That was another difference.
Church went down in Rex’s office.
Not here.
A massive table ran down the center of a room that was named after the meetings held there, ‘church,’ and the space around it was large enough that I could call all the brothers into it if required.
I wasn’t sure if it had been like this when Rex had come down, and to be frank, I wasn’t bothered enough to question it. I had a feeling that changes had been made without a Prez’s presence, and I wasn’t about to argue the difference either.
I didn’t mind more communal meetings, especially when I didn’t know the brothers, didn’t know what made them tick, and sure as fuck didn’t know whether to trust them.
As far as I’d gathered, the ones on the up and up were the guys with kids. They couldn’t afford to pick their families up and run from the Sinners’ Mother Chapter.
That didn’t mean I trusted them blindly though.
I might have been an idiot for most of my life, but where business was concerned, I was as sharp as a tack, and for the first time, I was being allowed to shine so I wasn’t about to let Rex down.
Church today was different, that was why I had thirty men in here rather than the whole chapter.
I had some decisions to make, and I couldn’t put it off any longer, which was why I’d brought Keira in.
God, I wished she were here just so I could bend her over my desk.
Fuck.
Her hair was getting longer, tangling around her face in messy waves. I’d loop that around my wrist, arching her back while I shoved my dick into her…
A hiss escaped me as my padlocked prick responded to the stimuli, and I forced myself to stop thinking about her crying out my fucking name, begging for my cock, begging for me.
Thoughts like those would get me nowhere other than the ER with a mangled cock for my pains.
Taking the safer option, I dipped my chin in response to the few brothers who greeted me while I moved over to the head of the table, taking a seat and settling in for a meeting that was going to be tedious as hell.
Most of the guys plunked their asses down after I did, sitting on one of the hodgepodges of chairs that filled the space.
This chapter was run down, the furniture old, and it spoke of how the last Prez had shortchanged his men. Refurbishing this place was on my to-do list, but I was putting it off, hoping Keira would take over and do it for me.
Maybe, just maybe, I could start getting her to do shit like that.
She’d stormed over to MaryCat like that was her problem. Like any good Prez’s wife would have…
She was born for this job, much as I was. I’d just never thought we’d be doing this in Coshocton, much as I’d never really been able to imagine myself leading West Orange when that was Rex’s territory.
Weird, huh?
Casting a glance over the men, I rumbled, "You guys know why you’re here. You’ve been patient with me, and I appreciate it, but learning the lay of the land, getting to know you all, it took some time—"
"Didn’t help you spent a good couple of weeks over in West Orange," someone grumbled.
The interruption had me scowling. "Who the fuck do you think you are interrupting me like I’m some bitch?" I snarled, shoulders bunching with outrage, slamming to my feet. "Show your fucking face."
Belligerent to the last, Grim straightened into a standing position, living up to his name by flashing his miserable mug to the rest of the room. "You should have stayed here. You’re our fucking Prez now, man. Not their VP."
Well aware that he wanted to be my VP, I squinted at him. "The Mother Chapter needed our help. My help."
"They got other brothers to do that."
"Only thing you’re doing right now is proving that you shouldn’t sit at this goddamn table."
"I ain’t afraid to speak up when you’re wrong," he countered, his jaw firming. "You were wrong to leave."
Some mutterings snapped up, and because there were so many men watching, I knew I couldn’t let it slide. I shoved my fists to the table and loomed over it. "You forget, fuckers, because your last Prez was a piece of shit, that the Sinners are family.
"Whether they’re in West Orange, Butte, or here, we’re all on the same goddamn side. We all help each other out, and if you’ve got a problem with that, then you’re in the wrong place and need to fuck off.
"The Mother Chapter’s clubhouse was bombed. There wasn’t a fire in the kitchen, a raid didn’t go down. There was a fucking blast. It was destroyed. Completely obliterated.
"We had a moral obligation to help out, just as they’d do the same if we needed them. The construction guys who came with me got that, but if you don’t, Grim, then again, I repeat, you’re proving yourself unworthy of the position of VP."
His eyes narrowed upon me. "That so-called Mother Chapter came in here and slaughtered our brothers—"
"Who were helping scum out," I retorted, not appreciating the way he was hurling shit at me. "Again, I repeat, if you’ve got a fucking problem, you know where the door is."
Grim hitched a shoulder. "I ain’t going nowhere, but a man’s got a right to say his piece, and that’s my piece."
Surprised, I glowered at him as I moved around the table, well aware that he tensed up as I leaned my ass back against it. "So you wait until the day I announce my councilors?" I asked him softly.
"Why not? Best to get grievances out, no? Better to air them than let them fester."
"You for real? Sit your ass down, man. No one asked for you to stand up like you’re Nancy fuckin’ Pelosi."
His chin butted out. "Never been realer. I ain’t gonna lick your ass, Storm. Sure, you’re from the almighty West Orange chapter, and sure, you’re the Prez, but it ain’t in my nature. I told you my issues—"
I was in his face before he could take his next breath. Not about to take any shit, from him or any of these fuckers, my hands snapped to the edges of his cut and I hauled him against me, shoved my face into his space and snarled, "Sometimes, it’s wiser to keep your mouth fucking shut."
Tension soared through the air like a bad smell, but I didn’t fail to notice that not a single brother stood up for Grim or tried to get me to back off.
He shoved me away, or tried to, but the pussy couldn’t get me to let go. I tightened my hold on his cut until the chokehold began to take effect on his neck.
His face turned bright red fast, and as he tried to scramble away and started spluttering, I rasped, "You come to me with this kind of shit in private. You do not disrespect me in public."
"If I were your VP, I wouldn’t hold back if I didn’t agree with you," he gasped, fingers prying at mine, trying to get me to let go of him. His eyes began to bulge as my hold tightened, not lessened, and he choked, "Seems to me that everyone in this room sides with me but ain’t said shit."
"Ain’t no one stood up for you, period," I scoffed, throwing him down against his chair. The legs buckled under his weight, but mostly, he just skidded backward, his arms flying as he tried to stabilize himself. "Stay the fuck in your seat and make sure that goddamn mouth of yours keeps shut.