Hart pointed an accusing finger in Cillian’s direction and Savage growled. “He’s not a member of Savage Hell either. You put a bug in his fucking room?” he asked.
“Keep your voice down, Hart. If you wake up my kids, my wife will have my balls. And for the record, just because Cillian’s not a patched member doesn’t mean he’s not a part of our club, asshole” Savage said. “I’ve known Cillian longer than I’ve known anyone else here. He’s good. You, on the other hand, are new here. I told Repo to put that bug in your room. You have a problem with it, you come to me,” he said. Hart stood toe to toe with Savage and Kill was sure he was going to have to intervene.
“I have a fucking problem with it,” Hart grumbled. “And, I’m officially letting you know.”
“Fair enough, Hart,” Savage said. “I will round up the rest.”
“Rest of what?” Hart asked. “Bugs? You fucker,” he spat. “There are more?”
Savage’s smile was mean, “Yep,” he confirmed. “As I said, I’m protecting my own.”
“You know, I have a mind not to tell you what I found out,” Hart grumbled.
Cillian knew that Hart could be an asshole when he wanted to be. He hated that Hart would keep information they might need, to keep their families safe, and not share it. Savage growled, “You want to keep your fucking head attached to your shoulders, start talking,” he said. The threat seemed to only make Hart want to stall more.
“I thought you agreed to be a part of this team,” Repo said. “I know you’re an outsider, Hart. We’ve all been at one point or another. Hell, it hasn’t been that long since I was new to Savage Hell. We all just have to prove ourselves—you included. Too much is at stake not to speak up. They had little Chloe—we can’t let that happen again,” Repo whispered.
Hart sighed and nodded. “You’re right. I won’t let them take another little girl. My guy on the inside got a message to me. The Dragons have a new Prez,” Hart said.
“What does that mean for the human trafficking business they were running?” Cillian asked.
“It means that we can all safely go home,” Hart said.
“How can you be sure we’ll be safe?” Savage asked. “Do you know who the new Prez is?”
“Yeah,” Hart admitted. “You didn’t hear this from me, but I think the guy can be trusted.”
“And, we’re supposed to just take your word for this? We’re talking about the safety of our families,” Savage challenged. “I won’t base their safety on a feeling, Hart.”
“It’s more than that,” Hart admitted. “Shit, I can’t tell you this but their new Prez, Outkast, is my inside guy. He’s been deep undercover for years now. If word got out, he’d be killed.”
“Fuck,” Cillian cursed.
“I know Outkast,” Savage admitted. “I had no fucking idea he was working for the cops.”
“This whole thing has to stay between us. He’s been working to bring down that trafficking ring for a while now. If you blow is cover, all that work will be lost,” Hart said.
“You have my word,” Savage said. “Outkast’s secret is safe with all of us. Right guys?” Repo, Ryder, and Cillian nodded their agreement. “Just let us know what we can do to help out. Name it, and it’s done.”
“I appreciate that, Savage,” Hart said. “There is something I need. We need to keep up appearances and one of the things that will need to happen is Outkast will need to meet with you—Prez to Prez.”
“Yeah,” Savage said. “That’s the way it usually works. One club will invite the other over and either declare war or ask for peace. Which will Outkast want between the Dragons and Savage Hell?”
“Peace,” Hart said. “He’ll need that to focus on the group's business. He’ll put on a show, but he’ll agree to peace.”
“I guess we all go home in the morning,” Savage said. “Can you have the plane ready, Ryder?”
“Yep. I was ready to fly Viv and Savage back. I’ll adjust the passenger list in the morning when I turn in our flight plan.”
“That works. Let’s be ready to roll out by ten,” Savage ordered. They agreed and Kill had to admit it felt damn good to be heading home. As far as he was concerned, this shit storm with the Dragons couldn’t end soon enough.
_______
They had only been home for a day and a half before Savage Hell was summoned to the Dragon’s bar. Kill had barely enough time to catch his damn breath before the meeting was set up and when Savage asked him to have his six, he immediately agreed. What else could he do but tell Savage yes after the guy had saved his ass on more than one occasion?
Viv was glad to be back home and she was even gearing up to re-open the diner in a few days. Kill worried that she was taking on too much but she went to see her doctor, just to confirm the diagnosis they got in the ER, and she had the all-clear to return to work. She promised to rest and let others do the heavy lifting, but he knew his Viv and she was as stubborn as the day was long.
“You ready to do this?” Savage asked. They were sitting in his pickup and neither made a move to get out of the truck.
Kill shrugged, “As I’ll ever be,” he breathed. “It’s just weird being back here and I’m worried we’ll say something to blow Outkast’s cover. I don’t want to fuck this up,” he admitted.
“So, don’t,” Savage said. “Let’s just get in and have this damn meeting and get this shit show over with.” Kill and Savage walked into the Dragon’s bar and he pushed down the moment of panic he experienced being back in that hell hole. He could still taste the blood from his busted lip every time he thought back to that night just weeks prior. The smell of urine in the basement, from the cages that lined the walls, still made him feel nauseous. The cages that he knew held those poor women awaiting their fate to be sold off to the highest bidder. But, they weren’t there under the same circumstances this time—at least that was what he was telling himself. Dante’s reign was over and Kill had to remember that despite the way things appeared, their new Prez—Outkast, was on their side. They just needed to keep their heads for this little meeting and not blow the guy’s cover. This meeting was just a formality and then their families would be safe—at least that was the plan. Kill knew that was what Savage was hoping for and he felt the same. He couldn’t settle for anything less, not with Viv and a baby girl on the way. He wouldn’t let anyone threaten his family again—ever.
“Gentlemen,” Outkast said, meeting them at the front door. He was flanked on either side by his enforcers. Kill choked back the bile that rose to his mouth at the sight of the two guys he had to take down during his time in the cage they kept in the basement. They still had the faded bruises and cuts from their fight. The big guy wore a sling on his left arm and he seemed just as upset to see Kill, although he had to give the guy credit—he didn’t back down.
“Come on in and make yourself at home,” Outkast offered, holding his arms wide. “Our bar is at your disposal. Can I get you a beer?”