“Uh, yeah.”
“If Sanchez isn’t convinced, I’ll get Barrett to intervene. She’ll step up to bat for us.”
“Why would she?” I asked. “I mean, I know you and Flynn are friends, of a sort. But why would they help us unless they will benefit directly?”
“That’s just it,” he said with a dry smile. “They would benefit.”
“I don’t get it. Maybe it’s the scotch I had last night, but I don’t understand.”
He rubbed a thumb across his jaw, the noise of stubble against skin sounding like sandpaper against wood. “Barrett talked about her business partnership with Sanchez, yeah?”
I nodded.
“Flynn and Barrett own a scotch distillery in Dornoch, where they live. They make bottles of scotch, pack Sanchez’s product in the boxes, and have them distributed.”
I blinked. “They’re drug mules?”
Colt shrugged. “Among other things.”
“But, why?”
Colt mulled his words over for a moment before saying, “They have certain political affiliations they’d prefer to keep close to the vest. But let’s just say they belong to the Scottish version of the IRA.”
I inhaled a shaky breath. “Okay, I wasn’t expecting that. Damn, now I really want to know how Barrett and Flynn met.”
“It’s a damn good story,” Colt admitted. He finally pushed away from the doorjamb. “You ready to get out of here? Head back to Waco? I’ve got more shit to handle than just Sanchez.”
I nodded, swallowing. “Are you—what are you going to do about Knight?”
Colt cracked his knuckles. “Have a talk with him. Man to man.”
I didn’t like the sound of that. On top of Sanchez, the Iron Horsemen, and a hell of a lot of cocaine, Colt was going to have to go face-to-face with another Blue Angel president, a man we needed to show our strength in Waco. A man whose club we needed for back up.
I prayed like hell it didn’t turn into a blood bath of Blue Angel against Blue Angel. Colt couldn’t afford this to get personal, but Knight was hiding something.
Colt pulled on a pair of jeans and reached for his cell, reading the screen. “Zip just texted. He’s gonna get Joni moving. They’ll meet us back in Waco, along with everyone else. You almost ready to get out of here?”
“What about saying goodbye to Barrett and Flynn?”
He grinned. “Darlin’, they’re already on their private jet bound for Scotland.”
A few hours later, Colt and I walked into madness.
“Thank God you’re here!” Darcy said, throwing her arms around me.
I removed my leather jacket. “Let me change and then put me to work.”
Darcy nodded and let out a sigh. She looked at Colt and glared. “Next time, a little more warning would be nice. I’m trying to get the guest rooms cleaned and ready for all the new faces around here. Right now Knight and the boys are out back. I told them to get out of my hair and let me work.”
Colt grinned and kissed her cheek. “You’re the best.”
Someone barreled into my legs and wrapped small, thin arms around them. Lily looked up at me and grinned, showing the loss of one of her front teeth.
“Hi!” she exclaimed.
“You lost something,” I said, poking the hole with my pointer finger and making her giggle.
“Mama says the Tooth Fairy is gonna come visit me tonight,” Lily stated in excitement. “Do you think I’ll get to meet her?”
“Er,” I began, “I don’t think it works that way. The Tooth Fairy is all about mystery.”
Thank you, Darcy mouthed.
After I changed clothes, I went back to the kitchen to help Darcy. Rachel and Allison were already there.
“The kids keep interrupting,” Darcy said in a harassed voice. “Do you mind going to entertain them while we finish getting the meal together?”
“Sure thing.”
I waved to the men having beers and sitting at the picnic tables while the kids ran in circles around the yard. After spending a few minutes with them, I realized I was no match for their zeal and energy. How the hell did Darcy do it?
Knight sat on one of the picnic tabletops, drinking from his bottle of beer, watching me. I saw Colt out of the corner of my eye, his face darkening when he realized that Knight was studying me.
I swallowed, wondering when it would come to a head. Colt had enough on his plate. He didn’t need the Knight thing weighing on him, and in my state of inebriation the night before, I’d blurted out my thoughts to Colt. If I had it to do over, I would’ve waited.
Not that I would’ve handled Knight myself. I didn’t know him. I didn’t know his personality. I was comfortable with my Blue Angels, but that did not extend to other brothers outside the Waco chapter.
I frowned when I realized how I was thinking about my new family.
Chosen, not born.
Strong. Loyal. Fierce.
What would they do if Knight was a threat to me?
Darcy came out the back to announce that dinner was ready. We were eating relatively early, but there would be leftovers to munch on through the rest of the night. Everyone flocked to the food and formed a line leading into the house and kitchen—the kids went first.
Colt joined me at the back fence as I waited for the line to clear out. “You okay, babe?” he asked, sliding his arm around my waist. “Is it Knight? I promise I’ll talk to him.”
“It’s not Knight,” I lied. And then because I wanted to distract him, I blurted out, “Can we please not have kids for a while?”
He looked down at me and smiled. “Sure, darlin’. Whatever you want.”
I held up my finger and pointed it at him. “Don’t do that.”
“Don’t do what?” he asked with sham innocence.
“Don’t pretend to give in to what I’m asking and then make plans behind my back.”
He laughed. “I promise I won’t knock you up until you give me the green light. Happy?”
“Happy.”
“But I gotta tell ya.” His mouth drew closer. “It’s all I can think about.”
“You’re insane.” I teasingly pushed against his chest. I looked around the backyard and frowned. “Where’s Joni?” I hadn’t seen her since we’d gotten back from Dallas.
“Probably in her room sleeping off her hangover,” Colt said dryly.
“I’ll tell her dinner’s ready and ask if she wants me to bring her a plate.” I kissed him quickly and then eased away from him.
I wormed my way around the bodies waiting in line for food so I could take the backstairs up to the third floor. As I turned the corner, I saw Zip had Joni pressed against the closed door of her bedroom. There was no space between their bodies and his fingers were in her hair, his lips on hers. Her hands gripped his leather cut like she was afraid if she didn’t hold onto him, she’d fall down.
I cleared my throat.
Zip tore his mouth from Joni’s and whipped his head toward me. His pupils were dilated with lust and his face morphed into a mask of shock at being caught.
“Dinner’s ready,” I said lamely.
Zip pushed away from the wall and sauntered toward me. “Don’t say anything to Colt.”