Raging Barons MC – Book Nine – Knuckles

-:- KNUCKLES -:-

Waking in the morning next to Jo is becoming my favorite part of the day, she is a snuggler and sinks right up against me, wrapping an arm over my stomach, one leg thrown over my thigh getting very close to my dick which has me a little nervous, and her head resting in the crook of my neck. I can feel the little puffs of her breath tickling me as she breathes.

Feeling her stirring, I’m ready to have a little morning fun when the door is banged on. Rolling my eyes, gritting my teeth, and sliding from under where Jo has me pinned, I make my way butt-naked to the door and crack it open.

Mav grins and covers his eyes as though he’s shy and has not seen my junk before. I roll my eyes again and wait for him to stop fucking around.

“You’ve thirty minutes before we are out of here. Axel wants us to check out another of Tommaso’s mansions. Get movin’, man, or you’ll get left behind and then you’ll be in deep shit.”

“Yeah, yeah, fuck off.” Closing the door in his face and turning when I hear a giggle from behind me. Turning, Jo is sitting up in bed, sheets tucked under her armpits, and she’s grinning at me. She still has the rosy sleep glow going on and I’ve got to count myself lucky that she is mine.

Walking over to her, I lean over and kiss her quickly before turning to the bathroom. I’ve got to shift my ass or be late. Nobody wants to be late when Axel is in one of his moods and as he and Mia are at loggerheads again, he’s bound to be moody as fuck this morning. Anyone would think he had hormone issues instead of Mia the way he’s been since the babies were born.

Showered, dressed, and after kissing Jo thoroughly, leaving her breathing heavily and flushed, I whistle under my breath as I head down to the kitchen where I grab a drink and eye Meat who is dressed up like Captain America, and who’s still very much pissed about the flour incident yesterday.

Axel walks into the kitchen, around Meat giving him a solid look, before nodding his head, grabbing a bottle of water out of the fridge, then walking out of the kitchen and into the common room.

Placing my mug next to the sink with the other dirty dishes, I follow Axel into the common room and to the main door as I see Mav and Drag walking outside.

Axel turns and looks at me grimacing slightly. “Got the report back that the farmhouse is heavily defended, and I’ve spoken to Vitale, he’s comin’ along and bringing men with him, now let’s get movin’ on this fucking mansion.”

Axel is sitting astride his hog, looking pretty excited about riding out if that smirk is anything to go by. “Mount up brothers, we’re goin’ to war.” Mav, Drag, Wings, Beer, Fist, and I quickly mount our hogs and follow our Pres to the mansion.

Arriving near the mansion, we park our bikes behind a deserted bakery business and make our way through the fields arriving on the outskirt of the mansion’s property.

Wings, who has been keeping quiet this morning has his drone flying quickly and is watching his laptop. We crowd his back so we can all see what the drone is finding and, as yet, hasn’t picked up any guards.

“Where’re the guards? You’d expect the asshole would have some on patrol if he were here. This is not looking promising, Pres.” Drag mumbles as he’s watching the laptop closely.

“Fuckin’ hell, we need some action. Taking out a few of his men would be a start. Let’s make our way to the mansion carefully, keep your eyes peeled.” Tapping his earpiece and looking from one to another, making sure we were all ready. “If you can’t take them alive, take them down. I don’t give a fuck.”

Giving Axel a nod, we make our way carefully and quietly toward the mansion. Keeping low, my eyes are assessing the mansion, trying to gauge if anyone is on the roof or waiting in a window. Mav is beside me and, as always, we have each other’s backs.

Nearing the road that leads to the front of the mansion, we keep behind the hedges and shrubs. Giving ourselves as much cover as we can, when the double doors open, and four men pour out and towards where we are approaching.

I flick my eyes to the right where I know Axel and Drag have been making steady headway, and when Axel jumps to his feet bellowing, I jump to my feet and am ready to run forward.

Before any of us can even take a shot off, we hear bellowed ‘AVENGERS, ASSEMBLE’.

What the holy fuck!

The assholes who’ve just run out of the mansion freeze, eyes bugged, and stand in shock.

Meat, of course, is still dressed as Captain America, storms over with a fucking shield in his hand, and between his assorted martial arts kicks and swinging that damn shield banging heads, hands, and legs he has all four on the ground, either out of it or groaning in agony.

