“Fine,” Viper responded, “Let me put it this way. My club is in a position to hold it. We have systems in place to turn a profit. The other two clubs already have too much on their plate. Giving it to a club that can’t manage it properly is just inviting trouble. I can keep the peace in that region for years to come. I respect what that old man built. I want to see it continue. All I’m asking for is the chance.”
Cross responded, “That’s better.”
Viper added one more piece of information. “Also, the unity ride we made with the Dark Slayers is proof of our abilityto make strong alliances. I’m perfectly willing to play by your rules. It doesn’t make sense to make me fight for the territory.”
Cross’ arms fell to his side. His expression cleared and he immediately called for a vote. He went around the room, with Storm going last. The vote was pretty much a three-way split. I stood there, hoping that our vote wouldn’t matter in the end. The Dust Devils and Ironbound voted for themselves. No surprise there, I thought wryly.
Molten Horse abstained with a locked jaw. Their president looked like he had something to say but wasn’t in the mood to share it.
Sons of Rage and Savage Legion both voted for the Dust Devils. The voting went on for a lot longer than I thought it would. Twelve clubs voted by the time it was all said and done. That meant the Dark Slayers were the deciding vote.
Everyone in the room looked at Storm. Although it was clear Storm was reluctant, the only real question was whether the Dark Slayers were men who kept their word or men who didn’t.
He spoke the words Viper wanted to hear, “Dark Slayers vote in favor of Stolen Oath taking control of Vulture’s former territory.”
There was a long moment of silence before someone grumbled from behind me. “Well, ain’t this special. Set Vulture’s clubhouse on fire and then swoop back in and team up to take over his territory.”
No one acknowledged hearing the comment. Cross proceeded to announce, “Stolen Oath MC is hereby awarded claim to Vulture’s former territory. Unless someone has something else to add, this meeting is now adjourned.”
And just like that, Viper got exactly what he came for.
When the men inside began to move, so did Storm. He made his way to the door. The other club brothers and I followed close behind.
Siege surged forward from the crowd and touched Storm’s arm.
“Walk with me a minute,” Siege said.
Of course, Storm obliged. They moved to the side of the crowd, and I drifted after them without being invited. Nobody told me to stop.
Siege kept his voice low and his back to the room. “You just handed Viper Vulture’s territory.”
“You know that we didn’t have a damn choice,” Storm said.
“I’m not arguing with you about whether it was right,” Siege said. “I’m telling you what it looks like from the outside. You violated Vulture’s territory by riding through it with Stolen Oath. His property was burned. You voted for what looks like your good friend Viper to get the old man’s territory. You see how that looks, right?”
“Yeah, I get it. But the Dark Slayers have been through worse. I’m not gonna let a ballsy asshole like Viper break my club. We’ll find a way out of this. In the meanwhile, we keep our word. A man’s nothing without honor.”
“Honor is great and all, but anyway you cut it, the Dark Slayers are slowly moving from the excellent category to the fucked-up betrayers. If we’re not careful, no one is going to trust a fuckin’ word you have to say soon.”
Storm stood there for a moment when Siege walked off. Then he said quietly, “Let’s get the hell outta here.”
He said what I was feeling. Our crew headed for the door. Just when we were close to the door, Viper fell into lockstep beside Storm.
“I appreciate you honoring your word,” he said.
Storm stopped and looked at him for a hot second before stating blandly, “I’m a man of my word. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that makes us allies.”
Viper nodded slowly. “Just a friendly reminder that you have one favor left,” he said. “You already know what happens if you don’t come through. I’ll be in touch.”
“I already told you to stop fuckin’ threatening me,” Storm said before walking off.
We made a beeline for our bikes, mounted up, and rolled out before the lot had completely cleared. I was glad to be out of the council meeting. As we rode home, I turned the whole situation over in my mind. One thing was true. I didn’t regret my decision to bid on Winter, but I did regret how I went about it. My club was standing behind me, even though it was affecting our reputation among the other clubs. I couldn’t change my hasty decisions of the past, but I could hold steady and make good decisions moving forward.
Storm accelerated as we hit the open highway and we all matched his speed as we put as much distance between this second favor we were forced to make, as possible. Griffinsford was still an hour away. I leaned into the throttle and rode towards it with eagerness because something soft and beautiful was waiting for me.
Chapter 13
Winter
