Page 14 of Soul (Royal Bastards MC: Camden Maine Chapter #4)

Warden

“Did you really just pull that shit?”

Pipe demanded in disbelief.

“Tell me I’m wrong,”

I challenged.

“You’re beyond that. I ain’t sitting at this table either,”

Dynamo stated and shoved her way out of church.

“Don’t you dare leave!”

I shouted at her.

“When you give us respect, we’ll show you it,”

Dynamo said.

I slammed my gavel in anger. “Do not walk out,”

I gritted out.

Dynamo turned to me, and I discovered myself flying backwards through the air. “That is the least you deserve,”

Dynamo hissed. “I’m going to protect my brother’s woman, who this fuckin’ club is betraying.”

Dynamo disappeared through the door as I gaped at her from where I’d landed.

“You deserved that. I can see your thoughts. Never took you for a pussy, Prez,”

Romeo said as he also rose.

“What did you say?”

I ground out as I stood up.

“Your head is on Iona and protecting your baby. To protect your woman and child, you are happy to let the Screaming Barons walk on their fuckin’ actions. That makes you a coward. I’m with them. There’s a woman and a family who need our help. You better consider what you’re doing because Soul is right. It was obvious to all of us he planned to claim her.

“Mac pushed against the club. Bryony identified that she was dating a brother. Mac then amped up his abuse. He was going to take her and pull a train on her. If that had been Iona, you’d have declared war immediately. I say we vote on this. Because clearly, Prez, you have your own agenda,”

Romeo spat.

“I second a majority vote,”

Pipe said with disgust in his voice as he looked at me.

“You don’t get to decide that.”

I snarled as I considered their words. Was that the reason I was reluctant to declare? Naturally, my baby was my priority.

“Nah, you don’t, Warden,”

Undertaker inserted, and I stared at him. Even my Veep was against me? Shit, I’d seriously misread the situation. I honestly believed in what I was saying. Bryony hadn’t been claimed and wasn’t wearing a cut. But Soul had a point. I had ridden for Iona, and she’d not worn my cut or been one of us at the time.

“Maybe we should end church until Dynamo and Soul are back. Then I’ll put the decision to call war to vote. Wisecrack, can you stay behind?”

I think I needed to get my head straight.

Bryony

There was a knock, and I was surprised when a woman stood on the porch.

Cautiously, I opened the door and saw Dynamo. She winced when she saw my face and shoved her way in.

“Dynamo, sorry, I just—”

“Need peace and quiet. The problem is, you’re pressing charges against Mac, who is a president of an MC. His club won’t take that lying down. I am here to protect you,”

Dynamo cut me off.

“I don’t need it. After today, I’m packing my shit and taking me and the kids somewhere safe. Far away from Camden and MCs,” I said.

“The Screaming Barons will chase you, Bryony. If you press charges, they’ll try to intimidate you. You need friends,”

Dynamo explained.

“Friends that will abandon me? Where is your President, Dynamo? Where’s Soul?”

“Here. I’m here, and I’ll protect you,”

Soul announced from behind Dynamo, and I jumped. I’d not heard his bike approach.

“You mean well, but I was nearly raped because of your club. I have to explain these marks to my kids, and I honestly do not want to be around you,”

I said, but my voice wavered. I was tired, alone, and downright terrified. “Honestly, I’m unsure what to do,”

I blurted out and began to cry.

“Soul!”

Dynamo exclaimed, horrified. “I don’t do tears!”

“Good job I do, woman,”

he replied and stepped into my house. He picked me up and carried me inside. I clung to him, and tears fell uncontrollably. Soul walked to my sofa and sat down with me on his lap.

“I’m so scared,” I wailed.

“Bryony, you’re entitled to be,”

Dynamo said matter-of-factly.

“Call Slasher. I want him to heal her. She doesn’t need these reminders, and it will scare the kids,”

Soul ordered Dynamo.

“He’s already coming. And I’ve sent Warden her pictures. Cipher broke into the system and got them,”

Dynamo replied, and I began laughing even as I continued crying.

“Hacked in, just like that. Jesus, you make it seem an everyday occurrence.”

“For us, I suppose it is,”

Dynamo mused. “I’ll make tea. That’s what normal people do, right?”

“Yeah,”

Soul muttered.

Soul held me tightly as I tried to calm down. He rubbed my back and made soothing noises as he dropped featherlight kisses on my head.

“Bryony. Romeo can take this memory from you and remove the fear, embarrassment, and everything else. You’ll not know this happened once Slasher heals you.”

