“Fuck, he’s a wild bastard, but thank Christ he did what he did today,” Nash said as he slapped me on the back.

“Yeah,” I agreed. “Things should get back to some kind of order now.”

“I fuckin’ hope so, Griff.”

As King and the boys partied, I went in search of Scott. Finding him in his office, I closed the door behind me and said, “You okay?”

He sat back in his chair and drank some of his beer before replying. “Yeah, it’s just been a long day.”

“Did you get hold of Blade?”

“He’s on his way. Should be here any minute.”

I rubbed the back of my neck trying to get rid of the knots that wouldn’t shift. “Wilder’s run into some problems with the insurance on the restaurant so I’m gonna go over that with him tomorrow. Everything else is good – no issues at any of the other restaurants or Indigo. I’m thinking we can scale back the eyes we’ve got on everyone now that Ricky has been dealt with.”

“You should be right to do that because from what I’ve heard, Ricky’s second in charge isn’t looking in your direction for his death.” Blade’s voice came from the doorway and we turned to him. He entered and added, “Your boys are having a good time out there. How’s that all going?”

“We had a breakthrough today,” Scott said. “One of our members admitted to everyone that Marcus had lied about shit.”

“That should go a long way to you taking control,” Blade said, and we both nodded our agreement. “As far as Bond goes, I’ve got a guy doing time with him, and he owes me. We can set the hit up for this week.”

“Good,” said Scott.

The uneasy feeling in my gut didn’t ease at his words. It wouldn’t until Bond was dealt with once and for all. “Thanks, man,” I said to Blade, and he gave me a nod in return. I couldn’t help but think how much Storm’s relationship with him had changed in a year. He’d become one of our greatest allies.

Blade jerked his head in the direction of the bar. “You boys gonna have a drink?”

Scott nodded as he stood. “Yeah, I’m gonna hang around for awhile.”

“I will, too,” I said. “You should, too, Blade.”

“Layla is working late tonight, so I’ve got a few hours to kill.”

We headed out to join King and the boys. Most members had stayed for a drink when Scott and King put the call out this afternoon, so the bar was busy and loud. It had been too long since we’d let our hair down. This was just what we needed.

* * *

I woke up the next morning alone, in my own bed, and fuck if I didn’t miss the fact Sophia wasn’t pressed up to my body. Stumbling out of bed, I headed first to the bathroom, and then to the medicine cabinet. I’d drunk enough last night to give me one hell of a headache.

Swallowing some aspirin, I showered and dressed, and then headed over to Sophia’s house.

“Morning, handsome,” she greeted me at her front door. Her face had lit up when she’d opened it and that had warmed my cold heart. “I wasn’t expecting you this morning.”

I dropped a kiss onto her lips as my hand caught her around the waist and pulled her to me. “I know, but I have something I want to discuss with you before I head into work.”

She took a good look at me, and said, “You look like you could do with some coffee first. I take it you stayed late last night.”

As we headed into her kitchen, I said, “Got home at about three this morning.”

“Do you boys do that often?”

I considered her question for a moment. “If you’re asking me whether I do it often, the answer is no. The boys used to, but our club has been going through a rough patch the last year or so, and nights like that have been few and far between. Last night helped set us straight again, I think.”

She smiled. “That’s good to hear. And, just so you know, in case I came across as the kind of woman who keeps track of her man and tries to tell him what he can and can’t do…I’m not that kind of woman. In fact, I feel sorry for those kinds of women, that they spend so much energy focused on that, and the men, too…having to put up with your partner dictating who you spend time with and for how long, that would suck. I only asked if that was a regular thing you do, so that I could make plans to have girls’ nights when you have your boys’ nights. I mean, perfect opportunity, right?” She took a deep breath and her eyes widened in the way they did whenever she rambled like this.

I pulled her close again. “Just so you know, I only answered your question because you’re important to me, and I wanted you to know where I stood on this. Spending time with the boys is good. Spending time with you is better.”

Her breathing slowed, and her face flushed with pleasure. “I’ll make coffee now,” she said softly.

I smiled and let her go with a nod. Pulling up a stool, I sat and watched as she busied herself in the kitchen. Sophia was in her element there, and I knew I could pass many hours watching her. There was something about a woman baking in the kitchen that turned me on.

“So, what’s on your mind?” she asked as she placed a mug in front of me.

“I noticed the other day that your back patio needs a fair bit of work. I’m going to the hardware this afternoon and will order the supplies to rebuild it. The pavers are okay; I’ll just need to redo the framework and roof.”