Page 30 of Sapphire

“You planning on leaving?” Diamond asks Sapphire.

Sapphire frowns, her face affronted. “Of course not. I love it here. I’m not moving to Blackstone, not permanently. We’ll work out a resolution, but I’m still here. I’ll always be in Saddle, one way or another.”

I interlace my fingers and raise my arms over my head. “So, it looks like you’ll be seein’ a whole lot more of me.”

Diamond points at me. “Can’t exactly stop that, but you won’t be sitting in on any more meetings,” she warns. “I only let you into this one because Sapphire said you had a brain wave.”

“I’m just full of good ideas.” I smile. “What can I say?”

“I’ll set up a meeting with Wrath after you talk to him,” Ruby says to me. “Then we’ll work out the fine details.”

“Fine by me,” I reply.

“This asshole surveyor, is he a threat?” Diamond asks.

It takes a second, but Ruby, Jade, and Sapphire burst into fits of laughter.

“Definitely not,” I reply eventually. “He’s not gonna be coming back here in a real hurry, that I can say for sure.”

“Nash is gonna talk to Lanzetti about trespassing,” Diamond goes on. “It won’t hurt to throw a little law enforcement in his face, especially now me and Nash have gone public.”

“It’s gonna be a hoot when we finally get to meet Lanzetti,” Ruby retorts. “The skunk keeps skippin’ out. Somethin’ tells me his balls are tied up in his briefcase, and he’s too chickenshit for a face-to-face. Sendin’ his minions in here to spy on us, instead of acting like a real man, that tells you a lot.”

“Sounds about right,” Sapphire agrees. “The only way to get intel on what he’s planning next is to drop a spy inside ground zero. It makes sense to utilize the Bandits. Plus, if shit goes sideways, Lanzetti will have a whole other problem on his hands with Wrath and his boys.”

I rub my hands together. “I kinda like the sound of this. Haven’t had a good fight in a while.”

Sapphire rolls her eyes. I cover her hand with mine on the table. She doesn’t flinch, nor does she pull away. I may be staking my claim, but I’m into public displays of affection, even if she isn’t. I want the Stilettos to know I’m serious, that I’m her guy. I’m here for the long haul, no matter what.

“Let’s hope it doesn’t come down to that,” Jade replies. “But we’ll be ready. The snakes are not gonna give up. This is just another tactic to try to intimidate us, and it backfired.”

“It’d be a huge disappointment if they did,” Diamond agrees. “I can’t fucking wait to give that asshole a piece of my mind. He’d better come to the next meeting, or I’m gonna show him what the Stiletto Riders are made of.”

“Hey, shouldn’t we vote on the Bandits and the Stilettos joining forces?” Onyx wiggles her eyebrows.

“I thought we said it was unanimous?” Ruby asks, confused.

“I meant Sapphire and Sin being together. Two different clubs. Two different towns. Wrath may have an issue.”

Sapphire shoots a look at Onyx. “Wrath can suck my balls. He won’t have an issue, and why would he? I’m part of the furniture in Blackstone. I’ve been visiting my brother for years.”

“No issue with Wrath,” I confirm. “It’ll be Reaper we need to keep on our side. He’ll probably punch me in the face for not tellin’ him sooner, and I’ll take it because Sapphire is the woman I wanna be with.”

All eyes land on me.

After a pause, Diamond glares down the table at me. “You’d better believe it’ll be your balls swimmin’ in the Gulf if you hurt her. Don’t think we aren’t packing and can’t make people disappear, just because we’re women.”

I bring Sapphire’s hand to my mouth and kiss her knuckles. “I wouldn’t expect anything less.”

Her eyes find mine, and she smiles. “Spoken like a damn Bandit.”

EPILOGUE

SIN

I’m not a nervous person by nature, but today is the day of reckoning.

Mika squeezes my hand. “Thank you. I mean that, Sin. It means a lot.”