“Even if he didn’t plan it,” Casper said, leaning back in his chair, “opportunity dropped in his lap.”
“How so?” I asked.
“Well,” Casper replied, “he’s got his people up here, makin’ friends with members and then stealin’ from us, and he’s got my daughter down there, close as he can get her, carrying his child.”
Cecilia’s face scrunched up in disgust. “Can we not phrase it that way? It makes it sound like I had sex with Cane.” She shuddered.
“Sorry, Bumblebee,” Casper said with a bark of laughter. “Still, we retaliated up here and he woulda had the perfect set up to fuck with you, and if you tried to fuck him over down there, he had the means to retaliate up here.”
“Smart,” Forrest said to himself with a huff.
“So, now what?” I asked. “The man’s dead.”
“Now we take care of the rest of ’em,” Dragon said.
As the group tossed out ideas about how we’d take care of the Free America Militia, Olive woke up and started to squirm.
“I’m going to take her back to the room,” Cecilia said as she took the baby from me. “You guys don’t need me for this.”
“Always need you,” I teased quietly.
“Come find me when you’re done,” she said with a small smile. “I’ll hopefully be the one napping.”
“Lucky,” I said, squeezing her hip as she stood. “You want me to wake you up when the food’s ready?”
“Sure.”
I watched her walk away until I couldn’t see her anymore, and when I turned back to the table, I met Leo’s eye. He wasn’t glaring, but his expression wasn’t exactly welcoming, either. Yeah, we were going to go rounds if he didn’t get his shit straight. Out of respect for his dad and the grounds we were on, I’d never put a hand on him in the past—but I was just about at the end of my patience. If he didn’t keep his mouth shut, I’d shut it for him.
“What do you think?” Dragon asked Casper, dragging my attention back into the conversation happening around me.
“If they don’t get back to Woody’s whiz kid today,” Casper said, tilting his head to the side, “then a show of force would be the right way to go about it. Chances are, the son won’t be there—but we can make it clear that we’re watching them.”
“You think it’ll matter?” Cam asked.
“I think that they believe they’re flyin’ under the radar at this point, and it would be in our best interest to let them know they aren’t.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to let them go on believin’ it, and let them come to us?” Tommy asked.
“It would,” Grease said, “if they lived by the same set of rules that we do—they don’t. They’ve already come after your sister and your cousin. Don’t know who they’d fuck with next, and don’t wanna find out. I’m ready to put a stop to this bullshit now.”
“And let ’em know that if one of our kids falls off their fuckin’ bike, their heads will roll for it,” Dragon said firmly.
“I bet the militia will send thousands of feet of gymnastics mats if that’s the way they word it,” Eli whispered to Lu, making her grin.
“You’ll let us know when your man calls?” Dragon asked me.
I nodded. “Of course.”
“Alright,” he said. He glanced up and over my shoulder. “Perfect timing, where are my grandsons?”
I looked behind me at Trix, who was pushing through the doorway with a big platter in her arms.
“They’re out front waiting for the girls,” she replied, rolling her eyes. “Rose and Mack were right behind me.”
“I’m gonna go hide out in my room so I don’t get pulled into helping with breakfast,” Lu said, elbowing me in the side.
“Coward,” I said as I got to my feet.
“I don’t do that female bonding shit,” she said, standing up. “If they were going to grab a beer, I’d be down. I’m not cooking for a big group of men.”
“Is that feminism?” Eli asked, cocking his head to the side. “I can’t tell if it’s feminism or bitchy-ism.”
“It’s self-preservation,” Lu said, shoving him away from her. “I’m not taking the chance of killing one of these guys with my cooking.”
“You’re not that bad,” Forrest said, fooling none of us.
“Woody,” Casper said, rounding the table as the group dispersed. “Keep it locked down until this shit is over, yeah?”
I didn’t have to ask what he was talking about. “You realize I’m not the only one you should have to say that to, right? Where the fuck is Cam in all that? Or her cousins? Or you, her father? Why am I the only one that wants to knock his teeth down his throat?”
“Think we just hide it better than you do,” he replied, his lips twitching.
“Doubt it,” I shot back. “Leo better keep his fuckin’ distance.”
“If Rose is here, then Lily isn’t far behind,” Casper said with a slap to my shoulder. “She’ll keep him in line.”