Page 59 of Menace

Ink nodded. “Yeah. It’s a boy and his name is Ryder, spelt R Y D E R, and she calls him Ry. She goes by Harper Delaney now. What was it before?”

All he could think about was that she had named her boy after her best friend, Rider. A good man and a good friend to her and her boy. Ryder Delaney, not a bad name for a boy.

He focused back on Ink’s question.

“Joney August. But that’s not her birth name. When I met her it was just a name. And bein’ away from home and thinkin’ it was just a hook-up I didn’t think to have Byte look into her.” He explained.

Dive suddenly leaned forward, pointing a finger at him and the two of them locked eyes.

“Remember when we talked about this. Remember what I said to you?”

“Yeah.”

“Then you need to go get her. It’s knockin’ on your door, brother. Don’t let her walk away. Don’t let your chance slip through your fingers, not again.”

“She’s not goin’ anywhere. Goin’ to claim her and put my patch on her back.”

Maniac’s next words had ice settling on his soul.

“Before we get carried away there’s somethin’ we’re forgettin’. Harper is now on cartel radar. According to the translation of the recordin’ Byte just shared with me the bitch is goin’ to have them kidnapped and sell both her and the baby. Harper will be sold to some perverted fucker and the baby will be put up for auction. That’s not all, she’s goin’ to have Lucky snatched and hand him over to Pablo Mendez, their interrogator. His reputation as a psychopath is well known, we can’t allow them to get their hands on Harper or Lucky.”

There were nods and growls of agreement from his brothers while his hands were like claws on the arms of his chair, holding him in place. Breathing in and out slow and easy he calmed enough to carry on listening to his president.

“We might have a bigger problem. If the cartel decide to dig into Mainline Ink they’re goin’ to uncover Joney’s disappearance from Cape Town. Even with all the shit done to throw everyone off her trail sooner or later they’re goin’ to connect Joney to Harper. If they do being a Salvatore might save her from bein’ sold but unfortunately Los Rojos have connections to the Italian mafia both here and in New York. I can almost guarantee they’ll let them know she’s been found and is under our protection. They in turn will reach out to Salvatore and we’ll have both the cartel and the fuckin’ Italians on our asses.”

Lucky surged to his feet shaking his head.

“Non(No). Not happenin’, I’m takin’ her and the baby and disappearin’ into the bayou. I’ll take them to my family; they’re not goin’ to let anyone get close. If the fuckers come lookin’ for them they’ll die. My uncles and cousins will keep her and the baby safe. I’ll come back to help fight the bastards. They aren’t puttin’ a hand on my woman or her kid.C’est la guerre(This is war).”

His prez watched him silently.

“Will your family be prepared to help with gettin’ rid of the garbage targetin’ us?”

Lucky shrugged.

“I don’t know, Prez. I’ll talk to my uncles, see what they have to say. It might cost us somethin’ in trade. For me, they’ll do whatever they have to do, because I’m family…for the club? I don’t think so. I will negotiate though.”

Grave laughed and shook his head.

“All the years I’ve been in Savannah this will be the first time the club, the Fortiers and the LeBlancs will be on the same side. Usually we piss them off when we use their waterways to transport our shit. Might be a good time to have a talk, arrange to be allies. Those Cajun bastards are like fucking ghosts on the water and in the bayous, and we could use some of that stealth.”

Lucky nodded in agreement. His mother’s family ran the bayous, the waterways, the swamps, everything along the coast from Georgia to Louisiana. That’s why he knew his woman would be safe. No one looked for shit with the Fortiers and the LeBlancs, you do and you pay the price, becoming food for the gators.

Joney, no, Harper, and her baby will be safe in the hidden fortress deep in the Louisiana bayou where hisMémé(grandmother) and aunties will pamper and spoil her and her child. Nodding to himself he settled on it as a plan.

He would be taking her to his family.

Once he knew she was safe he would re-join his club to rain down hell on Los Rojos and the Grave Robbers.

They needed to be exterminated like the cockroaches they were.

And then his president burst his bubble.

“You do know we have to give it time before we send her to your family? She can’t disappear right now, it will let them know we’re aware of their plans. We’re goin’ to have to let it ride for a while.”

“Fuck.” He knew his prez was right. Knew it but could hardly accept it.

His woman was going to be in danger while they dealt with the slut and the cartel.

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