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“Sit.” He gestures towards the chair in front of his desk and I shake my head.
“I’ll stand.”
He arches a brow in question, studying me for a moment. Then, he nods. “What’s the update?”
“Mobley called in a few favors,” I tell him, pacing to one end of his office before turning towards the other. “He was able to keep Derek overnight but he got released this morning.”
Storm grunts, the same surprise I felt written on his face.
“Max said Derek was spewing shit all night and said we need to get Raya out of town. This fucker thinks he owns her and he won’t stop.”
“Yeah,” he answers, watching me carefully as I walk to the other side of his office and turn back to the spot I originally came from. “But we already knew that.”
“We need something better, Pres.”
Storm crosses his arms over his chest, his eyes calculating my volatile mood right now. “Something better than what, Rooster?”
I stop and turn to face him. “Something better than what we’re doing now.”
“And what would you suggest?” he asks, his tone measured and calm. Probably to try and make me feel the same but it’s not fucking working.
“I don’t know,” I say, deflating a little. “Just something better. We need to get Raya out of Louisiana but she doesn’t have anyone or anywhere to go so where do we send her? How do we know that she’s safe?”
He nods. “That would take a hell of a lot of resources that we don’t have.”
“You think I don’t know that?” I snap and he leans forward, pinning me with a look.
“Watch it.”
I nod, taking a deep breath and running a hand through my hair. “We need a better system because we can’t just send her out into the world without protection or some kind of assurance that she’s safe.”
“I agree,” he says. “But you’re bringing me a problem with no solution, Rooster. We don’t have the money or the connections to make something like that happen.”
“We need to figure it out,” I say, leaning over his desk and slamming my fist into the top of it. He stares at me for a moment before he gives me one curt nod.
“Bring it up at church and let’s see if anyone else has any ideas. But until we do figure this out, Raya and Joey are welcome here and they are safe so rein it the fuck in. I will not have you losing your shit or going off half-cocked and getting in trouble. Or worse. We clear?”
I nod.
He’s right.
Of course he’s right.
Me acting out of anger has never fucking served me well and at this point, I goddamn know better.
“Yeah, okay,” I say, releasing a heavy breath and Storm nods.
“Go hit the bag or something,” he orders, eyeing me like I’m two seconds away from exploding. “There is nothing you can do for Raya right now.”
I nod, turning and leaving his office without another word. My brothers are still hanging out around the bar but I turn and head straight for the back of the clubhouse where my trusty punching bag is waiting. Outside, I don’t even bother to tape up my hands or take off my cut before I start slamming my fists into the leather.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Hit after hit after hit until sweat is dripping down my face and each breath saws in and out of my lungs. My knuckles are split open and my hands ache but my mind is clearer than it was a moment ago.
