“His presence could hurt business?”
“If he plans on being hostile all of the time.”
“I’ll talk to him tonight.”
“I love you, Starlet.”
We hug each other, and I say a short, desperate prayer hoping Brick will agree to leave me alone and let me get on with my life.
***
Brick
“How many dayshave you been in town?” Eagle, my new prez, asks.
“A few.”
“And your dick is already getting us into trouble.” He gazes down the long table, maybe searching the other members’ faces for a sign of what they’re thinking.
I do the same, finding blank looks. This is a gray area for brothers is most cases. A man’s bed is his own business, unless the woman can cause harm to the club. And after learning Starlet’s history, her connection to the Devil’s Crusaders is a definite threat to the Iron Norsemen.
“Jesus Christ,” Shorty complains. “What we talked about this morning…”
“Yeah,” I reluctantly admit. “You were right, she’s trouble.” Trouble I want to bury myself in. Trouble I want to protect. Despite her lies, I understand Starlet’s need to be her own woman, to escape a life she didn’t choose. “Her husband is dead. That should be the end of her relationship with the Devil’s Crusaders if she so chooses.”
“With one exception,” Eagle reminds me, not sounding too happy. “She’s the founder’s daughter. Some clubs take that shit seriously.”
“We don’t,” I say. “The Iron Norsemen believe in free will.”
“Old ladies are the exception,” Axe, our Sargent-at-arms adds. “If the choice were left to me, I’d make that call to the new president and order him to come pick up his future wife. Though we have no established relationship with the Devil’s Crusaders, this could be the kind of goodwill gesture that might open up negotiations for a prosperous relationship.”
“In what?” another member asks. “Drug money? A thing we’ve already voted down.”
“The Devil’s Crusaders are a steady hand in New Orleans—helping keep the peace in neighborhoods that still haven’t recovered from Hurricane Katrina,” Eagle says. “Might not be a bad idea to reach out.”
Delivering Starlet back to a man she doesn’t want, one she claims will beat her stupid, pisses me off. I shoot up from my chair. “Meet her before you make any decisions, Eagle. Let her tell her side of the story before you call a vote.” That’s the extent of our democratic process in the MC. Every patched member has the right to be heard—all votes count. And if I have a chance to save Starlet from a bleak future, I will. Even if it means giving up the best pussy I’ve ever had, because there’s no way my brothers are going to let me keep someone else’s old lady, even if they decide to help her.
“Thought you didn’t like putting down roots, brother.” Shorty eyes me.
“I changed my fucking mind.”
Eagle leans back in his leather chair. “I see no problem in delaying the vote for a couple of days. We know where she lives and works. Bring Starlet here tomorrow night. Have the old ladies make a nice dinner. I don’t want to scare the girl, but she needs to know the truth, Brick. There’s a chance she’s going back to Alabama.”
The rest of the members nod in agreement. It’s better than nothing. “I’ll handle it.”
“Good,” Eagle approves. “Any other business to discuss?” He looks around the room. “No?” He bangs his gavel on the table. “Church is over.”
I wait in the corner until the other seventeen members clear the room. Eagle stands and stretches.
“You’re not winning any trust right now, Brick.”
“With who?” I light a cigarette. “With Shorty? Axe? That sonofabitch resented me the moment I rolled into town.”
“Maybe,” Eagle says. “That’s the price of being overlooked for the VP position. He’ll settle down soon enough.”
“And in the meantime? Starlet will be his target.”
Someone knocks on the door, it opens, and a passaround delivers two beers.
