Page 26 of Mac (Demented Souls #7)

M ac scowled and looked at the faces at the table, one by one. They were bickering about letting the prospects have a say on whether or not they wanted to get involved with the Souls mission to take out the pedophile ring Tuck had been tipped off about.

"Are you doubting one of them?" He couldn't keep his mouth shut any longer. He dropped his bombshell and watched the faces around him, but they all had decent poker faces and no clue of what they were thinking could be read from their expressions.

They only had three prospects right now, which was as many as they ever had.

Too many and they lost control of them and what they were doing.

Jake was the most senior of the prospects and had been with the Souls for coming up on two years.

The other two were much newer. Sackett had been around a few weeks, not more than two or three months, and Savage had only recently arrived.

Asking them was a risk, he knew, but it was a calculated one.

"Can I say something?" Mac spoke up to be heard over the back and forth going on in small groups around the table. They all turned and watched him a moment, but it was Tuck he kept his eye on.

"Go ahead," the president said after a moment.

Mac cleared his throat and thought about standing but decided screw it, they could hear him from where he was.

"The way I see it, it's a bit of a risk, but it's a calculated risk.

" He paused a second, glancing around then continued.

"These guys know what we are, so that's not a risk.

They knew before they opted to try to join.

The risk is that they'll say no. But if they say no, are they going to have the character to stick this out, to do all we do and to get patched in? It would be a great test for them all."

All the men had been watching him with careful expressions but saw surprise on a few faces and could tell it was an angle they hadn't thought of.

The slight curve of Tuck's mouth told Mac the president was pleased with his input.

Personally, Mac had no doubts about Savage, and few about Sackett, but Jake had been with them long enough he could have been voted in when they voted Dumbass in, but the votes hadn't been there.

It seemed like Mac wasn't the only one who doubted the kid.

He was glad he wasn't the one responsible for deciding when the kid had been around long enough and was never going to be patched in.

He'd seen it done a couple times over the years but had never had to deal with it himself.

The chatter rose again, but the tone had changed.

After a few minutes, Tuck called out for them to sit down and shut up, it was time to vote.

It took a minute or two but soon they were all back in their seats, watching the president in silence.

He called for the vote and to Mac's surprise, it was unanimous.

They all voted to let the prospects decide for themselves.

Tuck called an end to the meeting and the brothers stood and made their way out, but Mac stayed where he was.

He'd go but he wasn't in a hurry. He'd already let Elyse know he was busy tonight, so he had nowhere to be, so he waited until most of the brothers were gone.

He looked up and found Tuck watching him.

"What?" he said, feeling a little defensive.

"You didn't know you have so much influence over the brothers, did you?" Tuck watched him with eyes that saw more than most people were comfortable with.

"I had no clue." Mac leaned back in his chair, there was no point in hurrying out, especially if the president wanted to talk.

"I got that feeling when you were so surprised, I wanted your opinion last night.

We've got a bunch of brothers, some who've been around a good while, but you're one of the older still active members.

You've seen more than a lot of these guys and while they may not be saying it, they're watching and listening. "

Mac shook his head, finding it hard to believe, but he'd just had a live example that Tuck wasn't lying. And that Mac had been blind not to notice it sooner.

"I'm not sure I like that. It's more responsibility that I want to deal with. I just want to go to work, do my job, help my club. I don't want to be someone who makes decisions or has that much weight on my shoulders."

"We don't always get to choose our roles.

" Tuck sighed and looked away a moment then turned back to Mac.

"I didn't want to be president. I would have turned it down if I'd been asked, but I wasn't. You guys elected me, so I've served.

Sometimes our personalities, or our experiences mold us into roles we would never choose for ourselves. "

Mac watched the other man, wondering what the other man was thinking and not saying. It wasn't nothing, Mac knew.

It never was.

After a moment, Tuck stood, and left the room without another word.

Mac sat there staring after him for a while, then shook his head and got up himself.

Business here was done, at least as far as he knew.

He might as well head home. As he reached the door of the back room, he met Tuck coming back, the three prospects trailing behind him.

"Stay, if you don't mind. I'd like you to be in on this, just in case." Tuck stepped past him into the room and went back to his seat at the head of the table where he sat without another word.

The prospects trailed in and stood beside the table as Mac went back to the seat he'd just vacated and sat back down. Tuck motioned one finger toward the door and Jake frowned but closed it without saying anything.

"Have a seat, all of you," Tuck said, then waited.

One by one they pulled out chairs and sat.

Mac noticed none of them sat next to each other, Savage took the seat next to Mac but there was at least one empty chair between each of the prospects, and several between them and the president.

A glance at Tuck told him the other man hadn't missed it either.

Mac had a moment to wonder if they were afraid of their elected leader or just reasonably cautious.

