Tension filled the room.
“You got something you want to share with the class?” Prez asked Moose. “Ain’t like you to fly off the handle.”
“Shit, Joey is going to kill me. We wanted to wait ‘til you guys had a chance to settle in after the wedding before we said anything… She’s pregnant.”
A chorus of oh fucks spread across the room.
Prez grinned. “Well shit, congrats.” He clapped Moose on the back.
“Shit took me by surprise, but I ain’t tripping on it. She’s my old lady now. We got hitched a few weeks back, didn’t want to steal your thunder, so we kept our shit tight.” Moose shrugged.
Shooter nodded.
Prez turned to stare at Evonne. “We’re trying to keep you safe. It might seem extreme, but so is Levi. The tapes we found were just shy of snuff tapes and he was the star. You understand what I’m saying?”
“Yes sir.” Her voice wavered.
“You going to put her happiness at risk?”
“No.” Evonne shook her head. “What do I need to do?”
“Follow directions and do whatever Rocky here tells you to.”
“Wait, what?” Rocky shook his head and held up his hands. “I got training schedules out the ass. That big fight is coming up next month.”
“So she’ll be spending a lot of time with her girls,” Prez retorted, narrowing his eyes as his voice got bass.
“Prez.” Rocky nodded, knowing how this was going down now.
“Good man.” Prez gave a slight nod back. “Have the prospects pack the rest of her shit, get her settled into your place and tighten up on security. I don’t want her unattended in case this motherfucker grows some balls and tries to push up on us.”
Weighed down by the additional responsibility placed on his shoulders, Rocky half listened to the rest of the meeting and Evonne’s one-word answers. He couldn’t be pissed at her. She didn’t know him from shit and she never knew they’d not only be shacking up but attached at the fucking hip. I don’t like it either, sister. He got why Prez had chosen him. His crib was less than a five-minute drive, ten if you were on foot. It used to be a place to put up visitors until they converted it as a place for him to train and live in solitude when necessary. What he did took a lot of dedication and focus, but the money he brought into the club from the fights was worth it.
“All right. You motherfuckers are dismissed. Go chill the fuck out and enjoy your downtime. I get the feeling this shit won’t last long,” Prez announced to the group.
Moose tapped the gavel and they all stood.
“Did you know about this?” Evonne whispered to Rocky.
“The crazy-room shit, yes. Anything else, hell…no.” Rocky shook his head.
Hurt flashed in her bright-brown gaze before she recovered.
“Look, no offense meant. I’m just used to being on my own and keeping a very structured schedule.”
“I’m not about to follow you around like a fucking puppy!” Evonne snapped.
“Never said you were.” He gritted his teeth. “For someone who’s being protected, you’re being a giant bitch about this.”
Her jaw dropped. “What did you just say to me?”
The low rumble in her voice made his cock harden. Perfect. “You heard me. I know it’s not the most ideal situation, but we can make the best of it.”
“Not with you disrespecting me,” Evonne said.
He held up a hand.
She fell silent with a stunned expression on her face.