“No. Because if he ever approaches me again, I won’t recognise the danger,”

I replied softly.

“Would you like the emotion removing?”

Soul asked.

“No. Seriously, I don’t understand what to do. I feel so out of control and lost.”

“Not surprised, babe, just please don’t shut me out. Do not run from us. Let me help you,”

Soul begged.

My eyes were closing, and I yawned. I buried my head in his shoulder as I settled on his lap. “I need time.”

“We’ve got all the time in the world,”

Soul replied, and I embraced the encroaching sleep.

Soul

I looked up at Romeo as he entered. His face was stern, and Slasher was with him. Undertaker also accompanied them.

“Whatever you’re going to say, I’m not interested. I wasn’t wrong. And you all know it.”

“We’re aware. And you were backed up. Truthfully, Warden fucked up because he got scared. He was thinking of the danger to Iona and his kid and didn’t consider the ramifications of his words. Warden is right, Bryony doesn’t wear a cut, and isn’t honestly our problem if we look at it technically. But you plan to claim her, so she’s our responsibility,”

Undertaker explained.

I thought about that. “Thanks, Veep.”

“There’s a consequence to what you did in church today. Church is sacred, and you broke that. You and Dynamo. Punishment will come for that,”

Undertaker said.

“Yeah, well, don’t book anything yet. If Bryony isn’t protected and war not declared, I’ll be blacking my ink,” I stated.

Everyone stiffened.

“Soul won’t be alone, either. I can patch over to the Royal Harlots. Warden may be scared, but he hung a woman linked to the club out to dry to protect his own family. I do not trust him anymore to do the right thing,”

Dynamo added, shocking us all.

“You don’t mean that!”

Romeo exclaimed.

“Read my mind. I do mean exactly that. If Iona had been pregnant when I was taken or Katie, would he have come for us? I have sincere doubts,”

Dynamo replied.

“Fuck,”

Undertaker hissed, running his hand through his hair.

“Warden has made several big mistakes, and they all involve Iona. He’s not putting the club first, but her and his kid. That’s fine, but he shouldn’t sacrifice the rest of us. If they’re his main concern, we need a president who considers us first,” I said.

Romeo and Undertaker exchanged concerned looks. Slasher, however, nodded.

“Got to admit, I’m worried about claiming a woman. Because if something happens to her in the process of getting to know her, Warden basically wouldn’t give a shit. I can’t work under a president like that,”

Slasher admitted.

“Warden brought us together because of our abilities. And now he’s frightened of using them. We can take the Screaming Barons out easily. But Warden’s being a coward. Just send me and Vogue in. There’ll be nothing left of them. No. Warden wants to pussyfoot around. He needs to grow a backbone.”

Undertaker looked shocked at our thoughts. But he nodded. “I’ll talk to him.”

“Do more than speak, make him understand because, as an officer, I can and will call for a no-confidence vote,”

Dynamo warned.

And I knew which way I would vote.

Bryony

It had been three days since the attack. Soul hadn’t had Romeo wipe my mind, and I was completely recovered. Nothing remained of my bruises or marks. Even my breasts had been healed by Slasher. This had happened in my sleep, so I’d been saved the trauma. The children had stayed at Spice and Lindy’s. They thought the sleepover was great.

Soul and Dynamo hadn’t left my house, and Soul camped on my sofa while Dynamo slept in the spare room. Honestly, I was grateful for them being around. I sensed there was strife between them and the MC, and although I’d asked, Dynamo had told me it was club business.

I was sitting in the rear garden when I heard a cough.

A man appeared, and I leapt to my feet. I didn’t even have a chance to cry out before Dynamo rushed out with Soul right behind her.

“Who the fuck are you?”

Dynamo growled out.

“My name is Jerome Jacobs. I’m a paralegal working for your lawyer. Miss Simmonds has been trying to reach you, but your number keeps going through to voice message.”

“Sorry, my phone’s been off,”

I replied.

“Miss Simmonds asks that you call her immediately. It is a matter of grave urgency,”

Jerome explained and, nodding, took his leave.

I yanked out my mobile and dialled the lawyer’s office. I identified myself and waited to be put through to Miss Simmonds.

“Bryony, it’s good to hear your voice. I was beginning to worry,”

Veronica Simmonds said.

“I’m sorry, Veronica, I was dealing with some stuff and turned my phone off.”

“Nothing too serious, I hope,”

Veronica inquired.

