Page 68 of Lost Lyrebird

The tension in the room thickens.The quiet, muffled breathing of everyone tells me how on edge they all are.

Dozer grinds his jaw.The muscle there pulses as he works through whatever is going on in his head.“We can’t let the Thirteens get word of this.They won’t protect Edge on the inside if they catch wind of it, no matter how much we pay them.The threat of the GBs taking over their business and pushing them out of New Mexico will have them doing something stupid.”

“I know,” Cap agrees.“So for now, we keep this quiet, stretch time, and buy ourselves as much as we can afford.”

Griz chimes in, his deep voice rumbling, “Pappy’s askin’ out of respect.”Meaning, Pappy doesn’t have to ask for shit.If he didn’t give a fuck about the business we share or the longtime friendship he has with Cap and Griz, and the club as a whole, he’d have already moved his boys here.

I rap my knuckles on the table, the dull thud echoing in the thick silence.“You think we can hold them off until Edge is out?”

“Not sure, but we’re sure the fuck gonna try.It feels like our only play here,” Cap reasons.

“Wait.Hold up.”Mav jumps in as he scrubs a hand over his short black hair.His amber glare lands on each of us for a moment.“I don’t know about you, but letting the GBs into our territory seems like a bad fuckin’ idea.Maybe it’s one chapter at first, but we’ve seen how fast Pappy’s growin’ that club.He’s gonna lose control, and their chapters will get sloppy.If they bring that kind of heat down on themselves, it’s also gonna fall on the rest of us.We don’t want the Feds all over our shit, digging through our businesses or the ways we pull in green.”He stabs his finger on the table to get his point across.“They move here, we’re guaranteed a ticket to a shitshow we didn’t sign up for.”

“I’m with Mav.You invite a giant into your home, he’s gonna fuck everything up,” Septic grits out from down the table.

Taz sneers.“They wanna grow.They can spread north.Why the fuck they gotta come here?”

“Everything is runnin’ smooth as is.I vote we don’t rock the boat.Maybe Pappy is just trying to throw his weight around to see if we’re open to it.If we let him know we’re not, then maybe he’ll back off.”This comes from Stone, who’s also our newest patched-in member.

I lean forward.Usually, I’d keep my cool and hold this all in.Maybe even maneuver brothers one by one to see how wrong they are about this decision, but after the shit I’ve seen and experienced over the last year, I know staying silent right now would be a great detriment to not just the club but a lot of fucking innocent people who need someone to be their fucking voice.“I get what you’re sayin’.All of you,” I say as I work to push down the venom boiling in my blood.“But you also haven’t seen the shit I’ve seen if you think the 13Ds are any better.”My voice has a desperate edge that I can’t tamp down entirely.“These girls I help… the ones the 13Ds are branding, selling… they’re not willing.A few aren’t even legal, but they’re pretty good about hiding the shit like this that will bury them.At least the GBs are selling willing pussy and legal consensual sex, plus they’re keeping it off the streets.They’re not snatching runaways or girls in dire situations and selling some across the border, never to be seen or heard from again.Nor do they treat the girls under their care like dogs.Don’t even get me started on the kids they’re pullin’ in to sell their product on the street.”

“You know this for a fact?”Stone questions.

“Yeah, I’ve witnessed it firsthand.”I look around the table, meeting certain men’s gazes.

Mav leans back, jaw tight.He runs his hand down his face and scratches at his scruff-covered jaw.He looks taken aback and takes his time to consider this side of the coin, as I see it.

It’s a no-win situation.I get it.Either way you dice it, we’re fucked.

Cap interjects, “It’s not something we need to decide now.But the times comin’ when we’re goin’ to have to choose who we side with.”When Cap realizes almost everyone is in agreement, he calls for a vote.When it’s done, he nods.“The vote stands.For now, we hold ’em off.Buy us some time.Keep makin’ payments to the 13Ds to keep Edge safe.”

“Goose, Bodie, Grinder, and Stone will make the usual drop to the 13Ds on Monday night at ten.Mav, Dozer, Griz, and I will visit Edge this weekend and make sure before we hand over the money, they’re keepin’ up their end.”

A few more items are discussed; most of it revolves around the businesses we all run for the club, the green we clean, the guns we sell, and upcoming runs we have to make to push product from the weed farms we partially own in Colorado. The meeting finally comes to an end, the sound of heavy footsteps, creaking chairs, and leather filling the space.Just as I make it to the door, I get called back by Cap.

Turning, I see him gliding his hand over the glossy surface of the wood table.The grain shines under the low light, reflecting the years of meetings, decisions, and history it’s witnessed.He rocks back in his chair, plants his elbow on the table, and crosses his ankle over his knee.

“You sure you’re good to keep making these payment runs?”

I nod.“Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?”

“Heard tensions are thick between you and Veno.”

Knowing this isn’t going to be a quick conversation, I shut the door and take Griz’s seat.The chair creaks under my weight, the leather cold and firm.

“Always been that way.We got history.”I shrug.“Been amping up because he doesn’t appreciate me stickin’ my nose in his business.But the way I see it, if the girl’s not there by choice and needs a way out, then I’m going to get her out.”

“You know this could put our truce on shaky ground too?”

“It’s one girl.One girl every few months.Either she’ll come to me or the cops, or die trying to make a run for it.So, either way, they lose her.This way, the cops aren’t all over them.And what the fuck do they care?They’ll replace her in a week with someone new.”

“Be real with me, how bad is it?”

“Veno kept his nose pretty clean for a while after he got out of the pen, but the more power El Jefe—fuck, I hate calling him that” I shake my head.Cap rolls his hand.

I continue, “Anyway, the more powerAntoniohands off to Veno, the bolder Veno grows.It’s gonna be a problem.No doubt in my mind.Antonio cares about his people, power, and money.He’s scary fuckin’ smart and ruthless.”

“And Veno?”