Page 84 of Claymore

“Hey, hey. No one’s gonna hurt you or the baby, okay? I’m here. I’ve got your back, darlin’. Always have and always will.”

“We’ll be okay?” she asked, worriedly.

“We sure will. Every damn day forward.”

She caressed my cheek, kissing me hard before she wandered back out to her crowd of guests. The doorbell rang, and I rushed off to answer it, seeing Tank standing there with that serious look in his eyes.Trouble’s brewing, isn’t it?

“Tank. So glad you could make it. Beer? Burger?”

“Claymore, can we chat outside? The festivities can wait.”

I followed him out to the front porch, shutting the door behind me.

“What’s wrong?”

“I got word from Charlie. Fang, she’s been spotted somewhere on the outskirts of Mascid. I know after all this time we assumed she was in the wind now, but she isn’t. She had a run-in with a cop, shot him with his own weapon,” Tank groaned.

“Any idea what she’s doing back?”

“No clue, but I don’t like her being so close to the club, so close to you guys or Willow. She had a connection to Ella, a personal one. We’d be fools to think that she won’t try to insert herself back into Ella’s life eventually,” Tank asserted.

“Yeah, I know. Shit’s different now, Tank. I have to look out for Willow. That bitch better not try anything, not around my baby or my lady.”

“She’s not like Ray. She’s not a strung-out druggie with a power complex, Claymore. She’s got plans. She’s calculated and she’s slipped out of our grasp one too many times. We need to be careful how we deal with this because it could very well blow up in our faces,” Tank muttered.

“We need a goddamn plan. The Rebels are growing, Tank. Soon, we’re gonna be old, frail, like that granny who owns those warehouses. We gotta make sure the club we leave behind has a legacy worth upholding. I’m not looking to sit around and play it cool this time. I want to fight.”

“If it’s a fight you want, it’s a fight you’ll get, Claymore. I have a bad feeling about this bitch. She’s got trouble, cash flow, and a band of crazy motherfuckers at her disposal. We need to be ready. We need to find out what she’s after,” said Tank.

“And we will. Come hell or high water, we will.”

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