by Jordan Marie
Unfortunately, that’s when the others try to get brave and go for their guns. I make note of the ones who don’t. There’s not very fucking many of them—four by my count and that includes Tucker and two of those are members that had to be here when he started the damn thing. Whoever takes this club on is going to have shit on his hands for a long while. Torch and his men come out from behind and make sure the other members have been subdued before a firefight can break out. There’s something to be said for catching a man without his back being guarded. Still, Tucker giving us the code to the private gate his crew uses got us here.
He finally turns around to face the men who were trying to get him killed, by sticking a knife in his back and not in his heart. I think I see the moment reality hits the traitors. You see it come over their face.
“You mother-fucking shit-sacks? You didn’t have the balls to get rid of me? You thought you could involve my family? My daughters? Have them be the ones who knifed me in the back?” He walks to the man that Skull shot earlier. That one probably hurts the most, because Tucker thought he could trust him out of all of them. Maybe that’s why the old man decided to finally step down. That would be a fucking hard pill to swallow for sure.
“It was your man killed, son. What do you think I should do with them?” he asks Skull.
“It’s your club.”
“I’m too old for this shit, brother. I’m surrendering to the Devil’s Blaze.”
The older men, the ones who knew what was happening even seem a little shocked at what’s happening. Maybe the old fucker didn’t talk things through all the way. We all knew and most of us accepted it. We knew Skull was going to remain the head of our club, he assured us of that. I was surprised Torch agreed to go to the Saints. Maybe he felt he had no choice—”
“Then I appoint my second over your damn club. He’ll decide who lives or dies.” Skull says, looking way too relaxed. Torch comes around and slaps Skull on the back as he stands beside him.
“You just want rid of me, brother. But, it’s not going to be that easy.”
“What are you saying?” Tucker growls and this time the old man looks as surprised as the others.
“I don’t want the club. My place is with my brother.”
“A thorn in my fucking side.”
“You’d be lost without me asshole,” Torch laughs back at Skull.
“Si. Probably so.”
“What the fuck does that mean for the Saints?” Tucker asks, clearly not prepared for what just happened. I have to say it surprised me too. I thought it was a done deal.
“It appears, it’s up to my men what happens to the Saints,” Skull says calmly. “Does any fucker care what happens to this piece of shit club?”
“Listen now, damn it. This wasn’t what we—” Tucker starts to interject, but the men drown him out, all by saying the same thing—no. It’s worded differently ranging from not a damn thing, to hell, no. Yet, the sentiment is the same. With Bree in mind, I don’t answer. This club has taken so much of her life, but she loves Tucker, and there are times when she talks about some of the other members enough for me to know she cares about them. So, I remain silent.
“Looks like no one cares if the rest of you draw a fucking breath,” Skull says, and Tucker’s face gets so red I think the bastard may have a heart attack.
“You son of a bitch! We had a deal! I trusted you to—”
“Wait a minute brother,” Torch interrupts Tucker and something is happening here. I may have not been in on the conversation, but I can see it in Torch’s and Skull’s faces. “I don’t really care what happens to the Saints, but my old lady might be a tad upset if I turned my back on her father.”
“Si, I could see where Beth might do the same.”
“Yep, and I don’t know about you, Boss-man, but I like for my woman to be all smiles when I crawl in bed at night.”
“Can’t argue with that,” Skull says, walking around. “It seems we have a problem here,” he adds and it might be my imagination, but I think the bastard is looking at me. Fuck is he going to tell Tucker I’m sticking it to his granddaughter? Shit. Bree will not be happy if I kill him.
“Seems we do,” Torch says.
“No, we don’t. I’ll remain President of the fucking club and if you lying assholes ever step foot on my property again, I’ll—”
“Might want to watch what you say, Tucker. Seeing as how you’ll never see your grandkids again if you don’t let me on your property,” Torch says.
