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“The club is seeing dark days, and I can’t do a fucking thing to help. In my head, I’m getting ready to fight, but in reality, my knees fucking hurt just from getting up and out of bed. Not that I can leave the club for fear of being seen alive.”
In all honesty, I’ve been waiting for this to get to him. Pope doesn’t do sitting around well. He needs to be involved and doing something. But there’s no point in reminding him he chose this route to go down.
“The club still needs your input. You’re not completely useless yet,” I tease, getting a miniscule smirk in response.
“I never feared anything, Cas, but all I do is fear going to sleep at night, knowing I’m fucking older when I wake up the next morning. This shit has got to be worse than death.”
I know for a fact that he doesn’t fear death. I’ve known him too long to believe otherwise.
“When this lockdown’s over, how about we get you out of here for a while? You could still head up to Mercy, where you’d be free to come and go as you please.”
“Nah, fuck that. I belong here.” He sighs. “I’ll get over it, I suppose. I just miss being on the road, staining my hands with blood, and the rush of taking down our enemies.”
It’s bound to hit us all at some point in our lives. Since he was a young man, he’s been a part of this club. An active brother.
“Cas, you wanted me to let you know when the security company arrived. They’re here.”
“Thanks.”
The prospect walks off and I stand, looking down at Pope.
“The prick down in the basement hasn’t bled out. How about you take this one once the security people have left?”
Life ignites in his eyes, giving me the brother I know and love.
“You might not have the energy to throw punch after punch anymore, but there are plenty of tools to play with.”
His grin matches my own. “Well, now, that’s something to look forward to.”
With a nod, I leave him be and head outside to where the company guys are digging around in the back of their van.
“Mr. Jackson?”
“That’s me.”
“Hi, I’m Jacob.” He flips through his paperwork and looks back at me. “We’re here to install security lights around three of the buildings as requested.”
“Yep. If there’s anything you need, just holler.”
They set to work, and I sit back on the bench, clasping my hands together behind my head. Once the clubhouse has been updated and is fully secure, that’s when I’ll step down.
It’s the last act I can do as president for the future of the club. The main house has bulletproof windows, giving more safety to those inside if attacked. The lights being installed now will leave no room for shadows after dark. The obstacles in our way on the night of Luca’s wedding won’t be in our way ever again. Mistakes have to be learned from, and by God, I’ve had to learn the hard way. The gates have been reinforced, and even the weak spots on the roof have been fixed up.
Once it’s all done and finished, this place will be a fortress. That’s what I’ll leave behind. A kingdom for the leather and patches of the present and the future.
Opening my eyes, I spot Luca and Victoria walking around from the back of the clubhouse and call him over. Victoria carries on to the house, and Luca joins me on the bench. Leo filled me in on everything that went down last night, and I knew I was right to have him push Luca.
“What’s up, old man?” he asks, going for his pack of smokes, only to think twice when he remembers who he’s sitting next to.
“Old man? You better hold your tongue, boy.” He chuckles, and I huff. “Anyway, I heard you carried yourself well last night.”
“I had no choice. Leo told me to take the lead, so I did. It was nothing.”
“You managed to kill nine men and bring one back alive, all on a residential street, and without bringing any attention to the situation.”
“What can I say? I have good ideas.”
Cocky bastard.
