Maverick (Hell's Handlers MC 2)

Well not unrequited, because the man definitely had a hard-on for Shell as well. But it would never amount to anything because Copper had some fool notion Shell was too young for him and there was too much messiness in their history.

“All right. Soon as we’re done here, Mav, Zach, and I will pay King a little visit. Jig, I want you there, too. Help get a read on the guy.”

Jig nodded, a vengeful gleam in his jade-green eyes. He’d been a well-respected physicist working for NASA until his wife and kid were murdered in a horrific event Maverick didn’t know most of the details about. Rumor had it, Jig went a little crazy afterward. Until he met Copper, who helped get him back on track.

Sort of. Back on track MC style, anyway.

Copper had given him a family of brothers and a helping hand exacting revenge on the men who’d killed his family. Jig was a smart motherfucker, and Copper valued the treasurer’s opinion and advice on most topics.

“My pleasure, Prez.”

“Next order of business.” Darkness crossed Copper’s face. “Viper’s ol’ lady is planning the memorial for Special K. I want all the ol’ ladies involved and helping her out. They’re meeting here tomorrow at ten to start planning.” He cleared his throat and swallowed before inhaling a deep breath. “Questions?”

Heads shook around the room and a few murmured “nos” rose up.

“Good. Next, Zach spent some time with King earlier today. Guy’s a bit of a pussy. Didn’t take long for him to start spilling Dragon secrets. There are two key players who he thinks will be vying for top dog now that Shark’s been harpooned. Lefty and Sixer. King thinks there’ll be a civil war inside the gang. I don’t want to wait around for these assholes to kill each other. I want ’em and I want ’em now. Alive is preferred, but dead works for me, too. According to our oh-so-cooperative guest, the gang will crumble without one of them leading. No one else has the skills or ambition to take over.”

It would feel damn good to rid the world of the Gray Dragons once and for all.

“Anybody got anything else?” Copper asked.

“I want to give Steph a shot at King,” Maverick said.

The room fell deathly quiet. Not even so much as a swallow of whiskey was heard as every brother’s shocked stare bore into Maverick.

Copper leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers under his chin. He didn’t immediately shoot the idea down, which was promising. Copper may be a hard-ass with a temper and a ruthless streak, but he was fair. When it came to the members of his MC anyway. “State your reasons.”

“What?” Someone scoffed. “Fuck no! Bitches do not deserve in on any club business. Don’t give a shit what the reason is.”

Screw. One of the prospects, the one who was with Jig when they rescued Steph, actually. Prospects weren’t usually permitted at church, but with what went down, it was all hands on deck. Still, first meeting or not, the jerkoff should know better than to interrupt the prez.

Copper shot him a look that would make most grown men piss themselves. “You don’t like the way I run my club, you’re free to walk the fuck out, Screw. Don’t see my patch on your cut or my brand on your arm. No skin off my back.”

Screw paled. “No, Prez. No problems.”

Nodding, Copper focused on Mav again. “Spit it out, brother.”

If the situation weren’t so fucked, Mav would have laughed at Copper’s intentional use of the word brother. Just a quick “fuck you” to Screw who wasn’t yet a brother and who would probably be waiting longer than originally anticipated thanks to his outburst.

“King found her in the woods. He brought Shark to her. He tied her spread eagle to a fuckin’ table and took her fuckin’ pants off. He was seconds away from raping her when I managed to divert his attention. Then she had to watch as he burned the fuck out of my arm. The woman broke her wrist fighting like a hellcat to get his attention back on her. She…” Mav shook his head as an unfamiliar tingle started at the tip of his nose. Flicking his tongue ring against his lip, he stared at the ceiling. “She fucking begged him to come back and finish the job so I would be spared the pain. She deserves a few minutes with him.”

The room remained silent as Copper contemplated Mav’s request. “Think she can handle it? He sure as hell ain’t pretty right now.”

Mav nodded. “I think so. I’ll prepare her. She told me Shark got off too easy with a simple bullet to the back. That it didn’t sit right with her.”

“Don’t make me regret this, Maverick. Grab her and meet us down there.” Copper sat forward and smacked his palm against the table. “Meeting adjourned.”