“Last night, everyone was here, and it was great, but I also noticed how crammed and cramped we were.”
“Yeah, I thought that. All joking aside, I know we rebuilt, but the clubhouse needs expanding,” Apache agreed.
“Or do we need a new chapter?” I suggested.
The bomb dropped, and silence fell. Everybody swapped glances before turning their attention back to me. Most of them were hiding their thoughts. However, I knew I’d just taken everyone by surprise, all apart from Ace, who held my eyes with an understanding glint.
“Split the club?” Fish finally said.
“No, create a new chapter that allows Rage to grow,” I responded.
“That was never a goal,” Axel replied quietly. But Axel was considering the idea.
“No, but you can’t deny how tight space was last night,” I argued.
“But we’re not often all together like that,” Gunner drawled, chewing things over.
“Nope, but our families are growing,” I pointed out. Gunner nodded—he couldn’t dispute that.
“What do you have in mind?” Texas asked. “You wouldn’t be bringing this up unless you had an idea, Drake.”
“Spike mentioned some land in Minnesota, just across the state line. Phoe and I took a peek when we went away for a weekend,” I said, and eyebrows rose.
“Really, you just happened to look?” Apache challenged. Manny looked amused that he was being called to task.
“Yes,” I snapped, and Apache smiled grimly.
“Describe it then,” Rock demanded.
“It’s massive—a good hundred acres. It even has a peninsula. There’s an old camp that could be converted into a great moneymaker. The town is Ortonville, and it’s got decent business opportunities. The clubhouse could be situated on the main piece of land or the peninsula, but there’s nothing suitable for a clubhouse right now. It needs building. The land is enough that the new chapter can create a community like Hellfire or Unwanted Bastards.”
“You’ve put a lot of thought into this,” Manny replied.
“Yeah. Creating a new chapter isn’t an easy thing. They’ll need funds to build a clubhouse, to start businesses, to buy homes,” I said.
“Somehow, I don’t think any of us are struggling for money,” Rock drawled, amused.
“Guess you’re looking at the younger brothers, not us old assholes,” Fish stated.
“Yeah. None of us will volunteer to move. This is our home.”
“Drake, that goes the same for the younger generation,” Axel boomed.
“But they’re not as entrenched,” I replied.
“No? Ask Hunter, Slate, or Klutz if they ain’t. They’ll have a different answer than what you anticipate,” Gunner said.
“Maybe, but we can only ask,” I muttered. I knew there’d be some aversion to this, but they were all digging their heels in, apart from Ace.
“What’s your opinion?” I asked him.
“Who are you considering for president?”
“There’s only one name that springs to mind. Kid’s earned this and deserves a presidency. He’ll never get that here because of the legacies.”
Ace nodded. He knew who I meant immediately, as did Axel. “You think he’s ready?”
“Yeah, I know he is.” I folded my arms and prepared for the reaction.
