Holiday Havoc (Reckless Bastards MC 7)

She finally laughed so hard her shoulders shook. “Our kids are going to have such fucking potty mouths.”

Our kids. “I love the sound of that, our kids. When are these little rugrats coming?”

“Well I’m ten weeks, so…doc says beginning of July. Are you really happy about this, Savior? I know the pregnancy was unexpected and exciting, but twins—”

I pressed three fingers to her mouth, chuckling a little at the frown she sent my way. “There’s nothing to not be happy about. You’re mine and I’m yours and I put two babies in you.” She rolled her eyes with an affectionate smile. “As soon as life gets back to normal I’m going to put a ring on that fucking finger to make it forever.”

She softened at my words like they were exactly what she needed to hear from me. “I love you, Savior. Please be safe and come back to me. To us.”

“I promise,” I told her and I fucking meant it.

***

The entire ride to Reno, I couldn’t help but think about my girl. About our change in circumstances. I wanted to marry her, hell, today if I could. But considering we were all headed up to Reno to possibly go head to head with a fuckin’ cartel boss, I couldn’t.

I couldn’t ask Mandy to marry me when I knew there was a chance I might not make it out of this shit alive. She’d already lost too much. Everything. Her brother and my club brother, Ammo. Her parents. Losing me might break her completely and I couldn’t have that shit on my conscious.

So, I had to be the bigger, badder, crazier bastard to make sure that whatever happened now, I made it back to my girl. And our babies.

About thirty minutes outside of Reno, I had to clear my mind. It was essential in our line of work, and survival depended on it. So I pushed Mandy out of my mind and got into warrior mode. We had no clue what, if anything, would go down when Gunnar and Stitch dropped off that fucking truck but with cartels, death was always an option. I wouldn’t put anything past this Carlito asshole based on everything Vivi had dug up on him and his whole operation.

The only thing that made me worry was my brothers, Gunnar and Stitch. There was some beef brewing between them and in a situation like this, underlying tension could get us all killed. Cross knew what he was doing and I had every confidence in him, but his brain had to be sex addled for him to let them drive up together. Whatever had gone down between them, I just hoped it didn’t bite us all in the ass at the worst possible time.

I pulled into the parking lot where Gunnar and Stitch were supposed to meet Carlito and spotted Lex’s ginger hair standing well above the crowd waiting for the bingo hall to open. He gave me a discreet nod and I parked my bike as close as I could to the door and joined him so we could walk in together. “Been here long?”

“Nah, I circled the block a few times to see if anything stuck out for me. It didn’t so I mingled with the seniors.” He sent a flirty finger wave to a group of older women who erupted in a fit of giggles. “Apparently they know the delights that can be found in the bed of a ginger.” He wiggled his eyebrows and I laughed.

We got settled with bingo cards and ink, right by the window so we could watch. Inconspicuously. Twenty minutes later Lasso pulled up and went inside the Oriental Dragon and ten minutes later he was joined by Jag. Most of the MC who’d been tasked with coming up to Reno was in place.

Now all we had to do was wait.

And I fucking hated waiting.

Chapter Twenty-One - Lasso

“How long do you think this asshole is gonna make us wait?” Jag and I sat inside some generic Chinese food buffet, right by the windows with our eyes focused on the cube truck Gunnar and Stitch leaned against. Smoking cigarettes.

He lifted his shoulders casually and let them fall, but I wasn’t confused by his attempt to appear unaffected. “Who knows? Probably as long as he feels like it, especially if Stitch stole his girl.”

“I gotta see this chick because I’m curious as fuck how scrawny ass Stitch was able to snatch a babe from a cartel boss!” Not that I doubted the kid’s prowess since I was pretty sure he’d already gotten busy with our pretty attorney, Tanya.

“She could be fucking homely, Lasso.” Jag’s lips twitched because he knew that was bullshit. “Or maybe she thinks the kid’s her key out of that life.” He shook his head and bit into an eggroll. “She wouldn’t be far off, the Bastards have an inordinate amount of men with hero complexes.”

“It’s not a complex when you’re a real goddamn hero.” He laughed. Both of our gazes kept sliding to the truck at the far end of the parking lot just in case any shit popped off. “So, Jeremiah, what are your plans now that Vivi has returned?”

His smile spread, big and wide. “I’m going to marry her as soon as shit around here dies down.” That certainty was so typical of Jag. The man never met a challenge he couldn’t overcome.

“Don’t you think you should ask her first?” Rocky and I had gotten married purely out of necessity the first time around so I knew how important it was to do it right.

“I’ll ask, but she’ll say yes. Vivi loves me.” And the rest of us loved seeing that his smile had returned.

“Good because you were a miserable fucking bastard for the past year. And just because she loves you doesn’t mean you don’t have to go all out and give her a big, special proposal.” He laughed.

“I know how to ask her how to marry me, man.”

“Aww, man, I have a great idea. Hack the President’s teleprompter and ask her.”

Jag barked out a laugh and shook his head. “Nah, she’d never forgive me for that. Probably would kill me her damn self.” His gaze turned back to the truck as a black SUV pulled into the lot but turned out to be another group of old ladies headed for the Bingo hall. “I’ll find some way to do it right.” I had no doubt he would.