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The Barn was completely quiet as the two brothers stared each other down for what had to be at least a minute. No one dared say a fucking word during their intense but silent conversation.
Trip sucked in a deep breath and scrubbed a hand over his mouth. Finally, he nodded. “We can grab them but not so sure you should take them on, brother.”
“You sayin’ I’m too fucked up to raise those kids? You think I wouldn’t have taken Levi as my own if Red kept him? That what you’re sayin’?”
Whip decided to wade in. “Sig raisin’ those kids can’t be as bad as those hillbilly inbreds raisin’ them.” He didn’t say it loud but he didn’t have to. His point was made and also heard.
“Whip’s right,” Shade said in his slow, careful manner. “Those kids will have all of us to help. Seen Red with Maya. Seen her with Rush, Dane and Dyna. Got no doubt she’ll be okay. If I can help raise three kids, so can he.”
“Josie and Maddie were already raised,” Judge reminded him. “Jude’s a teen. Ain’t the same as three young kids like that.”
“We all got each other’s backs, right?” Dodge asked. “Never planned on havin’ any crotch goblins, now I’m raisin’ a nine-year-old. It easy? No. Can it be done? Fuck yeah. Doin’ it for Syn. Sig will do what he needs to do for Red.”
When Sig and Dodge locked gazes, the VP gave the bar manager a chin lift.
“Five of you can’t live in that apartment.”
Sig acknowledged Trip’s statement. “Yeah.”
But the prez wasn’t finished. “Also got to come up with an explanation how those kids got into your possession.”
Sig glanced at Shade. “No different than Jude. We’ll make somethin’ up.”
Shade just stared back at Sig, not confirming or denying if Jude was really his son by blood. They all suspected he wasn’t. But in the end, it didn’t matter as long as however he came to join Shade and Chelle didn’t bring any heat on the club.
If Shade claimed Jude was his son, then everyone accepted it as truth. The man had a lot of secrets, where Jude came from was just one more.
“You know once this plan starts movin’ it’s gonna be done at a fast pace, right? That means we gotta get those women and children out of there and you gotta deal with Red’s mom however you wanna deal with her. All before the Shadows detonate the explosives.” Trip shot Sig a look.
Even Whip could read the prez’s look which clearly said Red would have to live with what Sig planned on doing to her mother. Whip assumed Sig had already worked that out with his ol’ lady.
“Then we’re gonna separate those three from the rest quickly and quietly. Once we do, we need somewhere to house them, Sig. You can’t be havin’ those kids sleepin’ on the floor.”
“Yeah,” Sig said again. “Know it. Figure we can set up one of Reilly’s emergency trailers temporarily ’til we figure everythin’ out.”
“Dodge, Syn and your niece are already livin’ in one ’til their place is built. That leaves two available. You take one, that leaves one. Lee’s got one more on order but not sure when it’ll be delivered. Even so, we need them available to financially recover after this whole damn thing.”
“What the fuck do you want me to do then?” Sig asked his brother, the tone sharp. “Let ‘em stay with that cunt? Let that bitch live after her selfish motherfuckin’ actions damaged her daughter beyond repair? Ain’t gonna happen.”
Trip’s eyes narrowed on his brother. “How ‘bout we discuss it later.”
“If you’re only gonna say no, no point in talkin’ about it.”
“Ain’t sayin’ no, Sig. Only sayin’ we need to have a fuckin’ plan. It’s just one more thing in a long list we need to coordinate. This has to go down as smoothly and neatly as possible. Shouldn’t have to explain why for the hundredth time. You get that?”
Sig’s nostrils flared when he took a deep inhale. A second later, his fingers uncurled and his shoulders relaxed a bit.
“We’ll figure it out, brother,” Judge assured Sig. “We ain’t gonna abandon those kids.”
Sig nodded.
The tension in The Barn lessened a little and everyone breathed a little easier.
“All right,” Trip started, his gaze slicing through all of them. “Like I said, this ain’t a decision that should only be made by me or the officers. That means if anyone’s got any issues with hirin’ the Shadows to take care of this Shirley business once and for all, speak the fuck up now. ‘Cause once we give them the go-ahead, the ball’s gonna start rollin’.”
Silence descended the group.
Judge’s eyes scanned them all. “Anyone? Last chance to say your piece.”
“Burn the bitch to the ground!” Cage yelled. “They used my daughter as bait. No tellin’ what else they’ll do.”
