Cutter's Claim

Chapter 4

4

Click-clack, click-clack, click-clack.

The cover of Cutter’s Zippo snapped up and down, the percussion of metal on metal sounding through the twilight air. Cutter leaned against the brick wall of the back of the clubhouse, lighting the cigarette he’d pulled from his pack. Taking a long drag, the burning tobacco created a perfect circle of red light. Kingdom waved his arm and the motion-sensitive porch lights flashed. Placing his coffee mug on the ground beside him, Kingdom coughed and hit his chest with his fist, complaining, “Are you going to quit that lung cancer s**t?”

Ignoring the complaint, Cutter turned toward Kingdom, his shoulder scrapping the brick wall.

“Prez can’t keep up anymore. Since the second round, he hasn’t been the same. If you want what’s best for him, talk to him about stepping down. You’ve been skirting the issue for over a year.”

Kingdom scowled and noted, “Don’t you lecture me. I’ll start talking to Prez.”

Cutter shot his brother a look of shock. “All those behind-the-door sessions and dinners at his house, and neither one of you spoke about it? Not once? Is that what you’re telling me?”

Dead silence hung between them. Kingdom wasn’t a pain in the a*s on purpose. Although both their moms died of cancer, Cutter had never had a brother die on him. Chopper may have technically been Kingdom’s surrogate brother, but when he self-destructed, Kingdom had fallen apart. Luckily, he’d found Sage. The brothers groused about Sage not being from their world, but Cutter had recognized her potential from day one. His instinct had been right; she was one strong b***h and she’d pulled Kingdom out of the rubble.

“Yeah, that’s what I’m telling you. It ain’t your f*****g business how we conduct ourselves.”

“Christ, you’re both in denial.”

If Kingdom hadn’t spoken to Prez about it, then it was worse than he thought. Didn’t faze him, though. Nothing stopped him from a mission. He took care of his moms. Check. Took care of Tommy. Check. Finished his tour in Iraq. Check. Finished his associate’s degree, like his moms insisted. Check. Never mind that he didn’t do f**k-all with it. The one thing he’d done against her will was join the Squad. She’d rejected him for it until she needed him to take care of Tommy.

“What’s up with Sage’s guard dog, Greta? She had the gall to dictate club business to me.” f**k, he sounded like a p***y.

Kingdom gave Cutter a sidelong glance. “What in the f**k are you babbling about?”

“She tried to shut me down when I talked to Sage about you bein’ the new president.”

Kingdom’s fingers paused in the middle of poking at his cell. “You talkin’ club business? More importantly, you bothering my woman?”

“I’m not bothering her. I was discussing her new role.”

“What role would that be, exactly?” Kingdom asked in a careful tone.

“Why are you actin’ thickheaded? Old lady of the president.”

“Not sure I want that for her.”

“Why the f**k not? Sage is more than up for the job.”

Kingdom’s gaze skittered around the backyard. “If it’s not good for my woman, then I will not become president.”

The floor underneath him bottomed out. “Are you saying we’re not good enough for Sage? Because the Sage I know would disagree. She loves the club.”

“It’s not about what she wants, it’s about what’s best for her. My woman comes first. Period. The end.”

“Both can happen at the same time.”

“Maybe, maybe not. The verdict’s still out. She’s a criminal attorney and we’re not exactly clean. Sage’s legal career is important to her, and I’m not going to place it in jeopardy.”

“We’re cleaning ourselves up. Besides the bar, Puck and I checked out another boxing club. This one’s promising. We’re getting a proposal ready. After that’s up and running, we’ll be in the clear.”

“Cutter, we’ve got a few big jobs left, during an internal shift of power. We need the money more than ever with Prez’s medical bills. That’s a whole lot to chew off in one bite.”

“You can do anything you put your mind to, Kingdom,” he argued.

“It would put her in a vulnerable position, and I can’t have that.”

“We’ll protect her.”

“I’m not putting a target on the backs of my woman and kid.”

Shock reverberated through him, leaving his blood drumming in his temples. He was at Kingdom’s side, clapping him on the back, but Kingdom put a hand up to stop him.

“She miscarried.”

His hand fell away. “Fuck.”

“I’m working on putting another one in her belly. Went to the OBGYN, and the doctor explained that s**t happens. She’s healthy, I’m healthy. No blank bullets on my part. No problem on hers. But, I’m not putting my old lady and a kid in a potentially explosive situation. Ever.”

Cutter backed away. “Let’s say, for argument’s sake, that I can guarantee her safety. Sage would do it in a heartbeat.”

“Even if I said yes, Greta’s gonna f**k up that plan of yours.”

His jaw locked, but Kingdom continued, “Sage won’t do it if Greta says it’s a bad idea. She trusts Greta, and Greta’s not a fan, to say the least. Bad enough she hates bikers, but she hates bikers who do illegal s**t more. In the beginning, she tried scaring Sage off me with tales of violence. Or, best case scenario, that I’ll be locked away for years.”

“I’ll take care of Greta.”

Kingdom pocketed his cell phone and bent down to pick up his mug of coffee. He gulped down a mouthful and muttered, “You don’t know her if you think that’s easy.”

“I know something you don’t know about that little submissive.”

Kingdom spewed coffee down his own shirt. Choking and plucking at his wet T-shirt, he snapped, “I don’t want to fuckin’ know that shit.”

“Whatever. Talk with Prez. See where his head is.”

“Assuming s**t goes down the way you want, there’s one more issue. Loki.”

Cutter gritted his teeth before saying his next phrase. “And I’ll take care of Loki.”

Kingdom’s eyes shot wide. Barking out a terse laugh, he said, “Un-f*****g-believable. The boy’s all grown up.”

“Yeah, don’t get used to it,” he griped.

The thought of confronting Loki was about as fun as getting punched in the face by a dude with fists of granite.

Shit was about to get real.