I step right up to him, Wraith moving alongside. “Just got a call from Ethan…” I shift my eyes to Wraith because the next thing I say is going to affect him greatly, “… he said someone on the inside helped the Baron and Damir escape. Together.”
“What?” Zero and Wraith both yell, making everyone turn our way.
“What the fuck?” Zero grunts.
Wraith runs his hands through his hair. “Damir’s gonna come for Prinie. She’s practically eight months pregnant… I can’t... fuck!” Wraith picks up the pool cue slamming it down on the table and it splinters into multiple pieces, as more of our brothers start making their way over.
Zero sends a whistle through the main room. Everyone’s on edge. “Brothers, church. Now.”
Prinie begins rushing over, and Zero raises his hand to stop her approach as Wraith storms off into the chapel. Cherry moves in beside Prinie. It’s hard for the old ladies sometimes not to know what’s happening.
But they will.
Soon enough.
We enter the chapel, all taking our seats. The weight of the club hangs heavy on all our shoulders as Zero slumps down at the head of the table. I can’t help but sense the confusion on all the other guys’ faces as they look around.
Zero slams his gavel on the table, a little harder than normal, then throws it down on the table in his frustration. “I don’t know how many of you have heard, but we have a fuckin’ tsunami headin’ our way. With two slimy ass sharks heading the surge.”
Fox sits forward, narrowing his eyes on Zero. “You’re gonna need to be a little more specific, pres.”
Zero’s lip curls up, disgust clearly heaving through him. “Baron and Damir… Kevlar, take over, I’m too fuckin’ worked up.”
Everyone’s eyes shift to me, and I place my fists on the table. “Got a call from Ethan, he wasn’t supposed to tell us, but someone on the inside helped the Baron and Damir escape.”
Clear anger shows on every one of my brothers’ faces.
“You telling me this was a guard or some shit?” Slick asks.
“Yeah, maybe. Someone in the system let them walk. I don’t know everything. Ethan can tell us more when he gets here. I told him to come in because, honestly, he has a large target on his back. The Baron only came after me to get to Ethan to take him down because Ethan is the one who technically put him behind bars.”
Zero scrubs at his face, letting out a small groan. Then, his eyes shift to Neon. “The whole club needs to go into lockdown, everyone important must come in.”
Everyone knows this means Neon’s sister and Zero’s ex-fiancé, Anna, is coming in. It’s always interesting when Anna comes to the club, especially now Zero and Cherry are in such a serious relationship. Let’s fucking hope there’s no drama like last time Anna came in for lockdown.
“While you’re at it, Neon, send out a message to the other Defiance clubs, let them know we have trouble headed our way. Tell them I’ll reach out to them personally with further details. But for now, just give them a heads-up.”
“What can we do for Prinie?” Wraith asks.
Zero’s eyes shift to me. “Kevlar, I understand Blake is kind of the go-to babysitter ‘round here, but for now, I need to put him on security. I want him following Prinie around like a hawk. Wraith, if you want two men on her, we’ll get Phantom to step up, too.”
Wraith widens his eyes like he’s appalled by that idea. “Blake will be fine.”
“Ethan and Lou will be here anyway, so they can help with the kids. You’re all good, and anyway, Prinie is important right now. You need Blake? You take him.”
“Bub and I can always step in with the kids. You know we love spending time with our grandbabies,” Fox states.
Zero bangs the gavel on the table. “Good! One more thing, Savanah… we’ve all had a chance to look at her background check?”
We all nod.
My stomach twists at what I’ve read. “Does she know?” I ask.
Neon sits forward, his hands on the table, and he simply shakes his head. “From what I could dig up, she’s completely in the dark.”
“So, this means she’s a damn liability. We need to be extremely careful with her… understood?”
A general “aye” sounds throughout the room.
Zero exhales. “She doesn’t know who she is, and this could come in handy… but for now, we’re all done. Call everyone you need to. Get them in here as soon as possible. I can’t fathom what the Baron and Damir are planning, but those fuckers will be planning something, so we must be ready for the inevitable war that’s coming.”
I stand, then walk back out into the main room. Cherry and Prinie are standing with Jovie and Savanah. Gritting my teeth, I head their way. They all spot me at the same time.
Prinie is the first to launch at me. “Is it true? Has Damir escaped?”
“And the Baron, too?” Cherry follows immediately.
Taking a breath, I raise my hands to try and calm them. Cherry and Prinie have both had trouble with these men in the past, or at least men associated with them.
Cherry was married to the Baron’s son, Chuck—a physically abusive ex-cop who tried to have her killed. Cherry ended up killing Chuck in front of the Baron, and we unleashed a smear campaign to get the Baron arrested. Prinie was kidnapped by Damir’s brother, Sava, and their father, Vlatko, because they wanted to seek vengeance for Wraith putting Damir and Sava’s mother into a coma from which she later died.
It turns out Vlatko is also Wraith’s biological father, which in turn leaves Sava and Damir as Wraith’s blood brothers. Damir is still in the dark about this fact as far as we know. With Sava and Vlatko being killed in the crossfire and the initial issue of the mother still lingering, Damir is sure to be out for some serious revenge on Wraith.
So, I understand both old ladies being anxious right now.
“Yes, it’s true. They’re both out of prison, and apparently, they’re working together. I’m sorry to be the one to have to tell you. I know this is stressful, but Prinie, you’re heavily pregnant. You need to try and not get too worked up. You have to think of your baby.”
Prinie’s eyes well when she begins to pace. “I am thinking of my baby. If Damir comes here, if he sees me pregnant like this… he’s gonna kill our baby. Not me. Not Wraith. He’s going to make us suffer.”
Cherry pulls her in for a tight embrace as my eyes shift to Jovie. Her hands are physically shaking. I need to talk to her.
Wraith and Zero edge over toward us. I need to let them take over from here. They have to calm their women, and I need to calm mine because right now, this is Jovie’s first lockdown, and she must be terrified, especially after our discussion before.
I reach out, grabbing Jovie’s quivering hands, pulling her with me. She doesn’t fight me. She doesn’t say anything, just walks with me as I lead her through to the kitchen. No one’s in here right now, so it will give us space to talk. I lean her back against the island, placing my hands on either side of her on the bench enclosing her in. I see the trembling in her lip as I lean my forehead against hers and close my eyes, just needing to be near her. “I’m so fucking sorry.”