Page 153 of Dagger

Twenty-five men rode out to the Sinners’ compound early that morning. But a lot more had stayed at the clubhouse for the last week, lying low. We’d caught two Sinners on the cameras spying on the clubhouse, so we showed them exactly what we wanted them to see. We had a full house, three men to each room, sleeping bags, and blow-up beds down the Cell. Food trucks pulled up, but instead of bringing kitchen supplies, they delivered more guns and a shit ton of ammo. The standing joke amongst the men was that we had the best DoorDash ever.

We were a club grieving over the loss of two well-loved family members, three if you counted Fender needing a time-out. Still, we’d learned our lesson when it came to being unprepared and were ready to go.

The bar was full of men and ol’ ladies. The women and kids were grabbing bottles of water and food and filing down theCell. My gaze went to the bar where Wildcat and Kennedy were handing out blankets and making sure the kids had toys and games to take downstairs.

I stuck my thumb and index finger in my mouth and let out a piercing whistle. “Wildcat!”

My woman turned to me so sharply that her gorgeous, glossy hair flew out around her head. “It better not be me you just whistled at, asshole,” she bit out. “I’m not a fucking dog.”

My cock thickened, and a slow grin spread across my face.

Cara fucking Landry was one sexy bitch. Most of the time, I did shit like whistle at her just to make her pop off at me. I loved it when she gave me lip.

“Baby,” I drawled on my approach. “Get your sweet ass down the Cell.”

She cocked a hip. “I’m needed up here, Cash. I’m going to help Sophie and Elise with the wounded.”

I barked a laugh. “You puke at the sight of blood.”

“Don’t be an asshole,” she muttered. “I’ll make food.”

“You can’t fuckin’ cook,” I protested. “And since when was your coffee drinkable?”

Cara sniffed haughtily. “I can make picky plates and nachos. Any asshole can put Doritos on a plate and dollop guac on the side.”

I grabbed Cara’s hand and tugged her body against mine, smoothing her hair back from her face and nuzzling her nose with mine. Bending my neck, I took my woman’s mouth in a hard, open-mouthed kiss before pulling back. “Get down the Cell.”

She opened her mouth to answer back but must’ve seen something in my expression that stopped her in her tracks because instead of biting my head off, she murmured, “Be careful, Cash.”

“I’ll be fine,” I assured her with a confidence I didn’t necessarily feel. “I’ll be expecting a victory fuck later.”

Cara rolled her eyes. “You’ve got more chance of hitting oil than my pussy.”

Leaning down again, I whispered, “Marry me,” against her soft, puffy lips.

“No,” she whispered back.

“Are you ever gonna say yes?” I asked, pulling back.

“You gotta stop asking, Cash. No girl wants to say yes to someone who’s so clearly desperate.”

“I’ll get a ring on your finger one day,” I vowed.

Her pretty brown eyes misted over, and she leaned up, kissing me softly. “I’ll think about it, but you have to survive this first. You can do this, Cash. I believe in you. Your dad wouldn’t leave you in charge if he didn’t think you could handle it.”

My chest warmed.

Cara knew my insecurities. I often felt inferior because I’d never been in the military like Dad, Kit, or the other ninety percent of the men in the club. I’d always regretted my decision to stay home and whoop it up.

It was the biggest mistake of my life because instead of going into the military, I went to goddamned prison, and what a humbling experience that turned out to be.

Still, I learned some tricks there that my military brothers didn’t know.

“I love you, asshole,” she whispered. “Stay safe.”

I returned her kiss, biting gently on her bottom lip, then releasing it with a pop. “Love you, too. Down to my blood and bones.” My stare lifted to see Sophie and Elise approaching.

Not for the first time, I marveled at the woman my dad called the love of his life.

---