Chapter 1
Hawk
“You fuckers ready?” Eagle shouted.
“You gotta get it off first!” someone yelled.
Eagle laughed and clapped his hands together. He was seated in the middle of the room, dressed in a tux with his dark hair slicked back into a neat ponytail. We all watched as Lacy walked up to him in her white dress and her blonde updo that hadn’t moved an inch all night, then lifted her leg. Eagle grasped her ankle delicately, running his hand slowly up under the skirt.
Music blared over the speakers of the rustic wedding venue, similar to that in a cheesy retro porn movie. Womencrooned and men egged him on. I sipped my Crown as I watched the crowd from the edge of the room.
It had been a couple months since Butch met his destiny, and it had been quiet. No more ambushes, no reports of women missing, no sign of any Hellbound Heathens besides the run-in with some in Cincy. We had ears to the ground and the other chapters were on alert.
It almost seemed like things had gone back to normal, but something still didn’t sit right with me. Butch wasn’t working alone, but he never gave up who he was working for. I should have known that fucker wouldn’t give me the satisfaction. But I did take solace in the fact that he died by my hand.
Ma made me promise she could have her turn with him, but I knew she wouldn’t make the final blow. That was for me. Watching her stay strong and get her revenge reminded me just how amazing she was. After everything that happened, she deserved to be part of his end. Pops was my dad and my president, but he was her soulmate.
I watched for months as she mourned his loss but carried on at the clubhouse because that’s what he would have wanted. She was still playing the part of club mom, and I thanked my lucky stars every night for her. My brothers and I ran the club, but she ran the clubhouse. She was the strongest woman I’d ever met but I caught her in a few moments of sadness. Letting her do to Butch what he did to her was the least I could do. Nothing that happened would bring Pops back, but we did right by him. I still wasn’t satisfied that we hadn’t caught whoever Butch was working for because I knew what happened to Pops was bigger than Butch. But at least we took out the one that facilitated theassassination and crossed us all.
Seeing how badly Ma was torn up only made me certain that my decision to steer clear of the fairer sex, besides taking care of my physical needs, was for the best. Pops would be fucked up to see her this way, and I never wanted a woman to go through that for me. In this life, there were no guarantees. I used to think we were invincible, but then Pops was betrayed and gone for good.
For years, as I was groomed to step into the role of president, I always envisioned a strong and beautiful woman at my side, thanks to watching the relationship of my parents. But I kept the ladies at arm’s length, wanting to focus on learning the ropes, gaining the trust of my brothers, and earning my right at the front of the table until the time was right. Now, I knew that was foolish. It wouldn’t be fair to expect to have what my parents had and be free of consequences. A lesson learned due to Pops’ untimely destiny.
Looking around, I was happy for my brothers, but worried about them and their Old Ladies all the same. They deserved to be happy. I just hoped I didn’t live to see the aftermath if one of my brothers went down. Pops always took care of the Old Ladies that lost their man, and I’d do the same. But making sure they had a roof and a meal wouldn’t replace what they’d lost.
Still, things seemingly had calmed down. I just wish I could put this nagging feeling behind me. Who was the crime ring? Who had Butch been working for? And where the fuck were they now?
It didn’t make sense for an operation like that to close up shop. Maybe they moved, but they were somehow tied to whathappened to Butch, so I couldn’t let it go, even though on the surface the worst seemed to have passed.
“Hello, my friend,” Petrov said, his faint Russian accent ever present. He took his place next to me, sporting a tailored tan suit and his blond hair was perfectly coiffed.
He came back down for the do-over wedding, having already paid for the venue without speaking to me first. His father, Petrov, Sr. - the Pakhan - was my father’s oldest running business partner, and he was our main arms dealer. I had to be professional and cordial, but we did have words about his interference in my club.
He took it well, explaining he was only trying to help, and Lacy and the ladies were pretty upset after everything went down at the last attempt of a wedding. It was an impulsive response to the emotions of women, apparently. His father agreed he had overstepped, though, and personally called to smooth things over with me.
Petrov, Sr. was having some health issues that nobody else was privy to, so Jr. had been doing more business with me than usual. That’s also why he sent his son a few months ago to assist, and once again wasn’t present for this shindig.
“Finally got this over with,” I said, sipping my drink.
“I do love weddings. So happy, and hopeful.” Petrov sipped from his glass of clear liquid. He did love his vodka.
“Very public,” I replied. Even though it had been business as usual for the last couple of months, I still worried about having another gathering. But we already had plenty of security in place at the venue from last time. And the clubhousewas more secure than Fort Knox.
“You need to learn to relax when the occasion calls for it, my friend. Look around,” Petrov said, opening his arms wide. “It’s a party.”
“I’m not good at relaxing. Part of the gig.”
Petrov chuckled. “I suppose. But there are times we can enjoy ourselves. And we should celebrate our friends.” He lifted his glass in the direction of Eagle and Lacy.
Eagle finally got the garter off but was busy playing with it. Lacy was dancing around as he circled the room, spinning the garter on his finger and the cheesy music kept playing.
“Since you’re already so serious, now may be a good time to propose an idea,” Petrov said.
Still watching Eagle act like a fool, I couldn’t help the small grin that finally cracked. “Yeah, what’s that?”
“I know our families have done business for a long time, but my father and I agree it’s time to solidify it.”
Dropping my grin, I looked at him. “What are you talking about? We’ve been loyal partners since you and I were in diapers.”
