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  Duke held out his hand, and Alexander took it. They both had a strong grip. Both of them were masters in their worlds, and neither of them was backing down.

  “Do what needs to be done. I will alert the other families, and once it’s done, we will not hear from each other again,” Alexander said.

  “What? You don’t want to be my new best friend?” Duke asked.

  Alexander laughed. They pulled away, and Duke stayed in his spot as he watched the Capo family leave.

  He had what he wanted, and now it was time to update the club.

  Chapter Seven

  One week later on Monday

  “Duke called church for tonight,” Brass said.

  Chip moved out from the under the car he’d been looking over, and frowned. “What?”

  “You heard me. He’s called church, and wants everyone to be here.”

  “That’s not totally unusual,” Pie said.

  Everything had returned to normal since Holly’s Sunday dinner over a week ago. She’d spent more time around the club, and work had gone back to shift work. Chip worked four mornings a week in the mechanic shop in between other Trojan work and investments.

  He looked at Brass, Pie, and Crazy. They all looked deep in thought.

  “This is not normal. If you guys want to pretend it is, be my guest, but we all know something is going to kick off,” Chip said.

  “War with the Abelli mafia is guaranteed death,” Crazy said. “Not to mention what it can do to the town.”

  “Duke’s not after a war,” Pie said.

  “How can you be sure?” Brass asked.

  “Duke got everything settled with Abelli after he took out Anton.” Pie spoke up once again.

  “I don’t know. Tensions have been brewing for some time now, and I know he got Raoul to bring Diaz in.”

  Diaz’s crew helped the Trojans out from time to time. He’d been friends with Raoul for as long as Chip could remember. Diaz had a way of getting information. His crew ruled the streets, and found that walls really did talk.

  Chip stood up, cleaning off his wrench. “The way I see it, we’ll follow Duke no matter what. Francis screwed up when Anton got Russ and Sheila killed. The bargain we all struck was for them to live. That didn’t happen. Two lives for one when Duke got Anton. He showed Francis respect by not taking out one of his other kids. He could have killed Maya, his granddaughter, or one of the daughters.”

  They all knew that Duke wasn’t afraid to kill a woman. He’d done it before, and anyone who got in his way or hurt his woman had to face the consequences, and that was his wrath.

  “Why don’t we stop speculating like a bunch of pussies and get some work done? We’ll find everything out at church and not a moment before,” Chip said.

  They all went to work on their cars or in the main office.

  Chip was about to get back under his car when he saw Kasey park outside the shop.

  He walked toward her as she skipped the last of the way, throwing herself into his arms.

  “Be careful. I’ll get you all dirty,” he said.

  “I don’t care about a bit of grease. I’m normally covered in blood, crap, or vomit. This is a step up.” She chuckled.

  “This is a nice surprise.” He rested his hands at the base of her back.

  “I bought you lunch,” she said, pulling out of his arms and reaching into her car.

  He admired her ass, knowing later tonight he was going to have that nestled against his cock.

  They hadn’t had sex yet. Kasey wasn’t ready, and he didn’t mind waiting, especially as it gave them time to explore other things. He particularly loved the feel of her mouth on his dick. He also loved the taste of her pussy.

  She lifted up, presenting him with a bag.

  “Come on, we’ll eat it in the office.” Taking her hand, he nodded at the guys, who offered a hello to Kasey.

  She said hello back. Chip tugged her into the office, slammed the door closed, and pressed her up against it.

  Her arms went around his neck, pressing herself against him, and he groaned. Cupping her ass, he pulled her close, wanting nothing more than to fuck her right there and then.

  He suddenly found a downfall with waiting for sex.

  Moments like this, he craved it even more

  Also, blue balls were overrated.

  Someone cleared their throat, and releasing Kasey, he turned to find Pie sitting in the office. He’d not seen him when he entered, but he’d not been paying that much attention.

  “You don’t have to stop for me. That was getting me all worked up,” Pie said.

