Warlords MC: Book 3 – Jack : Chapter 7

Deuce got up and headed to the kitchen.

Ace watched him.” “And where the hell are you going?”

“I promised her blueberry pancakes and that is what she will get.”

King looked over at Jack. “He can’t cook.”

Jack shrugged. “He seems to think he can.”

Jade grabbed Annabelle’s hand and followed Deuce. “We’ll help him.”

Jack watched her walk into the kitchen.

Ace nudged him. “What is with the staring, Jack?”

“Huh?” He looked back over at him. “Staring?”

“Yeah, I noticed this too.” King raised a brow at him.

He shrugged. “She is a mystery is all. First, we think she is a victim and to me, she didn’t act like one. But she does love the kid. Then…” His voice faded away.

“Then?” Ace raised a brow.

“I don’t know. She knows more than she’s told. It just makes me wonder is all?”

“Well, she is as she seems,” Stone cut in. “I can verify this. We sent her in as soon as you all located the Gauntlet. And yes, it was because we tracked Sable’s family down. Jade was already in our system, having done consulting with different agencies. We got her prepped then sent her in there. Only she arrived to her sister being dead. We lost her for a while but she wears a tracker. Then we followed it to that estate outside of Denver, where you all went. Suddenly, Shay held us back.”

“I did,” Shay confirmed. “The Spades were already there before we even blinked.” He looked over at the brothers. “They are fast.”

“We were trained by the best,” Ace stated quietly.

“Maybe, but I do realize the trust you all had in me, may be gone now. All I can say is things got out of my control with that one. We couldn’t give me away even to you boys. We also didn’t want any of you killed over it either when you damn well didn’t even know the true score with this Gauntlet and the group he was with. It was some kind of twist of fate that led you to Braaken. That, I gotta say. Right to where Oscar-Carmine had been roosting and doing his drug trade.”

“It was because of Joker,” Ace told him.

“I wondered about how you all discovered him there of all places,” Stone said.

“Joker was hot on a trail, a lead he said to track down your killer…” King paused. “When he stumbled into a fucking hornet’s nest.”

“How so?” Shay asked.

Ace sighed. “He was in a diner, just stopping there to eat.”

“In Braaken Ridge?” Shay asked.

Nodding, Ace continued, “Then this jackass knifed him as his buddies helped.”

“They nearly killed the kid,” King growled.

“So how did he survive?” Stone asked as he and all his men had been listened intently.

King smiled and shook his head. “His savior would be a wonder woman by the name of Charli.” He paused and winked at Ace. “Truman’s woman.”

Shay looked stunned. “You got a woman?”

Ace glared at King then nodded at his Captain. “Charli Braaken. Small thing with lots of guts.”

“I’ll say.” King nodded. “In much of their… what we would call a whirlwind relationship, she reduced this man to a midget.”

“The fuck!” Ace roared. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Jack and King laughed.

“Wow, Ace Bridges settled down with a woman?” Shay stated.

“Yeah. Surprised us too,” King added.

“Well now, talk about the kettle callin’ it black.” Ace wiggled his brows at King.

King shrugged. “Hey, have you ever seen Mags?” He looked a bit distracted for a minute as if he were seeing her in his mind’s eye. “Who could have resisted that? Believe me, I fucking tried too.”

“Yeah, hot. I gotta admit,” Jack stated boldly.

King glared at him.

He placed his hands up. “Well, you asked?”

“Ok, all we got the first plates coming out!” Deuce called from the kitchen. “Jack, get in here and help me will ya?”

Jack went in and King followed.

The three men were startled to find Jade flipping pancakes in a pan without a spatula. She was flicking her wrist, raising the pan and flipping one in the air.

Jack’s eyes rounded as he stared.

“Well damn,” King stated. “They didn’t say you were a chef.”

She smiled.” I’m not but I did minor in cooking.” She peeked over at Jack.

He was still watching her. Seems when in the same room with her… that was all he could do.

