“Then tomorrow, you and Rory can set the terms. I’ll take it back to Smokey and see what he thinks, but he’s goin’ after Hydra no matter who is or isn’t on our side.”
“That’s why Reaver’s anxious to get something settled with y’all,” Jax said. He glanced over at Hawke, and Kicks had a feeling it was going to be a long night for the Enforcer. “We don’t wanna keep you long though. We know y’all got shit to do, and Hydra’s been lickin’ his wounds god only knows where.”
That was the problem though. Even forming an alliance with the Savannah Cobra’s, none of them had any information the Chains didn’t already have. Hydra was in the fuckin’ wind, and there was no telling when he’d show his face again. It had been months. Hell, it was creeping up on a year and not a goddamn word. The only thing they knew for sure was that the fucker wasn’t dead, but it wasn’t enough.
“What we need tomorrow,” Rory said, setting his hands on the table next to his plate, “is for your club to decide if it can help us track him down.” There was a very faint tremble that Kicks was pretty sure no one else in the room noticed except maybe Hawke who had turned a sharp eye on the kid. “We can work out the details over what our clubs can offer each other in the future. But I know first-hand the shit he’s capable of, and I wouldn’t have set my life aside right now and come all this way if my priorities were anything other than wiping him out.”
Jax stared at Rory for a long time, then he folded his arms over his chest and sat back with a low whistle. “Shit, kid. You takin’ over for your brother when he goes?”
Rory snorted and shook his head. “No. I’m in grad school, and I plan to see that shit through. But I can’t focus on what I need because this monster is out there biding his time.”
Jax ran his fingers around his mouth, then down his chin before he gave a stiff nod. “I ain’t in the position to make promises, but I can tell you we’re on the same page. Your club don’t got a lot of what we want or need right now, but Smokey probably knows that fucker better than anyone.”
Kicks wasn’t sure that was entirely true. Smokey had long-since left the man he was behind—with his name and his cut at his father’s feet. He’d grown into an entirely new person, but he did have the advantage of being able to predict Hydra. At least, a little. He had failed that last time though, but so had Nate. And so had Rory.
“Shake on it, man,” Jax said, and he extended his hand.
Kicks felt a sort of startled rush that Jax was willing to offer even that much, but it felt almost final when Rory’s palm met his, and the handshake lingered. They eventually parted, and when Jax asked Hawke if he wanted to check out the grounds, Kicks decided to take Rory to the room to lie down.
He could tell the kid was sinking into a headache, and he found ice for him in the beat-up old freezer, then made a quick phone call to Jude. He didn’t want to admit how much he missed the guy, but hearing his voice was enough to settle his fiery nerves that were on edge since they’d arrived in Savannah. It was even hotter there, and the ride back was long, and he just wanted this to be over.
He wanted Hydra in the ground, and the knowledge that none of their pasts would show up at their doorstep again. The scars were enough of a burden to carry.
“I think I’ll be seeing you tomorrow,” Kicks said right before he hung up with Jude, and in the ringing silence after, he let himself think about Jude’s body. He sank into the memory of his warm mouth, and demanding tongue, and his strong hands.
Even with his body beat up and recovering, he was powerful. Jude was a leader and not just spiritually. He had a natural command about him that Kicks knew he could get lost in if he let himself. He hadn’t opened up much, just hints, but if they could get this shit taken care of, he could spend weeks letting himself be undone by that man. Especially now that he’d agreed to stay.
At