  Kasey groaned, wrapping her arms around his back, and resting her cheek against him.

  “You’ve seen all you’re going to see.” Opening the door, he waited for Pie to leave.

  Pie stopped beside Kasey. “Just out of curiosity, if I’d tried a little harder, would you have at least wanted me?”

  Chip was ready to wipe the smirk off his face when he felt Kasey shake her head.

  “No, I’m afraid not. I like you, Pie, but I think of you as a friend.”

  “Figures. I’m friend material.” Pie winked at her, and closed the door. Chip shoved it the last bit, slamming it.

  “You don’t have to do that,” she said, giggling. “Did he really want to date me?”

  “He was interested in you.”

  “He didn’t try all that hard. It takes more than a bunch of flowers to get a woman’s attention,” she said.

  “Oh yeah, what else does a guy need to do? Should I take notes?”

  “Yes, lots and lots of notes.” She hugged him close. “Let’s see. You need to stop by a woman’s house, and not flirt with her very sexy neighbor. Flowers are a must. So is dinner. Oh, and you have to have a very wicked tongue that makes a woman forget all of her prudish ways.”

  He took her lips once again. He couldn’t resist those luscious lips, so sexy and hot.

  “Are you taking notes?” she asked.

  “That’s what my head is. Lots of notes, and I’ll be sure to show you exactly how good my tongue is.”

  He pressed her back up the wall, and she wrapped a leg around his waist, rubbing herself against him.

  “We have to stop. I came to bring you lunch.” She still held the lunch in her grip.

  One final kiss and he stepped back, pulling out a chair for her to sit in.

  “I could get used to this,” he said.

  He took the bag, opening it up to find a couple of sandwiches.

  “I’ve got to go shopping, which is where I’m heading to next. I just wanted to stop by and see how you are.”

  “I’m doing good. I can’t say the same about the car I’m working on. It’s a piece of shit and falling apart.” He took a bite of the cheese and pickle sandwich, enjoying it.

  “Also, Holly invited me to a girls’ night out,” Kasey said.

  “A girls’ night?”

  “Yeah. She said I could take Lindsey with me, and it’ll be a lot of fun. Do you think I should go?” she asked.

  He smiled. “I’ve got no problem with you hanging out with Holly and the old ladies. They’ll keep you safe.”

  It was good that Holly was getting back into the swing of things.

  “Speaking of plans. Do you mind sleeping over at the clubhouse Wednesday night? Duke’s called church, and I’ve got to be there.”

  “Sure, I don’t mind.”

  He finished the sandwich, wishing it would last longer.

  Chip had watched each of the brothers fall for their woman. Little by little, they’d become smitten.

  He wasn’t going little by little. He’d fallen deeply, and it hadn’t taken that long either.

  Lunch ended all too soon, and he walked her back to her car.

  Before she climbed in, she kissed him again, and he waited for her to leave before heading back to work.

  “She’s really taken with you,” Pie said.

  He stared at the brother, who looked a little enviou
s. “You didn’t want her.”

  “How do you figure that?”

  “If you did, you wouldn’t have given me a chance. You’d have been all over her just like you are every single club whore that steps through that door.”

  ****

  Wednesday night

  Kasey stayed in the kitchen with Holly and the other old ladies. There were a couple of women she didn’t recognize who kept a good distance from the old ladies. She sat beside Mary, who sipped at her water.

  She was pregnant with her and Pike’s second child. Zoe was also pregnant with Raoul’s first child.

  “Is it always like this?” she asked.

  “Not always. This was an emergency meeting that Duke called. He rarely calls any of them,” Holly said.

  “And he rarely calls for Diaz’s help,” Zoe said. “I was with Raoul when he got the call to pick Diaz up and to meet him at the clubhouse.”

  “Is this about Francis?” Maya asked, speaking up.

  Out of all of the women, Maya was the youngest of the bunch.

  “I don’t know,” Holly said.

