Reckless Temptations (Tempted #4)(89)
I lifted my head from the floor and drilled him with a cold stare.
“Looks like you’re applying for the job,” I spoke through clenched teeth.
“I would in a fucking heartbeat but you’re my brother, and that shit means something to me,” he said, releasing his grip on me. “Wake up, man. Whatever it is you think you’re doing, I’m telling you you’re doing it all wrong. Don’t do this, don’t let them go.”
“I’m no good for them,” I growled, trying to sit up.
“Then make yourself better,” he demanded, holding out his hand toward me.
I took his hand and pulled him down beside me, wedging my forearm against his throat as I leaned over him.
“Mind your fucking business, Bones. And do yourself a fucking favor and don’t bring this shit up again, because so help me God, next time you do I’ll cut you, brother,” I promised, as I dropped him onto the ground and stepped over his body.
I know why Blackie tries to numb himself from the hell he lives.
The pain is unbearable.
The dull ache in my chest that had been haunting me, turned into a sharp spear, twisting and turning a hundred times over.
I lost my Kitten.
I’ll never know Pea.
And I just pissed on some twenty odd years of friendship with Bones.
I was on a roll.
I had walked away from a lot of people in my life, gave up my birth right, but none of it hurt the way walking away from Lauren and our baby did.
I hadn’t lied when I said I never wanted to be someone’s man, or someone’s father. Now that I held those two titles, even for a short while, was everything to me.
Everything I no longer had.
But losing them, kissing goodbye my rights to my child and Lauren, would be worth it because they’d be safe.
Safe from me.
Safe from my enemies.
Safe from the reaper.
Chapter Thirty
Jack slammed the gavel repeatedly against the wooden table trying to reign us in but we were congratulating the nomad’s that had just patched into our charter. After the Red Dragons attacked Pop’s shooting range, Jack sent Pipe and Wolf back into the field, ordering them not to come back to the Dog Pound without nomads worthy to wear the Brooklyn patch on their cut. Deuce, Stryker, Linc and Cobra were officially voted to sit at our table, and not a moment too soon because aside from the vote on whether they should wear our patch or not, Jack called Church to discuss how he planned to retaliate against the Chinese.
“For the love of God, would you bitches shut the fuck up so we can discuss business,” Jack grunted, throwing the gavel across the table and rubbing his temples.
That got our attention, and we fell silent as we gave our pissed off president our undivided attention.
“I swear to God, I question if you jerk offs even have dicks,” he muttered.
Wolf grabbed his crotch in defense.
“Want me to whip out the old anaconda?”
“You do that and I’ll shoot it off,” Jack hissed, before glancing at our new members. “Pipe and this clown…” he pointed his thumb toward Wolf as he spoke “…have filled you guys in on the war we have going on with the Red Dragons, so no need for me to rehash the reason behind what we’re about to do.”
He reached into his cut for his pack of Marlboros and picked one out with his teeth as Blackie slid a lighter across the table.
“Been working on a way to retaliate against them for the guns they stole and the bullets they pumped into Pops place. Rienzi, who’s a longshoreman, one of Vic’s guys, came through with a tip. Seems like our friend Wu is receiving a shipment tonight from Beijing,” he clarified, flicking his ashes into the ashtray. “Saddle up, boys because we’re going to intercept their shipment.”
“Do we know what it is?” I asked, as I took the toothpick I was chewing on out of my mouth.
“It don’t matter what the cargo is, I don’t want their shit. I want to hit Wu were it really hurts—his wallet. We’ll unload the container and dump that shit right into the river, sending a message back to our friends. They fucked with us, now it’s our turn to fuck them ten times harder,” he growled.
“Ay,” Pipe agreed.
“It’s about time those Lo Mein eating motherfuckers get a dose of my cock,” Wolf added.
We all turned our eyes to Wolf, and he shrugged his shoulders.
“What?” He asked innocently. “You said fuck them hard, only trying to do my part for the cause,” he claimed.
“You’re a sick fuck,” Bones added.
“Welcome to the club, boys,” Jack said sarcastically, earning a few laughs from our new additions.
“Nothing we haven’t seen before, Bulldog,” Stryker replied, his lips curving slightly.
“There is just one more thing I want to discuss before we get our asses in gear.” His eyes drifted toward me then to Bones who sat across from me. “For the last month you two have been acting like a bunch of bitches in a cat fight,” he ranted. “Time for this lover’s quarrel, or whatever the fuck it is between you two, be put to rest.”
I averted my eyes to Bones who met my blank stare with one of his own. It was true, since Kitten stormed into the clubhouse, handing me my ass and walking out of my life, Bones and I haven’t been the same. I know him well enough and long enough to realize he gave me a pass. No one gets away with putting their hands on Bones. They don’t live to tell about it, but here I was breathing.