"Uh, my fists and trigger finger are fine, ya dick."

"Come on, don't fuckin' do this. Rock wants you to stay here. Dex, Murphy and Bricks are meetin' up at CB. I gotta go."

Motherfucker.

GSC's been getting twitchier and up in our business more than ever. I should be at that meet. That's my job; to protect the president. Having him order me to stay here burns my fuckin' ass.

Godfuckingdammit.

It's not that I don't trust Z and the other guys. Not that at all.

Trinity walks in as I'm contemplating redecorating the living room wall with my fists.

"You need help?" she asks.

"No," I snap back. Shit. I stop and put my back against the wall. "Come here, babe. Sorry."

Shock sends her eyebrows up into her hairline. I must be some kind of jerk that she's always so damn surprised when I apologize to her.

"What's wrong?" she asks as she approaches.

"Nothin'. Rock's got a meet and I should be there. This fuckin' sucks. That's all."

"Want me to take you?"

That's the last fuckin' thing I want. But I realize she's just trying to be helpful.

"No, babe. Wouldn't be safe. But thanks."

She tries to keep my mind off things by taking me into the kitchen to talk to her while she's trying out a recipe for Heidi's birthday cake.

Is this what I've been reduced to? I'm supposed to be the muscle of the MC. My prez is off meetin' with some little gang punks and I'm stuck in some alternate universe where my big, grumpy ass is baking cakes?

Christ.

Trin keeps me occupied and stuffs me full of cake for the next hour and a half. Every couple minutes I yank out my phone, but nothing. Fed up, I finally dial Z.

"Hey-" he answers.

By all the background noise, I figure they're in the car and have me on speakerphone. I'm fuckin' livid no one bothered to call me sooner. "What the motherfuck, Z? I've been going nuts."

Rock's the one who answers my outburst. "We're good, brother."

I'm still fuckin' pissed at him for having me stay behind. "Rock, you dick. You coulda at least let me ride along."

"And do what, watch if Loco decided to blow us up?"

"Fuck you. I'm not an invalid." Then his words sink in. "What are you talking about? Loco came?"

"Yeah. Wanted to introduce Gunner's replacement."

Yeah, saw that coming. "Knew that little shit wouldn't last long."

"Also wanted to let me know he was onto our Western connection and that he wants it."

That's bad. Real fucking bad. "Fuuuck."

Rock's sigh comes through loud and clear. "Yeah."

"You tell him yes for now?" I ask.

"Of course."

That's something we need to discuss with all the members. "I'll call everyone in for church tomorrow."

"I'll do it, brother. It's my job," Z answers.

I snort out a humorless laugh. Christ, at least let me do the easy shit. "We seem to have flipped jobs, bro, if you haven't noticed."

"Thanks man," Z says.

"You guys comin' back here?" I'll be bouncing off the walls soon if Trinity doesn't find some more cake testers.

Rock hesitates for so long, I figure it's got something to do with Hope. "Fucking bring her with you, Rock. I'm sure Trin wouldn't mind some alternate company."

"Tomorrow, I promise."

"All right. Later."

"Everything okay?" Trin asks when I hang up.

"Yeah, I guess."

Heidi did not want to get together to pick out her cake. Teller ended up explaining what she wanted, and I hope I got it right.

"Why are we going if she's gonna be a snot to you all afternoon?" Wrath bitches as I slip my shoes on.

I give him a cool look over my shoulder. It appears he has no intention of getting up and ready.

"She's club family. And she has her reasons."

"My woman shouldn't have to suck up to a little brat. Don't give a fuck whose sister she is."

Holy fuck. The way he calls me his woman like that sets off sparks of pleasure over my skin. Thankfully he's not looking at me, so he doesn't notice my reaction. "I'm not sucking up to anyone. I'm helping the club out like I always do." Wrath has never asked why Heidi and I don't get along. I'm sure he already suspects and that's what really has him so miffed.

After some brow beating, I get him into clean clothes. He refuses to shave, but I like the mountain-man scruffy look he's got going on, so I don't push my luck.

