Page 147 of 12 Months of Mayhem

I nod, feeling the tension in my shoulders ease a bit. Rex has always been good at taking charge and making me feel safe. Even after all we’ve been through, that hasn’t changed.

“Did you see Meredith?” I ask.

Rex’s jaw tightens at the mention of Meredith’s name, and I can see the muscles in his neck straining. “Yeah, I saw her…” He trails off, his eyes darting away from mine.

I feel my heart rate pick up, the monitor’s beeping increasing in tempo. “But what, Rex? What aren’t you telling me?”

He sighs, running his free hand through his short, cropped hair. “It’s a mess, Rem. A real fuckin’ mess.”

I try to sit up straighter, wincing as I do. “Tell me everything. I can’t just lie here not knowing what’s going on out there.”

“You need to rest, darlin’. The doc said-”

“To hell with what the doc said,” I interrupt. “This is my family we’re talking about. Our children. I need to know.”

He nods, knowing better than to argue with me when I’m like this. “Alright. But you promise to stay calm, yeah?”

I nod impatiently, and he continues, “Turns out Meredith was mixed up with some cartel business. Rocky, that asshole from the Atlanta chapter she ran off with? He’s dead.”

My eyes widen. “Dead? How?”

“Killed by the Diaz cartel for losing their drugs.”

I feel my blood run cold. The Diaz cartel. Just like my father. His actions nearly eight years ago recently came back to bite us in the ass. We killed a Diaz in the very clubhouse that is being rebuilt. The memories flood back, vivid and sharp.

“Jesus Christ,” I whisper, my free hand instinctively moving to my swollen belly. “It’s all connected, isn’t it? Dad’s mess, the clubhouse explosion, Meredith...it’s like the past is determined to haunt us.”

Rex nods grimly, his grip on my hand tightening. “Seems that way, darlin’. The Diaz cartel has a long memory and even longer reach. Maya called in your brother to help.”

“If anyone can help, it’s Bobo. What do we do?”

“We’re still working that out. Tex wants me to just hand Meredith off as a peace offering, but you and I both know she’s just collateral damage in this shit storm. If this is the same Diaz family that your dad was in bed with, it stands to reason that they know we killed one of them.”

I feel a chill run down my spine at Rex’s words. The Diaz cartel isn’t known for forgiveness, and we’ve given them plenty of reasons to come after us.

“So, what’s our next move? We can’t just sit here and wait for them to come knocking.”

“We’ve got some options, but none of them are great. We could negotiate, offer them something valuable enough to forget about their grudge. Or we could go on the offensive, hit them before they hit us.”

I shake my head, wincing at the throbbing pain it causes. “No, both of those are too risky. We need to think smarter, not harder.”

Rex raises an eyebrow, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. “Got something in mind, darlin’?”

I nod slowly, an idea forming in my mind. “What if we use Meredith as bait? Not hand her over, but to lure them out. We could set up a meeting, make them think we’re ready to deal, and then...”

“And then we take them out,” Rex finishes, his eyes gleaming with approval. “It’s risky, but it could work.”

I lean back against the pillows, “We need to get the Queens and the Kings working together on this. Maybe a call to Raze, too. I hate pulling him into our shit again, but we need the bodies. It’s the only way we stand a chance against the cartel.”

Rex nods, his face set in resoluteness. “I’ll make the calls.”

I open my mouth to protest, but he silences me with a look. “I mean it, Rem. You’re six months along and just had a scare. Let me handle this.”

I sigh, knowing he’s right but hating feeling helpless. “Fine. But you keep me in the loop, you hear me? No going off half-cocked without talking to me first.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” he says, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. He leans in, pressing a gentle kiss to my forehead. “I’ll be back soon. Try to get some rest.”

. The Diaz cartel is a formidable enemy, but we’ve faced worse. And with the Queens and Kings united, plus Raze’s help, we might just stand a chance.

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