I leaned forward, voice loud and final. “The table decided his fate. I’ll decide when the axe falls. Until then, he rots in the basement. When the time comes, it’ll be by this club’s hand, and no one else’s.”
I slammed the gavel down. “Church closed.”
Chairs scraped back, boots heavy on the floor. We’d voted for death, but all we had was silence and a traitor chained in the dark below.
Gage looked at me then, for a heartbeat, before turning away. “Get him out of my sight.”
Link dragged him to his feet and shoved him toward the basement door. No one stopped them. No one spoke. The silence was heavier than any bullet.
I dragged my feet back to the bar and downed the shot a prospect had lined up. Tapping the bar with two fingers he gave me another which went down just as fast, though nothing would settle my nerves. I looked around, everyone was solemn, drowning themselves in drink and women as usual. Lucy sat on the sofa in the corner, the spot she always chose, still in the room, but out of the way.
I moved to lucy. “Come with me.” I took her hand, guiding her towards the back.
“Really, Pres? Taking strays to your room now?” Gabby snarled from the bar.
“Yep. Looks that way,” I said.
“Guess I know where I stand now,” she said, a challenge in her tone.
“Guess you do.”
The hallway was clear as we moved up to my bedroom. Once inside, I pressed my back against the door and pulled Lucy into my arms. She melted against me, lips brushing my neck, sending jolts through my body.
“I need to use the bathroom,” she murmured, breaking the moment.
Her absence left a cold void behind her. I sank onto the bed, thoughts swirling. Diesel, Caleb, Gage . . . years of history twisted into betrayal. Gage had been patched before me, before I even became president.
Then there was Lucy. I couldn’t stop wondering what she was thinking about Gage. Did she think I’d made the right call leaving him alive? Or did she see it as weakness, hesitation that could cost us more down the line?
An hour later, we were in the war room: Lucy, Riot, Link, Keno, and me, maps and lists spread across the table. The flash drive’s intel glared back at us, Fang safehouses, transport routes, contacts. We had the information, but not the luxury of time.
“I want to hit them before they regroup,” I said. “Cut the head off before they find a new one.”
Lucy tapped a name. “Javier Del Rio. Copied in on every file Gage sent. Not just an enforcer. He’s logistics. Hit him and their supply lines choke.”
“Hmm,” Keno said, glancing up from his phone.
“Problem?” Riot asked.
“Del Rio’s ghosted. Three days. Might’ve known we were coming,” Keno replied.
“Which means someone’s talking,” I said.
“Inside?” Riot’s face darkened.
“Maybe, or the Fangs are just that good.”
Lucy tensed, gripping the flash drive. She didn’t speak, but I saw her calculation.
Her eyes flicked to me, steady, unblinking. “I can get you info from my contacts.”
“You don’t have to prove yourself to me,” I muttered.
“I’m not trying to,” she said. “I’m proving myself to them.” Her eyes flicked to the door leading to the bar. “To Caleb. To me.”
That landed like a blade to the ribs. I wanted to tell her she was already more Knight than half the men in kuttes outside, but the words stuck.
Then, lights out. Total blackout.
