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“There’s something in this,” Ruby goes on. “Having meaningless sex with someone completely inappropriate⁠—”

“Morning,” Diamond says, walking into the room holding a coffee. “Who did you have meaningless sex with?”

“Oh, some stud from back east.” Ruby waves a hand like it’s nothing.

“This is Drifter,” Diamond goes on, waving a hand behind her. “The prospect from Blackstone.” When he doesn’t appear, she yells, “Drifter? Get your ass in here!”

“I thought the prospect was named Screwdriver?” I ask, confused.

“Yep, he is, but I, for one, refuse to use that stupid nickname,” Diamond tells us. “It’s ridiculous.”

“So, you just made one up?” Ruby laughs, then takes a sip of her coffee.

She’s serious when she says, “He looks like a surfer waiting for his next wave, but got lost along the way, so Drifter seemed appropriate.”

A few seconds later, Drifter walks in, and Ruby spurts her coffee all over the table.

“Mornin’ all,” a tall, lanky, Charlie-Hunnam look-alike sings, swaggering in like the world doesn’t owe him a cent. He has beach-blond shaggy hair, the same-colored scruff, and eyes like the Pacific Ocean. His face could be a calling card.

We all turn to Ruby, who’s frantically using napkins to wipe up her spilled coffee as Onyx pats her on the back.

“Wait,” Sapphire, who we should rename Columbo, says. “Is this⁠—”

“Drifter.” He grins, blue eyes sparkling, giving her a lopsided grin. “Almost got my patch, but let me tell you somethin’, when I got orders to come assist the Stiletto Riders in this fucked-up shit, I jumped at the chance. Y’all are legends around these parts.”

We all gape at him.

Ruby is still cleaning up the table, and I try hard not to snicker. This is a woman who could catch silver bullets—she never gets flustered.

Diamond frowns, then introduces everyone. I give him a small wave, but his eyes are on the redhead who won’t meet his gaze.

“Ruby, huh? I’m sure we’ve met somewhere before… I can’t place where.” He taps his chin, a smile playing on his lips.

She shakes her head adamantly as she says, “Nope. I would’ve remembered.”

Sapphire looks between the two, as well as Onyx, but then Dustin interrupts with a knock on the door. “Here, boss,” he says as Diamond gives him a chin lift to come in.

“Take a seat, this involves you.” Diamond motions for him to sit. “Garnet, Topaz, and Emerald will be debriefed as soon as we’re done.”

Usually, club meetings only involve immediate committee members, but anything serious, we invite all members to sit in. The other women, though, are opening their businesses this morning, so it’s not possible for them to be here.

Drifter takes the seat next to Ruby, who does everything to avoid him.

“We all know why Drifter’s here,” Diamond begins. “He’s going undercover. It’ll be another set of eyes on Lanzetti until we figure out how to take him down, and take him down we will be doin’ after last night.”

“We’re all thinking the same thing?” Sapphire asks. “That the Crows are involved, and it was just another scare tactic?”

“Absolutely,” Diamond agrees.

Dusty and I had the same conversation last night, which reminds me of what I told Diamond in the group chat last night about seeing a Devilheads’ patch, so I reiterate it around the table.

“We know that their jezebel of a prez will do anything to try and gain more power. She’s always been envious of Saddle and our club because she can’t get her own shit together,” Ruby agrees. “But it’s more than likely she’s just ridin’ off the coattails of the Crows, suckin’ dick because she thinks it’ll get her some power.”

“It’s just another attack on Saddle, and therefore another attack on us,” Pearl says. “We need to move fast. Only trouble is, the Crows are nomads, and who knows where the fuck they’re moving to next.”

“Lanzetti Farms?” Dustin puts in. “That’d make sense. I guess we’ll find out soon enough when Drifter starts there.”

Drifter salutes. “I’m up for the challenge. I have this unique way of lookin’ and actin’ real dumb, but I’ve got a brain in my head. I did good in school, but people underestimate me all the time.” He side-eyes Ruby. “Use my looks to get what I want, and it hasn’t failed me yet.”