Page 12 of The Monsters Within

“Alright, brother.” He slapped me on the back and walked inside, leaving me to watch over Rose as I thought about the shit show that had become my life.

I didn’t care who showed up on our doorstep; no one was taking her away from me.

Rose spent the afternoon with Mimic. They were in the main room with the others while the officers held church.

“What’s up, Prez?” Jack asked.

I was sure they were all wondering why King called them in. He needed to come clean. With everything going on, we were all on edge, wondering when the next fucking shoe would drop.

“I have something I want to tell you. Something I’ve been keeping back. For various reasons,” King started.

He looked at me, and I lifted my chin.

You can do this, brother.

He took a deep breath, and I watched the men we chose to help us run this club. There wasn’t a man in this room who didn’t have his back. And mine.

When he continued to stay silent, I knew he was floundering.

“You all know I am claiming Rose. The vote is a formality. She’s mine.”

“As long as Mimic votes yes,” Blade pointed out.

“He’ll vote fucking yes. His sister might castrate him if he doesn’t. Look, I know you all didn’t have the best first impression of Rose. But I’ve been getting to know her over the last few weeks, and the shit she’s been through would break most people. She didn’t fucking break. She’s working with Mellie, and I have no doubt Mellie can help her. With that said, she is tied to three fucking clubs.”

I looked at King. His furrowed brow told me he didn’t know where I was going with this. The point of the meeting was to tell them about Grace.

“I don’t plan on asking permission from any of them. I want my cut on her back before Reaper and Montana get wind of who Rose and Mimic are. I need to know you’ll have my back.”

The room was quiet for a minute, until Ghost asked me a question I wasn’t fucking prepared for.

“Would you walk away for her?”

I may not have expected him to ask me the same question he asked a few weeks ago, but my answer came just as fast as it did last time.

“In a fucking heartbeat.”

His wide eyes and lifted brows told me I had shocked the shit out of him. “I’ll back you up, brother,” Ghost said with a big fucking grin.

His disappointment when he asked me the question about Rachel ate at me. But things were different then. I’d read Rachel’s letter and believed she’d made her decision based on the belief that I didn’t love her enough. Haizley helped me to see the truth. I wouldn’t make the same fucking mistake again.

The others murmured their agreement, and I turned to King.

“Your turn, Prez.”

I didn’t expect him to rip the Band-Aid off quite so quickly.

“Grace is Steele’s daughter.”

The room was silent. So silent that a pin drop would have sounded like an atom bomb.

“That’s why you haven’t claimed her,” Gunner surmised.

King didn’t answer, but we all knew it was the truth.

“Fuck Steele,” Blade snapped. I threw him a smile and nodded. I knew he would stand behind King, no questions asked.

“It’s not that simple,” King argued. “Even if I wanted to, I can’t contact him. Grace won’t let me.”