“If everyone is here, I’m calling Church. Prospects included,” Dex calls, eyeing the room.
It’s Sunday, so most of us are here, chilling out and trying to dodge the fucking humidity that is living in Louisiana.
“Messaged Justice, he’s on his way, you know my boy ain' missin’ it,” Damian yells from his spot with the women.
Dex nods but I’m not paying attention to him. My eyes are still glued to Sage whose gaze drifts to mine, and then holds it. It’s different. She’s different.
When I first cut her loose to come to the Keep she was hurt. Those beautiful dark eyes I love looked fucking broken. Then after months apart came the anger. The fire in her eyes when next I saw her stole my breath away. And then I was shot, and all I saw was pity. Same as now. She gives me a tight smile before turning her face from mine, and moving across the room to Loyal who smiles wide and waves her over.
“Well, if it ain't Blanche Junior,” Damian coos, his wide smile irking something inside me.
“Trust me, I’ll never be as cool as my mom,” Sage replies, plopping down on the couch next to Damian.
“I dunno, baby.” My back straightens at the endearment. “I think we give you enough time with some guns and knives and you’ll be just as scary as your momma.” Damian winks.
“Dude, are yougrowling?” TumTum asks and I jerk a little. I completely fucking forgot he was there.
Running a hand down my face, I shake my head. “Fuuuck,” I moan.
“Yup. You are totally fucked, brother.” TumTum slaps me hard on the shoulder and the pain jerks through my body. “On the upside, at least you don’t have to ask her uncles how she’s doing anymore. You can ask her yourself.” He cackles as if it’s the funniest fucking thing in the world, and if I was feeling better I’d punch him in the face.
“He ain’t worth it,” Omen mumbles, taking a seat on the other side of me.
I stare at the empty chairs to the left of me and wonder why the hell these big bastards insist on sitting on the same couch as me.
“Why is she here, Omen?” I murmur. It’s shitty of me, but I’d rather Cove be here, than Sage. Yeah Cove is fucking scary and all, but at least that way I wouldn’t have to see the woman I love every single day.
“Shit’s going down.”
Turning, I eye Omen. “Dangerous shit?”
“Fucked up shit.”
Great. If there is anything I know about the Landry family, is that anything involving them is fucked up.
“Landry shit?”
“Landry shit,” Omen agrees.
“Church!” Dex bellows and I guess now is as good a time as any to find out what type of fucked up Landry shit has brought Sage to The Keep.
***
So, it turns out that wanting to be in Church to find out exactly why Sage is here is not as straightforward as I thought it would be. Why? Because I have to sit directly across from the woman whose heart I broke, and watch as she laughs at Damian’s shitty jokes. And I know they’re shit because I can hear them like he’s blasting them in Dolby surround sound. I don’t dislike the prospect, in fact, the complete opposite and yet somehow his mere presence is pissing me off.
Sage’s gaze meets mine and she frowns before she turns her attention to Dex who takes a seat. “I know we don’t usually meet today, but, well I’m sure you can see why.” He waves toward Sage who gives us a tight smile and a wave. “Sage, do you want to tell us what’s going on before I patch Marx in?”
Sage grimaces before straightening her shoulders, and sitting a little straighter. She looks around our large, wooden Church table, making eye contact with everyone, except me. When she gets to me she drifts straight past and it hits me like a punch in the face.
“I found out some…information recently.” She takes a breath, blowing it out. “You know how we’ve been up against those black market businessmen? The ones who sold Addy, Bree and Kit?”
I know that's who we’ve been up against, but I never knew Sage knew that. Looking around the table, the men all shift uncomfortably. Both Chapters of the DRMC try to keep Church and business on the down low. Only those who are deemed worthy know exactly what we do. Sure we let our Ol Ladies in when it’s something that affects the club, but for the most part children are kept out of it. Although I guess at almost twenty-one, Sage isn’t a child. But sheisinnocent, and that's what we all so fiercely try to protect. I know that’s what I tried to protect by breaking up with her. Do I love Sage? Fuck yeah I do. That feeling never stopped. But I’m four years older than her. I grew up in a shitty family in a shitty trailer and then I enlisted as soon as I was able. I was deployed, saw some shit, fucking killed people and then got dumped right back where I came from. The only thing that saved me was the DRMC. I’m not as damaged as some of the other men who have walked through the doors, but I sure as fuck ain’t innocent. Sage on the other hand? She’s beautiful. Light, pure and steady in a way I’ve never been.
“Anyway,” she continues, “Chewy found a picture of Richard McDonald. I guess up until now no one had any information on him.”
“Do we have a picture of this guy?” Dex asks, looking toward Theo and Jay, our tech team.
Theo holds up his finger as his brother taps away at his keyboard before looking up at the screen they demanded we put in for moments like this. I mean it makes sense. Last time we had to gather round and all look at Jay’s screen and I don’t wanna be that close to my brothers ever again. Looking at the screen I’m met with a smarmy looking blonde, nothing tooexciting about him. Well aside from the intake of breath and the Landrys now cursing.