Page 6

It takes longer than ten minutes for the girls to vacate with their stuff.

No surprise, the redhead is one of the last to leave.

Some throw a few puppy dog eyes out, but not a single brother steps in to do more than watch them go.

Not many old ladies in this club, and the few who are here were sent back to their rooms. I’m not about to break up a family, but some things are club only, and that means no outsiders.

Old ladies know how things work, and as expected, not a single one gave me lip about being excluded from what’s to come .

Not that they won’t hear what’s going to happen.

By the time I’m done with this, I want every sister chapter whispering about what went down.

Casper wants this club to be made an example of.

Mother chapters usually stay out of the sister chapters’ deals.

We overlook a few things, but some stuff is sacred if you’re going to wear our patch, no matter what chapter you belong to.

“Now that that’s taken care of, let’s get down to business.

” I push off the wall and see a brother reach for a chair.

Most have been standing for a while. “I wouldn’t get comfortable.

” The guy stops mid-squat and looks at me, then his brothers, who are staring at him.

Not calling him out but calling them all out.

“Effective immediately, Bane is stepping down as club president, and all officers are hereby stripped of their titles for the time being.” Mumbles surface among the group, but I keep talking.

“Every member of this club will be vetted from this point forward to see if they have what it takes to be a Hound.”

“This is bullshit.” A guy in the back I can’t see speaks up, but I know Lucky is already tracking him since he’s closer.

I expect the outrage. I would do the same. But what happens after, the actions and not just the words, is what I’m aiming for.

“Say what you want, but this chapter is now under surveillance.”

“What’s the charge?” This comes from Grim.

“Skin trade.” I hold his stare as the room explodes with outrage. A part of me wants to like this guy, and I need to know if I’ve surprised him. The glare morphing to wide eyes shows I have. It seems genuine enough, but he’ll still be treated the same as the rest.

“Settle.” Bane’s voice booms over the uneasy crowd, and I nod in thanks. He might not want to step down, but he knows he must. Even if the boys seem to still listen to him.

“A few months back, your VP was killed,” I continue.

“While helping save Bane,” another brother pipes up, this one to my left.

“That’s what we wanted you to believe.” This has everyone looking at Bane and back to me as the room goes eerily quiet.

“Truth is, your VP, Cast Off, was running a skin trade out of the sex club where Bane worked. He bought and sold both men and women. He had some help too. And those who were linked were from this club.”

I let my words sink in. Let them get it.

“We didn’t know,” the guy from the back says, this time less jaded.

I shrug. “No way to prove it now. Only guy who could clear all this up is dead. Next best way to guarantee a Hound is truly a Hound is to see how that man acts. What his character is like.”

“You saying we gotta prospect again?” comes from a brother I can’t see in the back.

I nod, and the grumbles start again. I watch everyone I can, looking for anything that doesn’t seem right. Anything that might hint at someone who’ll be a problem or cause one.

“That or walk. But we’ll be keeping the patch, wherever you have it.

” A few brothers get the patch tattooed on them, but not everyone.

If you’ve been in long enough, you’ve seen a brother’s skin get cut off when they get ejected from the club.

Hounds keep all their property when it comes to matters of divorcing oneself from the club.

And the patch is our property, no matter where you put it.

I also conveniently leave out the part about us making sure that not only do we get the patch off them, but we also plan to get the rest of the names of those involved.

Casper thinks this ran deeper than just Cast Off and a few others, and I agree.

No way you get that many buyers and that much “product” for someone new to the business or just trying it for shits and giggles.

We need to know who all is involved, and if that means more than one chapter, then so be it.

“This is bullshit.” A brother by the name of Chunk pushes through the crowd. “We did nothing fucking wrong. If the VP was in on it, then you got the guy. Leave us the fuck alone.”

He gets close but doesn’t step into my space. Yet.

“Cool off, Chunk. This isn’t easy for any of us,” Bane says as he steps between us with his hands up to calm the brother down.

He pushes his former prez’s hands away from him.

“Fuck you, asshole. You’re the one who brought in Cast Off.

You’re the one who voted for him and gave him the job.

Last I checked, you’re the one he was close to.

Maybe you’re in on it, huh? Maybe you’re the one they should be taking down, not all of us.

” He gestures to the group at his back, and though a few nod, most just look on.

Bane hangs his head but then recovers and looks at his man.

“Yeah, I fucked up. I paid for it. And now I’m getting on board with the change.

I was too busy working that side job to see the signs of what was going on in our own club.

Probably even a fair bet to say I just ignored things.

I fucked up. I fucked up this club. That’s on me, and I will pay my dues when they come.

But we’re all responsible. I might have been the president, but every member of this club took an oath.

Some of you might have seen something, maybe even said something, but not a goddam one of us did something.

That’s on us. All of us. So man the fuck up, put in the time, and prove you’re a Hound. ” He looks back at me. “I know I will.”

“Fuck this. Fuck you.” Chunk points at Bane. “And fuck you,” he adds, stepping toward me.

Big mistake.

Rooster moves up behind him, holding his gun, but his hands are down in front of him as if he’s just resting them. He gets close. Close enough that the guy turns and looks at him before stumbling back a step.

“We got a problem?” Rooster growls.

“Y-you going to shoot me if I do?” Chunk stammers in shock that fades away to anger.

Mickey comes up on the right and puts his own gun at the guy’s head. “Yeah, we are.”

Chunk glares at Mickey but isn’t stupid enough to move. “Too many witnesses.”

“Not if they want to keep their patch, they aren’t.

Way I see it, this could be the first tell of allegiance.

If someone squeals, we know they’re a problem.

So maybe offing you is the right thing to do.

” Rooster doesn’t smile, but it’s scarier in the way he said it.

Like he was talking about the weather and not about gunning a man down.

“What say you, boss? Want to test the club?”

I think about it as I look over at everyone. Most are watching Mickey, a few watching me. Bane is, as is Grim. The rest aren’t .

And that’s when I see him. In the back with dark red curly hair. The smirk. That’s all it is, but it’s enough.

I cast my eyes to Lucky and get his attention quickly before I look back at my target. Lucky moves toward him without a second signal from me.

“Yeah.” I can feel everyone’s eyes on me except the redhead’s as his smirk turns into a grin. “But not on him.” I point out the one I want. “With him.”

It takes a second for the redhead to feel the weight of everyone looking at him before he turns to me and sees me pointing him out. His smile drops to a sneer before he pulls out his piece and holds it high.

A shot rings out, followed by another as I duck. So does everyone else.

I clench my eyes tight for a second and check myself. No pain that I feel, so I stand and look everyone over. Most are still on the ground. Lucky is by the redhead. Mickey still has a gun to Chunk’s head, but Rooster has his to Grim’s now.

Grim, the one with the smoking gun pointed at the redhead.

“Lucky?” I call out.

“He’s dead.”

Grim puts his hands up, holding the gun by the trigger guard, letting it swing on his finger. “Sorry, wasn’t taught to only wound.”

“What were you taught?” I ask.

“If you’re going to shoot, don’t waste what can’t be done with one.”

I shouldn’t laugh, but I like that.

“And you also protect your president.” He stares me down, and I tilt my head. Either he did that to prove his allegiance or to cover something up.

Only time will tell. I just hope it happens sooner than later. My ass is still freezing, and I can barely feel my toes.

I hate the cold.