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“You got it, Prez.” Hustler stands and slaps Z’s back.
“All right.” Rock stands and raises his voice above the rising chatter until the guys settle down. “Everyone has their assignments. Those coming with us, stay at the table, everyone else is free to go.”
After the room thins out, Rock takes his seat again. Brothers switch chairs so we’re all clustered toward Rock’s end of the table.
“This needs to look like a casual chat to inform Chaser he’s got a problem, and collect information,” Rock says. “Everyone’s easy. Friendly. We’re not there to throw accusations. No open hostility, unless provoked.”
“Then civility’s out the window,” Z says.
“Fuck yeah.” Jigsaw punches his fist in the air.
“Simmer down,” Rock snarls, then says to Teller, “You’re about to get your wish, knucklehead.”
“Oh, yeah?” Teller smirks. “What’s that, Prez?”
Rock’s gray eyes flick my way. “I think I’m going to suggest we meet Chaser at Remy’s place.”
“Good choice,” Murphy says. “But why now?”
“It’s a good halfway point. Semi-neutral territory-wise.”
“Not for long.” Murphy smirks.
After Rock dismisses everyone else, I close the war room door and return to my seat.
Rock glances at me with a raised eyebrow. “What’s on your mind?”
“It’s not my business, but what the fuck’s going on with you and Teller?” I ask.
His expression flattens and he slowly sits back. Almost trying too hard to seem casual and disinterested in the question. “Why are you asking?”
“He seems to get away with a lot of mouthing off to you.”
“Mouthing off is literally how he got his road name,” Rock says in a bored tone.
“Yeah, I heard.” I contemplate my next words carefully, since I’m making a big reach and overstepping. “You’re kind of rough on Murphy, though. And he’s not the one giving you lip.”
Rock’s jaw clenches tight.
Looks like that arrow of truth landed in a soft spot.
“He’s your VP,” I continue. “He’s gotta be free to disagree with you.”
“He does. Plenty.”
Time to wrap this up. I said what I wanted to say. Gave Rock something to chew on.
“I respect you, Rock. You’ve done great things with the club, obviously—”
“Do you remember that girl Tina?” he asks out of nowhere.
“You’re gonna need to be more specific.”
“The girl who used to ‘babysit’ me.”
A memory surfaces and I groan in disgust. “Jesus. How could I forget that? You thought you were Don fucking Juan when you nailed her. What were you? Eleven? Twelve? She musta been sixteen or seventeen at the time? Good Christ, that was fucked up.”
“Somewhere around there,” he answers tightly.
“You were an insufferable little bastard after that. Hittin’ on every woman who crossed your path.” I sit back, laughing my fuckin’ ass off.
Rock doesn’t join in on the laughter.
The expression on his face is downright scary. Or it would be to someone else. Me, I just continue poking at him.
“Shit, you remember hittin’ on Chaser’s wife? It’s a miracle Chaser didn’t cap your ass then and there.”
“Yes,” he answers slowly. “Mallory shared that charming little story with Hope. It was a real trip.”
“I bet.” I grin even wider. “Must’ve been quite a pill for Chaser to swallow with you runnin’ your own MC first.”
“I doubt he wasted a lot of energy on it.” He glances out the window. “I dealt with Stump more than Chaser in the beginning, anyway.”
“You must’ve had to work your ass off to repair all the damage Ruger did to the relationship between our two clubs.”
“We…found common ground, eventually.”
“I knew you would.”
“Stump still ran things long after Chaser came home from Hollywood.”
No surprise there. “Ornery old bugger.”
“He could be,” Rock agrees.
“Eh, I shouldn’t talk shit about Stump.” I wave my hand in the air. “He did right by me when I was out at the Supermax. I know that had a lot to do with the work you were doing back here, Rock.”
He shrugs it off. I may tease him about being cocky, but he’s always had a hard time accepting a compliment.
“Why’s Rooster so hesitant to be at this meet?” I jerk my thumb toward Rooster’s empty chair.
“You think he was?”
Rock’s not that blind. “He seemed to feel a certain way.”
“Chaser, apparently, still works in the music industry—”
“No shit?”
“Yeah. And Shelby’s gotten to be good friends with Chaser’s daughter. She helped Shelby write a bunch of songs. So, there’s a business relationship that exists now.”
“Rooster won’t want anything interfering with his girl’s career.”
“Right.” He taps his fingers against the table. “But Chaser’s got business outside the club I’m sure he doesn’t want messed with either.”
“Risky.” Christ, Rock turned into one calculating son of a bitch.
“I don’t need Rooster to say a word. His presence there will be enough.”
While all that stuff’s entertaining to a certain degree, and good to know for our meeting, I can’t help returning to Rock’s earlier question. “What made you ask about your old babysitter? You planning to hire her to watch Grace, because I gotta say, her references are shit.”
