Ax hissed, “they don’t even want him; they want Herrera.”
“We don’t know what they have on him. It might be enough to get Herrera, or at least flush him out,” Buck said.
“I vote yes. If we can’t kill the motherfucker then at least we can help put him away,” Taz stated.
Steele stared at Ax. “Fine, but I’m warning you, if he comes at me, I’m gonna take his ass out.”
“As long as it’s self-defense, I’ve got no problem with that,” Steele replied.
Steele called a formal meeting, and an hour later, it was settled. The club was going to help the DEA catch Carlos. They all agreed that discussions of Carlos and the DEA were off-limits to anyone but club members. That meant no pillow talk. Hopefully, Sledge got the message because he was notorious for telling Aimee their business, and they all knew that Aimee couldn’t keep her trap shut if her life depended on it. Sledge informed them that Aimee was getting released later that day and that he was planning on bringing her to the club. His announcement was received with hand motions and dirty looks, including one or two from Steele. Aimee wasn’t well-liked, but because Sledge was their brother and she was his Ol’ lady, they would have to suffer through it.
As Ax headed upstairs, he thought of Sage’s earlier comment about keeping secrets. He never dreamed that less than an hour later, he would be sitting on the mother of all secrets. As much as he felt that she deserved to know, Steele had given direct orders not to talk about Carlos or the DEA. He was trapped between a rock and a brick wall. If Sage found out, there would be hell to pay.
He found her in the kitchen helping LuLu and Reyn with breakfast. Christ, she was gorgeous. Everything about her—from her messy ponytail, to her velvet track pants with the word PINK written in capital letters across her sexy, little ass, to her flip-flops, and painted toenails—was a turn on. He had it bad.
“Alex!” Petal screeched. Her head collided with his stomach and her tiny arms wrapped around his waist. “I missed you,” she said in her little girl voice. His heart stuttered inside his chest as he picked her up and gave her a giant bear hug. Closing his eyes, he breathed her in. She smelled like pancake syrup. For some reason, he’d been given a second chance. The hell if he was gonna fuck it up again. If that meant letting Carlos live, then so be it.
Chapter Sixteen
“GOOD MORNING. HAS anyone seen Petal?”
After Steele’s phone call and Alex’s quick exit, Sage tried to go back to sleep but decided that coffee sounded better. LuLu, Reyn, and Doc’s Ol’ lady, Glenda, were in the kitchen making breakfast while Lucy paced back and forth across the back patio with her phone at her ear.
Reyn handed her the creamer. “She’s upstairs playing video games with the boys. Montana’s with them. Cute pants, by the way.”
“Thanks.” Lucy had bought her a pair of light-pink, velour sweatpants with the word PINK written in hot-pink caps across her ass. They were super-cute and made her ass look fabulous. She was hoping to run into Alex while wearing them. Nodding toward the living room where Alice, Chopper’s Ol’ lady, was parked on the sectional in front of the fire, she asked, “What’s with that?” Alice and her yippy dog, Sprinkles, had commandeered the whole thing.
“It’s annoying, is what it is,” Reyn grumbled. “Don’t go near the devil dog, or the little shit will bite you.”
“No joke. It nearly took my hand off when I tried to pet it,” LuLu murmured. She was flipping bacon with some fancy-looking tongs.
“I prefer cats,” Glenda replied.
While the three women discussed the pros and cons of both types of animals, Sage thought back to her first lockdown. It had been four of the longest days of her life—four days of catty looks from the club girls, pity looks from the Ol’ ladies, and having to watch Gibbs drink and flirt with anything that had two legs and a vagina. Hell, they didn’t even need legs as long as the vagina was there. She knew he was cheating on her, but there was nothing worse than having it shoved in her face. It was mortifying, beyond humiliating, and she’d refused to return to The Cave for months after.
“Someone’s deep in thought,” Glenda muttered.
It took Sage a moment to realize Glenda was referring to