  “You can’t keep everyone in the dark. If you know something, you’ve got to tell,” Maya said.

  “I don’t know anything. Honestly, I don’t know.”

  Kasey didn’t have a clue what was going on, so she sipped her drink and tried to think of other things. The women all looked somber. Maria, Daisy’s woman, was pale, as was Beth, Knuckles’s old lady.

  So many names, and she couldn’t remember them all, or all of their history.

  “How are things going with you and Chip?” Leanna asked, leaning in close.

  All of the kids were asleep in their rooms in the clubhouse. Chip had taken her for a tour around the large building. There was a boys’ nursery and girls’ nursery, where all the kids slept when they stayed at the clubhouse.

  She also realized that when the kids were in residence, the clubhouse was very tame. Once the kids were gone, everyone came out to play.

  “Really good. My neighbor adores him.”

  “I like Lindsey,” Maria said. “She doesn’t have a filter, does she?”

  Kasey laughed. “No. I’ve known her for some time now, and whatever she is thinking or feeling, she’ll just spill it out. I like that about her.”

  “It’s refreshing,” Holly said, speaking up. “It’s nice to know she’s not trying to steal your man either.”

  Holly’s gaze was on the girl that had been coming out of the same room as Pie.

  Kasey glanced over at the woman, and saw she sat on her own. None of the other women sat with her.

  “Why don’t they sit closer to us?” she asked Leanna.

  Leanna looked at the women. “They’re sweet-butts or club whores. Whichever you want to call them. They … entertain the men.”

  “They fuck any and whichever member will have them. They don’t get to pick and choose,” Holly said. “Some of them also don’t care if one or more of the guys are taken.” Holly forced a smile to her lips. “A word of warning, some men struggle to stay faithful.”

  “Duke’s not like that, and you know it.”

  “My dad wasn’t faithful to my mother. He cheated on her. Our men haven’t cheated,” Holly said. “It can happen, though.”

  Kasey couldn’t help but look at the other women and wonder if one or more of them had slept with Chip. If he’d fucked them in the bed that they had messed around in.

  She was thirty, not old by any means, but to some, that was still too old. The women wore next to nothing. Shirts that outlined their braless state. Perky breasts, with their nipples pressing against the fabric. The shirts ended just under the breasts, revealing smooth stomachs. A couple of the women were fuller, curvier, and younger.

  Suddenly hit with a wave of insecurity, Kasey wondered if it would be wrong to have a glass of brandy, or something stronger.

  “Okay, you totally sucked all the fun out of the room,” Zoe said. “It’s not just club life. It’s every kind of man and woman that can cheat. You can cheat just as much as Duke. We’re not all perfect, and pretending we are is wrong.”

  “Do you know if…” Kasey stopped, biting her lip.

  “You want to know if Chip has fucked any of those women?” Zoe asked.

  She nodded, hating that she wanted to know.

  “You’ll have to ask him,” Leanna said, speaking up once again.

  Kasey had a feeling she really wasn’t going to like the answer.

  ****

  Duke, Pike, and Raoul were already in church when he arrived. Chip shook his head, waiting as brother after brother entered the church.

  The last to arrive was Pie, who took a seat in the back.

  The door closed, their cell phones taken, and silence filled the air. No one made a sound or a move.

  Chip looked at Duke, waiting.

  “I’m sure you’re all curious as to why I called this meeting,” Duke said. “I’m aware you all know that Diaz was here the other day. It has been brought to my attention that Abelli men have been in Vale Valley. They’ve been asking … questions. About the club. About my wife. About our families.”

  Chip didn’t like that, and from the look on the brothers’ faces, none of them were impressed.

  “Tensions have been running high for some time now. Some of you may or may not have agreed with me taking out Anton Abelli.” He stopped.

  “No, you had every single right to do that,” Landon said.

  Everyone agreed.

  “He took Russ,” Chip said. “And Sheila. You make a bargain, even with the devil, you expect to keep it. He had what was coming to him.”

