Family Ties (Ashby Crime Family)

“We got someone with Mel?” Cross nodded. “Covering the Bungalow for the rest of the week?”

“Yeah.”

“All of this happened while you were MIA,” Max accused. “Where the fuck were you, Charlie?”

“Busy.” I might have avoided the clubhouse, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t doing my goddamn job. “There’s more to club business than this clubhouse, or have you forgotten?” Max was my father, but right now he was my soldier, and I wouldn’t have him, or anyone, questioning my loyalty to this fucking MC.

He nodded. “Figured you were with the Rhymer chick.”

“She’s staying with me, yeah. What does that have to do with what happened to Gemma or Aries?” I didn’t wait for an answer because I was no longer a fucking kid who needed to explain my every waking move to my old man.

And it felt weird.

Maybe even a little disrespectful.

Cross sighed and took a strategic step forward between me and Max.

“He thinks what happened to our girls is connected to you having Savannah Rhymer.”

Of course he did. It was a serious accusation; one he’d need to back up with proof. “The only way they could know that would be if someone from this MC told them. I don’t think that happened, Max. Do you?”

“No, but goddammit, what are the odds?”

“Ashby and I killed Brendan; that could be enough. You think these fuckers give a shit about our girls? Look how they treat their own.” I shook my head and ran a hand through my hair. “Stop trying to make everything about Savannah just because you’re pissed off that I’m not doing what you want. The Jacks and Crusaders have plenty of reasons to fuck with us.”

My phone buzzed, and I glanced down at the message from Jasper.

“Jacks struck too close to home. Midnight Mass. Noon.”

I repeated the words to Max and Cross, glaring at them both. “You two ready to do some work or you want to sit here and keep telling me how I’m fucking up as Prez?”

“That’s not what we’re saying, Charlie.”

That was what I heard, though. “Where’s Golden Boy?”

“With Mel. You know he has a soft spot for the old girl.” Mel had visited him in prison every week and welcomed him back even when he was a surly asshole.

“Let’s go then.” I took the ride over to Midnight Mass to clear my mind of all the doubts that had seeped in after just a few minutes with Dad and Cross. I wished I had a minute to call Savannah, to hear her call me Mr. President and remind me that this was my MC now. But I didn’t, so those naked words in my memory would have to be enough.

The place was empty when we walked in to the normally bustling pub and restaurant. I saw Terry first at the bar, a reluctant grin on his face.

“That was quick. Drink?” He held up a bottle of Velvet Fire.

“Sure. Thanks,” I said, sidling up next to Virgil standing at the bar. “We were already dealing with similar club shit when Jasper’s text came through. Where is he?”

“In back,” Virgil said and thumbed toward the office. “Chewing Cal’s ass about some shit with Bonnie. Again. He’ll be up in a second.”

I nodded and looked around the empty space. Something was definitely going on for Jasper to close this place in the middle of the day on a Thursday, which officially kicked off the weekend in the Vegas area.

“What’s going on?”

Terry handed me a glass of whiskey and leaned against the bar, sipping from his glass with an exhausted sigh. “Two of our dancers from Lucky Lopez were found dead in the Green Zone,” he said, anger rising with each word. “Fucking nailed to a tree in a sixty-nine position, Black Jacks carved into their flesh.”

“Fuck.” I spared a quick told you so glance at my men and turned back to Terry. “Same. One of our girls isn’t dead though, just in a coma.”

Virgil let out a snort of disbelief. “Fuck, that’s rough. If you need extra men for protection, we can spare a few.”

“Thanks. For now, we’ve got it covered, but I appreciate the offer.”

“What offer?” Jasper’s growl sounded before he entered the main part of Midnight Mass with a dark scowl on his face.

“Terry just told me about your girls, I’m sorry, man.” I gave him a quick rundown on Aries and Gemma. “Virgil offered extra protection for Aries at the hospital.”

Jasper nodded and snatched the open bottle of Velvet Fire off the table, taking several long chugs before his shoulders left the vicinity of his ears. “Speaking of girls, you figured out what you want to do with Savannah Rhymer?”

I should have known that question was coming. These days, Jasper had one track mind. “I’m handling it.”

He wasn’t pleased with that answer, but I didn’t give a shit because my job wasn’t to please Jasper fucking Ashby. He took the seat across from me, not glancing at Cal or Cross or Max who were also at the table.