Page 94 of The Deals We Make

Something only the two of us can create.

And when I come inside her, and her pussy clamps down around my cock as she joins me, I wonder how the fuck I’m gonna let her go.

28

VEX

Two days later, I’m the last to arrive at church, which is really fucking unusual.

Niro always comes in two minutes late. The man will be late to his own funeral.

And…everyone is looking at me, which is…weirder.

Usually, people are all wrapped up in their own conversations. There are cigarette stubs in the ashtray and the strong smell of cigarette smoke, which suggests at least a portion of these men have been in this room a while.

I realize Catalina is missing, which means it’s the most core club business and only the senior brothers attend.

“Take a seat, Vex,” King says.

My heart starts to beat a little faster.

“What’s going on?” I ask.

Clutch has some papers in front of him.

Do they think I did something wrong?

“We needed to do some soul searching as a group,” King says.

“What? Wait, why haven’t you called the meeting to order?”

Clutch looks at me sympathetically. “Because we called it to order an hour ago.”

Why would they…? Oh, shit. “You wanted to talk about me?”

Switch reaches out and squeezes my shoulder. The move reassures me a little. But not enough to battle the waves in my gut.

“I shared with the club what you shared with me, about how you ended up with the Iron Outlaws.” King sits back in his chair.

“I told you that in confidence, Prez. Calista wouldn’t appreciate the world knowing her business like that.”

Silence greets me. “I’ll say what we’re all thinking,” Halo says. “Once upon a time, there would have been single men at this table to remind us all that we’re a club first and that women are secondary. Kind of entertaining that no one is saying anything because we all immediately put our old ladies in Calista’s situation and agreed with what you tried to do.”

King sighs. “I did it for a purpose. Because we took a vote. I’m offering you the opportunity to leave the Iron Outlaws. Permanently. With no legacy expectation that you would help the club any further.”

Leaving the club is next to impossible. And even so, you’re meant to answer the call whenever the club needs you, whatever they need you for.

But more than that, there’s an almost immediate reaction within me to the statement, to fight and tell them I don’t want to go anywhere, but I need to understand more.

“Why?” I ask.

“My grandfather had a goal when he established the Iron Outlaws,” King says. “To build a place where like-minded men could get together to work and play as one. To build lives outside the laws and rules of society to create wealth and demonstrate that found family is more important than blood. Under that premise, Vex, you didn’t join us because you believed in those ideals. You joined us because you were coerced. Because we never gave you a choice.”

“So, you’re kicking me out?” I rub my hand over my face, wishing I’d brought a cup of coffee in with me because my mouth is suddenly dry as a bone.

Bates shakes his head. “No. We’re giving you a choice. For as long as I can remember, you’ve been our guy. We say we have each other’s backs, but the truth is, for nearly fifteen years, you’ve been the reason many of us are alive.”

“You’ve also made more money for the club than any other individual with the eleven million dollars you hacked from the Righteous Brotherhood,” Niro says. “That money means we’re all secure for the rest of our lives.”