I sat at the table with him. He was in the corner by himself, with his morning coffee. I drowned out the noise of the other guys talking and laughing, and gave Scott my full attention. “Who told you that?”

“Wilder. Dad’s taken a liking to him, and is using him for all sorts of shit.”

I liked Wilder, even after my run in with him, but I was wondering what was in it for him to be playing both sides. “Can we trust Wilder? Why’s he giving you that information?”

Scott leaned forward so he could drop his voice. “You remember how Wilder became a prospect?”

I searched my memory, but came up with nothing. “No.”

“I brought him in. And I did it intentionally. It was after I found out about Dad. I had a gut feeling that shit was going to go south, and then I met Wilder. He’d been screwed over by Dad, and was looking for payback. I figured it would be useful to us to have a member I could be sure of if shit ever hit the fan, so I sponsored him.”

“Fuck, it could have gone the other way; could have backfired on you.”

He nodded. “Yeah, brother, it could have. I was willing to take that risk though, and I’m glad I fucking did. Wilder’s proved himself, and I’m pretty sure he’s going to be patched soon.”

“Any news on Blue?”

“No, still coming up empty on that one. You heard anything from Kick?”

“They’re convinced Marcus is their man, but because of his ties to Adelaide and some of the other chapters, are reluctant to move without proof. Marcus has been busy making friends; seems he’s got allies everywhere.”

“Fuck,” Scott muttered.

“How the hell did he screw Wilder over?” I asked.

“He - ” he began, but stopped talking because Marcus was headed straight for us.

“Nash, Scott,” he greeted us, clearly not pleased to see us.

“Marcus,” I said, jerking my chin at him, but Scott didn’t say a word.

He scowled at Scott before saying, “Church tomorrow. Don’t be late. We’ve got a lot of shit to discuss.”

I nodded, and he left, as quickly as he came. Mind you, it couldn’t be soon enough as far as I was concerned. Giving my attention back to Scott, I shared my thoughts. “Not looking forward to tomorrow, brother. Christ knows what surprises he’s got in store for us.”

Scott was deep in thought, and slowly nodded as he took in what I’d said. “I hear you, man. I fucking hear you.”

***

A few hours later, I parked my bike and waited for Velvet to come out of her exam. She’d told me she would catch a lift with a friend, but I’d had the urge to see her, so here I was. While I waited, I reflected on the last two weeks. The day at the cemetery had been life changing for me. Opening up to her had changed everything; it had scattered the demons in my soul far and wide. Some still lingered, and I knew it would take time to clear them out completely, but I could breathe again. The weight of regret and guilt had lifted, and the pain had dulled a little. It would never go away, not fully, but it was becoming bearable. Having Velvet in my life helped. I wasn’t a talker, but having her to go home to, to laugh with, just to be with, helped get me through. And she gave me hope. For the first time since Aaron’s death, I wanted to make plans; plans for my life, plans that included someone else.

I heard her laughter, and looked up to find her walking towards me with a huge smile on her face. She threw herself into my arms. “What are you doing here, baby?”

Fuck, I liked it when she called me baby. I wrapped my arms around her, letting my hand glide down her back and onto her ass. “Thought I’d pick you up, take you back to my place and fuck you,” I growled, both of my hands on her ass now.

“You say the sweetest things,” she purred.

“I told you I’m all about the sweet talk, darlin’.”

Her eyes glazed over, and a smile slowly made its way onto her face. “Yeah, you did, and I’ve learnt that when Nash Walker says something, he means it.”

“I do. And on that note, you need to get your sweet ass on the back of my bike so I can make good on my promise.”

She didn’t waste any time. Yeah, Velvet was addicted to me as much as I was to her.

Chapter 30

This Means War ~ Nickelback

––––––––

Velvet

Dark glasses covered my eyes as I walked into Roxie’s salon early the next morning. She took one look at me and burst out laughing. “That man of yours wearing you out, hon?”

I took my glasses off and slumped in a chair. “Like you wouldn’t believe.”

Madison started laughing. “I knew it would take a strong woman to crack Nash, but I’d never factored in that it would take someone with a lot of stamina to keep up with him.”

“You need to make me coffee, woman,” I begged Roxie.

“Make your own damn coffee,” she said with a shake of her head. “I’m thinking you actually might need some Redbull or something like that.” Then, looking at Madison, she suggested, “I think you should tell Nash to get his shit together and stock his fridge with energy drinks for his woman.”

I dragged myself out of the chair. “Fine, I’ll make my own coffee,” I grumbled as I trudged to the back room. “Don’t come running to me when you’re down and out though, babe. I’ll remember you letting me down in my hour of need.”