“And I’m feeling offended. I could not worry about what Beth demands and just end you and the rest of your crew now. It is not like I care,” Skull answers.
“Damn, you’re a hard man, brother. But, I have a solution for everyone I think.” Torch smiles.
“What is that, hermano?” Skull asks Torch.
“I nominate Shaft to oversee the Chrome Saints.”
Motherfucker.
“Si. I think this could work. Shaft is a good man. Can’t take a punch worth a shit.”
“Well, to be fair he had a baseball bat to the knees right before your punch,” Torch defends.
“Eh…maybe so,” Skull says, and he’s almost grinning.
Me? My heart is hammering in my chest. What the fuck is going on here? What are they doing? Are they serious? They want me to take over my own club? Motherfucker, a club that is sunk so deep in shit I’d be smelling it for years.
“No fucking way!” Tucker growls. “I will not accept this! I don’t even know this asshole!” he yells and well that pisses me off. I stalk forward, without even realizing it.
“The way I see it gringo. Shaft here is the only way you and your men live to see another day,” Skull answers.
“We will fight. I will not accept someone who is not family and has not proven himself fit to lead my crew.”
Oh shit. I see the exact moment Skull and Torch are silently congratulating themselves, and I know what the fuckers are up to. The shit-kicker of it all is that it settles on my shoulders, and I don’t even mind. This is what Bree would want. Hell, if I’m honest, it’s even what I might want. The thought of my own crew, of building something to be proud of for me and my brothers, for the sons I could have…it feels good.
“Funny you should say that old man,” Skull answers, grabbing me by my shoulder. “Meet the man who your granddaughter claimed as hers in the middle of my club last night.” I hold my head down. Fucking hell, I’ve been played.
“What the fuck are you talking about? Bree isn’t even here! She’s in another fucking state.”
“But, she’s not. Seems she’s been shacking up with old Shaft here,” he says patting me on the back like he’s doing me some big motherfucking favor.
“I’ll kill you!” Tucker yells at me, and I swear I can see a blood vessel burst in his eye turning it red. Shit.
“Well you might, Tucker. I’m not going to say you can’t. But, he outlasted both me and Skull having a wail at him,” Torch says.
“Si, and at the same time,” Skull adds. “It was mostly impresionar,” Skull says, with a grin.
“Mostly?” I ask, my voice hoarse with emotion and thoughts of what is about to happen. Am I really going to agree to take my own club? Fuck it. It’s time to lay down the law if I’m going to be. There will be no room for second guessing me. I won’t allow it.
“Si, you had a few missteps, gilipolla.” He laughs.
“You touched my granddaughter! She’s a baby!”
“She’s not. She’s a woman and damn fine one, old man. And listen to me here, she’s mine, and I’ll kill any son of a bitch who tries to take her or touch her. What’s mine stays mine.”
“She claimed you?” His eyes tighten as he looks me over.
I stand proud. “She says she loves me, fuck if I know how that happened.”
“She’s obviously loco,” Torch says.
“If she is, she takes after her aunts,” I grumble back. All the while we’re talking Tucker still has his eyes train
ed on me, and I don’t back down.
“I’m going to fight you. It is my right as grandfather and President of this club.”
“Wouldn’t have it any other way,” I tell him, knowing this was coming.
“Why should I trust that you even know how to run this club?” Tucker asks.
“The way I look at it, Tucker, I can’t do any worse than you, or that shit for brains Viper did.”
I watch as the words hit home as sure any bullet would have.
“What would you do to the men who have betrayed me?” he asks, and shit, what is this? Am I applying for the fucking job now?
“I’d have made sure your VP was tied up and strung up out front of the club, and every fucker who helped him would be forced to watch me torture him for days, probably weeks. Then when I felt I had enough fun, I’d let him swallow a bullet and then turn my men loose on the others.”
The old man seems more than satisfied with my answer. He takes a step to me.
“Then it seems we have a fight on our hands, Shaft. May the best man win,” he says.
