Looking at Mindy, I said, “You’ll be cleaning up this blood all over my floor ‘cause I sure as shit ain’t doing it.” Looking at Tug, I told him, “Can you get some shit for her to use please?”

“Absolutely.”

Doc came in the doors, taking in the scene. “Princess, you didn’t.” He shook his head. Doc has known me since I was a baby and always thought of me as one of his kids. Even in a time like this, he found the humor.

“Well Doc, ya know. My gun just has a hell of time staying in its holster.” I smirked.

As Doc got busy working on Danny, I watched as Mindy began cleaning her boyfriend’s blood off the floor. Sitting at the bar nursing a Jack and smoking, I actually felt calm. Normal women probably wouldn’t, but this was what I wanted to come back to. And here it was smack dab in front of me.

After Doc got Danny situated, he left the clubhouse. Walking up to Danny laying there, I had no remorse for the pain he was in. He shot up the club, my brothers, my dad, and all around my little guy.

I knew better than to open my mouth to a brother, so I focused on Mindy instead. I stared at her. “Bitch, I’m not fucking playing with you. These men may not kill women, but I sure as shit will in a heartbeat.” With that, I turned to go find my boys.

Chapter 9—Cruz

Two days and the bitch hasn’t gotten anywhere. Babs was avoiding her like the plague, and the only reason I knew it was true was because we had Buzz tap her phone. We found out Buzz’s skill by dumb luck talking about how we wished it were possible. Buzz chimed in explaining a bunch of techy shit and set it all up. He then set up all these cameras and video shit around the compound. We could now see who was coming in and out at all times even recording shit at the drop of a hat. Buzz was proving to be a great asset to the club.

Listening into the phone conversation was boring as shit. Mindy only got through that first time shooting the shit about old times. She actually sounded calmer than I thought she would be. But Babs wasn’t biting. Bitch was a bit smarter than we gave her credit for.

Babs’s man Rabbit still hasn’t contacted Diamond, which was pissing him off majorly. Respect in this community was all you have, and when that’s slammed on, there’s nothing left. This shit was going to start a war.

I’m actually surprised that Diamond has held off as long as he has. This laying low shit was weighing on all of us, but we still didn’t know who has the paid hit on Princess. We’ve got some Intel coming in, hopefully this afternoon, and we’re hoping for some answers.

Mel still hadn’t signed the damn papers giving me full custody of Cooper. She hadn’t stepped foot in the club, but had passed through Burnzie that ‘she won’t have some biker princess raising her boy.’ Little did she know that biker princess was more of a fucking mother to my boy than she’d ever been.

I wasn’t going to be able to put Princess off of it much longer, though. She was riding my ass hard about Mel not getting close to Cooper. The more she asked, and the more I evaded, the more it pissed her off. And a pissed off Princess did not equal fun.

“Church! Ten minutes!” Pops yelled across the room. Each of us placed our phone in the old cigar box on the pool table before entering and taking our seats.

Diamond banged the gavel as he called the meeting to order. “First order of business. Princess. We’re supposed to get the information from Deara today. Any packages delivered need to come to me immediately.” We all nodded.

“Our run tomorrow. It needs to go smoothly. Dagger, Rhys, Becs, Cruz, Pops, and I will run it. G.T., Zed, Tug, Buzz, and Breaker will stay here with Ma, Princess, and Cooper. It should be a day run, there and back, quick.” Everyone again nodded.

“Last order of business. Studio X.” My ears perked up. “Since the shooting, Liv’s been running the show and doing a great job. I know that Princess hasn’t gotten back in because of all this bullshit. I’m thinking we need to get better security there.”

“What do you mean?” asked Dagger. “We monitor the place and do drive-bys all the time.”

“No. I want Becs to start monitoring the books. I want him there also monitoring Liv. Princess will be pissed ‘cause she trusts Liv, and I want to, too, but I’m not taking any chances. We need to get this shit sorted. All in favor.” We all raised our hands to vote yes. Diamond slammed the gavel.

“Cruz. All Princess needs to know is that Becs is helping Liv out. Nothing else, because you know Liv will say something.”

“Got it.”

“Anything else?” Diamond asked, looking out over us.

“I got two extra runs lined up. It’ll bring in about three hundred thousand a pop, but I’ll need G.T., Cruz, Rhys, and Zed to come with me.” Dagger spoke up. “It’s not a long haul, but the runs will take two days. One there. One back.”

“Who’s the run for?” Diamond asked.

“Ransom.” Diamond nodded. We’d run for this guy many times before.

“When is it?” I asked.

“Right after this run.” Shit. That’d mean I’d be gone for three days. Dagger eyed me, “Problem?”

“Nah.” I didn’t want to be away from Princess and Cooper that long, but I’d deal.

Diamond threw down the gavel dismissing us.

“Where the fuck have you been?” I stared into the eyes of a very pissed off Princess and was relieved I wasn’t on the receiving end of it this time.

G.T. had just walked out of church reaching for his phone. “Around.”

“Bullshit you’ve been around. I’m here all the fucking time, and you’re nowhere to be seen!” Princess barked, getting close to his face.

“I’ve got shit to do.” G.T. wasn’t getting off that easy, and he damn well knew it.

“I don’t give a rat’s ass what you have to do. I’ve been out, and you’ve seen me…what… two, three times. No, how the hell are you Harlow? Or you doing okay?” G.T. pulled out a smoke, rolling it in between his teeth. “No. You’re fucking avoid me. So you tell me where the fuck you have been?” Princess’s anger was shooting off the charts, and I sensed her fists wanting to make contact with G.T.

“I don’t need another fucking mother. One’s enough. Get out of my fucking business.”

“Out of your fucking business? Are you kidding me with that bullshit?”

“All you are is a fucking ol’ lady, and you’d be best to remember that shit before I lay you flat on the ground.”

“Lay me flat, Gage Thomas.” Princess threw off her leather jacket inviting him.

“What you think that I’m a pussy like this guy over here?” G.T. pointed at me as I began stalking towards him.

“Stop!” Princess yelled as she saw me coming. “This is a brother and sister matter. Five minutes in the ring. Let’s see how big of a pussy you are.”

“Fuck off. I’m not getting in the ring,” G.T. snapped.

“Yeah. You’ll be there.” Princess turned walking back down the hallway to my room.

“What the fuck, Asshole?” I said getting close to his face. “Why the fuck are you gonna provoke her like that?”

“I didn’t do shit. She needs to calm her shit down and remember that bitches don’t run shit here. She thinks she fucking does, but I got news for her, that shit’s stopping.”

“And what? You’re man enough to stop her?” I laughed knowing that there were only three men that could get through to Princess, and G.T. wasn’t one of them. “Dumbass, she doesn’t think she runs shit around here. You would know that if you got your head out of your ass.”

“You’d be best to put your girl in check.” G.T. crossed his arms over his chest, and the arrogance that came off of him had my hand clenching into a fist wanting to make contact with his jaw.

“That girl is your sister, your blood. You best remember that. Whatever you got up your ass right now, you’d better work that shit out in the ring, and get the fuck over it.”