Page 60 of Blood Revealed

“How you doing?” she asks.

“Exceptionally married,” I answer. Her eyebrows go up.

“Didn’t waste time with that one, did you?”

“Wasted enough. Hero and I headed out to Vegas with our women.”

“Good show,” Hammer says. “Don’t know how I’d have made it through the last month without Kath.” Then he pulls his woman into his arms, pushing his face into her neck. She giggles like a fucking school girl.

“I’m glad you all could show. Duke’s inside. Why don’t you take a load off? Go get a drink. Or we can show you where you’re staying first if you’d like.”

“Drink sounds good. What about you, Kath?”

“Caity in there?” she asks.

I nod. “Took the day off work to help cook. The woman knows her way around a kitchen, along with my wife and Hero’s.”

“Then I’m going to head in there and sayhibefore sorting out the sleeping arrangements.”

“Woman,” Hammer says, snickering through his smile. “Don’t count on too much sleeping.”

She rolls her eyes but kisses him before leaving to head inside. They don’t get here often, but they’ve been to the clubhouse before. She knows her way.

“Seriously,” I say. “How are you doing?”

The death of his best friend and second-in-command hit him hard. “Hangin’ in there,” he replies. “Nothing more I can do. Takin’ care of his wife. Makin’ sure she’s got whatever she needs to move forward. It sucks.”

No truer words.

“Well, enough of that for now. It’s time to celebrate.” I use my hand to gesture him toward the front door of the club. He pats my back as he walks past me. “Right,” I call out. “Who wants drinks first and who wants sleeping arrangements?” I ask the rest of the group.

“Pussy,” one of the brothers, his name’s Grunt, shouts out. It’s not hard to know how he got his name. I don’t think I’ve heard him use more than one-word sentences the whole time I’ve known him, which has been years. Although he’s short, pudgy and a bit hairy, he’s never had a shortage of women hanging off him. The man flashes his dick and has pussy lining up for days. Good for him. Though, I learned a long time ago—don’t need a lot of pussy when you got the right pussy.

“Not here yet. Soon, brother. The pieces’ll be showing up looking for fresh blood. Plus, in tent two, we’ve got dancers from the club to move the show up here.”

“Good,” he grunts. “Bourbon.”

I smile, snickering at the amusing bastard, and point him in the direction of the bourbon inside.

Boss and Hero join me after finishing their tasks. Then Chaos comes hobbling out. Since they got back from Carver’s last ride, he refuses to use the chair. “Crutches are more manly than that goddamn chair,” he said.

My sister bitched a fit but gave in. Not surprised. There’s pretty much nothing she wouldn’t do for her man.

“Got a text from the Texas Outcasts. They’re expecting to hit Thornbriar by five,” Boss says. “Then there’re the Arkansas brothers, who’ll be here around the same time.”

“Got Chicago Lords coming down, too,” Chaos says. Chicago would’ve been the club Chaos and I joined if my dad, their VP at the time, hadn’t bit it by a coward who took a cheap shot. Once we avenged his death, we had to get the hell out of Dodge, ending up here with the Kentucky Lords.

“It’s filling up fast.” Sneak joins the conversation, and he’s hobbling like Chaos, but he’s hobbling with little Briar Rose, his baby girl, on his hip. “And no, she ain’t staying. Trish’s sister is coming to babysit. She just ain’t here yet. Lives over in Hazard now that she’s married.”

“With Maryanne so pregnant, she and Tommy are sitting this one out,” Boss says. “They got Gun for the night.”

“Who wants to place bets that Brighton sits this one out too, taking care of Scotch’s girls and Jade and Diesel?” I joke.

“That’s too easy,” Sneak says.

“Not tonight,” Chaos answers. “Was just inside and overheard Crass laying down the law. She’s been commanded to show up to the party. The other old ladies’ll be there and as a representative of the club”—the four of us outright bust a gut thinking of Crass informing Brighton she’s a ‘representative of the club’—“it’s one of her duties to entertain the other old ladies who show up.”

“Bet that went over well.” I barely get that out as I’m having trouble breathing from laughing so hard.

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