Motherfucker. I can’t beat him like I normally would, Bree would never forgive me. I can’t exactly let him have a cakewalk though. That’s the one thought I have before a fist slams me in the face, and I swear I can hear Torch and Skull laughing. Assholes. I can’t worry about them though, because Tucker’s already hitting me again.
Shit this is gonna hurt.
Chapter Fifty-Five
Bree
“He’s going to be okay? Right?” I ask Beth for the hundredth time.
“He’s fine, Bree. If he wasn’t, Skull would have told me.
“Then why are they demanding Beast drive us to Pops? Why couldn’t we just see them when they got home?” I question again. I can’t keep the panic out of my voice.
“That, I’m not real sure about,” Beth admits, and I can see the way she’s wringing her hands. She’s worried.
“Maybe Pops found out you gave your cherry to a man old enough to be your father?” Katie adds helpfully blowing a bubble with her chewing gum. “And he’s got Shaft waiting there for you in pieces?”
“Katie!” Beth cries.
“What? It’s a distinct possibility.” She shrugs.
“Pops wouldn’t kill Jax,” I tell them wistfully.
“Oh honey,” Beth whispers.
“He wouldn’t. At least not until he talked to me first. And besides Aunt Katie, Jax is not that old.”
“He’s old enough to have been your sperm donor.” She snorts.
“Oh, stop it.”
“Hey, I’m not judging, I’m just saying. But, it kind of works if you think about it.”
“What are you talking about,” Beth asks.
“Well, technically he is donating his sperm to her and damn, the whole club heard her calling him Daddy.”
Beth laughs, and I hold my head down feeling the color red bloom all over my face. Shit.
“They did not!” I argue, but I do it rather weakly because chances are they did. I may not have much experience, but any woman could tell Jax has a magical tongue, even if they were nuns.
“I’ve been so bad Daddy. Lower Daddy, lower,” she moans, imitating my voice, or at least attempting it.
“Shut up,” I growl.
Katie eyes me. “No! You shut up,” she says. “That shit’s gross.”
“Oh please. Like you and Torch don’t tip the scales over in the kink department.”
“Shut up, Beth,” Katie grumbles, and I think I can almost see a blush on her face.
“I’ll pay good money if all three of you shut up,” Beast grumbles.
“Sorry,” all three of us answer from the backseats.
“There’s some things a man doesn’t need to know about the men he hangs out with,” he says as he comes to a stop at the gate to Pop’s place.
It just takes a minute before the gate is rolled back, and we pull through. My nerves are shot, and in my head I’m imagining the most horrible scenarios that I can come up with. The one thing they all have in common is Shaft being hurt…or dead.
“Beast?”
He looks at Beth through the rearview mirror when she calls his name. The look on his face pulls my attention away from all my worries. He’s broken. I’ve known it forever, and after that day at the picnic he seemed to get worse. Yet, right now he looks so different. It takes me a minute to realize why. He’s not wearing his club cut.
“Beth,” he answers.
“You know we love you, right?”
“You better get out, your old man will be wondering where you are.”
She nods in agreement, but the car is filled with sadness. We get out, and I stop by his door.
“You’re leaving, aren’t you?” I ask him.
“I don’t belong here anymore,” his voice is rough as he speaks, but resolute.
“Where do you belong?”
“Nowhere and that’s the problem. Be good ladybug. Make sure Shaft treats you good.”
“Will I see you again?” I ask, not bothering to hide the tremble in my voice.
“I don’t know,” he says, and he rolls up his window.
End of conversation. I send up a prayer for him. If ever a man needs peace, it’s Beast. I catch up with Beth and Katie at the door. They each grab one of my hands and we walk inside.
Please let Jax be okay…
Chapter Fifty-Six
Jax
“Was all this necessary? The damn place was fine before!” Pops growls.
“It is if I’m going to be President of the club,” I growl back. “And keep your voice down old man, my head is killing me.”
