“Zombie,” Angel said, his eyes on me.
Zombie straightened from the wall and said, “What the fuck?!”
“Brother, you know what you’re doing. I’m not a fucking president, I’m an enforcer. You have two more right there.” Angel pointed at Krypto and Venom. “You’re fucking smart, and you deserve it.”
The room was quiet as Zombie and Angel faced off. Ambush stepped forward and said, “I second the nomination.” One by one, the men from the Arkansas Chapter stepped up and agreed it should be Zombie.
“Well, Zombie? What do you say?”
He paced the room as we all waited for him to come to the same conclusion. When I ripped the patch off Steele’s chest, I’d handed it to Angel because he was closest. I knew he wouldn’t want it.
“Do I have a choice?”
“Well, you can take that patch home and hand it to Stone,” I challenged.
“Fuck that, gimme the damn thing.” He held his hand out to Angel, who dug into his pocket. When he pulled out the patch, he slammed it into Zombie’s hand. The room once again thundered with fist pounding and foot stomping. “This is fucking temporary,” he grumbled.
“Okay, now that’s settled, there is some information you need to know. Chasm is alive. I haven’t spoken to him. But Banshee has seen him, and he spoke to Banshee’s old lady.”
When Banshee’s head popped up, I grinned. “He has also spoken to mine and my enforcer’s.”
“Your what, Prez?” Romeo asked.
“Yeah, Prez, your what?” Zero said, as others chimed in with their own questions.
I groaned and rubbed my hands over my face. “My old lady. You fucking happy?”
“Couldn’t be fucking happier,” Jack bellowed and pounded his fists on the table as the others joined in. I couldn’t hide my smile even if I’d wanted to. Steele was dead, and even better, he wasn’t Grace’s father. I didn’t know who was, and frankly, I didn’t give a shit. She would have my patch on her back, and with a little bit of luck, my ring on her fucking finger before we found out.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Enough fuckers.” I chuckled at my men. My brothers. My family. We still needed to take a vote for Aspen and Grace. Until Nav returned, that would have to wait. It was a formality, though. I didn’t foresee anyone objecting to Aspen or Grace.
“Where has he been?” Zombie asked, bringing the room back to order with four words.
“We don’t know. We don’t know what happened.”
I remembered that day as if it were yesterday, though. I’d lost my best friend, or so I thought.
Arkansas, six years ago...
“Everyone, shut the fuck up!” Steele yelled into the room.
Church was full today. Every brother was here. Even the prospects.
All but one.
The room fell quiet, and we waited to see how he would explain the shitstorm we’d encountered. What was supposed to be a routine run ended in death.
I sat in my chair, my mind anywhere but on the events of the day. I didn’t need a rundown. I was there. I’d experienced it firsthand.
“I don’t have fucking answers yet,” he told them.
I glared at my president. He was fucking lying to them. He knew what had happened. He set the fucking thing up.
Set up Chasm.
“What do we know?” Banshee asked.
I turned my head in his direction. He was older. Had been with the club for fifteen years. He trusted Steele. Hell, we all trusted him.
