Page 28 of Roman

“Where are we going?” Rhylee asks when we step outside. “I thought we weren’t supposed to go outside?”

I can’t help but chuckle. “You are very right but we need some open space and the gym in the garage is the best place for that.” She must accept my explanation because she doesn’t speak anymore, I absently wonder if she thinks I’m going to yell at her more for yesterday. She seems a little worried when we step inside the gym and I turn to face her.

“Are you going to punish me?” she timidly asks.

“What do you think your punishment should be?” I ask doing my best to hold down the smile that wants to creep onto my face. This little girl is so much like my sister it tears a hole in my heart. Only the worst thing Masie did was get a B on a math test.

“Kataya said that Rock grounded her. She had to give him her license and phone. She can’t drive or have her phone for a month.”

“I was thinking of making you take out the earrings and letting them holes shut.” The small teardrop that forms at the corner of her eye tells me right now that I will forever be wrapped around this girl’s finger. “But I won’t do that. Instead, you are going to learn a few self-defense moves and,” I pull out a knife from my back pocket, “how to use this.” Flicking open the blade I hand it over to her. “This is in no way a reward for your behavior yesterday. What you did was stupid and irresponsible.”

“It was and I’m sorry,” she tells me not taking her eyes off of the knife.

“Not going to be repeated right?” I ask, getting her to look up at my face.

“Right. Not repeating it.”

“Good. Now first things first, that is not a toy. It’s small but it can fuck a person up if you use it right. The fatal points are here,” I point to my neck. “The carotid artery will bleed out in seconds.” I point to my inner thigh, “The femoral artery is here. The same rule applies. But if you are looking to wound or just get the fu… person off your back you take that knife and stab it right into the meatiest part of the body you can find and twist it. They will be crying on the ground like a little bi… girl.” I step up to her. “Let’s do a few practice rounds.” I show her how to close the knife and have her put it into her pocket. “Are you ready?” I start walking around her, stopping when she is in front of me.

She nods then asks, “Why are you behind me?”

“No attack is going to come from your front, it will always be the back.” With that I wrap my arms around my little girl and get her head in a lock, putting pressure on her neck. At first, she struggles at the abruptness of my movements. “Struggling only gives your attacker more motivation to hang on tighter. Let your body loose. It will relax you and them enough for you to make your move. What is your move Rhy?” she doesn’t answer only reaches into her jeans and pulls out the knife. Instead of popping it open though she keeps it closed and rams it into my leg causing an instant bruise most likely. Laughter bubbles up out of my chest and I let her go. “Damn you are my daughter kid.” The beaming smile she has on her face continues for the remainder of her lesson.

28

Roman

It takes a whole ten days before we get any sign of Mike, at least a sign we think to be him. “Sage said it could have been because the building is so damn old, but on the other hand…”

“It was probably him.” I finish Brood’s thought. I got a call early this morning telling me that the bar burned down. Electrical fire supposedly, only that is probably bullshit.

“Yeah. It’s too convenient. Plus burning down the bar hurts Pria too.” Brood is right on that thought.

“I’m not sure if Mike knows of the connection between Pria and the bar, not unless he has delved much deeper into her life than we know.” I hear Brood hum in agreement on the other end of the line.

“We will keep the place on lockdown. Will you be coming this way?” he asks.

“Yeah. Think a few of us will be heading up that way soon. I will keep you posted.” Ending the call, I drop the phone into my pocket. “Well, he burnt down the bar in Rhino. He’s in Montana. As far as we know anyway,” I tell Rock.

“Do you need some men? I have a few in mind for the trip, good shots too.” He gives a slight grin. “I may go myself. I could use a little excitement.”

“Fuck all this excitement. All I want is to take my girls home and fucking live my damn life. Try to make up for the past fourteen years I missed with them.” Groaning I rub at my forehead and drop down to the chair sitting across from Rock’s desk.

“I’m sure we will be getting into more scrapes after this one. I swear each and every one of you fuckers don’t know how to pick a woman that doesn’t come with some sort of gunfire battle attached to her,” he laughs.

“You talk all you want. I remember Eagle beating the shit out of you when he found out about you and Buggs. Just because there were no bullets involved doesn’t mean that it wasn’t a battle,” I point out. I don’t think I had been prospecting for more than a few months before Eagle, the previous President before Brood, beat the shit out of Rock when he found his daughter and Rock going at it in one of the clubhouse rooms.

“That bastard did hit pretty hard.” Rock rubs at his jaw. “Bet he could still whoop my ass, old as he is.” He pauses for a moment then as if remembering something he takes a piece of paper out from under his desk. “Nearly forgot about this. It was faxed over to us this morning.”

I take the printed piece of paper and read the top headline in what seems to be a new article. “Beloved candidate dies in car crash.”

“Steven came through,” Rock says nodding at the paper.

“I guess he did. Damn that didn’t take long.” Tossing the paper down onto the desk I look back up at Rock. “This is going to make Mike just a little more desperate. He doesn’t have a buyer anymore.”

“I was thinking the same thing. Maybe that is why he decided to hit the bar, to try and get us out in the open.” It is something I have considered.

“I’d rather take the fight to him than him bring it to us.”

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