I briefly informed her of what had happened, and Veronica made small noises as I spoke.

“I shall chase that up and see what is happening with your case. In the meantime, Bryony, I’m sorry to add to your problems, but Madden has applied to the courts to have his child support and alimony payments reduced,” she said.

“What a shocker,”

I stated dryly.

“It gets better. In addition to this, he has recently become a dad again. As in the last three weeks. However, the child’s mother sadly died, and Madden does not want to be the father of a baby. Apparently, Madden appears to think it’s like his other children, whatever that means. He said to tell you, and I quote, ‘She’s special like Hamilton and Maci, and she’d be better off with them.’ I’ve no idea what he’s talking about.”

“Oh, I do. Why has he contacted me about the child?”

“Her name is Grace. Madden… and I can’t believe I’m saying this, wants you to adopt her. Some small part of human decency in him wants Grace to be brought up with her siblings, but he’s no intention of raising her himself.”

The bombshell dropped, and I was stunned into silence. Soul and Dynamo swapped looks.

“Is her ex for real?”

Dynamo asked, surprised.

“Unfortunately, yeah,”

Veronica answered, hearing her.

“Let me get this right. Madden wants to reduce the payments for me and the children, but then have me take his kid on? Because he’s just that fucking useless as a father,”

I finally spoke.

“In a nutshell, yes.”

I shook my head in disbelief. I couldn’t believe what I was being told.

“He has such unmitigated cheek. Madden is unbelievable.”

“I’ve replied on your behalf and refused reducing the payments and told him we were happy to see him in court. As for Grace, please let me know.”

We said goodbye, and I gazed at the flowers in the yard.

“What the hell do I say to that?”

I murmured.

“What’s your first thoughts?”

Soul asked.

“To take the baby because Grace doesn’t deserve to be stuck with him, and he means she has got abilities. If she’s showing at three weeks, Grace is powerful already,”

I replied.

“Then you know your answer,”

Dynamo said, sitting back.

“It’s not as simple as that,”

I exclaimed.

“Why the hell not? Adopt Grace and explain to Ham and Maci this is their sister. Hit Madden for extra child support and make him sign her over completely. And get even further reduced visitation for him,”

Dynamo replied.

“You’ll do what’s right. I’ve got faith in you,”

Soul said, and I puffed up a little. That was nice to hear.

Soul

I sat in church and stared Warden down. Dynamo made her position very clear and didn’t take her usual seat and sat next to me. Slasher did the same.

“We’re here to continue church, which wasn’t ended correctly and was interrupted the other night,”

Warden said, holding my gaze.

“I’m not apologising for that. You were in the wrong, and I don’t care who knows it,”

I replied.

Anger flared in Warden’s eyes and then subsided. “Respect will be shown in here,”

he snapped.

“When it’s earned,”

Dynamo retorted. “You have lost all of mine.”

Warden glared at her. “We’re here to discuss the consequences of the complete disregard displayed toward the sanctity of church and myself. There is a process for everything, and it was completely ignored and spat upon.”

“I tell you what. Here’s a consequence. I want to lodge a vote of no confidence in you,”

Dynamo hissed, and Warden reared like he’d been struck.

“What?”

he shouted.

“I don’t trust you to lead us anymore. Your priorities are wrong. It’s right, your child and Iona should take point. But to refuse to help another member’s woman, and she’s his damn woman, irrelevant of a cut or not, is fucked up. If Iona had been back and pregnant, would you have come for me and Katie? Before the threat of retaliation remained, and I don’t think you would have,”

Dynamo continued.

Well, this went to hell in a handbasket fuckin’ quick.

“You really think that?”

Warden hissed.

“No. I don’t think that, I believe it,”

Dynamo retorted.

“And I agree,”

Vogue added.

Warden’s head snapped around so fast I thought he’d break his neck. “Vogue. No.”

“Yeah. I highly doubt you would have gone after Katie for fear of leaving your child fatherless or bringing trouble back here. You’d have let Katie rot, Warden. I second the motion for a vote of no confidence,”

Vogue replied.

As I watched, Warden’s face paled beneath his tan.

“You really don’t trust me?”

Warden whispered.

“No,”

Vogue and I said together.

“Why the fuck would I call for a vote to remove you if I trusted you? I don’t. And I won’t risk another brother’s woman or a sister’s man being left in the cold. We built a family, and you forgot that,”

Dynamo stated.

