Page 54 of Hard as Stone
“Oh, my god.” The relief hits me so hard I sag against Axel. “They’ve sent new plans for the stormwater system. Proper ones, sized for actual drainage instead of...” I swallow hard. “Instead of whatever Summit had planned.”
“They’ll be plenty pissed about that,” Lee says, pausing to swallow the food in his mouth. “But we’ve at least slowed them down some more. Showed those assholes they can’t come waltzing into our town and do whatever they want without the good people of Stoneheart getting in their way.”
“And the best part?” Axel adds, a hint of smugness in his tone. “Summit’s going to be so busy explaining their original plans,that’ll it’ll give the MC time to move forward with some ofourplans.”
“What plans?” I ask, narrowing my eyes at him. “You better not be keeping more secrets from me, Road Captain.”
He kisses my temple. “No more secrets, trouble. Duck’s been working hard to buy up properties on the west side through those shell companies. We’re going to lease them back to the original owners at fair rates, keep Summit from pushing people out of their homes and businesses.”
“Kind of like what you did for me and my brothers?”
“Exactly.”
“We use shell companies so Summit doesn’t know it’s us,” Cash points out, and I nod my understanding.
“Smart.”
“Plus,” Stone adds, “with Bennett Construction now working with us legitimately, we can start making real improvements to the neighborhood. Fix all of Summit’s stalled jobs that were meant to drive people away.”
“You know what I love most about you guys?” I say, looking around the table at these people who’ve quickly become my family. “How fiercely protective you are of this community.”
“That’s what the MC has always been about,” Stone says, his voice carrying that quiet authority. “We look after our own. Always have, always will.”
“When my cousin took off and left me to raise her kids,” Andi speaks up, bouncing Adam on her knee, “the club stepped in without hesitation. They didn’t just help me keep a roof overour heads. They became the family we needed. Hawk with his dinosaur pancakes, Steel playing fairy princess...” She smiles at me. “That’s what the MC really is—a family that shows up when everything else falls apart.”
Duck nods. “West side’s got good people. Hard workers. They deserve better than being pushed out by some corporation that sees them as nothing but numbers on a spreadsheet.”
“That’s why the garage expansion is so important,” Hawk chimes in. “It’ll bring more jobs to the area, give people a chance to build something here instead of being forced to leave.”
“Plus,” Lee adds with a grin, “it’ll really piss off Summit when we start buying up every property they want from right under their noses.”
I lean into Axel’s side, warmth spreading through my chest as I watch these tough, leather-clad men discuss community development with the same intensity they bring to everything else. “My dad never understood this,” I say softly. “He was so focused on the money, on making it big, that he forgot what really matters.”
Axel’s arm tightens around me. “And what’s that, trouble?”
“Family. Community. Having people who’ve got your back no matter what.” I look up at him, my heart full. “Having someone who loves you enough to teach you how to spell ‘motorcycle’ correctly.”
Duck stabs at his waffle with exaggerated dignity. “I’ll have you know that patch design was intentionally avant garde. A statement about breaking free from societal constraints like proper spelling.”
“Is that right?” I grin over my coffee cup. “And here I thought you just forgot the ‘c’.”
“You people don’t appreciate good art,” Duck mutters, his ears turning red. “Besides, I didn’t hear any of you complaining when the patches first came out.”
Tank snorts into his coffee. “We were too scared of Maggie to say anything. Woman’s got a mean right hook.”
“And bedazzled underwear,” Lee adds with a smirk. “Don’t forget those rhinestone boy shorts with the misspelled patch on the back.”
“Those sold like hotcakes at the rally!” Duck protests as the table dissolves into laughter.
“Hey now,” Axel tries to defend, but I cut him off.
“You guys had no idea it was spelled wrong. You all wore it without realizing.” I gesture around the table. “I saw the freak out when you all realized with my own eyes.”
Lee almost spits waffles everywhere. “She’s got us there.”
“OK. That’s it.” In one smooth move, Axel stands and tosses me over his shoulder, just like he did that first night. “Time to remind my old lady who’s in charge around here.”
“Put me down!” I laugh, not meaning it at all. “I have important construction plans to review!”
