“So, what are you going to do?”
“I’m going to give him what he wants.His fight with his dear big brother.”
Birdie jerks out of my hold, staring at me incredulously before pacing around the room.“What?That’s crazy, Apollonos!He’s not going to just give up because you fight him.Frankie’s going to play dirty.You can’t go to him alone.It’s preposterous.”
“Calm down, little mama.”
She twirls around and pokes her finger in my chest with a snarl.“Calm down?Calm the fuck down?Are you serious right now?My idiotic ol’ man tells me he’s doing something stupid, like meeting up with my monstrous ex, and I’m supposed to calm down?”She digs her finger into my chest.“Who the hell do you think you are to tell me to calm down?”
“Apparently, I’m your ol’ man,” I say with amusement, grabbing her finger and lifting it to my mouth to nip the pad of it.
Her face loses color, but she lifts her chin and narrows her eyes.“Well, now, you’re just old and hearing things.You should probably get that checked.”
“Wench,” I mumble.
Birdie pulls her hand from mine and turns away.Her ass is just right there, calling my name, begging for my hand.I give in to the urge and crack my palm across her ass cheek.
She lets out a squeal of laughter and rubs her ass, turning to stick her tongue out at me.
“Get back here and put that tongue to use, brat,” I tease as she walks away.
Birdie lifts her middle finger in the air and I toss my head back in laughter, breaking away from the funk Frankie’s call put me in.
Fuck, I love that woman.
“Let’s go, son.They’re waiting for you,” Gavel says, amusement in his tone.
I squeeze his shoulder as I pass him.“I’m going to marry that one.You watch and see.”
“Have no doubt.”
Hannibal stands outside of the chapel door with the lockbox for electronics and I toss my phone in before stepping inside.Gavel and I are the last to arrive, so I take my seat at the head of the table and bring the meeting to a start.
“Frankie called me and made a deal.If I meet him alone and fight him one-on-one, he’ll leave Birdie and the kids alone.Not that I fucking believe him, but this could be our chance to grab him.”I lean back in my chair with a sigh.“He informed me that all of this is my fault.We thought Birdie and Valkyrie were targets in the past, and they were, but the primary target was me.”
“What a load of shit.You don’t control what someone else does,” Tomcat says.
“Right.Not going to lie, it hit me for a minute there.Had me questioning if I was the right person to lead you all.Had someone wise explain the error in my thoughts.I agreed to his fight.”The room breaks out in angry objections, but I just hold my hand up.“I have a plan and it’s not to go fucking alone as he wants.Guaranteed that he doesn’t either.Joker, this is where you and your drones come in.He’s going to have his men hidden, ready to take me out.You all are going to do that to them before they get the chance.The heat signatures will tell you where they’re at and you’ll direct our brothers where to go.He won’t be stupid enough to bring a lot of them.He’ll be too worried about them being exposed.I’ll be fighting Frankie as you all take care of them.Leave no one alive.They’ll be there for me.Let’s not give them another chance.Once they’re dead, you’ll move in to where we are.He’s going to take a trip to Slop ‘N’ Chop.We’ll shut down for as long as it takes.Butcher, you’ll need to find some reason to satisfy our clients.”
We bounce plans and ideas around for the next thirty minutes until we’re all satisfied that we’ll be able to pull this off.Once a plan for this fight is secure, I call an end to the meeting.
Leaning my head back against the top of my chair, I close my eyes as wariness settles on my shoulders.
I’m ready for all this fucking shit to be over so I can find peace with my family.
A light knock has my eyes popping open.
Birdie stands at the open chapel doors.“Do you have a minute?”
“Always for you,” I tell her, pushing the chair away from the table and patting my lap.
She steps inside, but instead of climbing in my lap like I want her to, she moves behind me and places her hands on my shoulders.“If I sit on your lap, it’ll be too distracting.Let me work these knots out of your shoulders.”
“I have something you can work out,” I mumble, closing my eyes with a groan when her fingers dig in.
Birdie laughs softly.“I’m sure you do.Maybe later.”
“Fuck, I forgot how magical your hands are.”