“As per the bylaws, we can do this two ways. An anonymous vote or open,”

Kosmic added. “Vote to open.”

Dynamo, Vogue, and I put our hands up. “Ain’t got nothing to hide,”

I said. One by one, the members voted for an open vote.

“Open vote,”

Kosmic confirmed and wrote it down. He looked uneasily at Warden, who sat stunned in his chair. “We’ll start the vote with Dynamo.”

“No confidence,”

she replied instantly. Vogue followed suit as Kosmic noted their replies. I felt shock hit the room when Blister, Bogeyman, and Dare all agreed.

Undertaker shifted in his seat. Fuck, this had to be uncomfortable for him. It was already six votes to zero. The consequences were finally sinking in with Warden and it was obvious by his expression. Wisecrack, Scorch, Cipher, and Wyvern voted for him. Pipe, Fists, and Spice voted no confidence, shocking Warden even further.

He was so pale under his tan I wondered if he was in danger of a stroke.

Seeker, Craft, Noble, and Oracle all voted for Warden. Romeo sided with us. Soar, Rook and Slasher made it a tie. It was down to five.

“I’ll give mine. I vote for Warden,”

Kosmic said, and my gut clenched.

“Warden,”

Undertaker added.

“No confidence,”

Aura declared.

“No confidence,”

Thunderbird replied, and we looked at each other. Was that a tie?

“A tie.”

Kosmic announced. “Which, according to bylaws, gives Undertaker the deciding vote.”

“Might as well black our ink now,”

Vogue stated.

Undertaker shot her a dark look. He turned to Warden. “I’m not convinced you’ve learned a lesson. Not at all. Instead of coming in here and explaining our last church, you entered and riled everyone. That is not the sign of a good president who puts his club first. That’s a bad president, and we don’t want one of them.

“You have members siding against members, all looking at each other, wondering who to trust. That was never us. Not even when shit went down. We never once doubted each other. I heard something the other day, and I fuckin’ agree wholeheartedly with it. We have these powers and can defend our club. Why the fuck are we pussyfooting around the Screaming Barons?

“We could send in Dynamo and Vogue, and they’d no longer be a pain in our ass. Thunderbird or Wisecrack could take them down. Don’t need the whole club. There was an easy option to end this and avoid what was happening now. Why didn’t you just send our people to destroy them and protect the women?”

Undertaker demanded.

“Because they’re not murder for hire or my personal hit men!”

Warden exclaimed. “We kill when it affects the MC. But sending you after people to make my woman safe isn’t what we’re about. I can’t order you to commit a mass killing that doesn’t benefit the club.”

“What are you talking about? Of course it benefits us,”

Romeo snapped.

“If your woman was safe, you would not be on edge, and the club runs smoother,”

Dare said.

“Seriously, you were worried we would be against killing the Screaming Barons? What the fuck? They are a scourge that needs wiping from the face of the earth,”

Dynamo commented.

“I don’t have the right to order you to murder to protect my family,”

Warden insisted.

“Yeah, you do, because they’re our family too,”

Pipe said, and Warden looked stunned.

“You used Bryony not having a cut to safeguard your family. That’s undeniable. You’ve done a lot of damage instead of trusting us to put an end to things. The Screaming Barons are no threat. Why treat them as such?”

I demanded.

“Because I didn’t want to be accused of using the club for my personal gain. I was in error. I know I was around Bryony, too, and whether I keep my place or not, I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to her. Soul, I’m not proud of my actions and words that day. If I’d been allowed to finish before Dynamo interrupted, I was going to say there were no consequences because I had been wrong,”

Warden explained.

“Truth,” I said.

“I vote for Warden with stipulations. He takes the gauntlet into the ring, facing each of us. He makes personal amends to Soul. And you declare war, Warden, and trust us to do what we do best,”

Undertaker stated. “If you can’t agree with those three conditions, tell me now.”

“I do. And I won’t fail again,”

Warden promised.

“That’s a promise you can’t keep, but I appreciate the sentiment. However, I don’t trust you,”

Dynamo said.

“Then I have a lot of work to do in gaining that back,”

Warden replied.

“Yeah. You have. And be warned. I’ve considered blacking my ink and joining the Royal Harlots. So, you better make things right, because I have options,”

Dynamo added.

“I was considering the same,”

Vogue admitted.

“Then I’ll ensure you don’t ever doubt me, this club, or our commitment to you,”

Warden promised.

“Do that,” I said.

Warden nodded, and we got down to the nitty-gritty.