Page 97 of The Price of Love

I shrug. “Everyone’s been tight-lipped. Least the officers ain’t saying shit. The girls’ jaws are flapping, though. Nothing worth repeating.”

“Oh, come on. Give me the scoop.”

We grab the table without saying anything. It’s heavy, but Nadine holds her own. We have to stop twice for her to regain her grip, but we make it up front.

“Next life, I’m coming back with muscles,” she says. “And don’t forget, you’re gonna give me the scoop.”

“Ain’t much to tell. Everyone’s trying to figure what Frost and Storm are gonna do.”

“What’s your guess?”

“Oh, hell no.” I lift my hands. “Prospects don’t get opinions.”

“Bullshit. You have to have one. Especially since you were there when it went down.”

“I wasn’t the only one there. What do you think?”

Nadine purses her lips. “If I was Frost, I’d play it down. Not give Storm any ammunition. Especially since Storm laid her hands on Frost first.”

“Last Saturday was plenty of ammunition. Besides, why are you saying what you’d do if you were Frost?”

“Chill. You asked me what I thought would happen. I was just saying that Frost would be smart to stand down tonight. Sometimes the best thing to do is back off and wait.”

Shit. I gotta be careful with my reactions. I’m already pushing my luck, so I can’t be loud about it.

Nadine and I stand in back, waiting for the meeting to start. I’m watching the officers, but they ain’t giving nothing away. Like last church, Frost skids in last minute, but this time, she came alone. Smart move.

The first half hour goes fast with a rundown of the upcoming events for the club. We got formal invites to visit other clubs: the Daughters of Reckoning in Albany and the Satin Sirens in Syracuse. It’s a big deal. We all know they wanna size up Storm. See what kind of president we got now. Course Storm’s gotta go and as many officers that can make it, but everyone else is jockeying. It’s loud but good natured.

Frost’s been playing nice, so maybe we’ll get outta the meeting with no problems. I hope since I’m off bar tonight. It’d be cool to have a few drinks with the girls without there being ugliness.

Storm looks out at the patches and points at Rouge. “Next Saturday will be the first Moonlight Race. Are you ready?”

“I was born ready,” Rouge says.

It’d almost be laughable coming out of her lipstick-rimmed mouth had I not been schooled the first time I rode with her.

“I need my posse to stand up,” Rouge says.

Five patches stand with Rouge and raise their hands over their heads as we all cheer. After taking their bows, they sit.

“Looks like a fierce team,” Storm says with a smile. “Halo, I’ll turn the floor over to you now.”

Halo gives a recap of our finances and closes with the take from last week’s Casino Night, making sure to share what those working the event earned. The numbers are enough to cause whispers, which Halo lets go on for a bit as she shuffles her pages.

After allowing the murmurs to build, Halo says, “Next game is in two weeks. Nails and I will be taking names for anyone who wants to work. No guarantees that you’ll get a spot, so get your name in soon.”

I shift my attention to the patches sitting in the chairs in front of me. By their restless squirming, they’re as edgy as me. The meeting has gone too smoothly, so we’re waiting for the hammer to drop.

Storm gazes out at the crowd, saying nothing. Her dark brown eyes are intense as she scans the room. She stands. All eyes are on her.

She moves to the far end of the table and goes still. Too still. Then she points at Frost. “Stand and go to the opposite end of the table.”

Frost glances at Storm, and then her gaze scans the crowd, but she doesn’t stand.

“Now!” Storm says.

Frost glares at Storm, but she stands and walks to the end of the table.