Page 56

Bear had just called the meeting to order when Pop spoke. He seemed angsty, but we all did. We were a still a smaller club, and we were growing, but the idea of taking on a club the size of the Widows was just suicide. The club still didn’t know who I was or, more accurately, who my father was, and I’d decided right before the meeting to change that. I’d pulled Bear aside and told him my plan. I wasn’t sure he thought it was necessary, but I did. These men needed to know what they were fighting and why before I could ask them to stand in the line of fire.
Bear looked my way, and I nodded. “There’s some information you all need to have before we move forward.”
They all nodded but looked suspicious. “What’s up Gunn?”
I glanced at Bull whose eyes were locked on me. Bull had earned his name and his title by being a hard-ass. As our sergeant-at-arms, he was involved in everything that kept our club safe and should’ve known this information. Out of everyone, he had the most reason to be pissed that I withheld any information. “We called the meeting today to update you on the Widows, but what you don’t know because I chose to keep it to myself is that my father is the president of the Black Widows national organization.”
I glanced around the table not surprised when shock was the common expression on the faces of my brothers.
“You kiddin’?” Ritz, who holds the position of treasurer, tilted his head to the side. “Viper is your father?”
“Not kidding.” I leaned forward and rested my forearms on the table in front of me. “I left when I was eighteen, knew Bear from school and got ahold of him. He invited me here to clean up the club with him, and I agreed.”
“How’d you get out?” Bull asked.
I shifted my attention to Bull. “I have some videos I secretly recorded of him making deals with the cartel. Exclusivity to drug trade which means the Widows have more control than any other club in exchange for supplying women and children to the cartel for selling.”
“They’re selling kids?” Tank growled.
I lifted my eyebrows. “And more. It’s why I wanted out.”
“Why the secrecy, brother?”
I met Bull’s stare, not surprised he’d be the one to call me out. I’d expected this and worse, actually. I hadn’t trusted my brothers with this information, and that was on me, but I needed to change that. “Not something I’m proud of. Hoped it would never touch you guys, but I underestimated him. I shouldn’t have done that.”
“You underestimated us.” Bull stated matter-of-factly.
“The way I grew up, you don’t trust anyone, you don’t share information, and you sure as hell don’t show a weakness.”
“You think we’d exploit that shit?” Tank narrowed his eyes.
I ran my hand around the back of my neck. “I come from our number one rival’s clubhouse, and worse, my father runs the whole damn thing. I honestly never thought you’d trust me if I told you.”
“Were you ever planning on telling us?”
I frowned. “No. I hoped it would die with me someday. Hoped I’d never see the fucker again and never bring his poison to our club.” I met the eyes of every man at the table. “I don’t expect you to trust me, and I expect I’ll have to prove myself once again after all this shit is behind us, but right now, we have a bigger issue than my past.”
“This why you’ve been trying so fucking hard to take them down?”
“He needs to be stopped. They all do.”
“That might be the one thing we agree on today, brother.” Bull’s stare was hard, but I deserved it. I broke their trust, and that would not be easily forgotten or forgiven.
“We’ve already been fucking with the Widows. There’s more?” Ritz asked, probably sensing the tension and knowing we needed to stay on track.
Bear sat forward. “You know we’ve been stopping drug shipments by tipping off the Diablos, and it’s been working. It’s been buying us time to gather more evidence so we can be sure we don’t just take down Viper, but also the entire club.”
“So, what’s changed?” Tank asked.
Bear glanced at me and sighed loudly. “Maggie.”
“We figured out my father has Snake, and we’d like to lure him and Snake here. I called him and offered a trade. I’d give him the final video I’d kept as assurance that he wouldn’t kill me, and he’d give us Snake.”
“He wants Maggie,” Ritz guessed, and I nodded. “He knows we have her.”
“Two for two. He’s been keeping tabs on me. He doesn’t trust me any more than I trust him. He knows I have him by the fucking balls with the information I’m holding, so he’s going to fight dirty. Well, even dirtier than usual.”
“We’re here to vote on what? Handing over Maggie?” Ritz asked.