Page 15 of In It for the Long Ride

“Wh– what's going on?” Easy numbly asked, as he pulled his shirt over his head.

No one spoke until he was finished stripping and the pile of clothes had been properly kicked about to dispel any illusion of hidden devices and we were dressed again.

“Crystal is a cop.” I let the words roll off my tongue.

Easy flopped back down in his chair and stared out the front door like he’d lost the ability to reason. Demon, on the other hand, snatched one of my AR pistols off the table and whipped toward the door.

“I’ll fuckin’ kill her myself!” he roared.

“What the fuck,” Easy barked, shooting out of the chair and reaching for his shoulder. The glasses went flying off his head and the pair of them locked like a set of wild animals. They scuffled until they were banging off the counter and walls, with the pistol in Demon’s hand jutting and flailing at times. I reached out and jerked it away from the pair of them, leaving them both glaring at me.

Easy slugged Demon in the mouth and grabbed his kutte like he meant to draw him back and do it again.

“Nobody is hurting any women!” I roared.

“Fuck you. She’s a cop. She ain’t no–” Demon continued to wail.

“She’s the wife of a sitting president,” I cut him off.

“Wife of the president–” Easy spat with a sordid laugh. “No, she’s my brother’s fucking wife. She’s the widow of a Road Captain, but she’s still the only parent my nephew has breathing.”

“Easy… She married Oak,” I admitted.

Easy released a loud breath and shook his head like he had the power to deny or undo it.

“And does Oak know his wife is a fucking snitch? A fucking cop?” Demon raged.

Easy slammed him into the wall and I shot in between them, forcing Easy back a few paces. Once I had him calm, I returned my attention to Demon, but I couldn’t utter the words.

I stared at him, and though I didn’t answer, he nodded in understanding.

“I’ll be goddamned. That big for nothing son of a bitch–” He licked his lips and smirked while cursing Oak.

“Shut the fuck up. All that temper and posturing doesn't help, big guy.” I thumped Demon’s chest and tried to reel them in. “Oak knows. He’s doing damage control. They’re on their wayto Chicago, but he isn’t thinking this shit through. If they take down Valentino, the feds take us down, too. Oak is going to put himself behind bars for the rest of his life.”

“Fuck,” Easy whispered, his voice cracking with emotion before he screamed, “Man, fuck!”

“I can’t let him eat that alone,” I continued, unmoved by his outburst. “I’m putting myself forward as president of this club, and I’m going to kill Demetri Valentino.”

Chapter 7

Daisy

My eyes flutteredopen and I groaned as my head instantly throbbed. I thought for sure I heard an engine, but I was so stuffy from crying myself to sleep that I wasn’t sure what I’d heard.

“Aunt Daisy,” Blaze stirred next to me.

“Hmm?” I blinked, throwing my hair out of my face.

“What time is it?” he murmured, the sleep heavy in his tone.

“Uh,” I squinted at the digital alarm clock and after a few moments decided it was a four staring back at us. “Time to go back to sleep, buddy.”

I curled into him, and we drifted off again.

A few hours later I awoke to a bird chirping.

“Shit,” I hissed, jerking my arm out from beneath Blaze’s neck.

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