Turning, Meat gives us all a feral grin, and my eyes flick to Axel who is standing with his fists clenched, jaw so tight he must be cracking teeth, but that look slips from his face and shock replaces it. I flick my eyes to what he’s looking at and my jaw must hit the ground because standing on one side pointing at Meat is fucking Wonder Woman, except her hair is blond instead of the dark brown or black we usually see. Wonder Woman spins around and runs, and much to Drag’s amusement, Meat bolts after her.

Axel frowns, then grins. “I hope he catches her. It’s high fuckin’ time he was roped in and hog-tied.”

Using his earpiece, Axel informs Wings we are going inside to check for any stragglers, and he needs to get Beer and Fist, who had taken the back of the mansion around the front to tie up these four.

We all know Vincenzo Vitale will have them picked up from the compound, so it’ll not be our problem to dispose of them.

The mansion is empty, with no one else to be seen. The place is dirty and has not been habitable for a while by the looks of it. Shame really as it was a splendid building at one time.

Back at the clubhouse, I wait with Mav near the shed for Vitale’s men to arrive. It seems later we’ll be traveling over to the farmhouse and Vitale and his men are tagging along. I’m surprised he’s a hands-on leader because from what I’ve heard, many of the mafia leaders sit on their asses and watch everyone else do the dirty work. I’ve got to give Vitale credit that he’s not worried about getting his hands dirty alongside his men.

Walking into the clubhouse, I make my way upstairs where I know I’ll find Jo with her head down and tapping at the keyboard of her laptop. She is so excited about what she’s writing that all the women are grabbing her books as fast as Shelly, her publisher, is getting them out for sale.

Opening the bedroom door, I smile as my eyes roll over to Jo, who is typing fast and her expressions are ranging from a small smile to a frown, then a little giggle.

I walk over without her noticing and wrap my arms around her, kissing her neck. She jumps with surprise, but looking over her shoulder and seeing me, she gives me a huge smile, then turns to me as she stands, wrapping her arms around my neck, and kissing me fiercely.

Picking Jo up, she wraps her legs around my waist, and I place my hands under her ass. But fuck me, I turn to head for the bed and the door is banged on again. “What the fuck do you want?” I snarl, which has Jo giggling. “Oh, you think this is funny, do you?”

Jo giggles again, nodding her head as she does, before she throws her head back and laughs. This woman is going to be the death of me, but shit, what a way to die!

The door opens a crack and Bitty pops her head in. “Need to speak to Jo if that’s okay, Knuckles?”

“Yeah, okay. Do you want to speak to her here or when we come down in a minute?”

“What about in the kitchen? I’ll get you both some lunch?” Bitty gives a sweet smile, but we all know those three oldies are not sweet at all. It’s just a false front they have goin’ on.

“Thank you, Bitty. We’ll be down in a few minutes. I just need to switch off my laptop.”

Watching Bitty close the door, I turn back to Jo, where she’s busy closing down her laptop and tidying the small desk.

“Do you think somethin’s going on to keep us apart, Jo?” I chuckle at my comment. “Damn, I keep wantin’ in your pants and someone pops up like a fuckin’ genie to put a stop to it.” Grumbling isn’t my norm, but boy I’m feeling hard done to at the minute.

Giggling, Jo walks over and kisses me gently, wrapping her arms around my waist and resting her chin on my chest. I love it when she does that. It feels so personal and something I’ve never done with another woman. Well, I’ve never had a relationship with another woman. It was always a case of hitting it and quitting it. “Come on, let’s go eat and see what Bitty wants.”

In the kitchen, sitting at one table, are Bitty, Amelia, and Sybil, who has hung out with the other two of late. Much to Axel’s annoyance when they take to disrupting the clubhouse. But he always gets over it quickly when he sees how carefully they look after Hunter and Carter, giving Mia a well-earned rest.

Amelia smiles. “Come and sit with us, both of you. We’ve got something to run past you.”

I hold the chair out for Jo to sit and slide her nearer to the table before taking my seat. Bitty walks over to the island and brings over two plates with burritos on. They smell amazing and I can’t wait to bite into one of them. Lucky for me there are three on each of our plates, but I’m sure Jo won’t eat her three, so more for me.

