My VP froze for a few seconds and then clambered back to his feet, staring down at Junior, who rolled to his side, coughing up blood and moaning in pain.
“Boot, organize some boys to come down and stretcher him to a cage,” I ordered.
“On it, boss,” my SAA replied and immediately made for the doors.
Castle bent back down and wiped the blood from his battered knuckles across Junior’s already blood-stained chest. He grabbed the little bastard’s chin in a pincer movement and turned his face, staring Junior in the eyes. “You don’t touch Gracie again. If you see her on the street, you turn and walk the other way. You don’t speak to her; you don’t even look at her. You get me?”
A pained groan escaped the little fucknut’s throat, and he nodded once.
“Next time I hear you’ve touched anyone without permission, I’ll?—”
“There won’t be a next time,” I interrupted my VP, turning to the sheriff. “Gus here will make sure of it. He’ll also make sure that our club’s name isn’t used as a weapon to threaten the people of this town. Ain’t that right, friend?”
“Yeah,” Huntley muttered, staring at me defiantly.
His urge to retaliate bled out of him, and I didn’t mean from the nose I’d just bloodied. The raw need to best me oozed from every pore, muscle, and bone in his body. The narcissist in him was desperate to prove he was the big man and to make me kneel. Except he was a coward and I knew he didn’t have the balls to even try, especially since he knew that if he crossed me, he’d be eating through a tube for the rest of his life.
And that was where we differed.
I’d fight to the death before I watched someone I loved get the shit beaten out of them, whereas Huntley had just watched his own son get fucked up and didn’t bat an eyelash.
The gutless prick.
Bootneck, Fabio, and Nox strode in and dragged Junior to his feet with Castle looking on and sneering. Fabio hitched him up by one arm, and Nox grabbed the other, and they dragged him with his toes sliding along the concrete floor to the door.
“Before you go, gentleman, I wanna remind you of somethin’.” My voice lowered to a rasp, and I grated out, “Nobodyfucks with the Kings.” I jerked my head toward the door and ordered, “Load ’em into a cage and take ’em to urgent care.”
“My car’s outside,” Huntley argued. “I can drive.”
I shrugged because I didn’t give a fuck what they did. We had a club medic who was more like a doctor after his extensive field experience in Iraq and Afghanistan. He could’ve patched them up, no problem, but I’d slit my own wrists before I wasted my resources on those two fuckbags. They had their police medical insurance; the assholes could use that.
As soon as my men dragged them out of there, Castle grabbed the hose off the wall to get ready for cleanup. The room had gotten a little messy when my VP had buried his knife into Junior’s leg, and there was blood spatter everywhere.
“You okay?” I asked.
He smirked. “Feel better now I’ve got rid of some frustration.”
I asked another question. “You sweet on Gracie?”
He met my inquiring look without flinching. “The girl’s too young for me, but she won’t always be. Wanted to wait until she’d at least finished college before I made my move. Gracie needs some life experience before I pull her into this lifestyle. Except now I’m wonderin’ if I should have gone for it earlier.”
“You did the right thing,” I assured him. “You’re right; Gracie’s too young and too inexperienced. She can’t even drink alcohol legally yet. What the fuck would she do in a biker club full of outlaws, hooch, and whores? Her first sexual experience shouldn’t be watchin’ Fabio rail two club girls over a pool table.”
“Yeah,” he muttered.
I clasped his shoulder supportively. “I’m uneasy about Hank Young thinkin’ we condone Junior’s bullshit. I’m gonna set up a meet with him, set the record straight, and offer our support. If you want in on it, tell me now.”
“Sorry I yanked your chain about Aislynn,” he muttered.
“S’okay.” I grinned. “I gotta find the right balance between her and the club, and I’ll need your help with that. There’ll be times you need to step up like you did last night. It’ll take the pressure off me and get you used to dealin’ with president bullshit for when you take on your own chapter.”
“You think that’s in the cards for me?” he asked.
“Don’t see why not. We live in a big ol’ world. I’m sure there are states and even other countries where Big Daddy wants to put down roots. You know how big he is on expansion.”
“I’ll swerve the meet with Hank Young. I don’t wanna get too close to her yet, and I worry if I get to know her, I won’t be able to stop myself.”
I clapped his back. “Whatever you think’s best, brother.”