“Ok bro,” Deuce said. “Grab some plates, silverware and well shit… there’s lots to take out. Good thing there’s that huge dining table from when this was a real ranch.”

Jack got into gear and started grabbing all that he could.

King did the same.

After about twenty minutes, all the men were sitting at the long dining table.

Some had the pancakes and some had scrambled eggs and toast.

All this while Annabelle sat with a three stack, loaded. She dug in and Jade had to stop her to wipe the whip cream off her nose.

“Well damn,” Deuce spoke. “I didn’t know how I was gonna even make a few for the kid then Jade showed up and saved my ass. She cooked all of this in thirty damn minutes.”

“How did you learned to do that?” Jack wanted to know.

She swung her gaze over to him. “I cook in a homeless shelter on Saturday and Sundays.”

They all looked over at her.

“I learned cooking in college as I said. Then after I got my degree in Psychology, I got my practice going and I got involved in an organization called Redemption House.”

Forks clattered to plates as most of Stone’s men looked up at her and stared.

“What?” she asked staring back. “What did I say?”

Shay looked around and smiled as he forked another bite of pancake into his mouth.

Stone laughed as he looked over at her and the little girl. “Nuthin’ darlin.’ It is just a smaller world than any of them thought.”

“What’s Redemption House?” Jack asked.

“It’s a huge organization now,” Dewey answered this. “Lots of MCs are either sponsoring them or helping to build them.”

“Yep.” Stone nodded. “For battered women, abused kids and the homeless. All started by a small but fiery woman, named Cassie Tory.”

“Yes, that’s her,” Jade told them. “I met her a few times. She’s dedicated and loves all the kids there.”

“Yeah, she travels to all of them now,” Stone spoke again.

“Wait… did you say Tory?” Ace asked. “Is she related to Gunny?”

Stone laughed. “Yep, she married his son, Deke. Her father n law is Sam Tory. Gunny, as you knew him.”

“Well, damn.” Ace shook his head. “He served with you for a while didn’t he?”

“Yes, he did. You met him just before he got out. They all have an MC in New York,” Stone went on to explain, “Gunny is known as Bones there. They help us out from time to time with our work, as do a lot of MCs.” He stared at Ace, at his cut and jeans, the whole biker look. Then he looked over at Jack and King. “You all have an MC for real or…”

“Or what?” Deuce asked as he wiped his mouth with a napkin. “We ride, we are known as the WarLords in fact. So we don’t play at it, if that’s what you mean.”

“No.” Stone shook his head. “No disrespect intended but it is your cover, right?”

Ace set his cup down. “I think after almost 5 years, we are more biker than we are…” He looked around at all the men as he paused. “…Soldiers anymore.”

Reaper finally spoke up, “Ain’t it the truth? Most of us did our tours, did our duty. Then we returned to the MC life or became bikers when we were done.”

“Only, the soldier never leaves you either,” Shay reminded them all. “Once a Marine…” He looked around at all of the men. “…always a Marine.”

“OORAH!” All the men present called out at once in unison.

Jade jumped and Annabelle stared at them wide eyed.

Stone started to laugh. “Yeah, sometimes we don’t know where the biker part begins and the soldier ends.”

“That’s cause neither ever ends,” Viper added.

Quiet set in around the table as the men all seemed to mull this truthful wisdom over.

“So, soon we will use both parts of ourselves to defeat this fucking group,” Ace stated.

“Yeah, Kid,” Stone told him. “And the sooner the better.”

Jade spoke, “It better be sooner, Pappy.”

He raised his head and stared at her concerned looking expression. “How soon?”

She looked over at Annabelle as if she was worried about her hearing whatever it was she needed to say. “Um, four days?”

The men all stared at her, looking confused.

“Four days, then what?” Jack asked her.

Her face actually paled as she whispered one word, “Boom…”

They all leaned forward when she said it.

“Gauntlet…” She swallowed heavily. “That’s what he kept saying. Boom.”