Before I could give in to the urge, the front door slammed open and heavy footsteps approached. I looked over my shoulder to see Judge, Jury, and Scythe stream in.

A prickle of unease went down my neck, making the hairs stand.

“Good, you’re already here,” Judge said when his gaze cut to me, his expression tight. It relaxed when he saw I wasn’t alone, a smile forming. “How you doin’, Mac?”

“Good. I, uh, like your place.”

She wasn’t bullshitting, either. The Court of Mayhem clubhouse was a biker clubhouse, yeah. But it wasn’t dirt, cobwebs, and empty liquor bottles.

Okay, yeah, we had that. But they were special bottles on display. Biker art.

Throughout the tour, Mac had pointed out all the details she liked. What she thought was cool. She’d instantly understood that the clubhouse was meant to be a place for brothers to come and go. To be comfortable.

To feel at home.

’Cause for a lot of us—including me for a while—the clubhouse was the only place we had that.

“I’m glad,” Judge said, not bullshitting, either. He’d found the property and put the work in to make it what it was. He was proud of that.

Of what Mayhem was.

We all were.

“The fuck’s so important?” Swedes asked as he barreled in.

“Later,” Judge said, giving a flick of his wrist wave to Haze and Glitch as they joined us.

The prickle of unease grew to alertness at the brothers gathering on a Tuesday afternoon.

“Meeting?” I asked.

Judge lifted his chin.

Shit, that’s not good.

“O’s in our room if you wanna hang,” he told Mac before heading for the meeting space.

As my brothers streamed behind him, I turned to Mac. “I shouldn’t be long. Wanna take my car home, and I’ll meet you there when I’m done?”

“And drive near these maniacs?” She shook her head. “No, thanks.”

“Maniacs are in Maine. We’re Mass-holes.”

“Potato, potahto. Point is, I don’t want to drive your shiny car into chaos.”

“You can’t come into the meeting room with me. Mayhem only.”

Mac didn’t pout or get pissy or even question it. Nah, she rolled her eyes right in my face. “I know that. I’m assuming since Glitch is a member and all, there’s good Wi-Fi?” At my nod, she pulled out her cell, unlocked it, and held it out to me. “Log me in, and I’ll do some work while I wait.”

I took the outdated phone. “Don’t let Glitch see this thing. He’ll cry.” Before I entered the Wi-Fi password, I did something long overdue.

I called myself.

At the vibrating in my pocket, Mac sighed, long and dramatic. “I should’ve known that would happen.”

But she didn’t snatch the phone or bitch me out, so, again, progress.