Page 69 of Daddy Issues

“Text Jester’s burner his address and let us know as soon as you have a date for that run.” And with that, Cam was out in thesunshine, grinning and teasing the Lawnmower Jay like I hadn’t just beat a guy’s ass in his barn.

“What do I say about this?” He gestured to his bloody face.

Cam tossed him a twenty. “Go to the cafe, have a slice of pie. Then tell them when you see them, you ran into Kenna’s ole man. He’s already fucked a few of them up. It’ll be believable, and Ro will back it if anyone asks.”

Ghost nodded and ducked back into the shadows of the barn as I followed Cam out. He moved like he wasn’t in any hurry but still ate up the gravel until we got out of earshot of Ghost and Lawnmower Jay.

“Brother…” Cam drawled the word and followed it up with a pissed off half-laugh. “Get your shit together. You owe Jay for the busted shit in the barn.”

“Tell him to bill me.” I sighed, because he had stopped to study me, like he couldn’t decide if I was serious. “You weren’t there, didn’t see...” Anger clenched my jaw so tight the words came out more of a growl. Not just the Fall Fest, but memories of the frat house after the Desert Lights rave.

Cam lit a cigarette, took a slow drag, let it out, and brought his gaze to mine. There were times the pretty boy could look as innocent as his girl, times he could look god-damned feral—like that day she left with Preacher. Then there were times he looked so fucking mean even a rattlesnake would duck for cover. “You don’t want the world thinking she’s a pass around, stop making her one.”

Were the hood of the van not between us, I’d have swung on him.

“Piss you off? Good. Because shewashis. Then you and Jester have her off in a room together, she’s living in the apartment above your shop, and you’re all over her at the clubhouse. Now, you’re taking her out on dates. Make it legit, make it real, orstop acting like a rutting bull and punching everyone who calls a spade a fucking spade.”

Rage distorted my vision into bright flashes of white, blocking out everything. I backed it down. Kicking Cam’s ass would cost me my patch.

But worse, he was right. And out of any of us, he’s the one who would know what this felt like. He’d fought me like a wild man over Riley.

“Wife that shit up, Puck.” Cam smacked the hood and opened the driver’s door. “And go compensate Jay so we can get the fuck out of here.”

***

“I guess I’ll be working all night.” Jester complained as we walked in, his glare aimed at Cam for calling everyone back to the clubhouse.

“Get that address from Ghost?” Cam ignored the bitching and moaning.

“Yeah.” He leaned against the bar.

The clubhouse was empty, save for the table, making the privacy of the chapel unnecessary.

“Driver of the black Challenger from the night Chop got jumped is Jerry Wayne’s kid, Harlan. That address is where we’ll find him.”

AP stood and stretched, wincing a little. “What are we going to do about it? I’m guessing you’ve already got an idea, since we’re all here.”

Cam’s grin was wide and mean. “Ivan’s riding up for the vote, patching over…lets get Gunnar to come up early too.”

Gunnar Waite would take over as White Pines president when Ivan joined us.

Kicked back in the closest booth, Drop Top crinkled up his ugly face and smiled for what felt like the first time. “If you can make it happen, I like where your head is at.”

As Cam told us, I couldn’t help but laugh. The dude was a menace if you gave him enough time to think. Apparently, the ride over had been enough time. Beating Jerry Wayne at his own game was one thing, rubbing his face in shit for the hell of it was another.

“Get some of the guys together,” AP directed Merc and me after Cam relayed the rest of what Ghost had said. “When they make that fentanyl run, I want it disrupted. Use Gunnar as a distraction.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Cam turned around to leave. “Now that I’ve wasted my day with you fucks, I’m going to go get laid.”

“Rub it in, why don’t you,” Jester drawled as he stood. “Because unless the current client gets real cool about shit, real fast, it ain’t happening for me.”

Everyone rolled out together, like we hadn’t just plotted to dismantle a redneck drug operation. We’d done worse, I supposed. And I still had time to run home and hang out with the kid before going to work. And maybe I’d see Kenna.

That idea left me lighter than I’d been all day. Cam had told me to make it official, and fuck if I didn’t want to.

But what about her?

Kenna

---