  “I cannot allow this to stand. Vale Valley is Trojan land. This is our town, and I swear to you all, to the patch, and to my club, I will not see any Trojan under Abelli’s thumb.” The rage inside Duke was clear to see. He was shaking with it. “I vowed to lead you guys. To do everything in my power to protect the club. The moment you put your life with that of the mafia, you’re no longer a club. You’re dogs for them to call. I won’t do that. This is our club. Our home. I’m going to send a message to Abelli in person. I’ve called a meeting with him for tomorrow. I’m going to see him. I have a package for him, about what we do to men who sneak around our town, asking questions.”

  Chip nodded.

  “Taking out Abelli is not the only problem. I know he’s one of many families within the mafia, so I arranged a meeting with its head, Alexander Capo. Since Francis kept protecting his son against the consequences of what he’d done, Capo wants Abelli gone. They will not cause us a problem once it’s done. I know some of you don’t want to go to war. They don’t want to have the risk to their families and the club. Fine, get the fuck out. I mean it. We can vote on it. If I’ve not got a brother in this club willing to risk his life to protect my back and my family’s back, then get out. We all made a vow when we took our patch. Your family is my family. I will risk my life for yours, and you will for mine. You don’t want to do that, I don’t want you in my club. You think you can do a better job at this, then come and take it, I fucking dare you to. Don’t tell me how to protect this club. Don’t stab me in the back. Come to me like a damn man, and tell me it straight.”

  Chip looked around the table, wondering if anyone was going to step up or leave.

  Crazy sighed. “You know what, I think we’ve gotten too damn lazy. I’m done with the Abelli bullshit. Every time I see Holly, I see Maya, fuck, I see this damn clubhouse that Russ slaved away to build. He made this fucking club what it is, and that fucker’s son took him from us. Nah, no, I don’t give a shit anymore. That fucker wants a war. He wants to take on the Trojans. Bring it. I’m not someone’s dog, and I sure as shit don’t serve any mafia prick.”

  Everyone in the room cheered.

  Before Russ’s death, the club had been smoothly going about its business, doing the drug and gun runs that Ned Walker sent their way. They’d stayed in their own business. Then the Abelli truth had come out.
The club had stumbled a little, pulling back to protect its own. With Russ’s death, they’d been in shock, in mourning, each of them dealing with their grief in their own way.

  If Abelli had left them alone, everything would have been fine. There wouldn’t have been any danger. He hadn’t walked away.

  Invading their town, even if it was only one person, that was a sign of disrespect.

  Now, he’d woken up a rage within the club. One of their men was down. The Trojans didn’t take the death of one of their own easily.

  They fought.

  They killed.

  They got vengeance.

  It was time for the Trojans to take theirs, and Abelli better watch out, because once they started, only when the Trojans were ready, would they stop.

  Chapter Eight

  Kasey waited in the kitchen, and when church ended, she noticed all the somber expressions on the women around the table as one by one, their men came. The single men stayed in the main part of the clubhouse.

  Chip stood in front of her, and she offered him a smile, which he returned but without much enthusiasm.

  Something had gone bad.

  “Can we go to my room?” he asked.

  She took his hand, not arguing as he followed her upstairs.

  “Everyone seemed tense going into the room, but they all look even worse coming out of it,” she said.

  He closed his bedroom door, and once again, she sat down at the end of his bed, waiting. Biting her lip, she was sure he was going to dump her. She didn’t know why it felt like that, only that it did.

  “Do you want me to leave?” she asked.

  “No, of course not. Why would you think for even a second I’d want you to leave?”

  “You’re going to dump me, right? Isn’t that why we’re up here?” she asked.

  He took her hand, pulling her to her feet and slamming his lips down on hers. All she wanted to do was hold him back, but she stopped herself, keeping her hands by her sides.

  As the kiss progressed, she couldn’t help but touch him.