Warlords MC: Book 6 – Traven : Chapter 12

Later that same afternoon, Will sniffed the air and caught the scent of roasting meat. He turned troubled eyes toward the kitchen.

Traven caught his look. Walking over to him he asked, “Is everything okay?”

Will just glared at him and turned away from the inquisitive questions. But Traven wouldn’t be put off by his silence. Instead, he sat down next to the other man. “Is everything okay?” He repeated his question.

Will nodded but he wouldn’t speak, as he kept his eyes on his screen and kept typing.

Traven watched him a moment before he too sniffed the air. His belly growled. “Something sure smells good.”

“She’s making tips and gravy,” Will told him reluctantly.

“And that means something to her? To you?” Traven wanted to know.

“She only makes them when she’s thinking about our dad.”

“Why?” Traven asked.

“She misses him. Tips were his favorite meal.”

“Is she a good cook?”

Will nodded but wouldn’t look at him. “Her boss at the diner thinks so.”

“She cooks for Red doesn’t she?” Traven suddenly remembered something. “I stopped there one day expecting the worst food I ever ate but Red told me I was in for a treat that day. He wouldn’t even let me order he just brought me out a plate of food. It was the best damn food, I ever tasted. I’ve never had Spaghetti like that before. I think I ate three plates before I went into a food coma.” He chuckled, “Ole Red is sure gonna miss her.”

Will snapped his head around and glared at him. “Why will he miss her? We’re going back to Three Forks anytime now.”

Traven just stared at the kid. This fact didn’t make sense. He got up and rejoined the others.

Deuce asked him, “What’s up brother?”

“The kid thinks they will be going back to Three Forks anytime now,” Traven told them.

Ace shook his head. “Well, that just isn’t going to happen. At least not until we can take down the Shadow Camp and maybe not even them. When we do take down it down, the survivors will come after us and especially those two.” Ace shook his head. “That was the message they left this morning when they blew up their house. They will keep coming as long as they don’t know that they got them. And if these bastards have one camp, they have more camps and if we take down just the one camp, the rest of them will come after us.”

“You know that and I know that, hell every man here knows that but Will thinks he’s going back to the life he had before.” Traven shook his head. “It’s like he didn’t remember his brothers blew up his house this morning.”

“Yeah, I remember.” Will snarled from behind him.

Traven and the brothers turned to look at him.

“I remember very well what those bastards did this morning. What you assholes don’t realize is that I know where they are. I found three other camps, and I know where they are. You can either take them out or wuss out on me and do nothing. Either way, Winter and I don’t need to stay here much longer. Knowing my sister, she already has a safe house, somewhere my brothers won’t ever find us.” He turned his chair around and started to wheel toward the kitchen. Before he could get very far he paused then looked back over his shoulder, “Besides, you don’t know my sister very well, if you think you can tell her she can’t do something. She’ll do it anyway just because you told her she can’t. She’s stubborn that way.”

Pepper joined them and asked, “What’s wrong with the kid?”

Traven exhaled and informed him and the others, “He thinks we all laughed at his sister this morning and he wasn’t impressed. He also said something about what his sister has been cooking all day. According to him, she only makes this dish when she’s upset and missing her dad.”

“What did he mean when he said he found three more camps?” Pepper wanted to know.

“He was talking about going back home soon and I didn’t think that was possible,” Phantom told them. “If we take out this camp, the other camps will hunt them down, they won’t be able to go back to Three Forks.” He shrugged his shoulders. “He got a little pissy. He doesn’t realize his life has changed and maybe not for the better.”

Traven glared at the kitchen door. “But it doesn’t matter what he says. They won’t be going anywhere that we aren’t. They can’t. Once their brothers know they aren’t dead, they will be looking for them and I don’t think they’ll stop until they know for sure that both of them are dead.”

“We need to talk to the girl before we can go anywhere,” Pepper pointed out. “We need to know whatever she knows before we can move in on the camp.”

Traven turned his glare at the other man, “She’s more than just an information source. She’s his big sister and a woman trying to make a home for the both of them. She watched her brother’s gun down her dad and she’s just trying to get by. She’s a human being and you better remember that.”

Pepper just stared at him. “That’s how life works my good man. Sometimes, it’s good and other times it sucks. It’s hard and sometimes it’s harder than it has to be but a person either survives, or they cave. Those who make the choice to survive come through the tough times a little tougher themselves. They make that choice. She survived the worst of it and now she has to push through to get on with her life. That’s just the way it is.” He paused and then added, “I can respect that, but people do it every day, don’t they? We all have our own battles to fight. Hers aren’t any different than anyone else’s are.”

“Then give her the respect you give everyone else,” Deuce demanded.

Traven stared at Pepper. “He’s right, if you can’t do that, then leave this place.”

“I’m not going anywhere.” Pepper growled. “If she can’t handle me and mine that’s her problem. That shows me she’s weak and not worthy.”

He was interrupted in his insulting rant when Traven’s fist slammed into his mouth.

Pepper stumbled back as his hand covered his mouth filled with blood from his broken nose and split lip. “What the fuck?” Pepper exclaimed. “What did you do that for?”

“My woman is anything but weak.” He growled. He glared at the other man and wouldn’t look away from him. “I think you wore out your welcome here.”

“Hold up.” Bumper stepped forward. “Pepper may have misspoke. He didn’t know she was your woman. He’s kind of a dipshit about some things and this is one of those things. Don’t kick us out just yet. We can help if you let us.”

Traven glared at Pepper for a moment longer then nodded and turned away. He stomped down the hall and went to his room to clean up.

A few minutes later, he rejoined the brothers and he sniffed the air again. “Damn those tips smell good.”

Phantom nodded. “Well, a lot of the brothers really want some, but they are a little…um.” He hesitated to finish.

Traven looked over at him. “What? A little what?”

Nite Stalker was the only one to answer, “They’re a little scared.”

Traven’s eyes widened. “Of what?”

Phantom motioned his head to the kitchen door and to the hole the knife had left in the door. “We know she bites.”

Traven stared at him then looked around at all the men. “Oh, for fuck’s sake!” He laughed. “Come on…seriously?”