"I have something I want to talk to you three about, and a question to ask.

I asked Mac to stay because it was his suggestion to ask you how you felt, but one I agreed with and all the brothers voted on.

We do as much as we can by mutual consensus.

" Tuck stared at each of the prospects in turn before glancing at Mac then away.

Mac listened as Tuck outlined their problem and gave them the option to sit out for the mission to put an end to the illegal trafficking operation. He spun his seat so he no longer faced the president but instead could watch the prospects and gauge their reactions.

Their poker faces weren't as refined as the rest of the brothers.

Savage wasn't letting anything show, but there was a subtle tightening to Sackett's features when he heard about the women and children being moved through the area.

Jake's face was almost as easy to read as a kid's.

His anger and disgust were plain, as was his fear and determination to be a part of the mission.

"Where do you stand?" Tuck asked after he'd outlined the problem.

"I'm in," Sackett said without hesitation.

"In," Jake was next.

Mac turned his gaze to Savage, who's expression had never changed and still didn't.

"Let me at 'em. They won't harm another kid and they'll never be seen again."

"We don't need bodies to worry about." Tuck leaned back in his chair, fingers steepled in front of him as he watched the newcomer.

"No worries. I don't leave bodies." His mouth curved into something that resembled a smile but had lots of teeth and looked more vicious than friendly.

Mac blinked but kept his face blank as Tuck thanked them for their answers and told them they were free to go.

Jake unlocked the door and led the way as the three of them left. Mac watched them go, and once it was only him and the president in the room, he spun his chair around to face Tuck. He blinked, wondering how to take that.

"Should I be scared?" Mac had been in on a discussion about Savage but hadn't seen the man's records.

"He's a SEAL. They can be scary. I've seen some of the places he's been, if not all the details on the assignments, and I'll just say I think he's earned the right." Tuck glanced toward the door, then back to Mac. "What about Jake?"

Mac shook his head slowly as he thought about the longest standing prospect they currently had.

"He's got the heart, but I expected him to have come farther since he got here.

" He took a deep breath and let it out slowly as he tried to find the right words.

"Everything he thinks is plain on his face as if it had been written across his forehead with a sharpie.

That could get him killed, and us with him, if we're not extremely careful. "

Tuck sighed and shook his head. "I was thinking the same thing. We need to figure out if we can manage to keep him out of the thick of anything, and if he's worth anything to us if we have to."

Mac shrugged. "It's always useful to have at least one man who's never in danger of getting tangled up with the law. Most of us have had to serve time." He lifted one shoulder as if it was no big deal, but they all knew it was something they sometimes had to do to maintain their cover.

They tried to keep everyone out from behind bars, at least anything more than temporary bars, but it wasn't always possible to keep everyone free and still maintain their covers. And the cover was worth more to them all than their individual lives.

They'd all sworn to protect the club and their brothers to, and beyond, death.

The trouble was, Mac wasn't sure Jake could keep the truth, or that he was lying, off his face, if he had to.

It would be better to find him a position that would mean he never had to lie, even if that meant they didn't let him in on everything.

Mac looked down at where his hands were folded in his lap and tried to figure out how to say what he was thinking.

"I don't know if this is something you want to clear with him first or just do, but he needs to be in a position where he doesn't know what could get him, and the rest of us, in more trouble than it's worth.

" Mac lifted his gaze and met Tuck's dark gaze.

"I don't think he would ever intentionally reveal us, but he's got no guile.

There will be times that if he knows, his face will give everything away.

That said, I think he could still be an asset to the club.

If nothing else, he's a last man standing should something happen and the rest of us have to do serious time.

He could maintain the club and keep it running until we get back, take care of the women. "

"Some of those women would step up and run things themselves."

"They would try. But what happens if Krissi's pregnant or has a little one, or both, when or if this happens? She would have her hands full and not be as able to pick things up here as she might want to."

Tuck narrowed his eyes at Mac. "You talk as if it will happen, one way or another."

"I don't know anything you don't. But we live a dangerous lifestyle, and the risk is always there.

We need to make sure things can continue if something happens, especially now that we seem to be picking up more people who count on us, for one thing or another, even if they don't know everything about who we are and what we do.

" Mac couldn't help but wonder if maybe Elyse would be one of those people relying on the club but pushed the thought away as soon as it occurred.

He didn't have time to think about her now. No matter how much he might want to.

Tuck watched him a while, the crease between his brows never dissipating, but Mac could tell he was thinking.

"You're not wrong. I won't say you're right just yet but you're not wrong.

Once there was just us and the club whores, but that's changed.

" Tuck shook his head and rolled his eyes.

"I might not like it, but it doesn't look like it will go back to the way it was any time soon. "

"Why should it?" Mac tilted his head as he watched the man who was only a few years younger than himself.