Preacher lifted it up. “I’m going to bash your face with it. You see, O’Klaren, you’ve made a lot of enemies. So many enemies in fact that a lot of people can’t stand to be around you. Not that I blame them. I wouldn’t want to be around someone like you either. Now all those times you’ve hurt others, it’s coming back to bite you in the ass. I finally figured it out, you see. They didn’t just send you here to take me out. You’re not here on any special mission. I was happy for you to play the asshole on a pedestal, but you had to go and hurt her, and now, I can’t let you get away with it.” Joanne moved, and he swung the pipe, hitting O’Klaren across the face. “Before you die, you’re going to be in a lot of pain. Pain caused by me, and you are going to pray long and hard you never tried to take me out.”

He hit him again, this time, knocking the son of a bitch out cold.

“Can I go back to the clubhouse now and take a shower? I don’t think I can stand to have his drool on me. He’s disgusting.”

“Head back,” Preacher said. “Bishop’s upset about something. Let me know if you hear from him.”

“What’s he upset about?” she asked.

“Nothing to concern yourself with. Just know, he’s not happy and leave it at that,” he said. He looked toward Bear. “You’re coming with me, right?”

“Yeah, of course. Do I need to send some boys to handle your boy?”

He shook his head. “Bishop will come around in his own good time.” He bent down, grabbing O’Klaren’s shoulders. Together, they dumped him in the trunk of his car. For now, he didn’t need Bear thinking about his daughter or Bishop. He had to get his head in the game.

****

After phoning the clubhouse and discovering Bishop wasn’t there, Robin tried his cell phone number, but he didn’t pick up.

She was nervous.

What if he went straight to Bear?

Pacing the length of the house, she’d long washed up the dishes. There was no point in even attempting to make any food.

Preacher wouldn’t be home, and she wouldn’t be able to enjoy it, not with worrying about Bishop or where he was.

“Where are you?”

She tried his cell phone again, only for it to go straight to voicemail.

Slumping down on the sofa, she closed her eyes. She hated Bishop finding out that way. She couldn’t think of a worse way of telling her best friend.

Checking the time, she saw he’d been gone two hours already.

Getting to her feet, she started to pace again. All she could do was pace.

“Where would you go if not the clubhouse?”