Page 181 of Patching Over

I giggle when I hear her switch her words and realize the kids must be nearby for her to do so. “I hate to hear that, to be honest. Wish Angel was closer to help.”

“Yeah, me too,” Selah says, swiping under her eye. “Now, why didn’t anyone tell me that Scythe is kind of a wimp?”

We lean in closer, and she tells us about their trip to Texas and the story she told, as well as how Scythe reacted. Selah starts snickering then states, “I have an idea.” Since we’re all practically on top of each other, she lays out her plan.

“I think that’s perfect,” I reply once we lean back. “Let’s do it after the patch-in party since we’re having a cookout to celebrate. Oh, did y’all see the links for the houses Hawg found? We picked one out but will stay in Kracken’s room until it’s delivered and set up.”

By the time the men are done with church, we’re all feeling a bit… tipsy. Kracken, seeing my loose, relaxed expression, scoops me up and without another word, carries me off to his room, where he shows me, over and over again, what I mean to him.

And I love every minute of it.

CHAPTER

TWENTY-TWO

Kracken

It takes two weeks for Hawg, Selah, and Beast to work their magic, both the otherworldly shit as well as the computer stuff, to get Dragon and Wrecker out of jail. While it was definitely a pain in the ass, especially since practically every single day more houses arrive to be set up, we were able to get all the new cuts made, as well as the signage for our clubhouse. Butcher decided to wait until they find somewhere to land while they plot how they’re going to get their home in Cedar Creek back.

“Are you ready for this?” Moira asks, walking up behind me and wrapping her arms around my waist as I stand in front of the mirror and shave.

“Yeah, babe. The end of an era, of course, which is kind of sad, but it honestly opens us up to unlimited possibilities.”

Turning to her, I wrap my arms around her and kiss her. “You know, Moira, the best thing that ever happened to me was on one of the worst days of my life. When I walked into that room and saw you lying there, I knew you were going to be mine. I vowed then to do whatever it took to help you heal.”

“You did, Kracken. I know I’ll probably have some bad days occasionally, but for the most part, it’s as if it happened to someone else, not me. Does that make sense?” she asks.

“Yeah, sweetheart. It does. I’m guessing that the bars might not have really held Dragon and Wrecker.”

“Physically they did, but they did come to me. My memories are all still there, but Dragon did something so they’re not as in my face as they once were. Like I told the other ol’ ladies, I’m blessed.”

“Me too, roisin. Are you ready to head out? Ceremony’s about to start at any time,” I tell her.

I’m glad, too, because not gonna lie, after all the years of wearing a cut, I have felt decidedly naked without any leather covering my back and I know my brothers feel the same way. I chuckle because most bikers are lucky to have one club they commit to and yet, I’ve been in the same place my whole life and this will be the third club I will be a part of, with the same brothers by my side.

She snickers. “Yeah, I’m more than ready.”

“Why do I feel like you’re up to something?” I ask. “Never mind, babe. Whatever has you smiling that way has me not caring what you may have up your sleeve.”

“Quite some time ago, we found out about the Fundamentalists of the Communion when one of our brothers in another chapter called Jingles and told him they took his sister,” Brick says. “When we finally tracked down Belle’s location, we found her best friend, Moira there as well. A bunch of other shit happened, some of it’s club business so I’m not gonna talk about that, butthanks to our brothers from Ankeny, as well as from Cleveland, we rescued both of them.”

Dragon picks it up and adds, “Since then, thanks to our IT brothers, as well as Selah, who’s a beast all on her own behind a keyboard, we’ve found that those fuckers are in every facet of life, from your garden-variety next-door suburbia type, all the way to those in law enforcement, including several of the alphabet agencies. Unfortunately for us in Cedar Creek, they seized our property and clubhouse, so we temporarily ‘gave’ them Cedar Creek and headed here.”

“A lot of meetings ensued between the officers of both chapters, because they tried the same fucking thing here,” Banshee states. “Except, that was foiled because our property is tribal land that’s held in trust, thanks to my parents, specifically my mother.”

“So, we decided we weren’t going to allow them to decimate the Royal Bastards MC, and also sent all of our cuts to the agents still milling around town,” Brick advises.

“And after we talked, we decided to create a new club so our RBMC brothers and sisters from other chapters around the globe are left alone by these extremists fucktards,” Butcher announces. “One that may have come about due to copious amounts of alcohol, but at the end of the day, we all felt that Imperial Knights was a good, strong name for a club that was determined to enact justice and do what it could to keep that kind of misogynistic bullshit from happening again.”

“Let’s hear it for the Imperial Knights MC!” Brick and Dragon yell out in unison. “All in favor of joining us in this new quest, please step forward and receive your new cut.” Pride envelops me as a roar breaks out through the crowd. Men, women, and children are cupping their hands as they scream, feet are pounding on the ground, and fists are pumped in the air.

As a unit, almost like we rehearsed, every man from both clubs firmly steps forward. I look around to see the ol’ ladies standing there, some wiping away their tears, while others are smiling so hard their cheeks look like they hurt.

“We’ve also got property cuts for our ol’ ladies. Can y’all come forward and stand in front of your old man?” Banshee asks.

Once my woman is in front of me, my arms circle her waist and I see out of my peripheral that my brothers are doing the same.

“The men that stand behind you do so to protect you and let you know that no matter what, they’ll always have your back. Those who are single, who stand on either side of y’all, will ensure that nothing catches you off guard,” Dragon says. “We may only have two chapters right now, but the future is definitely ours for the taking. We eventually want to return to Texas and reclaim our home, but until then, we’ll be right over the state line. Close enough to be available if anything comes up, but far enough away that we aren’t encroaching on each other.”

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