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They shook their heads.
“All right. Let’s get to work.” I hit the table.
Bone left first as usual. Spectre was next.
“Do you have a minute?” Buff stayed in his chair with his hands clasped on the table.
“Yeah, what’s up?”
“I’ll leave you two alone.” Dad stood to leave.
“No, stay,” Buff told him. “You might want to weigh in on this.”
“Okay.” The old man returned to his chair.
I studied my brother. He was the fourth kid in the line-up, twenty-seven, and inked all the way up to his neck. Like me, he had a broken heart. Unlike me, his woman hadn’t run away as mine had. He’d let her go to pursue her dreams. I imagined his pain was as severe as mine, if not more. He had channeled his sadness and turned it into anger, making him an excellent enforcer and a fuckin’ violent debt collector.
Buff cleared his throat. “This will sound shitty, but I think you should send Bone on a run. He brings too much drama to the table. I don’t know what’s up his ass, but I’m over it. I should’ve been made VP.”
“No, you shouldn’t have. You’re a phenomenal enforcer.” I glanced at my dad. “Where’s all this coming from?”
“Bone wanted to be president, like he would’ve killed for the position, if he thought it would’ve made a difference. It’s messed up.”
“No shit.” Bone might not have killed me, but he had destroyed me just the same.
“Can we get the Montana chapter up and running sooner than two years from now? Give the position to Bone.”
“You want me to reward him for being a dickhead?” I gritted my teeth.
“He’s not an awful person. He’s just, well… a dickhead.”
Dad nodded but kept quiet.
“I’m only suggesting it because maybe it would eliminate the tension within our family. Every week it’s something new between you and him. I’m tired of it. We’re all tired of it.”
“Are you the spokesperson for the rest?”
“Yes. Even Piper is tired of it.” Buff was a straight shooter, not one to inflate shit. I could tell his concerns were genuine.
“What do you think?” I turned toward my old man. “Can we push up the opening of the Montana chapter?”
I agreed with Buff’s feelings about the tension in the family. If he knew why Bone and I were at odds, I hated to think what he might do.
“Storm’s club is using the property right now. A lot depends on how long they’ll be in it.”
“Don’t forget the possible blowback they get from the girl’s father,” I replied. “It could be only weeks, or it can be as long as several months or longer. There can’t be any activity at the ranch that might draw attention. The place needs to appear vacant.”
“Even if you can speed it up a year, that would be good.” Buff rubbed the infinity symbol near his left eye. I often wondered if he did that when he thought of his ex. Two days after she’d left for college, he’d come home with the new ink on his face. I never had the mind to ask him about it. I guessed it was because I instinctively knew it had been for her.
“I’ll touch base with Storm. See how the rescue is coming and how long they might need the use of the property. But let’s keep this to ourselves, okay? No sense in getting Bone’s hopes up. Hell, he might not even want to move to Montana.”
“I don’t know if Lady M would approve either.” Dad raised his salt and pepper eyebrows. “I never mentioned who might run the chapter.” He hadn’t even discussed his thoughts on the matter with me.
“Her kids will all one day leave the nest. She’s lucky to have had us all under her wing for so long.” Honestly, Lady M should’ve kicked me out a decade ago.
Dad chortled as he went to the door. “Don’t tell her that, or she’ll grab you by the ear and give you an ass-chewing like you’ve never gotten before.” He waved at us. “What am I saying? You all have experienced her wrath.”
“He’s right, as always.” Buff rose from his chair.
