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“Seer can still see the future,” Pocus grumbles.
“He’s blocked,” Meredith retorts. “I felt that the moment I pulled into that driveway a few days ago. And you’re beyond angry, but it has nothing to do with me. Your secret demon was scratching to get out before I walked through the door.”
She’s brave to call him out like this. She probably has no idea how brave. I’ve seen Pocus at his worst and the damage he can do in those moments. I’m about to jump in, but he speaks first.
“You and Charlie can stay here as long as you need to,” he says in a dispassionate tone. “I won’t deny you help. But you have to be honest with us. My family will always come first. If you do anything to put them in harm’s way, I can’t be responsible for what happens to you.”
A cold chill runs down my spine, but Meredith maintains her composure.
“Fine,” she says, and that’s that.
CHAPTERFIFTEEN
Part of the stipulation of my truce with Meredith is that she and Charlie can’t leave the house. It’s as much for their protection as it is for mine. The nosy bastards at the clubhouse have gotten curious since Charlie showed up there the other day. Evanesce quickly came up with a lie that they’re distant cousins staying with us for a few weeks.
Hex came over yesterday to tell me that the men are getting uneasy about all the new “guests” hanging around. First, there was Damien, now Charlie. Naturally, they were spooked to hear a ten-year-old girl has been hanging around. In the current climate, the last thing they need is to think anyone in the MC is trying to recruit children as mules.
It’s the last thing Seer needs, too. Thank God Damien wasn’t there when Charlie was. He’d come to the same conclusion then we’d all be investigated. He’d probably fumble the investigation, though, the useless pig. From what I’ve heard, he’s caused nothing but trouble for my guys.
Obviously Hex is dealing with a broken arm and a new infraction on his rap sheet. Then I hear that Frenchie and Tomb have both ended up in Graveyard’s ER after a disastrous day with the idiot. Seer has to get that kid in order or he’ll singlehandedly destroy the club we worked so hard to build. Not that it’s my place to question Seer’s authority. Unfortunately.
But what the fuck is he thinking?
“I know, I know,” he tells me when I show up on his doorstep.
His face is more drawn than usual. He has a permanent look of consternation. With all the Meredith drama, I’ve barely seen him this week. I immediately see the toll Damien’s presence has on him.
“What do you know?” I ask, goading him.
“I know Hex came to see you earlier,” he says. “You two gossip like old women. I assume he’s told you what a fuck-up Damien’s turned out to be.”
“Send him back,” I tell him. “It’s not working out, so tell the chief the deal’s off.”
“It isn’t that easy,” he tells me, pacing the floor. “The deal is there to help us too. If I end it, we’re back on the chopping block. We can be raided any time for any reason.”
“Is it worth getting your men beat up?” I ask as kindly as I can manage. “Is it worth Hex’s broken arm?”
“He’s a big boy,” Seer grumbles. “He can take it.”
“Mon ami, don’t tell me that you’re not upset about this,” I say. “Just admit the situation has gotten out of control.”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake, Pocus,” he growls at me. “If you want to be in charge so bad, why the fuck did you step down?”
My irritation rises. I have to remind myself that Seer isn’t really angry with me. He’s angry at Damien, and he’s probably a little angry at himself. I don’t want to be the man Meredith accused me of being. I don’t want my inner demon to rear his ugly head and take out all my frustration on Seer.
“You know why I stepped down,” I tell him quietly. “I was almost burned alive to protect this club when I should have been focusing on my family.”
Seer turns on his heel, his nostrils flaring. “And how long will you throw that in our faces?” he yells. “It’s been four years, Pocus. I remember that day as well as you do. I thought I’d lost my best friend. But you made that decision, too. You decided to risk your life to make sure Anderson Grey went straight to hell. No one asked you to do that.”
I draw another deep breath, but this one is less effective. “How else could I ensure the shaman would do what he said?” I ask impatiently. “The world needed to be rid of Anderson, and I had to be the one to do it.”
“I fucking know!” he yells desperately. “We’ve had this same conversation a thousand times. It always comes down to the same moral. You think I’m fucking up as Prez. You regret stepping down. You regret that decision as much as you regret risking your life. But that doesn’t mean you have to punish me for it. I’m doing the best I can.”
“Then do better,” I say coldly. “Get your shit together, Seer, because you’re running this place into the ground. Might I remind you, you also made a decision when you decided to have a covert meeting with the chief of police.”
“You would have done the same fucking thing,” he shoots back. “Don’t act like you didn’t panic when you saw that preschool get attacked. Don’t act like you have some fucking moral high ground here because you never thought to work with the police instead of making them your sworn enemies.”
“Open your eyes, Seer!” I yell back. “They made us their enemies because we dare to exist. Did you forget when they tried to kick us out of our home? Or when they raided the place with no evidence or warrant? Or the millions of times over the years when they accused us of shit we didn’t do? I didn’t start this fight.”
