Dark Guardian (Black Hoods MC #3) - Avelyn Paige Page 0,42

the sectionals where Lindsey sits with the kids. “Take care of her, would ya?”

Lindsey looks Grace up and down, then nods. She doesn’t smile or say hello.

I plant a kiss on Grace’s forehead, and I feel everyone’s eyes on us, but not one of them has the balls to question me, which is exactly the way I like it.

“Be back shortly.”

Nodding, she takes a seat on the couch, and Natalie’s quick to sit right beside her. Thank God for her.

“Let’s go, boys,” I call out, rounding up the troops so we can get this ball rolling.

Chairs scrape across the floor, and the sounds of several pairs of heavy boots follow me into our meeting room. Taking my seat at the head of the table, I watch as the others pour into the room and settle into their spots.

For the first time in a long time, everyone is here. Mom sits to the left of me, then GP and Stone Face. Karma sits to my right, and then Hashtag and Twat Knot fill out the rest of the table.

My crew back together again.

“So,” Twat Knot says with a grin, “what’s the stripper doin’ here?” Karma moves to swat him, but Hashtag is closer and beats him to it. Twat Knot throws his hands up. “Watch the hair, asshole.”

Twat Knot comes by his name honestly. That goddamn man-bun he wears every day really does make him look like a fucking twat. And he’s obsessed with his fucking hair.

Hashtag rolls his eyes and lifts his middle finger in response.

“If you don’t mind,” I drawl, giving them both a flat, unamused stare.

“Sorry, Prez,” Hashtag mutters, while Twat Knot rearranges that messy fucking bun on top of his head. Once everyone is paying attention, I begin.

“Kevin and Nat have a father. He’s come looking for them and put out a missing persons report for them and their pedophile uncle.”

“What’s his name?” Hashtag asks, likely already planning to go digging for info on the internet. If information is stored anywhere in the limitless worldwide web, Hashtag will find it. It’s what he does.

“His name is Henry Wayne Tucker, and he’s one bad dude. The kids don’t really remember him, but he’s got priors.”

“Don’t we all?” GP huffs.

“He tried to abduct Grace at gunpoint this morning.” That shuts him up. “I was standing right outside. She was in a coffee shop and he walked right in, shoved a gun into her ribs, and forced her out a side door.”

“Fuck,” GP mutters.

“He wants my fucking kids. A judge has ordered Grace to remove them from my home and hand them over to their father.”

Shocked faces stare back at me.

“She’s agreed to hand over everything she has to the club and allow us to track this bastard down before that happens. She agrees the kids need to stay with me. Hash, you speak with her before we leave. Find out everything you can. Leave no stone unturned. We need to find this motherfucker before he hurts somebody.”

“You got it.”

“The rest of you, stay alert. If he’s willing to go after Grace with me on the other side of the door, then he’s willing to do just about anything. Dude’s a fucking wildcard. Nobody rides alone. Keep your families close, and go nowhere without your piece.”

“What’s the plan once we find him?” Mom asks from beside me.

“He’s gonna sign those kids over to me,” I tell him. “And then I’m gonna rip his fucking head off.”

Grace

I never thought I would step foot in this clubhouse again after the failed removal, yet here I am, sitting on a huge leather sectional with Eugene’s niece and one of the other guy’s girlfriend who I know now is Blair. Kevin and Natalie took off down the hallway with another teenager the second the conference room door shut with Eugene and the rest of the men. Except for a couple of guys who sit near the front door, eyeing me closely.

“Will they be okay?”

“Oh yeah,” Lindsey replies. “That’s Hayden. She and Kevin are as thick as thieves since the incident.”

“She’s the daughter who was taken by Randall,” I surmise, remembering my earlier conversation with Eugene Kevin’s last catfish for his uncle that ended up freeing them all. The reason Kevin and Natalie are living with Eugene.

“She was,” Blair acknowledges. “All three of them have been through so much, but I think spending time together has helped them to work through the trauma. Hashtag wasn’t so fond of the idea, but it’s been the best