“He’s the VP. You also knew that I okayed the protection money.”
Tank looked away and saw Lena sitting on a chaise lounge on the back patio. “I didn’t agree with it,” he said.
“It wasn’t your decision.”
He focused back on Raptor. “The club didn’t vote on it. It’s in the bylaws that we need to vote on shit like that. Hammer made the decision and you let it go because you didn’t want to deal with it. I get your son’s sick, I really do, but you turned your back on the club … and you fuckin’ know it.”
Raptor rubbed his chin, looked out the window, and nodded. “I own it, but you gotta own that your allegiance to the club shifted to your woman.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“Did you tell her what’s going on?”
Tank jerked back. “No—I’m not fucked in the head.”
A smile ghosted the president’s lips. “No, you’re not.”
“I couldn’t let Cougar hurt her. It was a matter of time before he did. And the whole protection bullshit—it’s what you hated the most when your old man was president and the thing you fought the hardest to abolish.”
“Yeah. Love makes all this shit a whole lot more complicated.”
Tank sucked in a deep breath and let it out. “Am I out of the club?”
“No. I was pissed and so were some of the members, especially the old timers, but the vote, for the most part, was to keep you in.”
“What did you vote, or you aren’t saying?”
“To keep you in. How could I vote any other way? I chose my son over the club. Like I said, love blurs the lines.” Raptor jerked his head in the direction of the patio. “You gonna make her your old lady?”
“We’re not there yet.” I don’t even know if she wants anything to do with me after I’m back on my feet.
“She’s a keeper. The way she fought for you, well, most women would’ve run away or stay in the background cowering. Trisha would never have done that.”
“I know.”
“Did you come here to tell me my ass almost got kicked out?”
“No. I came to tell you the coup is over. After what happened to you, all hell broke loose at the club. The end result was that Hammer, Cougar, Rubble, Fire, and Demon got their colors taken from them and their asses thrown out. What happened with Flannigan was fuckin’ bullshit.”
“Yeah. Do we have any hope with working with him again?”
“We do now. Flannigan knows we kicked those fuckers out. Cougar was the one who killed one of Flannigan’s men, and Demon offed the other one. Now that they don’t have the club’s protection, they’ve got a target on their back that Flannigan’s gonna hit.”
“And Hammer?”
“He’s a dead man. He’s the one who ordered the hits.”
Tank nodded. “I figured as much. But damn, I would’ve loved to have been there to smash the motherfucker’s face.”
Raptor chuckled. “Yeah, we missed you. In the end, all but four members sided with Hammer. The ones who were with him in the beginning, abandoned him.”
Pride surged through him. “I knew when push came to shove, the brothers would stand as one. So who’s VP now?”
“Reaper. Axle is sergeant at arms, and Snake is president.”
“And you’re good with it? I know you said you were cool with an interim president, but it sounds like Reaper’s permanent.”
“Yeah. Fester came to see me after the fight. He said you were going to come by. Anyway, we got to talking, and after thinking about everything he said and what you’d said to me, I came to the decision to step down. Nick is the most important thing in my life—all my kids are, but he’s sick so he needs even more care and attention. My loyalty is divided, so how can I run the club?”
Tank reached out and grasped his friend’s arm. “It takes a man who loves the brotherhood to make that kind of a decision.”
“I do love it, and I know you do too. You went nomad because of your mom. You knew you couldn’t give the time and attention equally to her and the club. It just took me a longer to figure that out.”
Lost in their thoughts, they sat in silence; their love for the brotherhood bonded them for life.
After several minutes, Raptor rose to his feet. “I gotta get back.”
“How’s Nick?”
A weak smile ghosted his lips. “Better.”
“What are his chances of getting a donor for the transplant?”
“One of his brothers or sisters may be able to. The doctors are arranging the tests. They’re actually pretty hopeful.”
“That’s good. Keep me in the loop.”
Tank walked Raptor to the door, and the two men bumped fists. When he went back into the kitchen, Lena was back at the sink.
“Thanks for giving us some space,” he said.
“No problem. You’re looking kind of shaky. You should get some fresh air.”
Lena helped him into the sun room then went back to finish cleaning the dishes. It killed him to be so weak on his feet, and he hated she had to see him like that. Though he didn’t mind her soft body pressed close to his, with the scent of her perfume swirling around him.
“Here you go.” She set a glass of iced tea on the small wicker table next to his chair.
“I’d rather have a beer.”
“The doctor said absolutely no alcohol until you’re off all medication, especially the antibiotics.”
“That sucks.”
She cocked her head to the side. “Life’s a bitch. You have to stay here and get pampered while looking out at the ocean. How are you ever going to survive this?”
“The sea air has made you even sassier.” He teased.
Sinking down on the chair next to his, she stared out at the ocean. “I love how quiet it is here. I could get used to this.” She turned to him. “This is the longest I’ve gone without working in years. I mean, physically working in the bistro. Cooking, baking, loading and unloading trucks—all of that. I’m in contact with Adalyn and Sarah, and I’ve made business calls, but it seems strange not to be in the bistro. Yet, I have to admit, I love the peacefulness here.”
“This is a great place to kick back and just let your mind wander.” He didn’t add that the atmosphere was usually charged and tense, because it was used for hiding out from rival clubs, the badges, gangsters, and a whole slew of other dangerous scenarios. But she didn’t need to know that.
“Do you come here often?” she asked.
“No. I’ve only been here one time, and that was years ago.”
And that was when Maniac had pissed off one of the Dying Breed’s members by fucking the dude’s old lady. Maniac didn’t have a clue she belonged to another man, let alone a rival club member, but that didn’t matter in the MC world. Maniac had disrespected the dude, and he was out for blood. In the end, the Jagged Outlaws took care of the guy, and due to the constant turf wars, they eventually annihilated the rival club.
“Thanks for helping me out during the fight. I was in a bad way before you stepped in.”
Lena’s face flushed and her face tightened. “I never thought I’d be involved in something like that. I keep wondering if I” —she lowered her voice— “killed anyone. I stabbed one of those guys with a butcher knife. A fucking butcher knife. When they left, they were all standing, except for Cougar. They had to drag him out, but what if the guy bled to death?”