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She swallows, her eyes lifting to meet his. “I didn’t know you were gay.”
He frowns. “I’m not gay.”
“Oh, from the way you were talkin’ there, I just assumed. What with usin’ your looks to get what you want—”
“That isn’t what I meant. It’s women only, sugar. And for the record, I like mine red-hot and sassy. If she’s got a filthy mouth, that’ll only make her that much hotter.”
Diamond looks less than impressed. “Did you two fuck?”
“No!” Ruby sputters. “As if!”
Drifter winks. “A gentleman never tells.”
Ruby glares at him. “You wish, you little punk.”
He’s not fazed one bit, and when he goes to open his mouth again, Diamond cuts him off.
“Just remember this, wise ass, you’re in my clubhouse now, and you’re still a prospect.” Her tone is no-nonsense. “Ruby is my V.P. and will be treated as such. You’re a guest here. It’s not a free-for-all, and it’s not an invitation into my club. You’re here for one purpose, to help us out with Lanzetti. Don’t mistake that for anything else.”
The snark he clearly had planned suddenly has him falling quiet. “Respect that.” His tone is less jovial. “I’m at your service, Prez.”
Diamond narrows her eyes, but it seems this Drifter dude is being sincere. “First order of business,” she goes on. “Finding out what the fuck the Crows are doing in my town.”
CHAPTER 11
DUSTIN
The meeting room is intense, and we haven’t even mapped out our plan of attack yet.
Drifter is about half a second away from having his head torn off by multiple Stilettos, but he hasn’t quite figured that out yet.
“Jade says she saw a Devilhead on the back of a Harley,” Diamond goes on. “That causes a lot of concern. We know Fury is no threat to us, which is probably why she’s teamed up with a Crow. It’s the only way she can show her face around here; when she’s surrounded by men who will protect her.”
“Pathetic, if you ask me.” Sapphire sniffs. “She can’t attack us on her own merits, so she has to literally ride in on the coattails of our enemy.”
“That’s how she rolls,” Ruby agrees. “What we need to work out is if this has anythin’ to do with Lanzetti Farms, and if so, how does it fit together?”
“Which is where Drifter comes in,” I say. “We’re gonna know a lot more than once he’s in there. What we don’t want is Lanzetti or anyone findin’ out. This is our trump card, and we need to keep it under wraps.”
“Only club members know,” Diamond reiterates. “Not even the prospects; it’s better that way. Gem has been doing a good job, Coral, too, and I trust them, but the tighter we keep things, the better for now.”
“You know the Bandits will step in if we need them,” Sapphire reminds the table. “Not that things will get out of hand.”
“Or the Hellions,” Ruby agrees. “We know we can count on them, and the NOLA Rebels, if push comes to shove.”
“We took down a fucking cartel,” Tilly points out. “I think the Stilettos have it under control, but it’s good to know there’s help if we need it.”
I smile to myself. My girl has never looked as beautiful as she does right now, her cheeks slightly pink; it reminds me of the blush she was wearing when I took her for the first time.
“Jade’s right,” I say. “We don’t know yet if the Crows’ visit was another thing to spook the locals because they’ve nothin’ better to do, or if they’re causing a scene because Lanzetti is up to no good and needed the diversion.”
“You have a point, but I still smell a big fucking rat,” Diamond says. “Drifter will start work later today.” She turns to the prospect. “You’ll report directly to Ruby. What she says goes. You can’t be seen coming in and out of Rustic Grove—remember that. She’ll meet you to get an update.”
“Ooh, a cute little date for them,” Sapphire jokes. “How sweet.”
Pearl rolls her lips to keep from laughing.
“I’m sure we can do that over the phone,” Ruby states.