We’re sitting in the bar room of the Saint’s main room. The men (that we didn’t dispose of) along with some of my brothers are cleaning out every room, especially the bedrooms. We’re taking everything out and starting over. I’ll keep what is salvageable, but damn, there hasn’t been money put in this shithole in forever. That’s only part of my reason though. I want to make sure there aren’t any secret entrances, or fucking surprises that might bite me in the ass. The best way I know to do that is search the place from top to bottom. After we secure the main compound I’m going to have to completely redo the fences and security. The electronics equipment looks like something from the damn 1980’s. Hell, the television monitor actually had rabbit ears and aluminum foil on the back for reception. I would be helping them, except I can barely fucking walk after letting the old geezer beside me wail on me.
“I can’t believe my granddaughter would pick a man who can’t take a punch.”
“Fuck you. I just have a headache. It’s nothing to do with the fight. You hit like a girl.”
“It was hard enough to knock you on your ass,” he says with a laugh taking a drink of his whiskey. I flip him off and he motions his drink at me as if to say cheers. Jesus. I think I’m starting to like the bastard.
“Your club is a shit-hole Shaft. Any idea where you’re going to start first?” Torch asks, and Pops gives him a dirty look. Yeah, I’m starting to like him.
“Men. I’m going to have to rebuild the men for sure. There’s four left, and I’m not sure which of those are real fucking trustworthy.
“I’ll loan you some prospects till you get on your feet. We’re fucking short-handed too, though, so that’s the best I can do,” Skull says with a sigh. Some things might be settled, but no one knows more than him what the cost has been. Which makes what I’m about to ask shitty, but it’s there just the same.
“Been meaning to talk to you about that, Boss.”
“Not sure you should be calling me that now amigo.” Skull runs a tattooed hand through his dark hair with a smile.
“What would you rather him call you?” Torch asks like the ass he is. “Uncle?”
Skull appears horrified at the thought. “Fuck, no.”
“You better be marrying my Breezy, or I’ll give you a worse whipping than I already have,” Pops growls.
“I already claim
ed her as my old lady.” I smile.
He evil eyes me. “Breezy deserves a wedding.”
“I’ll be seeing she gets one,” I tell him.
“See that you do.”
“You want to take him back to the clubhouse?” I ask Skull, a hopeful look on my face, even though I know the bastard will shut me down.
“I’m staying right here and making sure you don’t fuck shit up.”
“You do get we’re doing you a favor here old man?” I grumble, thinking this will be my life every fucking day now.
“You do get that my granddaughter is way too good for you? Fuck, she’s better than any of us sorry fucks. Same goes with my daughters.” The other men nod their heads in agreement along with me. Some things a man can’t argue with.
“So, what did you want to ask hermano?”
“I want permission to ask Keys if he’ll be my second.”
“You trust him?” Pops asks, but I ignore him. I’m busy staring at Skull.
“I expected as much. Si, ask him. I don’t imagine he’ll say no. The two of you have a strong bond, you need that.”
“Like you and me, right Skull?” Torch smirks. The two of them are like daylight and dark. Where Skull is dark and menacing, Torch is airy and funny. A real joker that one, but don’t get it twisted, that fucker is mean as they come. Even if you’d never know it looking at those damn t-shirts he wears.
“Fuck off.”
“He’s crazy about me.” Torch laughs.
“And you’re just crazy,” Pops mutters.
“Jax?” Bree asks from the door, and my attention goes to her. I haven’t seen her in two days and except for a quick text to tell her I was okay, we’ve not spoken. She looks even more gorgeous than I remember. Fuck, Pops is right. She is too good for me—so far out of my league it’s not even funny.
“Come here, baby,” I tell her. Shit, I’d already be by her side, but as much as I hate to admit it, I’m so fucking sore I move around like an eighty-year-old man. She hurries to me, only to stop and stare at Pops.