, tears from when she kicked you earlier."

Stitch smirks at the prospect as he throws an arm over Lace's shoulders, making her blush. "Again, I'm so sorry I gave you a black eye," she tells Bones.

He shrugs her apology off, trying to be cool about their spar a while ago. "It barely hurt."

Archie shakes his head, rolling his eyes as the guys continue to bicker. I look across the room at Raven. She's leaning against the wall, watching the scene before us play out with a small smile of her own. I know she's been stressed lately. We all have, but seeing her lighten up a bit now, makes me feel a tiny bit better.

The playful energy in the room has replaced the looming darkness and tension we all felt earlier. We're in a waiting game now, holding our breath until Dad gets back. All hoping the Bastards don't make any more moves until then. Less than a day now, and that wait will be over.

Mason heard from Bear a while ago. Things went well with the Devils, and they struck up a deal to send several of their guys here to help out with Dom's crew. They already have a plan in place. We just have to wait for them to get back before setting things in motion.

It's almost over.

Raven looks over at me with a look that says she's thinking the same thing. A bit longer now, and we can go back to living our lives without constantly looking over our shoulders. She crosses an X over her heart, and I return the gesture.

It's almost over.

An hour later, we clean up and start digging into dinner. Everyone's mood is much improved from this morning. The playfulness that filled the air after our lesson is still coursing through us all. Something to be grateful for.

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