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We convened inchurchfaithfully every Monday as my Uncle Matt had during his time as president. More often when needed, like with the Hunters wreaking havoc in my territory.
The mood in the meeting room this morning was somber. I observed each of my brothers. My VP, Raul, was to my left. Beside him was my road captain and my best friend, Track. They were father and son.
I nodded at my enforcer, Boxer, then at Lynx, the club’s treasurer. I acknowledged the empty chair to my right, where my SAA, Hero, normally sat. I pulled my gaze away, moving onto Justin’s spot, now occupied by Art. If I lingered too long reflecting on why they weren’t here, I’d get angry. I missed the shit out of my brothers and it pissed me off to not have them here.
I lifted my mug to my lips, hiking a brow. “Everyone all right today?”
They grunted their replies.
The heaviness in the room was suffocating. A lot changed over the past month and a half, and not for the positive.
We were sad about losing AJ. He had shown great promise and would’ve been patched in after the first of the year.
Following the clusterfuck with the Hunters, Justin had left the club and took his daughter away. I’d only heard from him once when he let me know he’d found out Dodge was asking around about Emilee. Fuck I hated drama, but I’d put a stop to Dodge’s inquiries. Couldn’t say I didn’t understand his desperation. Emilee was carrying his baby. God himself couldn’t keep me from my woman and child. But as his Prez, I stopped him… for the time being.
The council voted in Art to replace Justin the day after he left. It was the right decision. Art was a top-rated tattooist and managed Human Canvas, a club-owned tattoo parlor. Taking over Justin’s duties as secretary would be a piece of cake for Art.
I drank my coffee and raised the gavel, hitting it once on the table to bring the meeting to order. “First piece of business, Hero.”
Some brothers nodded.
I eyed Grizzly at his desk in the corner. I was concerned about him, more than usual. His long brown hair wasn’t pulled back in a man bun or ponytail. It hung over his eyes, all messy and shit as he sat hunched over his keyboard behind three big-ass monitors. He had other techie gear that a nerd like him required to do his job. I called him the brains of the club.
“Theo hopes to get Hero out before Thanksgiving, but he’s not making any promises. If we can’t prove the weed was planted, Hero could face a year or two behind bars. So we need to vote for a temporary replacement. I’m thinking, Ire.”
Boxer shook his head. “I don’t think Ire’s right for the job. He’s not been the same since the attack at The Bullet.”
I set my mug on the table and narrowed my eyes. “What’s up with him?” Admittedly, I’d been distracted with the Hunters and Madeline. Ire’s recovery had taken longer than Patch predicted. Not due to Ire’s physical injuries, he was built like a fuckin’ warrior. In tip-top shape like Boxer with all their MMA training. It was Ire’s mental state. The dude might’ve been messed up, but I thought he could handle standing in for my SAA.
Boxer reclined in his seat, squeezing his favorite hand gripper. “He’s distracted. When we’re sparring in the cage at the gym, he ends up on his back.”
Lynx snorted. “What’d you expect? The dude got his bell rung with a lead pipe to the back of the head.”
“No, I don’t think that’s it.” Boxer fell quiet for a moment with a contemplative expression, putting the gripper in the other hand. “I’m pretty sure it’s the girl, Ava, who’s got him out of sorts. I’m worried. The Black Friday event is soon. He’s not mentally ready for it. I told him to pull out but he ignored me.”
I didn’t like hearing this about Ire. He’d always been an angry cuss. It was where he got his road name from. If he was making stupid choices, endangering his life, he could put others at risk.
“We only have three weeks. I’m not confident he’ll be ready.” Boxer knew what he was talking about. He was a fighter and a trainer. My brother was born for the cage. Born to fight. Undefeated. And took his opponent out in the first round. Ire was no different. The two never fought against each other in a match. I imagined it was to avoid a bloodbath.
“We can talk about the fight later.” I needed to redirect Boxer. He could talk about MMA fighting all day long. “If not Ire, then who?”
Raul turned toward me. “What about Dodge? He’s ready to be patched in. We just need to vote.”
Track sat forward in his chair. “That’s not a bad idea. He’s certainly strong enough. Getting him off the gate will be good for him. He’s had too much alone time out there.”
I considered Raul and Track’s suggestion. Out of all the prospects, Dodge was next to be patched. Only one problem… “He’s a loose cannon these days. I mean, it’s understandable. His woman and baby were taken from him.” It might seem cruel to some, but Dodge had gotten what he deserved for fuckin’ around with Justin’s only daughter. Knocking her up too? He’s lucky he was still breathing. Emilee was only nineteen and off-limits. Dodge knew better than to touch her. So now he paid the ultimate price for his betrayal—losing Emilee and the baby.
Raul leveled his gaze to mine. “He won’t let you down. I assure you, he’s ready.”
“And it’s just temporary until Hero returns,” Track added.
I looked each one of my brothers in the eyes. “Let’s vote. All in favor of patching in Dodge?”
Every man raised their fist.
I eyed each brother again. “Anyone have a problem with him filling Hero’s position for a while?”
No sound was made.
