Knight blinked, his expression shifting from anger to surprise.I could see the moment the question penetrated his anger, forcing him to consider what he knew about his sister.
“She wouldn’t stay quiet,” Knight admitted reluctantly.“She’d burn this place to the ground.”
“So what’s the real reason you’re pissed?”Knuckles pressed, leaning against the wall.“Because if you’re worried about Jag’s intentions, I can tell you right now, most men have shitty intentions toward women until the right woman makes them get their shit together.”
The office went silent.I could hear the hum of the air conditioning, the distant sound of motorcycles starting up in the yard.All the while, Knight’s face worked through a series of emotions I couldn’t quite read.
“I’m upset because he’s fucking my baby sister!”Knight finally burst out, slapping a hand on his desk.It was the most emotion I’d seen from the guy.
Knuckles snorted a laugh, pointing at Gunnar.“And he’s fucking my daughter.Do you see us at each other’s throats?”
Gunnar choked, a laugh escaping him before he could stop it.The tension in the room cracked like ice in spring, sudden and unexpected.
Knight gave Knuckles an exasperated look.“She’s my baby sister,” Knight repeated, but his shoulders had finally relaxed, the rigid set of his spine loosening.“Twelve years younger.I practically raised her after our mom checked out.”
“And I respect that,” I said, finding my voice again.“But what’s between Ada and me… It’s not what you think.”
Knight ran a hand over his face, suddenly looking tired.“What is it then?Because I love my sister and will not have her passed around the club like one of the club girls.”
I took a deep breath.“She’s my woman.”The silence that followed felt contemplative rather than hostile.“She deserves better than someone like me,” I admitted.“But I swear to you, I only want her to be happy.Whatever that looks like.”
Knight studied me for a long moment before standing and extending his hand across the desk.“I’m sorry.It was reflex.”
I took his hand, his grip firm as we shook.“I get it.If I had family, I’d protect them too.”
“You do have family,” Knight said, surprising me.“Right here in this club.”
I nodded, a strange thickness in my throat.Knight released my hand and sat back down, a silent dismissal.
As I turned to leave, Knuckles fell into step beside me.“You’re different with her,” he observed quietly once we were in the hallway.
“Don’t know what you mean.”I kept my gaze forward.
“Yeah, you do.”Knuckles clapped me on the shoulder.“Women who really want to stick with us don’t come around twice in a lifetime.Ada didn’t abandon Knight when he went inside.She’s not going to be easily scared off, but she won’t put up with bullshit.Don’t fuck it up.”Knuckles clapped me on the back.
His words echoed in my head.Don’t fuck it up.As if I needed the reminder.The weight of Ada’s trust in me felt heavier than when they’d handed down my sentence.For the first time in my life, I was terrified of failing.
“Come on,” Knuckles said.“I’ve called church.We’re meeting in the common room.It concerns Ada, so you can get a head start.”
By the time we got there, brothers were already filing into the room.I took a seat in the corner with my back to the wall.
Knuckles stood at the front of the room, his massive frame commanding attention without effort.Knight took a spot beside him, his posture rigid, all business.The tension from earlier seemed to have dissolved, or at least been set aside for now.I noticed Gunnar wasn’t far away, though he didn’t seem to be actively involved in whatever Knuckles prepared to tell us.
My thoughts drifted to Ada.The memory of her body pressed against mine last night sent heat through my veins, a distraction I couldn’t afford right now.I forced my attention back away.I thought about her too much, and the fact I wasn’t with her right now, and I might blow church to go find her.And that was a first for me.The club had been my life once upon a time.Seemed I had something else to occupy my time now.
Before Knuckles could speak, Gunnar rose from his chair.The room went quiet, waiting.I didn’t know this guy well.He’d been in Terre Haute while I was there, but I might have been in AdSeg.Also, I thought Gunnar had spent some time in the medium security prison across campus.
“Before we get started,” Gunnar said, his voice carrying across the room without him having to raise it, “I’ve been thinking about this shit with Rat Man.”He looked directly at Knuckles.“I can’t keep my brothers out of this fight.It ain’t right.”
Knuckles nodded without hesitation.“Agreed,” he said simply.
Gunnar raised his brows, surprise on his features.“Just like that?”
“Just like that,” Knuckles confirmed.“You’re right.Ice and Cyclone were hurt directly by Rat Man and fuckin’ Slash.Suzie too.You should also talk to Stunner.”
A smile transformed Gunnar’s face, making him look younger, less burdened.“I consider Stunner one of my brothers too,” he said, his voice warm with genuine affection.He sat back down, and the mood in the room shifted.Whatever Knuckles had called church for, it wasn’t about Rat man.Or notonlyabout Rat Man.
Knuckles shifted to take a seat next to Gunnar and the room fell silent again, all eyes locked on him.“That brings me to the real reason I called church today,” he said, his voice steady and certain.“Since I returned, we’ve been operating with a vacant VP spot.”He paused, letting the words settle.“It’s time to fill it.”
