Page 68 of The Deals We Make

Switch blows out a breath. “I think you need to figure out what you need.”

I honk at a driver who thinks it’s okay to pull out in front of me at half my speed. “What do you mean?”

“Okay. All this happened. Sucks, I know. Bet Calista was fucking terrified. But it was the club being the club. So, what do you need? An apology from someone? Retribution against two dead men? You want to leave because you hate that you got screwed over with the agreement? Set aside how unfair it all feels. Set aside that it meant Calista disappeared. You say you don’t want to go into the club right now. What would make you feel like the clubhouse is yours again? What would make you feel like the world was straight again?”

That anger starts to build in my stomach again. “Stop being so fucking pragmatic.”

Switch shrugs. “What do you want me to say, man? As your friend, it sucks that the club used you and terrified Calista. But as a brother, it’s a vote I’d make if we were asked to this afternoon. It sucks because it’s not some random wise ass trying to fleece us that none of us know. It’s you and it’s Calista. Which…can we talk about you and Calista for a hot minute?”

“No.”

Switch chuckles. “No. Really. You forgot you just told me you railed her all the way to heaven’s gates and back?”

“Fuck you,” I grumble.

“You guys just unfinished business or the start of something?”

I think about the question. “Fuck knows. We’re business that never got started. Probably shouldn’t get started. And if we do get started, it will probably end damn fucking quick because I live here, and she lives on the other side of the country.”

“So, you’ve decided it’s a closed book before it even gets going.”

I shake my head as I see the exit for Asbury Park. “I don’t know what the fuck it is.”

“Can I say something without you getting mad?”

I glance his way. “What if I said no?”

“Then I’d probably still say it, because that’s what friends do.”

“Funny. Go ahead.”

“You’re the most strategic guy I know. You think about something, and when you set your mind to it, you go get it done. The club is wealthier than it’s ever been because you hacked all that cash from the Righteous Brotherhood and then invested the shit out of it in such a way that we’re making cash faster than we can spend it.”

I think about the white supremacist group. Their leader’s relationship to Halo. And how I stole eleven million dollars from them before we took them down.

“And your point is?” I say.

“You’re talking about all this like it’s out of your control. When it comes to Calista, what do you want? You feeling her and decide you want to be together while you figure it out, you tell her and go after her and make her want to stay. Let her decide if she wants to give up what she has out west for you. It’s not for you to make her mind up for her, but you need to tell her what you want so the game can still be in play. If you want Calista in your life, you’re gonna need to figure out whether she’s an old lady or a civilian wife. If you want her in the club, you gotta figure out whyyoudon’t feel like you want to go in there, right now. Either way, you gotta pull your shoulders back and go tell King exactly what you just told me. That you consider her your old lady, and as such, she’s out of bounds for any future action.”

“He’s not gonna buy that,” I say.

“No? He didn’t buy me having a Cosa Nostra princess for an old lady either, but you know King. He bites first, then thinks about shit and gets his head around it. Look, Calista paid for what she was trying to do. And she hasn’t done anything else since. You want me to come talk to him with you?”

“Nah. I can handle King’s bite. Should probably just get it over with. Can you find out if he’s in the clubhouse?”

Switch types something into his phone. “Yeah. He’s there for another hour.”

Which is how I find myself pulling into the clubhouse instead of dropping Switch off as I intended.

“I’m gonna hang around the bar instead of heading to my room. I see shit getting heavy, I’m coming in,” Switch says.

“Thanks, brother,” I say as I follow him inside.

“No worries. And bring Calista over for dinner one night. I want to spend more time with this woman who has you tied up in knots and had the balls to try and hack the Outlaws.”

“Fuck you, and fine. If I can find her and persuade her after she fucking snuck out on me this morning, I will.”

When I get to church, King is sitting behind his desk, his hair standing up at all angles, which tells me he’s going through the monthly accounts. “You got a minute, Prez?” I ask.