Page 17 of Dagger

My gut hardened at the resignation in Abe’s voice, and I turned to him. “Church meet in one hour. Call the men with families. Give them the choice to lock their women and kids down either at home or here.”

“Gotcha,” he muttered, turning and stalking toward the clubhouse, pulling his cell out as he went.

“Cash, Bowie, Breaker,” I called. “We need a family pow-wow. Gotta lot to fill you in on. Best we get Freya on FaceTime, too. My office in ten minutes,” I ordered just as my hand shot out, grabbing Elise’s elbow. “We need to talk.”

“Don’t fuckin’ think so,” Atlas scraped out, sliding a hand across Elise’s shoulders and pulling away from me. “Promised my Stitch I’d take Elise’s back. You’ve got club shit to sort.”

My head reared back. “What the fuck, brother?”

Atlas’s brow lifted. “My mother-in-law, so my responsibility. You wanna speak to her, you do it when you’ve cooled down, and you do it with respect. I’m takin’ her back like I promised my ol’ lady I would. Gives you time to sort club business and calm your fuckin’ tits. If I deem it acceptable, and Elise agrees, I may allow you to have a little talk with her later.” A slow grin spread across his face. “We’ll have to see how chatty she feels.”

Raising a hand, I jabbed a finger in Atlas’s chest. “Need I remind you that your ol’ lady is my daughter?”

His white teeth gleamed through his beard. “I got there first. She may be your daughter, but I’m her ol’ man and husband. Her pink slip was transferred over to me at the Little Chapel of Love in Vegas just over a year ago. I call the shots.”

Elise tipped her head back and gazed up at Atlas. “Did you just refer to my daughter as your possession?”

He grinned down at her. “Yip. Same as I’m hers and Belle’s.”

Elise’s lips stretched into a smile, and she beamed up at him. “Oh, I love that for her.”

Atlas smiled back at her. “How ya feelin’?” he asked gently.

“Honestly? Like my knees are about to give way,” she replied softly. “My ribs are aching like a bitch.”

“I’ll get you inside to rest.” Atlas braced, taking Elise’s weight as he turned her for the clubhouse, calling, “Later,” as he slowly helped my woman across the lot with Colt.

My eyes glued to Elise’s swinging ass as she walked away, and I yelled, “Elise!”

She craned her neck, her green eyes hitting mine.

“We’re gonna talk about shit,” I vowed. “I’ll give you today to get your bearings, but you can't hide forever.”

Atlas tugged her away. He was in protective asshole mode, which meant I’d be lucky to get close enough to Elise to say hi. It looked like I’d have a battle on my hands.

Fuck.

My boys crowded around me.

“You’re gonna have trouble with him,” Cash muttered.

I raised my hand to my beard and rubbed it. “No doubt. You know how territorial he gets. Elise and me gotta hash our shit out. He can’t whisk her away every time I get too close.”

Kit grinned. “She gave Henderson what for.”

“She always was lippy in the best of ways,” I muttered.

“You getting’ in there again?” Bowie asked.

“I haven’t forgotten her in thirty years. We weren’t together physically, but that was just geography.”

Abe waggled his eyebrows knowingly. “Think our SAA will have somethin’ to say about that.”

“Atlas is the least of our worries,” Kit cut in. “We’ve got the dirty local law enforcement on our asses, a town mayor who’s involved in God only knows what, and a rival MC with links to the same dirty shit as said mayor.”

Bowie rested a hand on my shoulder before muttering the same words I’d been thinking since Elise turned up at my club, battered and bruised.

“I think we can safely assume that shit’s about to get real.”

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