Page 80 of Twice the Rivalry

“Good thing you don’t act like one,” she heard Copper call out from somewhere behind him.

Taz ignored him. “So spill. What kind of shenanigans have you and Xena been up to? And even better, do you have it on video?” She grinned and gave him a quick rundown on everything that had been going on in the past couple weeks. By the time she was done, and had told him about her recent session with the twins, he said seriously, “Don’t worry, babe. Those girls are made of strong stuff, and they’ll thank you. Might not be right away, but they will. You did the right thing.”

She really hoped he was right. Her door suddenly opened and she looked up, startled and on alert. She glared at Code when he walked in, smirking at her. “Excuse me, asshole, ever heard of knocking?” she demanded.

“Just returning the favor,” he returned smugly.

“What’s going on?” Taz asked, drawing her attention back.

“Nothing, just Code being an ass,” she said absently, still glaring at said man. “What do you want, Code?”

“The guys are heading out, so we need to go over some shit,” he said. “And that includes you. So hurry your ass up and get downstairs.”

“I don’t answer to you,” she tossed back.

“Are you looking to get your ass slapped?” he asked.

“Try it and see what happens, caveman,” she snapped, narrowing her eyes at him.

“Don’t tempt me, kitten,” he returned evenly. “Now hurry up or I’ll come and drag your ass downstairs. Then I’ll put you up on a tall shelf and leave you there until we’re done.” Then he turned and walked out, leaving the door open.

She glared after him, a part of her wanting to laugh, another part wanting to run after him and kick his ass, and the final part of her wanted to go out there and jump his bones. It was a strange mixture. She heard Taz snort, drawing her attention back to him. “Yeah, you’re not affected at all. I can practically feel you getting horny through the phone,kitten,” he taunted with a sneer.

“Fuck off, asswipe,” she said without much heat. “I need to go and see what the hell is going on, and I think it’s time for a reminder of just what I will and won’t allow around here when it comes to him.”

He snickered. “You do that, kitten.”

“Call me kitten again and the next time I see you, it will be my knife in your balls, shithead,” she warned him with a sugary sweetness in her voice that made him snort.

“Fine, fine. But if you knife him, I want picture proof. In the meantime, get ready for our call in ten hours for the extraction, then we’ll be on our way back tomorrow. Got it?”

“Got it.” They hung up, and she blew out a breath. Irritation beat through her at being summoned this way, but she also wanted to know what the hell was going on. So she stood up and headed out of her room, shutting and locking the door behind her. Then, as she passed Code’s door, she got an idea and quickly let herself into his room.

By the time she made it downstairs, she was smug at the knowledge that she had once again gotten the upper hand with Code. She had gotten complacent, lost in the dick fog, and now her mind was clear. Time to remind Code that he wasn’t top dick. She was looking forward to seeing his reaction.

Tom saw her and said, “They’re in Church waiting for you.”

She nodded and headed in, shutting the door behind her. Everyone looked at her, and Code gave her an arched look when her gaze connected with his. She smirked at him, uncaring. “Well, aren’t I lucky,” she remarked to the room at large. “Invited back into the inner sanctum once again. To what do I owe the pleasure, Mr. President?” she asked Savage, taking the empty seat waiting for her.

Savage rolled his eyes. “Now that you’ve finally decided to join us,” he started.

“Uh uh, not doing that,” she interrupted, giving him a cool look. “I was on the phone with my team, my club. You don’t get to act like I was wasting your time doing shit that you consider frivolous. I wasn’t braiding my damn hair.”

Savage eyed her and then gave her a curt nod. “Fine. Now that you’re done talking with your team, we’ve invited you in because we have a few things to go over. Karissa is over at the bar, but I’ve given Razor permission to share this part with her before we leave.”

“Lucky us,” she chirped. He gave her a warning look. She rolled her eyes. “Fine, fine, you can cool it with the scary look. I’ll be quiet now.”

“That’ll be the day,” she heard Ink mutter, making her turn to pin him with a cold glare. He held it, but only for a moment before he looked away. Good, it was time that everyone remembered just who she was.Whatshe was, she corrected herself.

“Alright, let’s get through this quickly,” Savage announced. “This run should only take about four hours total, but we need to be prepared for everything.” He glanced at Code and then at her. “Glitch, Code is going to be going with us for this one, so we’ll need you here, running comms and security for us if there are any problems. You good with that?”

She pursed her lips. “What kind of problems are we talking, and what exactly am I needed to do?” He looked over at Rogue, who gave a slight shake of his head. Anger burned in her gut, but she managed to keep her voice even. “You want me to run interference and be on the comms, you tell me what the hell is going on or I’m not doing it,” she told them firmly. “If we’re talking about a job where someone could be seriously hurt or killed, I won’t go in blind. You don’t want to tell me the whole scope of the job, fine, but I need to know what I’m dealing with at minimum.” She narrowed her eyes and said coldly, “And I don’t appreciate you bringing me into something last minute and using me as some kind of back-up. That is how things go wrong, and I don’t need that on my conscience.”

“We weren’t going to bring you in at all,” Savage replied darkly. “But the plans have changed, and we need some more men. Since you’re here, and you have experience with this kind of thing, we figured you would be able to handle it. But if you can’t…”

Insult and fury were a dangerous mix when she was already feeling far too many other emotions. And she was equally pissed Code hadn’t given her heads up about this. Then again, what did she think was going to happen? This club was committed to its bros-before-hos mentality. “You think insulting me is going to get me to help you?” she asked quietly, her eyes never leaving Savage’s. “Let’s call a spade a spade shall we? You didn’t want to involve a woman in your club business, nevermind that she is a patched member of another club. But now, you’re stuck with no other choice so you’re going to suck it up. Not because you value my expertise, but because that’s your only option.”

“Jesus Christ, this is exactly why I didn’t want to involve you,” Savage snapped. “You’re taking everything too goddamn personal. It’s a job, Glitch. You may not like how we run our club, but while you’re here, you damn well need to respect it. You’re a woman, and we don’t involve women in our club business unless absolutely necessary. That’s how it is, and I’m not explaining it again. If you want to help us, fine; if you don’t, then that’s fine too. But I don’t want to hear any more bitching and complaining from you about how I run this club. Got it?”

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