Page 16 of RiffRaff's Reward

“Always am, and I may reach out to Clatter to put him on notice. I may need him as backup in case we find ourselves in hot water since he now lives in Texas. I know the state’s big as fuck and I have no clue how far away he is from Cedar Creek,” I say. “He retired from the Raiders when I was indisposed. Best fucking brother I’ve ever had since we grew up together.”

“Might not be a bad idea,” Wrecker muses. “Just know that Kodiak will be taking point.”

“Got no problem with that, brother,” I reply. “I’m just a patch.”

“We’re hoping that if all goes well, we can form an alliance with them because Kodiak was mentioning they were looking to establish roots. Wouldn’t hurt to have them available if something comes up for either of our chapters.”

“Yeah, it’s always good to have friends available to reach out to in times of trouble. Anticipated or otherwise. Hell, if they become allies with us, I’m sure Brick won’t have a problem if they’re ever in our neck of the woods and need a place to crash, but that’ll be up to him, of course.”

One of the prospects comes over and after I nod at him, he hands me my key fob and says, “It’s all gassed up, the fluids are topped off, we’ve already put your bag in the back, have your bike loaded on the trailer and locked in tight. We just have to get the cooler from the ol’ ladies and then you’ll be set to go.”

“Appreciate it, prospect,” I tell him, slipping my fob into my cut. I won’t wear it while in the cage, of course, but it’s a habit at this point. There’s also a small key attached that I know fits the lock on the trailer.

He leaves and I ask, “Anything else you can think of that I need to know?”

“Not off the top of my head, brother. If anything comes up, I’ll reach out,” Dragon replies.

I stand and hit the table with my fist. “Then I’m off to make a quick stop before hitting the road. With any luck, we’ll have her and the kids home by Christmas.”

“Safe travels, brother. Keep the pavement beneath your feet and your bike sunny side up,” Wrecker remarks, something I’ve heard him say numerous times when one of the brothers goes on a run for the club. I knock knuckles with them before heading to the truck where the prospect is shutting the door after securing the cooler in the passenger seat. We nod heads at each other in passing before I jump in and fire up the engine.

As I look around, I mentally go through my checklist to ensure I have all I’ll need and don’t see my thermos. “Shit, need that,” I murmur, snapping my fingers. My thermos is one of those old school ones that keeps the contents hot for quite a few hours. I get out of the truck while leaving it running and am nearly to the clubhouse door when it opens and Ryleigh comes flying through, the thermos clutched in her arms.

“Oh, I’m so glad I caught you! I wanted to make sure it was fresh, so we brewed another pot and had to make sure it was ready to go for you, RiffRaff,” she says.

I take it from her hands, lean down and kiss her cheek and say, “Thanks, Ryleigh. See y’all soon.”

CHAPTER NINE

RiffRaff

I calledJilly once I was in the truck and found out she was almost home with Kimber, so I offered to grab food for an early dinner. I’m sure since I used the phrase ‘we’ve gotta talk’ that she’s probably worried that I’m going to end it with her, but that is so far from the truth it’s not even funny. After pulling into her driveway and parking the truck, I see the curtain move slightly and know either she or Kimber are watching.

Once I have the bags in my hand, I walk to the steps that lead to her porch, then can’t help the grin that crosses my face when I see her standing in the open doorway. “Hey, sweetheart,” I say as I make my way to her and lean down for a kiss.

“Oh, Kimber’s going to be so happy,” she says once I pull back. “She loves this chicken. And I am over the moon because I don’t have to cook tonight, thanks to you.”

“Glad I’m making your day easier, darlin’,” I reply as I close the door behind us and follow her into the kitchen.

“I wasn’t sure what you were getting so I didn’t get out any plates yet. Kimber!” she hollers. “Come set the table, sweetie.”

“Okay, Mom,” she yells back, already flying down the stairs.

A brief spasm of pain hits me, wondering if when Ryleigh was a teenager she was like this, all long legs and gawky angles. She’s beginning to lose her childish appearance, which Jilly has lamented about a few times, but still has a wide-eyed wonder about her and I mentally vow to protect her from everything that goes bump in the night. Because my beautiful daughter-in-law wasn’t protected, and neither was Kracken’s Moira.

Granted, Ryleigh was still innocent and hadn’t been assaulted like Moira was, but she was beyond naive about life and the world itself. I thought my boy was going to go crazy waiting for her to ‘grow up’ a little so she could decide what she wanted, because he was willing to claim her practically sight unseen once he was given the vision that she was foretold to be his.

“Hey, RiffRaff,” Kimber says as she passes me and heads into the butler’s pantry. “Paper plates okay tonight, Mom?”

“That works for me, no major cleanup then,” Jilly teases. “I must’ve been good today or something, not having to cook dinner and no dishes. I best write this down in my journal.”

I chuckle while Kimber giggles as Jilly pours iced tea for me and Kimber and water for herself. I’ve noticed that while she enjoys the occasional glass of wine or mixed drink, she mostly drinks water, which is probably why her skin is so soft and clear. Shrugging, I sit at the table when she motions for me to do so and grab the napkins to put at each of our places.

Our places.

Those two words resonate inside of me while Jilly and Kimber make their plates before I finally make mine. Not for the first time, I feel like I’m part of this tiny family and can’t wait until the time I can make it even more permanent by asking Jilly to marry me.

“Soon,”my mind whispers.

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