Page 43 of Two Tricks

“Eagle, if you want her to ever come back, you need to ease back just a bit,” I said, putting a hand on his shoulder and giving it a squeeze. “She is a spitfire who doesn’t like to be caged, and that’s all we represent to her right now.”

My brother looked at me with a cocked eyebrow. “What’s this? Have you finally taken the stick out of your ass about her?”

Frowning, I shoved him back as he laughed at me. “Fuck you, Eagle. One of us has to keep an eye on the prize.”

“Oh, no need for you to worry about that—I’ve got both trained on her ass at all times,” Cognac said as he walked past us.

“I’m surrounded by idiots,” I groaned.

“Yeah, I’m gonna need you not to lump me in with this sorry-ass crew of idiots. I have no problem thinking with my brain and not my dick, thank you very much,” Sprocket pointed out, joining our conversation. “Those two dipshits are in a league of their own, though,” he added, nodding his head at Cognac and Void, who were shoving each other out of the way to get in the house first.

“Truthfully though, we should all be impressed that she got Void of all people to show a soft side. He doesn’t typically do anything sweet or gentle—I mean, he won’t even fuck a woman in the pussy because he wants to make sure they don’t get pregnant on him,” Eagle shared.

I scrunched my face up and shook my head, not really wanting to picture Void fucking. “Why the fuck do you even know that?” I asked but held up a hand when he went to answer. “Nevermind, I don’t want to know.”

“So what’s the real plan?” Sprocket asked, pulling our attention from the house.

“I’m going back with her,” I blurted out.

“Really…” Eagle said, brows creased.

I rubbed my shoulder where the Saints symbol was tattooed, knowing this was the right move. “Look, even with the tracker on her, we have no idea what she is really doing. We are taking a big risk letting Westy work on our system. Think about it—we have him here and I go with her, each holding the other accountable. He means a lot to her, probably her one weakness, and I’m the same for you. It’s a fair trade.”

“I’m not the one you need to convince there, Picasso—she is. If she’ll take you, then I won’t stop you, but this might not go the way you think it should. What are you going to do if she says ‘fuck off, no deal at all’?” Eagle asked.

“Like I said, we have the one person who is her weakness, and if she has to hate me forever, then I am willing to take that burden so our people will be safe. She isn’t more important than the two hundred people we are protecting,” I answered.

“Fuck. And they say I’m the cold-hearted bastard out of the two of us. Alright, I’ll back you on this, but just know that if we lose the deal and have no protection for our people, that’s on you,” Eagle stated, giving me a nod before heading off to the house.

Sprocket stepped in front of me, forcing me to look him in the eye. “Explain your reasoning to her just like you did to Eagle. Under all the walls she has built up, protecting people close to her is something that is important to her and that she respects in others. The question she asked was to gauge our loyalty to our members—somewhere along the way, someone wasn’t loyal to her or one of her people, and it cost them in a way she couldn’t forgive. Let down the wall of ice for her to get how much this means to you and the lengths you’ll go, and she will give in.”

As he walked back to the house, what he said hit home. He was right—the way she protected Weston was exactly what I’d done for Eagle. The loyalty that people had to her wasn’t just because they were scared of her, but also because she kept them safe. Any neighborhood the Hidden Empire controlled had significantly less crime, and businesses thrived. Thinking back to our conversation at the cabin, I realized it wasn’t until after Void told his story that she’d been willing to talk to Two Tricks. We had been going about this the wrong way the whole time.

Now armed with this information, it was time to put it into action. I wasn’t going to let her leave the compound without me, come hell or high water.

I showed Wes the room that I’d been staying in, figuring that’s where they would have him sleep. The other guys stayed downstairs, hanging out in the living room like nothing unusual had happened today.

“Is there anything in here that you want to take back with you?” Wes asked as he looked around for anything that showed I had even been here.

“Eagle eye hates messes, so if I leave anything out, he seems to pick it up and put it away. Truthfully, I didn’t think there was anyone that could be worse than you when it came to being a neat freak. I wonder what he did with the mess I left in his room through,” I rambled, then shrugged my shoulders. “Do we need to go get your bike? I don’t suppose you packed for a few days’ stay in a biker gang’s compound. Seems like I will have to bring you back some stuff if you really plan on doing this.”

Wes just sat on the bed and watched me as I paced the room. “My bike is stashed somewhere safe. I’m sure I can get one of the guys to take me to it. As for the clothes, I would be grateful for you to bring me back some.”

I nodded absently, continuing my pacing and started plucking at my bottom lip. Wes grabbed my arm and pulled me into a hug, trapping my hands against his chest.

“Talk to me, shortcake,” Wes said into my ear. “It’s me and you until the end. No matter what you decide to do, I will support you one hundred percent.”

Deciding to give into the support he was offering, I snuggled into his hold and rested my head under his chin. “If Devin had been a part of this crew, do you think he would still be alive?”

Hearing Void’s story made all the feelings about my brother come rushing back. They had been locked away for so many years that I believed I was over it, but clearly that wasn’t the case.

“There’s no way to know that. Devin was never as street smart as you are. He trusted people too easily and was talked into all kinds of situations that could have gotten him into trouble. It’s not your fault either because you weren’t there. He still would have married Kimber and ended up in the Blackjax. I will say the same thing I have said for years—not every MC is the same. You’ve spent time here—are they what you thought they would be?” Wes challenged.

“Why do you care so much that I change my mind about MCs?” I questioned.

Wes pulled me back so he could look me in the eyes. “I don’t give a shit about how you feel about MCs. What I care about is you. The anger you have focused on them isn’t healthy, and if you don’t eventually let it go, it will eat you alive. Believe it or not, you’ve changed in the short time you’ve been here. Something inside of you has softened.” Catching my expression, he explained further. “I don’t mean weak—you could never be weak. You’ve let them get a glimpse of who you are, the side of Dax that only Harper and I have seen.”

“Now you’re just spouting a bunch of bullshit,” I said, shoving him back and heading for the door. “I’ll make sure to get you clothes tomorrow. I’d share mine, but I don’t think they will fit.”