Right then, the touch of Carissa’s soft skin still on his hand, the feel of her fingers against his scalp, the vision of her corny wave goodbye burned in his brain, he still wasn’t sure about the answer.

But he was leaning a different way.

“Take care of yourself, Heidi,” he said to end it, even in saying it, knowing she would. She’d do anything to take care of herself.

Even sell her baby to do it.

“Got no choice, Joke,” she replied.

She moved off, got her girl, and they took off.

His brothers joined him.

“Not a big fan of hangin’ in an alley with pussy for hire waitin’ for the queen bee to get her favorite subject to stand attendance,” Boz declared irately.

“Not the queen bee,” Joker shared. “Bitch is pregnant. She’ll vanish by daylight. But she says she’ll arrange a replacement.”

“We holdin’ our breath for that?” Speck asked.

“I wouldn’t advise it,” Joker answered.

“I’ll think on it,” Hop stated. “I come up with one I think’ll be open for an approach, we’ll plan.”

Hop looked to Joker.

“You on tonight with Rush?”

“On my way back to the Compound to team up,” Joker confirmed.

Hop nodded and said, “Home.” Then he took off to go there.

Without beautiful women in their beds and kids under their roofs, Boz, Speck, and Joker moved down the alley toward their bikes a lot more slowly.

“You ever trust that bitch?” Speck asked.

“She didn’t come up with much, but she warned us where Valenzuela would turn his attention, and her intel was rarely wrong,” Joker answered.

“You think she’ll clear out before she sells out to Valenzuela, playin’ both ends?” Speck asked.

Joker shook his head. “She doesn’t know jack about us so she’s got nothin’ to give. She’s stupid enough to share she shared, she’ll be in the morgue by morning. Heidi might not be much, but she ain’t stupid.”

Speck didn’t reply.

They mounted their bikes but before they went their separate ways, Boz called, “Sharp on patrol.”

And when he said it, Joker felt it.

Something new.

On patrol, Joker didn’t give a shit what went down. He did what he had to do for his Club to protect what was theirs.

But right then, he knew he’d be sharp on patrol.

Not that he wasn’t before.

Just that, should the uncommon happen and things got ugly, he was going to make certain it didn’t get ugly for him.

And Joker had plans tomorrow night he was no way in hell going to miss.

CHAPTER TEN

I Drink Beer

Carissa

“IF WE GET a judge who’s buddy-buddy with either of the Neilands, I’ll ask that he recuse himself. I’ve no idea if he will. But if he doesn’t, it sets him up for appeal.”