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Trip found his woman and Judge was happy for him.
But even though Stella was Trip’s ol’ lady, Judge was responsible for keeping her safe. Just like he’d been responsible for Autumn. She’d been on club property, sleeping in their VP’s bed for months. That made him responsible for her.
And he was about to take on the responsibility for Cassie and her daughter. She didn’t know it yet, but he already knew it in his gut.
It was on him to protect her.
To find that fucking husband of hers.
To free her of that mess that asshole splattered all over her.
He could’ve just taken that night of pussy and moved on.
But he couldn’t.
Cassie wasn’t just another pussy.
The second he saw her at the municipal lot, he knew that. He knew it deep in his gut.
Maybe she wouldn’t be interested. Maybe she wouldn’t want anything to do with him because of him being a biker and her having a young daughter.
But being a biker was one thing. Being a club enforcer was another. It could be a violent job. There could be shit he’d never want exposed to a young kid. There could also be possible blow-back.
It was another reason he wanted to rip off his rank patch.
But it wasn’t the only reason. He’d only known Cassie for a couple of weeks, if that. Hardly spoke to her before sleeping with her the other night.
He shouldn’t even go back to her sister’s house tonight. He should just walk away like she did.
He was hoping for something he shouldn’t be hoping for.
The woman’s life was a cluster right now and he shouldn’t add to it.
He shouldn’t.
But maybe he could help. Do some good.
It wasn’t the reason he went over to her house earlier, but it would be the reason he’d go back. Plus, he needed to know why she left without a word.
Though, he probably knew why already. She’d regretted fucking him, waking up next to him.
He thought he’d been prepared for it. Expected it.
But he hadn’t.
He glanced up from his beer to see Trip had disappeared. He was so lost in his fucking thoughts, he hadn’t even noticed.
What kind of Sergeant at Arms didn’t even keep an eye on his prez?
That was his fucking job.
Jesus fuck.
He was thinking more about his dick than his club.
Stella stood staring at him, her eyebrows pinned together. “He had to step outside for a sec.”
“He thinks I’m fuckin’ him over.”
“No, he doesn’t. But he needs you, Judge. You have a good head on your shoulders and you aren’t a hot head. I mean, you have Trip sitting at the head of the table who struggles every fucking day. He’s afraid he’ll turn into Buck. He needs someone to remind him not to do that. Then you got Sig sitting on his right. A man who’s fucked up in the head. His temper is worse than Trip’s. You have those two leading. He needs someone solid in the number three spot. There’s no one better than you.”
“Deke.”
“Deke wasn’t a part of the club back then like us. He has no idea how bad shit can get. You three do. You three need to make sure it doesn’t head down that path again. If you step back...” She shook her head. “He needs you, Judge. He’s not going to beg because he isn’t that type of man. We need you. What happened to Autumn wasn’t your fault. You guys wanted to take care of the problem neatly. It ended up not being so neat. You learn, you move on.”
“Ozzy.”
Stella planted her hands on her hips. “Didn’t you just hear everything I said?”
“Yeah, Stel, I did.”
“I know you didn’t want the spot. I know Trip and Deke pressured you into it. But you took it. You have that patch on your chest,” she pointed at the rectangular patch that read Sgt at Arms, “so own it. Do the job without making the mistakes your father made. Trip has to do his job as president and not make the mistakes Buck made. We’re all in this together.” Her eyes got shiny, which surprised Judge. “We all lost our family, Judge. All of us, in one way or another. We’re now family. Trip trusts you to be the club’s enforcer. We all do. Don’t bail on him. Don’t bail on us. Please.”
Judge closed his eyes for a moment. Stella was a strong fucking woman and for her to get emotional over him stepping down from his position...
“I asked Sig to do better. He’s doing his best. And I know it’s a struggle for him. If it wasn’t for Autumn, I doubt he would’ve stuck around. Trip said Sig probably would’ve rolled out in a few months, if not sooner. Maybe you need your own anchor. Something besides the club. Like Trip and Sig. Someone like Cassie.”
