“Don’t worry, little brother. We all know you’re the Caldwell boy anointed as Uncle Christopher’s successor,” he said, emotionless. He gave Axel a genuine smile. “I appreciate your faith in me, Ax.”
Axel didn’t know any better, although CJ kept that thought to himself and resumed the conversation. “Think about when they threatened to vote Dad out, Axel. It was because they had the right to make that choice. None of us grew up in other chapters, so you can’t expect to go somewhere and usurp another man’s position.”
“Stop being so funnel-visioned, C. We wouldn’t expect to be Prez overnight at another chapter. We’d go there and make friends. Move up through the ranks. Like Dad did,” Axel said. “Dad got to be everything. That’s how he knows so much stuffs.”
Getting to his feet, Diesel walked to the refrigerator and grabbed another beer. “Can I ask you something, Ax?”
“If I don’t like the question, I’m not answering,” Axel warned him.
Diesel shrugged, opened the bottle, then drank deeply from it. “Fair enough. When I say tunnel, what do you hear?”
“Funnel. Why?”
“Qualified,” Diesel pressed.
“Quantified.” Axel smiled and his eyes lit up. “Is this a word game?”
“Just curious, Ax.” Diesel returned to his seat on the sofa and patted the spot next to him. Smiling, Axel crawled over, jumped to his feet and plopped next to him. “Suppose I told you it should be tunnel vision with a ‘t’? Like tiger.”
“I guess that would be okay. Correcting me ‘cause I didn’t hear it right is different than telling me I’m wrong ‘cause I didn’t say it right.”
“Maybe you don’t say it right because you don’t always hear it right.”
Axel thought about that for a moment. “I would be hearing aid challenged?”
“You’d be deaf,” Ransom said. “Partially crippled.”
“Nuh uh! Those aren’t nice words, so I wouldn’t be that, no matter whatyouthink, Ran. And if you called me that, I’d cut out your fucking tongue so I wouldn’t have to hear you talk ever again.”
“If you’re deaf, you couldn’t hear me anyway, twerp.”
“Keep it up,” Axel said darkly. “And I’ll stab you with bleach,thencut out your tongue.”
“You wouldn’t have to cut out his anything, Axel,” Diesel said calmly as if that little motherfucker hadn’t come up with yetanotherway to kill. “He’d be dead if you injected him with fucking bleach.”
“Didn’t he say stab him with bleach?” Devon asked.
“The bleach would be in the needle,” Axel confirmed. “And I love Ran. I don’t want to kill him. I’d just make him not be able to move while I cut out his tongue for saying mean things to me. I’d want him awake, though.”
“We’ll talk to Mom tomorrow, Ax,” CJ said.
“Nope. Don’t disturb that woman, C. I hear most stuffs. I probably just got to clean out the ear boogers.” Axel thought for a moment. “If I was hearing aid challenged, would that make Megan fall in love with me? I’d still be a rough rider.”
“Why would you want Aunt Meggie to fall in love with you?” Rory asked.
“Perv!” Axel cried. “You’re gross.”
“He means Megan Thee Stallion,” CJ said, chuckling.
“Uh huh.” He grinned at CJ. “Thanks for clearing that up, big bro.”
CJ smiled.
“Devon and me have something to add to the conversation,” Ryan said.
“The floor’s yours,” CJ said.
“Dev and I have talked about it. We don’t want to be Prez. I wouldn’t mind being your RC, though. Devon would like a new position created. The tail gunner. We’ll be a team. He’ll be my eyes and ears. We’ll plan routes together and everything.” Ryan flushed and lowered his gaze. His enthusiasm probably caught up to him and he decided to backtrack. “If we don’t join another club.”
