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“Chill, Coop.” Wild Man puts a hand on his shoulder. “You think after weeks in The Chamber he’s really stupid enough to betray us again?”
Coop shrugs off his touch. “I didn’t think he was stupid enough to do it the first time around, now, I’m sure he’s going to do it again.”
Shades turns to him with a frown. “You saying Letty’s gonna take Braden’s side?”
“No, I’m saying all he needs to do is threaten her, and she might crumble. And then what? We’re right back to where we started.”
“That’s not going to happen,” Ace says, his voice firm and strong, brooking no more bullshit. “That’s what we’re doing, so everybody get the fuck on board or stay out. Got it?”
Everyone nods, and we enter The Chamber. The lights are off as we file in, and we hear Braden gasp in fear.
“Who’s there? I hear someone. I know you’re there.” I can hear him squirming in the darkness, the chair scraping against the cement floor.
“Who’s there?”
“It’s me, Braden.”
Ace’s voice is quiet and lethal, a sure sign he’s done dealing with the pastor and all the trouble he’s brought to our MC.
“Ace,” Braden sighs. “This has gone on long enough, don’t you think?”
“I do,” Ace answers easily. “It’s time we end this once and for all.” Ace reaches above him and tugs on the chain that lights up The Chamber in a single, bare bulb. It swings slowly back and forth, hissing as the metal moves through the air.
“End this? No,” Braden shakes his head. “That’s not what we need to do at all. We need to come to an agreement.”
Ace grins and snatches the black sack from Braden’s head. “Exactly what I was thinking.”
The light shines in Braden’s face and he blinks, trying to adjust. He sees all of us and asks, “What the hell is going on?”
Ace throws the sack on the floor and steps closer to Braden. “This is what’s going on,” Ace says. “You’ve been messing with the wrong people, Braden. My MC. My family.”
Braden’s whole body tenses. “W...w...we can go back to business as usual, and I will sever my ties with the Iron Kings.”
Ace laughs, but there’s no amusement in it. The sound is dark and menacing, and after a long moment, even Braden takes notice.
“What are you going to do to me?” Braden asks, his voice trembling.
Ace doesn’t answer. He simply pulls a chair from the corner of The Chamber and sits down in front of Braden, straddling it backward. He rests his arms on the back of the chair and looks Braden in the eye.
“This is what we're going to do,” Ace finally says. “We will help you rebuild along with the church insurance policy.”
“There is no insurance policy. It lapsed a few months ago, and things have been tight, so I let it slip.”
Ace’s face darkens. “You what?”
Braden swallows hard and looks away. “I...I’m sorry. I know I should have told you, but I was hoping to find a way to make it work without involving the club.”
Ace leans in closer to Braden, his voice low and dangerous. “You should have told me,” Ace says through clenched teeth. “I could have helped you, but instead, you chose to go to the Iron Kings.”
Braden curls into himself, head hanging low and shoulders slumped forward. It’s as close to an admission as we’re going to get.
Ace sits upright and laughs. “Got you, didn’t I? We have insurance on the whole property,” Ace says easily. “That’s nothing for you to worry about. In fact, I don’t want you to worry about one fucking thing other than spewing your lies to the congregation. You’ll give sermons, counsel your parishioners, run bible study and all that bullshit, but we’ll take care of everything else.”
Braden shakes his head. “No. I can’t. I won’t allow it. You’ll run the whole church, andyoucan’t run a church!”
“Oh, but I can,” Ace assures him. “You see, the only way you walk out of here alive is if I’m sure you’re not a problem for me or my MC.”
“I’m not. I swear I’m not.” He’s frantic now, with wide eyes as he looks around in search of an ally, which he assumes is me.
