I lean forward, forcing myself to stay calm. “You can question Emery’s loyalty, and you can question my choices, but you will not question if Charlie is my blood or if she deserves our club’s protection.”
Steel’s gaze is stone cold, and I know I’m crossing lines left and right. Whether I disagree with Steel or not doesn’t change the fact that he’s the president and that I shouldn’t be talking to him like this.
“It’s my job to protect the club, Soul. Hell, it’syourjob to protect the club. What are you expecting me to do with this? You fucked Rick Zane’s niece—got her pregnant. Do you realize the hell that is about to rain down on all of us? And you want me to just trust her.”
“I’m not asking you to trust her. Trustme.”
“You think I don’t want to?” He shakes his head. “You’re my second. My VP. But this could level us. I have to think about the club and what Emery is about to bring to my fucking doorstep.”
“I don’t give a fuck what she brings to our doorstep. It’s already been coming for a while now anyway. It’s about time we end it.” My teeth clench. “You want to know what I’m asking for right now? I’ll tell you. I want your support. The same support I gave you through your shit with Tempe. The same support I gave every one of my brothers at this table when they asked for it. Yes, I care about this club, but that’s only because I care about the people in it. All I’m asking for is the same damn thing I’ve given all of you.”
Heat courses through my veins. My heartbeat roars between my temples. Steel might pull his gun out and plant a bullet in my head, but I don’t stop. I can’t.
“I can’t tell you how this is going to go down, but I’m not risking my daughter’s life out of fear of uncertainty. So do what you need to do, but I will not back down on this. That is my daughter and her mother in that room, and the only way you’re going to stop me from protecting them is by putting a bullet in my head.”
Steel is silent for a long moment, looking around the room. His thumb taps against the arm of his chair as he thinks. The room is dead quiet apart from that tap, tap, tap. Until he finally stops.
“We’ve been brothers our whole lives, Soul,” Steel says, watching me. “I got a lot of shit for putting you in this chair as my second because you’re fucking reckless.”
He isn’t wrong. Steel took a lot of crap for promoting me to my rank when shit went down with his old VP, Helix. Honestly, at the time, I wasn’t really sure why he made me his second. I wasn’t ready, but I grew into it like I always do.
“I remember Havoc asking me why I did it.” Steel looks over at Havoc, and Havoc smirks. “I told him it’s because I don’t need another version of myself sitting in your chair, agreeing with everything I say and do. The club needs balance. Someone who challenges the status quo. Someone who cares enough to make big swings when they need to be made. Who forces us to do the hard things.”
Havoc nods, crossing his arms over his chest.
“You’ve made me question my decisions a few times over the years—”
“Just a few?” Chaos quirks an eyebrow.
“Maybe more than a few. But what I’m saying is, this isn’t one of those moments.”
“It’s not?” My eyebrows pinch.
“You’re reckless, Soul. A live wire half the time. I don’t like this fucking situation, but I’ve never seen you this committed to a damn thing, not even your club. And it’s those instincts and that attitude that have steered us in the right direction more than a few times over the years. I don’t trust her…yet.” Steel taps his thumb again. “But you’re right, I do trust you. That’s why you’re in that chair. Even when you piss me the fuck off.”
Steel tips his head back, taking in a deep breath. When he looks at me again, some of the anger has washed away.
“You’re right. We’ve been content playing defense for too long now. The Feds have backed off, and it’s time we end this. But if Emery is lying about anything, we’re fucked, and it puts all our families at risk. Her being here puts a target on our backs, and Zane will use that to his advantage. Whether she is on his side or not, he will use her against us.”
“I understand.”
“Yeah, I think you do,” Steel agrees, looking around the room. “How do we vote? Any objections to Emery staying at the compound?”
My shoulders are tight as I glance around the room. None of my brothers says a word. Chaos nods at me in reassurance.
“In that case.” Steel pulls out his gun and places it on the table. “We get ready for war.”
8
Emery
“You can sit ifyou’d like.” I glance from Venom to the chair at the side of the room. “I promise I won’t run out the door the second you move.”
Venom smirks when I look back at him. “I’m good here.”
“I’m sure you are.” I roll my eyes.
If I wasn’t so used to being guarded, it might bother me. But there are very few times in my life I’ve been alone apart from when I’ve been asleep. I suppose this is no different.