Sybil taps on the table, gaining our attention. “The three of us have been into our town and two others. We’ve signing days lined up for you at each of them. Shelly has arranged for books to be sent to us here at the clubhouse, so we can take them with us and create a nice stand for you to sit behind and sign copies that people purchase. Now the only problem we have is that you need to confirm you are happy to do this, Jo, and that the days we booked are convenient.”

Rubbing my chin, I’m thinking this is a great thing they are doing, but it could also be dangerous for Jo to be away from the clubhouse. I’m going to have to speak to Axel.

“Well, I think it’s great and you’ve been awesome doing this for me. I’m happy with whatever you’ve organized as long as Knuckles thinks I’ll be safe.” Jo thankfully realizes this could put her in harm’s way, but I don’t want to dampen her enthusiasm or stop her books from being seen.

“I’ll speak to Axel because I’m sure we’ll need to organize security. This puts Jo out in the open and at risk, but I think it’s a good thing for her books to be seen. Needing a fan base, I’m sure is imperative to being successful and although not everyone will like her books, the ones that do will like to meet you, I’m sure.” I rub my hand up and down Jo’s back, giving her a half-smile which I know has my dimples pop because her eyes zero in on my face.

Amelia hands over a piece of paper with the dates, days, and times of the bookings they have made with bookshops so far, and I’m delighted that the interest in Jo’s books is as good as it is. I think she has to get her books seen by the public and to do a signing is great for her to interact with new readers. I’m with her all the way on this venture and if she ever wants or needs to stop writing her stories, then that’s all good with me.

“I’ll go speak to Axel. Stay here and finish your lunch. I’ll be back in a short while.” I kiss the top of Jo’s head as I stand and snag her third Burrito, taking a bite out of it as I walk away.

Axel is sitting at the bar with one of the babies resting against his chest. He’s a good dad and I’m sure he’ll continue to be that way throughout his kids’ lives. He is a hands-on dad too, well, until the stink of shit in the diaper hits his nose, and then he runs out of the playroom as fast as he can.

Taking a seat next to Axel, I grin when I see the drool running from the baby’s chin onto Axel’s t-shirt. “Good job you took your kutte off, Pres.” I chuckle and when he looks down, he frowns at the wet patch he’s sporting.

“Jo has some book signings in and out of town, which I think will be good for her books to be seen, but my worry is the safety aspect. She’ll be an easier target out of the clubhouse and compound. Would we have enough brothers to watch over her if she did this?”

Axel looks at the paper and then thinks about what I’ve told him. The one thing we all have learned about Axel is you tell him what he needs to know, and then you wait. Give him time to mull it over before he responds.

“I agree, it’s a good thing and Specs has got her off the ground with the help of his friend Shelly. TwoCents has set up a bank account for her earnings. He’s also set up an accounting program on the account, so she’ll be able to see what’s going in, and what’s coming out and at a click of a button pay her taxes for the year.

“We need to place her with two brothers when she does this. Not leaving her security to chance, she’ll need at least one patched brother and probably Colton. We all know he’s solid when it comes to being reliable and he’ll not allow anyone to hurt one of ours.” Axel rubs his chin. “We might pull Fist too if he doesn’t have much work on. Mav, yourself, Beer, and BS. We could pull Meat and Wings if we needed, so I can’t see a problem with making sure we have security cover.”

“So shall I tell her to verify the bookings?”

“Yeah, why not? Do a copy of the dates, etcetera and let me have it and I’ll make sure security is organized.” Axel carries his son toward the playroom, and as he passes me, I can smell why he’s in such a rush, and why that little fucker had gone red in the face suddenly.

Back in the kitchen, I fill the women in on Axel’s decision, and the laughter, clapping, and excitement show these three women are invested in helping Jo become successful. I’ll never forget this and if I can ever repay them, I will.

“Knuckles!” Turning, I see BS standing in the kitchen doorway. “You’re with me. We’ve got to visit the tattoo shop. Buzz has a couple of things he needs help with.”

“I’ll see you later. Don’t leave the compound.” Kissing Jo before I walk out of the kitchen and follow BS to our hogs out front.

