Page 54 of Iron Heart

Cyndi blinks. “Wait a minute. Are you talking about Tori?”

“Shut your hole, Range,” I mutter.

Just then, Bama strides through the front door of the clubhouse. Jesus fuck, he looks like a truck hit him. His face is blue and swollen. One of his eyes is black, the part that’s normally white a vivid red I can see even from here. He’s got a nasty cut across his cheek that looks like he should have got it stitched up but didn’t.

He scans the room, his features drawn and angry. When he catches sight of me, his step falters but he doesn’t stop. Instead he gives our group an angry sneer, and keeps going toward the back hall, out of sight.

“Did I do that?” I ask Mal.

Smirking, he nods. “Who else?”

For the first time since I woke up, I feel a little better. “Well, whatever happened last night,” I murmur, “at least that fucker looks worse than I do.”

A second after Bama disappears, Mensa comes into the room from the same hallway. That dumb fuckin’ smile he always wears widens when he sees us.

“Hey, y’all!” he announces in that goddamn loud way of his. “How’s it hangin’?”

“Fuck off, Mensa,” I snarl, rounding on him. He half-stumbles in surprise and veers off at a sharp right, toward the bar.

Beside me, Mal chuckles. “Well, he’s gonna steer clear of you for a while.”

“Good. Jesus, that fucker is irritating,” I mutter.

Just then, Axel’s voice resounds through the main room. “All the patched members who’re in here right now, get your asses into the chapel! Church in three!”

Mal and I look at each other. Ranger frowns. “Wonder what’s up?

We don’t have long to wait to find out.

“Just got word from one of the businesses we protect over in Youngsville,” he begins, referring to the next town over from Ironwood. Youngsville is in our territory, which means anything going on over there without Lords of Carnage consent is a problem. “Red Andrews. He tells me there’s some shady motherfuckers sellin’ drugs over there, with no link to our club.”

Matthias’s face turns to stone. “That’s our turf,” he growls.

“Damn straight,” Rourke agrees. “And either those fuckers don’t know it, or they do. If they do, they’re trying to piss us off. Or worse.”

“Who you think they are?”

“Unsure. There ain’t too many MCs around here who’d be stupid enough to make a play for our territory,” Axel mutters. “But I can think of someone who might be tryin’ to poke the bear.”

“Los Caballeros,” I supply.

Axel nods. “Probably some fuckin’ lackeys they sent there to be killed, but yeah. That’s what I’m thinkin’. They’re tryin’ to send a message.”

“What’s the plan, Prez?” Bear’s grizzled voice pipes up.

“We send them a fuckin’ message back.” The storm gathering on Axel’s face would make most men piss themselves. He looks around the table. “Gage. Rourke. Bama. Ranger. Matthias. You go talk to Red Andrews over at the butcher shop in Youngsville. Get any info you can on the location of these motherfuckers. If you find them…” Axel pauses, then shows his teeth in a murderous sneer. “Make sure they’re gonna need a closed casket at their funerals. Dump them at the edge of our territory and call me with their twenty.”

“Will do.” Rourke nods once.

“All right. We’re done here. The rest of you, watch your six for now.” Axel bangs his gavel and stands.

“You think we’re headin’ for trouble?” I ask Mal as we file out of the chapel.

“Could be.” He shrugs, then a grin slides across his face. “But I ain’t been in a good fight for a while.” When we get out into the main room, he looks across at Cyndi and lifts his chin. “I’m gonna take her back to her place. She don’t need to be here when shit’s goin’ down.”

I nod, my mind flashing to Tori. “Probably a good idea,” I agree. Cyndi’s not Mal’s old lady, but it makes sense he doesn’t want her to be anywhere near any club business that could get her hurt.

Mal calls over to Cyndi, who stands up from the bar where she’s been talking to Toni, one of the club girls. She waves goodbye to Toni, glances my way and flashes me a quick smile. Then the two of them exit out the front door toward the parking lot where Mal’s bike is parked.

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