I don’t argue as I push through the doors and take my seat at the table. The others file in, and chairs scrape on the floor, cigarette smoke swirls in the air, and mugs clatter onto the table. My eyes snag on a pack of smokes sitting just within my reach, but I shift in my seat and leave them where they are. I want to be able to tell the doctor I’m not a smoker. This time it’s going to stick.
Kurt takes the gavel and smacks it against the table before he’s even fully seated.
“Church in session.” He turns to me with a glare, daring me to waste another second. “What did Frank want?”
Every man at the table looks to me, and I look around, taking in the curious and wary faces of my brothers.
“He says we have a rat.”
The silence that follows is thick enough to choke on. Eyes shift and jaws flex as an uneasy tension takes over the space.
“He knows about the Porsche, the cars we’re tracking down south, and that our auctions are struggling,” I continue.
Dom leans forward, shaking his head. “If they’ve been tailing us, they could’ve pieced that together. He’s trying to wedge us apart and break us down so they can take over.”
I blow out a breath. “He also knows running guns is on the table.”
Kurt drags a hand over his face. “Fuck.” Then he looks around the table. “We haven’t even met with the suppliers yet, so it didn’t come from them.”
I nod slowly. “It came from someone inside.”
You could hear a pin drop in here.
“He’s feeding tips to the Mounties and pushing us into a corner to make sure we crumble from the inside. He says we either move their product or he buries us.” I scan the table, looking into every pair of eyes that are fixed on me. Then I reach into my cut, draw my gun, flick the safety off, and slam it onto the table hard enough to rattle the mugs. “But first things first.”
Every one of my brothers watches me with intent, and none of them flinch or look nervous. Which makes me even more confident in what I’m about to say.
“We all swore an oath,” I say. “We’re brothers, and this is in our blood. Every man at this table gave his word that betrayal means death. And that death would not be just a bullet or a grave. You break this brotherhood, and we carve you apart. We strip the Kings’ ink from your skin and burn you down until there’s nothing left.”
Heads nod around the table, and I let the silence hang for a moment.
“So if anyone doubts this, and believes there’s a rat in this room, take my gun right now and put it to my head.” I shove the gun into the middle of the table. “Because I’ll die before I sit here and suspect my own brothers. That’s how much I trust you. And that’s how much I expect you to trust each other. We all agree, or we’re done right here.”
“We agree,” Mac says with a nod. “We’re with you, brother. The only thing we bleed for is this club.”
I scan the table, and every man meets my eyes with zero hesitation as they all give me a serious nod. And Iknowthe rat isn’t in this room.
Because every man here knows, without a shadow of a doubt, that if one of them ever turned their back on this brotherhood, I’d carve them apart with my bare fucking hands. And every single one of them looks like they’re ready to do just that to whoever has brought us harm.
“Good.”
I lean back in my chair and glance at Kurt. His jaw is clenched, and he has fire in his eyes, looking like he’s ready to burn the whole city down to find out who’s doing this to us.
“Where’s Caz?” he asks, his eyes flicking to the closed door leading to the rest of the clubhouse.
I shake my head. It can’t be him. He’s not patched in yet, so he doesn’t attend church and has no idea we’re even considering running guns. “It isn’t him. He doesn’t know any of the information Frank gave me.”
Cory nods, then draws his brows together. “But… where is he?”
“At the doctor,” I say.
Rex turns his head to me. “What happened?”
“Nothing.” I stare back at him, confused about why he would think that. “Why?”
Rex gives me a puzzled look. “The doctor…?”
I wave him off. “He’s holding my spot.”