“What’s the problem?”

BS shakes his head. “I don’t know, but Reuse is with Buzz, so between them, I hope they are okay.”

Arriving at the tattoo shop, nothing looks out of place, and it looks quiet. The street the shop is on is never overly busy, and the shop has a nice frontage with parking areas for customers.

Walking inside, Reuse is listening to Buzz intently, and they are both looking at a laptop. Neither looks happy with whatever they are checking out.

“What’s up?” BS asks and I follow him over to look at what has their pants in a knot.

“Those motherfuckers at ‘Total Tat’s’, two towns over, are stealing our fuckin’ designs. We put this one on the website two days ago and look on his Facebook page, he’s done our design and had the fuckin’ nerve to take a photograph and brag about it.” Buzz is steaming and, as we all know, he didn’t want to open a shop at all. This is not doing any of us any good.

Checking out the design, he’s right. It is exactly the same as the one on Buzz’s website. Fuck, this is bad. To steal someone’s designs is the lowest form for a tattoo artist.

“I’m goin’ over and havin’ words with those cocksuckers. Catch them closin’ up. Who’s up for it?” Buzz is nearly spitting flames and I give a side-eye to BS who can often be a peacemaker, but I’m thinking not in this instance.

Reuse isn’t sure if he should speak, stay quiet, sit, stand, or hide. The look on his face would be comical if this wasn’t serious. Turning to look at BS when he speaks, I wait for his words of wisdom.

“I’m gonna speak to Axel. Give me a minute.” Walking away, we all watch his back as he mumbles into his phone. Looking up, he has no expression on his face, and he looks from one of us to the next. Nodding before closing out the call and walking back over to us.

“Okay. Colton, Buzz, Mav, and I are going over tonight to speak to the owners. Knuckles, you are going to be needed at Club Whisky tonight and you’ll have Chris and Austin with you. They’ve got to help with security, but Sawyer and Sentry will watch the compound gate. We’re getting stretched and we may have to think about having a more electronically gated system to free up prospects.”

“That’s not a bad idea. Specs could press one of his magic buttons on his PC to open and close the gate and if we have an intercom system with it, then anyone we don’t know could speak to him through that. He’ll decide if they can come in or not. Something you need to bring up in church.” Looking at Buzz, who’s nodding in agreement, and has settled somewhat, now he knows he’s going over to confront the assholes.

“Okay, you two stay calm and I’ll be back to go over with you. I’ll bring the others with me. Come on Knuckles, let’s get back as you’ll need to be ready to go to the club tonight.”

Following BS out of the shop, I straddle my bike and pick my helmet off the handlebars where I’d hung it. “Fuckin’ shit trick to be pullin’. How did they think Buzz was going to miss that kind of fuck up?”

“Don’t think they care. It’s a dive of a place anyway, but they’ll know better after Buzz has finished with them. He was pissed he had to miss the mansion, so this’ll make up for missing out on that fun. But was it true Wonder Woman turned up?” BS is chuckling at the last comment.

“Yeah, it is true. Large as life she was, fully kitted out except she had long blonde hair, whereas Wonder Woman had long dark hair. But the look on Meat’s face was fuckin’ hilarious. He took off after her, but I’ve not heard if he caught her or not.”

“God, he needs a woman that’s as fucked up as he is, ‘cause can you imagine anyone normal keeping up with him?”

Looking at BS I can’t help the laugh that bursts out at the thought of Meat with a sweetheart, ‘cause he’d be bored as fuck within a week.

Back at the compound, we note brothers standing at the back door of the kitchen, and walking over, we follow their line of sight and up. Yeah, you guessed it, Meat! He’s standing on his walkaround dressed in a Knight’s Templar outfit, shield and sword in hand, and shit, he looks fierce.

Walking into the kitchen shaking my head as I chuckle, I notice Mia feeding one baby, the three oldies sitting with her, and Jo feeding the other baby. I can’t help the groan that leaves my lips because she looks so good holding that baby and it leaves me feeling a want for a family, something I’d never thought I would have. BS slaps my shoulder as he walks past, giving me a nod of understanding as he walks past the women and smiles at them. I’m standing here like an idiot, with ‘if wishes were fishes’ running through my mind.