Page 53 of Guarding Glenda

Rogers cut in. “Prez. Let's go to the office.”

I followed them out, adjusting my back as I walked, trying to get it to stop stinging and my shirt from rubbing against it.

“You good, brother?” Bama asked as he walked with me.

“Glad it’s done. What’s going on?” I asked.

“Fucking Scorpions.”

Filing into the office, we all took a seat and I adjusted until I could stand the sting on my back.

“Informant told us the Scorpions have been sniffing around about twenty miles from here, asking questions about the Bastards,” Hammer said.

“Any leads on what they’re asking for?” Butterbean asked.

“So far no, but we got someone working on that.”

“Have they set up shop again nearby?” Bama asked.

“We think so,” Rogers answered. “Just trying to figure out where.”

“What do we do now?” I asked.

Hammer looked at me. “I want extra hands on deliveries. Don’t go outside our perimeter without talking to me first. Should have details in the next couple of days and we’ll check it out. If you see or hear anything, though, report back asap. We may call Church soon so be on alert.” He flicked his wrist.

Rogers stood up and we all followed suit. Hammer stopped me as I got closer to the door, though. “Hey.”

Turning, I answered, “Yeah, prez?”

“I don’t like having to do that shit to my brothers.”

I shrugged, but immediately regretted it as my shirt moved over my back. “Rules are rules, prez.”

Hammer, stared up for a beat, then said, “It wasn’t just about you showing up here, though. You had your head up your ass, hadn’t been by until I told you not to, you and Bama got into it, then you flew off the handle at me. You need to understand I wouldn’t loosely throw out punishments for one fucking misstep.”

My chest filled with a deep breath and my fist balled, but I nodded. “You’re right.”

“We all love her, but club first. It’s not just for us but for them, too.”

He was right about that, too. But me putting the club first was how all this shit got so bad. There had to be a way to balance it. “I won’t make her feel like second fiddle, Hammer. I can honor my duties and her.”

He slowly nodded. “As long as you make the right decision when it counts.”

“We good?” I asked. I couldn’t try to explain what I meant to him. I’d do right by the club, but not at her expense again.

“Yeah. Just keep your phone handy. I won’t call ya ‘til I need ya for sure.”

“Thanks, brother. I’m gonna see if she got all her shit and get it back to the house.”

“So she’s staying with you, then?” he asked.

“Yeah.”

He nodded. “Well, better get to it, then.”

I finally left the office and walked the back way to get to the main hall. But I stopped when I was passing the tall windows that overlooked the pool in the back. “What the fuck?”

Glenda was out there with Linny, Allie, and Pinkie. They were dancing around a fire pit they must have dragged onto the concrete around the pool.