“That’s all this is?” he asks with his arms crossed over his chest.
“Yep. That’s it.”
The jewelry box in my jean pocket suddenly feels heavy, squeezing my leg like the blood pressure cuff on a polygraph machine. I know damned well I’m lying to Nash, and myself. If Naomi was just a good fuck, why did I feel the ridiculous urge to buy her diamonds to try and bribe her to forgive me after the fallout we had this morning? She was really fucking pissed at me, and I…hated it.
No, I didn’t just hate it. There’s been an actual gnawing ache in my stomach like a burning ulcer ever since Naomi left my house without a word. I’m not entirely sure if she’ll come back tonight or not, despite our deal. If she doesn’t, at least I know where she lives so I can go haul her ass back. Or at least give her this trinket I bought for her before I came to work tonight while I try and apologize. Jesus, what the hell is wrong with me?
“Are you absolutely fucking sure?” Nash asks. “Because now with the expansion and shit about to go down, it would be a bad time for you to lose your mind for some piece of ass.”
“You fucking know me. The MC comes first. Always has and always will,” I tell him. “And that’s the end of this fucking conversation.”
“Whatever you say, prez,” he mutters. “So what are you going to do about that bastard Harry Cox? He’s the reason you said Naomi stole from us, right?”
“Yeah, he’s the reason,” I agree. “And I’ve got a plan for him. Instead of revenge, I’m thinking this could be a time for negotiations.”
“Negotiations?” Nash repeats. “Is that a code word for fucking him up?”
“I would love nothing more than to knock that fat fuck’s lights out,” I reply. “But no. You’re all about wanting the MC to expand, right? Patching over a few clubs is the first step. The second is coming up with a way to increase profits for all of us.”
“And you trust Harry enough to do business with the fucker?”
“No, I don’t trust him or his daughter as far as I could throw the tub of lard, but that doesn’t mean we can’t carefully use his connections to make some serious cash for us and the new guys.”
“Expansion over revenge?” Nash asks with a hint of a grin lifting his lips. “I like it. No matter how much we hate the bastard, it’s about time we start thinking shit through instead of flying off the handle over every little thing.”
“Lowell was always the hot head who got us in too deep more times than I can count,” I remind him.
“True. He was an impulsive son of a bitch,” he agrees with a grin. “God rest his soul.”
“We’re all getting too old to pull that kind of shit. It’s time to take the Aces in a new direction, one with less bloodshed and more cash in our pockets.”
“Finally!” Nash laughs. “I guess the girl hasn’t got you in a complete pussy fog.”
“A pussy fog?” I huff.
“You better win tonight,” he remarks as he starts for the door. “If you don’t, Fiasco will never let you live it down.”
“I know,” I grumble. “You think I can take him?” I ask.
“Depends on how good the pussy is. Guess we’re all going to find out,” Nash answers with a smirk before walking out of my office.
In other words, he doesn’t think I can beat Fiasco in a fair fight, not unless I’m absolutely fucking ruthless.
Even though we bring the boat in early tonight, it’s still almost two a.m. when we all rumble back to the clubhouse. All of the Aces are here along with our employees and most of the club girls. There are even some prospective members from other clubs we’re considering patching over.
I wave Nash over as soon as I get off my bike. “Let’s get this over with. Make sure Fiasco understands the terms. Three rounds, three minutes each. If there’s no clear winner, we keep going until it’s settled. No other rules.”
“No other rules?” Nash protests. “Fiasco has got fifty pounds on you, man! You sure you don’t want to at least…”
“No other rules,” I interrupt him. “I don’t want him claiming he lost on some technicality and whining about this shit later. Besides, he can’t remember more than two things at a time. He’d forget any rules we set before we start.”
“All right,” Nash agrees as he turns away. “This is going to be a fucking train wreck,” he mutters under his breath as he walks towards our audience. “We start in five, everyone!” he roars above the din of conversation. “Fiasco, get your ass into the cage and get ready!”
I take off my cut and t-shirt, laying them over the seat of my bike before I head over to the cage behind our clubhouse. While I wait outside the chain-link gate, I dig a cigarette out of the half-crushed pack in the pocket of my jeans, lighting it up before I start taking off my belt. I throw my wallet, knife, and smokes on the ground along with the belt, then concentrate on my cigarette as the crowd gathers and Fiasco gets ready on the other side of the cage, removing all his shit too.
Once Nash leads Fiasco through the gate opposite me, he waves me to come on in. I drop my smoke and grind it under my boot, then climb into the cage with the two men. Nash doesn’t bother with any fancy announcements or any sort of ceremony. Everyone gathered here knows what this is about, and why we’re squaring off.
“Anything you two want to say to each other before we get started?” Nash asks as I approach.
“Yeah,” Fiasco grunts. “I fucking hate this, but I fucking hate a hypocrite even more. Being president doesn’t mean you get to live by a different set of rules than the rest of us. We elected you because you’re smart, and you were fair. I’m gonna make sure you remember that by beating it into your stubborn head.”
“You’re right,” I tell Fiasco. I can’t help but crack a smile at the confusion in his narrowed eyes as he takes a step back. “I’ve been a hypocrite about Naomi. I made up a rule so everyone would leave her alone and you wouldn’t fuck with her while I tried to sort out how I feel about her. She’s got me knotted up a bit, but she’s the only thing fucking with me right now. Nothing about that girl or about how I deal with her is going to bring any trouble to the club.”
“You’re goddamn right it isn’t,” Fiasco scoffs. “’Cuz I’m going to smack you around and then go take her back to my place, get her out of your hair permanently. She’s causing fucking problems, and if you can’t see it, I’ll have to beat you until your vision clears up.”
“I’ve warned you too many times about thinking with your dick, Fiasco. You might have yourself convinced you’re doing something noble for the club, but we both know what you’re after here.” I don’t even recognize the growl that has become my voice as I feel the jealous rage building up inside of me. “You will never lay another hand on that woman. I admitted I made a mistake in how I dealt with her and the club. I should have been more specific from the start. No one fucking touches Naomi except for me.” Turning to the crowd, I raise my voice to roar at the rest of the gathered Aces. “She’s mine, and if any of you sons-of-bitches have a mind to test me, I’ll shut your whore mouths just like I’m going to shut his!” I jab a finger at Fiasco as I finish, then turn my back on him as I stomp across the cage.