❥ KNOX'S POV

The kiss should've lasted longer than it did.

That thought is the only one lingering at the forefront of Knox's mind. It stayed there for the rest of the evening, and after Everett fell asleep while watching another one of his silly little movies, the thought rang even louder in Knox's head.

It was like a siren call stuck on a loop, taunting him for not having done more with Everett when he'd had the chance. The boy had become so needy and flustered that he ended up finishing what Knox had recklessly started, effectively taking control and completing the kiss.

Trying to think up a logical explanation for why he froze at the very last second has led Knox to a dead end every time. But that was then. The moment is long gone now. No more wallowing in past mistakes.

There's important business to handle.

"Jesus Christ, can I get any fucking cornier or what?" Knox mutters to himself while scribbling down the reason behind his absence on a yellow sticky note.

He makes sure to include phrases like don't worry, everything is fine and stay in the room until I come back because he isn't sure how Everett will react when or if he wakes up to find he has been left all alone. The buttons that set the boy off seem to change day by day.

Seeing how broken Everett looked after having that panic attack in front of Finn, Knox concluded he had to do better. Despite his conflicting feelings, he could no longer be careless with Everett. No matter how ridiculous he feels in the moment, Knox will do whatever is necessary to make sure that Everett feels safe and secure while they live together.

When finished with the note, Knox places it on top of his pillow. Everett is asleep on his side and facing Knox's direction, so the note will be the first thing he sees if he wakes up before Knox returns.

On to business. Knox exhales a deep breath before turning to leave the room, anxiety at what's to come and irritation over leaving Everett alone weighs heavy on his shoulders. He gently closes the bedroom door shut behind him, sporting a look sinister enough to deter a person from stopping to interact with him as he sets off down the hallway.

Tracking down a man like Mason has never been a difficult chore.

The guy is obsessed with only two things: tech and women. If he isn't in his bedroom on his computer working a job for Gavin that usually consists of him hacking into some shit that he has no business being in, then the horny bastard is most likely getting his dick wet with a patch whore in the jumpoff room.

A place Knox hasn't visited in a long while.

It's the only spare room at the clubhouse that no one wants to clean because it's strictly used for sex.

Truthfully, half the members don't think twice about bringing a random to the place where they lay their head at night, but the other half prefers to keep their bedrooms off limits when it comes to strangers. That private space is typically reserved for their partners.

Funny how Knox barely bat an eye when Everett had to officially 'move in' with him. What that says about his cold heart and current state of mind... well, he'd rather not acknowledge it right now.

I don't think this room has ever gotten a proper break. Knox's first stop is the jumpoff room, being that it's the closest. From several feet away, he can hear a couple moaning and the headboard of the bed thumping aggressively against the wall inside.

Knox isn't in the mood to be polite, so he opens the door instead of knocking like a sane person.

"I'm close, baby! Holy shit, you're so fucking big. I-I think I'm going to—" screams the blue-haired woman riding one of his brothers. The position that they're in has her pale back facing the door, preventing Knox from getting a look at who she's presently fucking the soul out of.

"Mason?" Knox calls during the couple's climax. "That you under there?"

"Nah, man. It's me." Alvin, the club's VP, laughs and comes into view after the woman slides off him in a hurry, pulling the sheets up to her blushing face. "What can I help you with? Or are you looking to join in?"

Knox rolls his eyes. "Not interested. Have you seen Mason around?"

"No. He's probably holed up in his room doing work on his computer." Alvin flashes Knox a look that only he could decipher, not wanting to verbally give anything away while his company is around. "Since you don't plan on participating, can you kindly shut the fucking door? My dick is gearing up for round three and my girl ain't into that exhibitionist shit."

Knox doesn't waste his breath on a response. He closes the door and continues on his way, making Mason's bedroom his second stop. This time, he knocks.

"Hey, man! You're right on time," Mason says after opening the door.  "Pres just called for church. We can head there together while I fill you in on the news." He steps outside and locks the door behind him.

With the kind of shit that he gets into for the club, every single member could go under if his computers ever fell into the wrong hands. Not implying that he doesn't trust his brothers, but more so the naughty company they keep.

"What news? And when did he call for a meeting?" Knox asks as they walk.

"The news I tried to tell you about earlier today when you were all hugged up with the kid," Mason smirks. "Pres just sent a text to everyone about a minute ago. You didn't get it?"

Knox shakes his head, ignoring the teasing remark. "I forgot and left my phone back in the room. Tell me more about this news of yours."

"I know it's been a while since you last checked in, but I finally got into that damn USB. Pres was so impressed that he ended up paying me double for the job," Mason says. He cracks his knuckles as if he'd just finished working the world's toughest shift. "The Jackals are fully exposed, man. More than they've ever been before. And now that their secrets are in our hands, if we play this the right way, we can put an end to them for good."

"Keep talking," Knox says, intrigued. "What secrets do we have of theirs?"

"All of them." Mason grins something wicked, looking exactly like an evil villain that succeeded in taking out the hero. "Okay, so check this out..."

Knox gives Mason his undivided attention during their walk to the basement.

Apart from the underground brothel that the state knows nothing about, The Jackals also run a construction business. But like most MCs, it's used as a front for washing money gained from their illegal activities. That much is neatly documented inside a lengthy excel sheet on the USB, along with a list of people—some being high-ranking officials—that The Jackals have done and currently do business with. Many of them are married yet remain frequent patrons of their brothel.

"Some of the shit on there is prime blackmail material," Mason explains, excitement dripping all over his tone. "The son of the goddamn mayor goes to that brothel every other week! Do you realize how many strings we could pull by having the mayor's son in our pocket?"

Knox merely grunts in response, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. "What did Pres say when you first told him all this?"

"Not much," Mason replies. "He wanted to call a meeting to tell everyone else about it and get their input. I've already told him my stance. It doesn't matter what The Jackals were planning on doing with the USB that night. It's in our possession now, so we need to work on flipping their clients. We have to—"

"Slow your roll, brother." Knox chuckles, clapping Mason on the back. "Save that shit for the meeting. What else did you find in that thing?"

"Right. Well, there are also tons of..."

Documents that contain information and transactions related to The Jackals clients, plus those overseas. It includes street names of gun suppliers, drug lords, and how much money The Jackals earn in exchange for doing business with them.

Money that could become The Fallen Angels if, like Mason said, they successfully flip The Jackals clients.

The greatest discovery, however, has to be the sheet titled SCHEDULE. Covering the next thirty days, it lists the time and location for all local and international jobs The Jackals plan on executing. Jobs connected to some very dangerous people, but in turn will result in glorious payouts.

"They're going to make a move tonight," Mason finishes. "A shipment of weapons is supposed to arrive sometime around ten at that old dock by Hickory Springs. Under the assumption they think we haven't been able to get into the USB, we can intercept and take the weapons for ourselves. Flip them and sell them for double the price."

"And then we become the target of their supplier," Knox adds, shaking his head. "It's too risky. We first need to get rid of The Jackals before we go pissing off their partners."

"Point made. But we could always take the weapons and then present them to the supplier. Make a case for ourselves that The Jackals are incompetent and explain why they should do business with us instead," Mason suggests. "You think Pres would go for something like that?"

"We'll find out soon enough," Knox says.