“Yes,” he spurts out.

“I didn’t fucking hear you.”

“Yes!” he shouts louder and I release my boot.

“Good, glad we could come to an agreement,” Nix says, standing.

“We’ll see ourselves out,” I state, leaving him in a puddle of his own blood. We walk out, past the poor woman on the sofa.

“Is he dead?” she asks nervously.

“No, he just had a fall. Just clean him up and he’ll sort the rest out,” I say, leaving her with the mess. I don’t know if what we just did was wise, but the fucker touched my woman. I don’t give a fuck who he is. He’s going to deal with me.

“You okay, Sy?” Nix asks, watching me closely when we get downstairs and mount our rides to head back to the girls. He's never seen me lose my cool before. He missed the day I put a bullet through Zane's head. I might not have been able to stop Zane from hurting my girl, but I'll be damned if I let it happen again. No one is taking my sunshine.

“Never felt better,” I reply.

***

“So, next order of business is we need to vote on patchin’ in Hunter. We keep putting that shit off and he’s getting antsy,” Nix says the next afternoon in our church meeting. After Nix and I paid Chad a visit, we came back to the girls. Holly was keeping her shit together, and by the time I got back, there was no sign of the earlier panic. That didn't stop me from throwing her over my shoulder and taking her to my room to make sure she was okay. She was more concerned for the club and what Chad would do. So far there has been no retaliation from it. I hope Chad took the warning and realized he was messing with the wrong people, but something tells me he isn't smart enough. I saw it in his eyes when he was looking up at me with my boot pressed into his throat. The man is desperate, and angry men like that are dangerous.

“We knew this was coming, been talking about it for months, but with everything going on we haven’t had a chance to vote on it. Does anyone have any objections?” he asks the table.

“As long as he stops fucking feeding my woman alcohol to get her to flirt with him, I have no problem,” I joke. Fuck, again with the jokes. The boys look at me like I’ve grown a second head. Whether because I just cracked a joke or that I don’t have a problem with Hunter, I don’t know. But as much as the fucker pisses me off and I give him shit about it, I like him and trust his commitment to the club. He’s been a prospect for the last two years and he’s family. The boy grew up in the club. His family still lives and breathes the brotherhood so he knows the score.

“Sy, you might wanna tell your woman to quit with her flirting, then maybe it won't get the runt into so much trouble,” Jesse grins, trying to get a reaction out of me. Fucker.

“She’s just fucking friendly,” I defend her like it even matters. They all laugh and I can't help the grin that breaks free. Assholes.

“Let's just fuckin’ vote. I’ve got a pregnant woman waiting for me out there. All in favor of Hunter takin’ a patch?”’ Nix calls out. Going around the table, we all vote unanimously and Nix calls it. Calling Hunter in, he gives him the speech he gave me, and probably the speech his father gave my father. The words hold true meaning to the club. The brotherhood is tight. They’re your family who supports you through everything. Loyalty goes a long way and respect is earned.

“You ready to party?” Jesse stands to congratulate our newest brother on his new right to wear the sanctioned jacket patch.

“Hell, yeah,” Hunter says, taking all our pats on the back.

“Then let's fucking party,” Brooks hollers, draping his arm over Hunter’s shoulders and walking him out. Fuck, I remember my patch-in party.

Booze, pussy and more pussy.

Shit is going to get messy.

CHAPTER FORTY

Holly

“Where you been, baby? I’ve been waiting for you.” Sy’s bourbon breath hits my nose letting me know he’s already started drinking. I just pulled up and found him waiting for me by the entrance. Sy called a couple of hours ago telling me Hunter was patched in so they were throwing a party. Rearranging my workday tomorrow so I could party late, I made my way home and decided to go all out and dress for the occasion. I don’t go out as much as I used to, my time all wrapped up in Sy, and the closet full of shoes and dresses were calling to me. Deciding to go with a midnight black, one-shoulder dress that’s tight and short in all the right places, I raced around to make sure I would make it here in time.

“I’m here,” I say, letting him embrace me.

“You look fucking sexy,” he half growls, half moans.

“So do you,” I reply, loving the smell of oil and leather on his skin. “Is everyone here?” I ask when he pulls back.

“Yes, everyone and then some. So best behavior, Holly,” he warns with a smile.

“Yes, sir,” I tease, watching his gaze darken.

“Sir? I think I like it.” He leans into my space kissing me deeply. I don’t fight it, letting the kiss deepen to the point that we could skip the party and go straight to bed.

“Come on, before I fuck you right out of this dress,” he groans, taking my hand and walking me inside.

The clubhouse is full. The music is blaring and the drinks are flowing. We walk past people who I’ve never met before; some smile, some check me out, but most just nod. Hunter sits at the bar with two whores on his knees, going between kissing one and groping the other.