Page 25 of Property of Madman

Iclimb off my motorcycle, then hold it steady as Audrey grips my free hand and I help her off the bike. “You’re gettingbetter at that,” I compliment once she’s away from the pipes and tucked into my side. “Is it getting easier for you?”

She nods, “Yes, I love it more and more each time we ride.”

“Gonna have to take a break here soon, can’t have my pregnant baby momma riding on the back of my motorcycle while she’s growing our baby inside her.”

She leans up on her tip toes, pressing a kiss to my jaw. “I love how you are always worrying about your family, who knew you’d be such a good father already? We’re lucky to have you.”

“Nah, Aud’s, I’m the lucky one. You have no idea.” I kiss her once more, then step away and smack her ass. “Now get back to the house and put your feet up. I need to talk to the brothers.”

“Will you bring snacks?”

I shoot her a grin. This is a new development over the past couple of weeks. “Of course, whatcha’ craving, Momma?”

“One of those mocktails Brass made me the other day. The green one.”

“Hm...”

“And queso.Ohhh, and one of those brisket wraps? I need some savory and salt.”

A chuckle slips free as I nod and watch her walk down the path toward the house. I’ll bring her an entire goddamn store if she asks, but thankfully, she hasn’t yet. The southern food is starting to leave a mark on her heart, so that’s a good thing.

We’ve agreed to talk about things, about them being around more in the future, but I don’t know what the discussion is going to look like. I want them here more than anything. If I didn’t have the club, it’d be a non-issue. I’d go wherever she needed me, but it’s not my reality. I need her to compromise and come here as much as possible, and in return, I’ll do whatever I can to make sure she and our children feel loved every day, that I make their lives easier, and help them however I can.

Making my way inside the clubhouse, I greet Nickle the same way as I usually do. “Prospect, there’s horse shit to shovel.”

“Already got to it, Prez.”

His words have me pausing. He’s already taken care of it? Since when? “The fuck you just say?”

“Uh, I got up early and cleaned the stalls.”

My brow furrows in confusion. “Then why do you look so clean?”

I woke up at four, took care of the stalls, and just showered.”

“Jesus Fucking Christ, Nickle. You keep that up, and you’ll be getting patched, then I’ll have to look for another prospect toshovel shit all day.” I shoot him a glare, not looking forward to vetting a new asshole to fill his shoes this quickly.

He smirks, but doesn’t reply, grabbing a coffee cup, he fills it for himself. I do the same and head for Church. This time around, I’m the last one in, but only because Audrey and I got stuck in town longer when the Sheriff decided to roll up and be all chatty. I was hoping he had something important to say, but it was just campaign talk. “Brothers,” I greet the room, taking my seat at the head of the table.

“Prez,” is echoed in response, and I sip my coffee, then set it down, relishing in the burn on my tongue.

“Any updates?” I don’t have to elaborate; they all know exactly what the fuck I’m talking about. We’ve been reaching out to various resources since the last time we were in Church, and I told them to get to work on this shitshow.

“I have feelers out,” Brass interjects immediately. “Hero never steers me wrong. You know those Cali brothers; they always find out shit quick. I’ll keep you posted, Prez.”

“I was gonna hit up Big Daddy this week, but I’ll wait and see what you find out,” I reply, my gaze shifting to Havoc.

Havoc shakes his head, frustration evident in his voice as he speaks up. “No luck on my end. I got in touch with my cousin Rourke. Figured Wisconsin is practically Canada, so they’d have to know what’s up. He said it’s been motherfuckin’ crickets up their way, and they haven’t heard shit about what’s going ondown here. He did offer to ride out if we need help busting some balls, though.”

Shadow leans back, crossing his arms thoughtfully. “Spoke to my buddy Anchor, up in Michigan. Brother is always up to something, and I swear he knows every key player in the state.”

“And? Did he have anything we could use?”

He rubs his hand down his face, then shakes his head. “Not a fuckin’ thing. Told me he’d hit me back when he digs some more. I got faith in him; he's always had my back when I was riding up there.”

Kilo is silent for a moment before sharing, “I spoke to Rio. Figured those southern Texas brothers may’ve had a northern contact for me to reach out to. I was trying to dig around and find out if someone up there was ready to start a war down here. I checked in with the source, but he swore no one is stupid enough to fuck with the King’s. Rio will keep me updated if he hears something. He likes having me owe him favors.”

I can’t help but smirk at that. Any Prez enjoys collecting favors from various brothers and clubs, which only makes us more powerful in our seats.

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