He's clearly annoyed I need the prospects to load the cake and decorations into my Jeep. When I get in next to him, he's scrubbing his hands over his face.

"I hate this."

Settling my hand on his knee, I squeeze gently until he turns my way. "I know. Is there anything I can do?"

His irritation disappears-for the moment. "No. You really have been an angel. I'd be even more miserable if it wasn't for you."

"Shit, it's hard to imagine you even more obnoxious."

He cracks a smile and gestures at the steering wheel. "Let's go. Don't want to keep the princess waitin'."

We pull up to Rock's house at the same time Murphy does. He ambles over and opens my door.

"You got my box, babe?"

I jerk my head toward the back seat. "Behind me."

I slide down and push Murphy out of the way to grab Wrath's crutches and bring them over to his side. He gives me a look like he wants to take his cast off and beat someone to death with it.

"Murph, help her with the cake and all that other shit."

"Yeah, no problem."

Hope runs over and grabs the bags out of my hands when I walk into the kitchen. "Oh my gosh, the cake you made is so beautiful!" she gushes, and a surge of pride drowns out some of my nerves.

While we're standing there admiring it, she whips out her cell phone to take pictures.

"Crap. I haven't figured out how to use the camera on this thing yet," she grumbles while messing with the phone.

"It's okay. I got some shots of it before we left."

"Got it," she says, as if my words didn't register. "Let me take a picture of you next to it then." Apparently she did hear me.

"No way."

Hope's forceful when she wants to be and positions me where she wants so she can grab her pictures. I stick my tongue out at her the entire time.

Rock, thankfully interrupts our photo session. "What's Wrath's problem today?" Rock asks as he walks into the kitchen.

"How long do you have?"

He chuckles and gives me a quick hug.

"Did you see the cake she made?" Hope asks.

It's odd that she's so impressed by a frickin' cake, but I sense her admiration is genuine and feel a little less out of place. The awful doubts that usually float around in my head recede to a dull murmur.

"Where's Z?" I ask Rock nods at the back door. "Messin' with the grill."

I grab the platter, tongs and extra-long spatula I brought. "I'll make sure he doesn't set himself on fire."

Hope's chuckles follow me out the door.

Wrath's taken up a seat next to the grill where he can critique Z's technique.

"Did Murphy bring those bigger boxes up?"

Wrath nods to the shady part of the yard, where someone already set up the lawn games I picked up for the younger kids. By the smirk on his face, it must have been Z. Not a surprise since he's pretty much an overgrown kid himself.

"You're welcome," Z says, kissing my cheek.

"Love the apron, bro. Very manly," Wrath snarks.

Z adjusts the apron ties and grins. "Thanks. I thought so too."

"Are the girls here yet?" I ask.

"Axel's bringing them."

"Why the fuck didn't they ride with you?" Murphy grumbles behind me.

Confused, I turn to find Teller and Murphy. Teller rolls his eyes skyward before answering, "Axel took her out this morning, and they weren't back by the time I needed to leave."

Murphy's clearly not satisfied with that answer.

"Poor Axel trapped in a car with three teenage girls," I joke to lighten the mood.

"Please, that woulda been my dream scenario at his age," Z says.

Wrath can only contain himself for so long. "Who're you kidding? It still is."

The conversation rolls downhill from there.

Someone set up a cooler at the corner of the patio. I find it stocked with beer and soda. I grab one of each and set them down next to Wrath before heading back inside.

The girls finally get here, but go straight inside to watch movies. Heidi stops and glances at the cake. "I like purple better, but it's nice," she says.

I don't know if I should cry or scream.

Instead of doing either, I get more food ready to go outside.

"Do you need help?" Hope asks from behind me.

"Nah, I got it. Maybe hang with the girls?" Laughter floats out of the living room as I say it. Hope looks at me as if she's rather gnaw off her arm than hang with a bunch of seventeen-year-olds.

"You sure you don't want to hang with them? You're closer to their age."

No, thank you.

"You makin' progress there, bro?" Z asks once we're alone.