Page 24 of Hendrix

My chest went tight at the thought of what was to come. “I don’t want it touching Anna.”

“It won’t,” he replied. “Anna has no clue about what her husband is or what he does.”

I scraped a hand across my beard. “I’m goin’ in for her ASAP. I’ve got a very bad feelin’.”

“It’s nothing we haven’t planned a hundred times over, Prez,” he muttered. “We’ve got eyes on Antoni Lis, remember? I’m a man with a plan.”

“Right.” I sat back in my chair, my heart suddenly pounding, not only at the thought of seeing Anna for the first time in years but also at the prospect of what my club was about to undertake.

“She’ll be okay,” Colt told me reassuringly.

“Yeah,” I replied absentmindedly, my thoughts already turning to hair like burnt copper and kaleidoscope eyes that changed from tawny to green depending on her mood and whether I’d just made her come or pissed her off.

“See you in Church,” I mumbled, ending the call. I dropped my cell phone on my desk and raised my hand to rub at my thudding heart.

God. I’d missed her, but I wouldn’t have to for much longer. Soon, Anna would be here, and I’d finally get the opportunity to make up for everything that happened back when I didn’t appreciate the beauty I had in my hands.

I’d taken a risk letting her go, but deep down in my soul, I knew this day would come.

Finally, it was time to get my woman.

CHAPTER FIVE

HENDRIX

Church in Virginia looked very different from Church in Wyoming, though that was mainly because of Colt.

Both clubs’ entry system was high-tech in the way we had to key in a sequence of ever-changing numbers to gain entry to the room, but here in Virginia, we had an extra level of security where we had to scan our prints and retinas too. Our government jobs were highly confidential, so our Church was also soundproofed, and our internal computer system checked for foreign devices each time we convened.

I keyed in the code and pressed my thumb onto an infra-red pad while it scanned my eyes. The locks disengaged with a quiet click, and I pushed on the door, surprised to see that I was the first one there.

Colt hadn’t just brought our MC into the twenty-first century; he’d taken us beyond. Our technology rivaled the goddamned Pentagon, and I, for one, loved it. I took my seat at the round oak table with the Speed Demons patch burned into it and lovingly ran my fingers over the polished wood gavel and soundblock that took pride of place at my hand.

Church in Wyoming was an experience and a time for banter and bonding, which went hand in hand with discussing club business. It was the same here, and although we followed the same bylaws and code of conduct as the mother chapter, there were also a lot of differences between the two clubs.

Wyoming was old school, and there was nothing wrong with that. Phones and iPads in Church were frowned upon, and I understood why. When Dagger was my prez, he wanted things done traditionally, and there was a place for that. But our work meant that we had to embrace technology, not only with our everyday equipment but also in our missions.

Every one of my men was equipped with the latest iPhone and iPads fitted with the best inbuilt security in the world. Encrypted mission plans were sent to them, so we expected the men to carry their tech whenever appropriate, and that included Church. The club’s coffers weren’t filled with cash like Wyoming. Ours contained state-of-the-art weaponry and technology, such as spy cameras and listening devices the size of an ant.

The club had a small plane and a helicopter assigned to us. We also had a Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk high-altitude remotely-piloted surveillance aircraft (Hawk for short), which we controlled from a small, hidden room in the basement of the hotel that only five of us had access to.

Other than that, we were pretty much the same as any other MC. Our bylaws were identical to the mother chapter’s along with our own added code of conduct. My men were talented soldiers, but outside our missions, they also ran our businesses in town and were expected to add to the club’s coffers. Every man was paid the same—and paid well—plus, anyone involved in a mission earned a bonus for that particular job, as well as their regular take.

With careful planning and investment, Wyoming made me a rich man, and after a rocky start, followed by more careful planning and investment, Virginia made me richer.

The locks on the door clicked, and my eyes lifted to see Bones, the club’s doctor, saunter in.

“Veep’s a sadist,” his deep, raspy voice declared.

My mouth stretched into a grin because I’d thought much the same minutes before. “You knew we’d call Church today. Dunno why you’re so goddamned miffed about it.”

“Only finished my last surgery three hours ago,” he grumbled.

I cocked an eyebrow. “You can survive on three hours of sleep. What’s the problem?”

A slow grin stretched across the good-looking bastard’s face. “Who said I was sleeping?”

The door opened again, and Blade’s West Coast drawl filled the air. “I don’t care if she sucks dick like a puffer fish. She’s out.”

---