"Only texts telling me he's desperate to have me back." Clotille leaned back against the pillow. "I have to go home for a bit to straighten some things out with Armand and my mom. My mother's been frantically trying to get ahold of me, but I told her I needed time to think. I don't want her to know I'm thinking of going back to Lafayette. Not now, anyway."
"We got some club business in Louisiana." He raised his hand, silencing her. "I can't tell you shit about it, so don't ask. I'll take you home. We can stay at Isa's house until you decide to tell your family you're back. I'll be helping the club out and making my prez happy all at the same time." He walked toward the bathroom and said over his shoulder, "And it'll let me spend some more time fucking you. A good decision all around." Then he closed the door.
The running water filled in the silence around her. I'm going back home, and Rock's taking me. Fear and excitement battled within her, and she tried to suffocate the fear so she could relish the awesomeness of spending more time with Rock. Maybe everything will work out. I must get my cards read by Madame Vincennes when I get to Lafayette. It never hurts to know what's coming in life, and when we get there, I can explain everything to Rock. Even if it means losing him forever, he has to hear me out. She stretched out her legs and snuggled up in the sheets that were still scented with Rock's arousal and cologne. She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.
* * *
Later that afternoon, Rock knocked on Hawk's office. The VP was usually at home on Sundays with his old lady, but since all the shit started up with the Demon Riders and Gypsy Fiends, he'd been pulling in more hours than usual with club business.
Rock walked in and sat in the chair in front of Hawk's desk. The vice president tilted his chin and stared at him. "Where's your woman?"
"She's in my room, and she's not my woman. We're just friends. We grew up in the same parish in Louisiana."
"You could've fooled me. The way you were dancing last night came off as being more than friendly." He grinned.
"We have a history, but that was a long time ago. I don't want any woman. Anyway, she's moving back home. I'm just going to help her, and that's why I came in. I'm going to take about ten days off to take Clotille to Lafayette and visit with my people. While I'm there I can covertly look into what the fuck's going on with the Gypsy Fiends and the Demon Riders."
Hawk shook his head. "I don't want you to do anything stupid ‘cause you're gonna be out there all alone. Insurgents don't have any major reinforcements in that part of the country."
"The Devil's Legions have a chapter in Lafayette, and I can see if they can steer me in the right direction. Bones has a few close friends in the MC, so he can give them the heads-up I'm coming and to play ball with me."
"Okay, but take it real slow and smart. We don't need any brothers vying for martyrdom. We need you alive. Got it? If things look bad, get the fuck outta there. I'm still working on seeing who's backing these Gypsy fucks. Damn! We can't let Dustin and Shack get a hold of those weapons. If that happens it'll be war for sure."
Rock nodded, then both he and Hawk sat silently as they contemplated the gravity of the situation.
In the outlaw world, declaring war was the same as nations declaring it on each other. The war was fought until one side or the other won, regardless of the casualties. Nothing less would do, and there weren't any rules. What made these wars so dangerous and bloody was that the clubs had no fear of the consequences; jail, prison, or death meant nothing to them. The only thing that mattered was preserving the brotherhood and its colors. Outlaw one-percenters mostly kept the battle in the rival MC circle, and it rarely spilled out into the citizens' world. But families, girlfriends, and sometimes parents and siblings were pulled into the violence and bloodshed. Many times support clubs to the main rival club would become involved and the confrontation could last years.
It'd been many years since the Insurgents found themselves on the bloody battlefields against a rival club. During the Biker Wars, the Insurgents had viciously defended their Colorado territory against the Deadly Demons. After years of car bombings, shootings, clubbings, and stabbings, the war-weary president of the Deadly Demons had called Banger to negotiate a truce. Both sides had realized the bloody corpses of their slain brothers had been enough. At the end of it, Colorado remained Insurgents territory and New Mexico belonged to the Deadly Demons.
Now, the Demon Riders wanted to take on the Insurgents because two of their members craved vengeance. The Insurgents would defend their brotherhood to the death, but they would prefer to avert a bloody confrontation with an out-of-control club. The Colorado brotherhood also had more to lose than they did back during the Biker Wars. Many of the brothers had old ladies and children, and the club had thriving businesses making their income mostly legitimate-a first in their history.
"When are you planning on leaving?" Hawk asked, breaking the silence.
"Tomorrow. Banger wanted Clotille out by then."
"You want some of the brothers to go with you?" Concern creased the VP's face.
Rock smiled. "Nah, but thanks. I got some personal shit I gotta look into." The mojo bag and two notes he'd received flitted across his mind. "I may see my old man in the pen. He's not doing so good."
"I'm sorry for that."
"Don't be. He was a fuckin' bastard my whole life. He's in there for offing my ma."
"I heard. Fuck, that must be hard, dude. You're a better man than I am for going to see him when he's sick. I don't think I could do it."
"Well, I told my sister I didn't give a shit if he died a slow death, but something may have come up. I don't know. I gotta look into it. That's the only reason I'm going to see him. I wanna make sure the right man's been paying for the crime. Fuck, I don't know. It's gotten complicated all of a sudden." Rock stood and shoved his hands in his pockets. "I'll let you know if something comes up with the Gypsy Fiends."
Hawk nodded. "Remember you're not fuckin' invincible. Later." He held his fist in the air and Rock returned the gesture, then walked out.
After drinking a few shots of Jack and shooting the shit with some of his buddies, he headed upstairs to tell Clotille about the plans. When he arrived at his door he heard her talking. He slowly opened the door and looked in, spotting her as she sat on the bed, her back facing him. Her soft voice said, "You have to take him away. I know Frederick will hurt him. I'd die if anything happened to him."
A pause, then, "I'll definitely pay you double what I normally do. I'll wire it. I'd like to leave tomorrow. I don't know if I'll be able to talk to you, but text me when he's safe." She grabbed the back of her neck. "I can't fuck this one thing up. Rock's taking me back so I'll have limited time to talk to you. Texting is best."
Another pause. She sighed. "I'll wire the money now. Please make sure he's safe. And I understand what you're saying, but I can't tell Rock just yet. The reason doesn't matter. I thought I could, but I just can't. I need a little more time with him."
Rock felt a knot form in the bottom of his stomach. What the hell is she talking about? What can't she tell me? And who is he? Is it Luc? His eyes narrowed. Fuck! Something isn't right here. He ground his teeth as tightness crept into his expression. He thought they'd worked past all this, yet there she was still hiding things and trying to trick him. That's why she wanted to fuck me last night. She probably has another man in Louisiana and needs me to help her escape from Frederick. She's a vixen I can't trust. Heaviness spread through him as images of the previous night and the morning assuaged him. Damn, she's good. She almost had me convinced it was all real, that she wanted to try and make a go of it. Fuck her.
He banged the door open and smirked when she jumped from the bed and whirled around. With eyes wide, she laughed nervously. "You startled me."
He glanced at the phone in her hand. "Don't you think you should finish your conversation?"
She stiffened, then placed the phone to her ear and whispered, "I have to go. Text me." She placed her phone on the mattress. "Did you play a round of pool?"
He shook his head. "Who were you talking to?"