Page 25 of Property of Indiana

“Excuse me?” Zoey interrupts. “I’m not a dog who did a grandiose trick and y’all need to praise, thank you very much.”

“Okay, where did that come from?” I ask, scratching the back of my head. “What did you say to my old lady, man? She’s not making any sense.”

“She’s delirious, brother,” Rip explains. “She just discovered she’ll never understand a damn one of us nor will she be able to wrangle us in when we need it the most.”

“I’m going to be the mother to a bunch of adult delinquents,” she spouts. “Riptide, can I put in a request?”

“Depends on what it is,” he answers.

“I need a cattle prod so I can zap these guys when they get out of hand. It’s the only way I’ll be able to spank them without hurting my hands. They’re delicate, you know?”

“Come on, baby. I think we need to get you home and pull out your stash of wine. It sounds like after your revelation you’ll need it,” I state, picking her up before walking into her office, grabbing her purse and keys, and nodding to Rip. “Wanna get the door for me, brother? After all, she wasn’t like this when I left her here this morning. Technically speaking, this is your doing.”

“Mine?” he sputters, pointing to his chest. “How the hell is this my fault?”

“I don’t know. Tell me what you said to her and I’ll fill you in,” I return.

“Mr. President, sir! You still didn’t give me an answer about that cattle prod,” she calls over my shoulder.

“Sorry, darlin’, but why don’t we table that discussion for later? You may have the Midas touch and won’t be needing anything… equipment wise to get the men to step into line.” I glance over at him and squint my eyes. I’m all about the kinky shit, but with the way my life goes, I’d get the holy hell shocked out of me if she gets a wild hair up her ass.

In response to my narrowed eyes, Rip raises his hands up and shrugs. Bastard.

“Alright. We’ll table it for now,but… I want the right to revisit the topic later if the need arises,” she decrees with a hard dip of her head. “I’ll let you know.”

“I appreciate that,” Rip chuckles.

“I’m not sure if the two of you should be left alone in a room anymore,” I grumble, ready to get the fuck outta here before I find myself a test subject of that impending prod tool.

Not today, Satan. Not. To-day!

After following my old lady home and kissing her senseless at her front door, I came back to the clubhouse to finish working on some things that’d been neglected since Zoey and Elodie have come into my life and became my number one priority. At the present time, I’m relaxing at the bar with a cold bottle of beer when Riptide pulls out the stool beside me, tossing his leg over it, and settles into it.

“Good trip?” I ask, bringing the lip of the bottle to my mouth and taking a gulp.

“Yes and no,” he rasps out. “Settled a few things, but I’ve got some bad news to give you, Indiana.”

With how defeated his voice sounds, my walls go up, preparing to hear whatever bad news he’s fixing to share with me. “Everyone alright?”

When he raps his knuckles on the bar to get the prospect who’s currently managing its attention and lifts his fingers in the air indicating we need two shots, my breath momentarily escapes my lungs. His face falls further as the shots are placed before us. Knowing he needs a minute to prepare himself, I shoot the whiskey when he does and run my fingers through my shaggy, overgrown hair. But Zoey likes it and made me swear I wouldn’t cut it so I’m dealing with it. Getting bad news sucks, butunfortunately, this isn’t the first time and it won’t be the last time that sort of information gets delivered.

“Who’d we lose, Rip?”

“Gage,” he informs me, his voice rough and broken.

Memories flash before my eyes of when we were teenagers and I joined their group. At first, I didn’t think there’d be room for me to fit into the fold, but they quickly squashed that way of thinking and pulled me in like I’d always been there. Rafe, Isla, Gage, and Rip were a formidable foursome. I was intimidated by their closeness there for a while, until I found my footing. I grin when I recall Zoey wanting a cattle prod because if she really wants one, Rafe or Rio as he’s known in the club, will definitely have one he’ll get to her. Of that, I’m positive. Either him or Issy, because she’s another force to be reckoned with, that’s for sure.

Now I want to make a trip south so I can introduce Rio to my old lady and daughter. Somehow, I think the two of them would have a blast on the ranch. My desire dims when it dawns on me that Icer will likely insist on going since his princess would be there. Somehow, I don’t think Rio will put up with the shit Icer pulls from time to time. Although… I suspect he and BamBam might have a lot in common, even though as teens when they first met didn’t hang out or see eye to eye. I decide to put that on the back burner since I need to know what happened to Gage.

“How’d it happen? Most importantly, why weren’t we called in?” I ask, my entire body vibrating in anger. I wasn’t as close to Gage as I was with the others, but he was an important part of my history. We lost our virginity at the same party and bonded over it for fuck’s sake! I’m now kicking myself in the ass for not staying in contact with him, it’s been at least two years since I’ve seen or talked to him.

“He betrayed the club,” Rip confesses, and I rear back from the blow.

“Rafe had to take him out?” I continue, shaking my head in disbelief. I can’t even imagine putting myself in his shoes. Those two were tight. Close like brothers and not the kind that share our cut. They may not have shared blood, but you’d have never known it if you’d spent time around them.

“No, thank fuck. I know he could’ve done it and would have done it if it came down to it, but the Mojave fuckers shot at Rafe and Gage jumped in front of it and took the bullet for him,” Rip explains.

I want to ask how Gage betrayed the club, but I’m not sure if my heart could take it on top of learning that we lost him. I can’t rectify the fact that he’d be capable of doing anything that goes against the club and his friends. And Rafe and Issy, they were his family, chosen by him when he decided to kick rocks from his abusive household. His mother was a snake, forked tongue and all. She was a bitch with a capital B. Always choosing men, booze, and drugs over her son. Thank fuck for Paps because he pulled Gage into the family without a second thought.

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