Page 99 of Snake

“That’s fast, isn’t it?” Mel asked.

Cox had not been paying much attention at the time, but as he understood it, Tommy had been in a coma for about four days after his stroke, then in the ICU for a week, as they worked out how much damage he’d suffered. Then he’d gone to the rehab floor ... a couple weeks ago? Something like that. Cox wasn’t sure he’d ever heard what kind of damage the stroke might have done.

Dom answered. “Yeah, once he got to do some real moving, he started making gains right away. Docs say they’re impressed, and he might get all the way back.”

“Speech, too?” Saxon asked.

Dom, who was pretty close with Tommy, answered again. “He’s working on that, too. He’s supposed to keep up with outpatient shit for a while.”

“Will he be able to ride again?” Isaac asked.

“Docs say yeah,” Dom said, “once he’s steady again, he can try. Might need to go to a trike.”

Mel laughed. “Ah man, poor Tom.”

“Nothing wrong with riding a trike,” said Showdown, who was pushing into his golden years and rode on three wheels most of the time.

“Didn’t say there was,” Mel replied. “But Tommy says it all the time.”

“Let’s get back to business,” Badger said as the room settled again. “I got more decent news on the quarry situation.”

The ‘quarry situation’ was the bodies of two sadistic ex-cops they’d sunk to the bottom of a quarry lake last year.

“Decent news?” Isaac asked, sitting forward. His daughter, Gia, had killed those cops. “They backin’ off again?”

Badger nodded. “They iced the case. Officially it’s budget cuts, but sounds like they’re dropping it because Donahue’s aunt is a pain in their ass. Zaxx was right that the chick cop at that station was a pressure point. Dom pushed there a little, and she’s got all the intel, and she’s got a chip on her shoulder with the department. She was on track for sergeant stripes until she complained about another cop getting grabby with her. Right after that, she started failing tests and interviews she’d been passing with flying colors before. Department says that’s a coincidence, and the cop didn’t mean anything by his ‘jokes.’ So she’s happy to keep us apprised and doesn’t even ask why.”

“Bet she’s got a little crush on the Domster, too,” Mel teased with a smirk. He affected a high-pitched voice. “He’s so dreamy, with that flowing hair, and those sky-blue eyes. Like the Beast!”

Dom flipped him off, but he was grinning.

“You got a little crush yourself, Mel?” Saxon asked. Mel, always going for the joke, flipped imaginary hair and batted his eyes.

Showdown clapped a hand on Isaac’s shoulder and got them back on track. “I’m glad we can relax a little about the quarry. That is great news.”

Badger nodded. “Yeah, it is. But we all know better than to rest too easy. Let’s move along. Kel, do the financials, get that out of the way.”

Kellen pulled a sheet of lined paper from his kutte and pressed it flat on the table. As he did his spiel about money the club had, money it needed to pay out, upcoming costs, and dues paid or owed, Cox let his head fill with white noise. He did not give a quarter of a fuck about any of it. The only reason he was still at this table, still wearing this leather, was a dogged refusal to take the coward’s way out like his mother had. There wasn’t anybody left to care if he did, but it wasn’t about that. He was no fucking coward. End of story.

As Kellen wrapped up, Zaxx sat forward and asked, “What was the number that’s in the bank?”

Kellen sighed, unfolded the paper again, and read him the number, down to the cents.

“Is that lighter than it should be?” Zaxx asked, turning his attention to the head of the table.

“You accusing me of something?” Kellen asked, already angry, before Badger could respond.

Zaxx shook his head slowly. Something about the way he executed that gesture suggested that he was ready to accuse Kellen of something but holding it back. Cox found some interest in the meeting.

“Not accusing anybody of anything,” Zaxx said, his voice calm and flat. “I’m asking a question.”

“Why are you asking?” Badger asked.

Cox aimed his attention at Kellen, the most interesting part of this sudden tension. His eyes were too wide, his posture too square, like the outrage was a cover for something else.

Zaxx told the president, “I’ve been paying closer attention lately, and the financials have been pretty steady for a while. Last few months, at least. What Kel just said is in the bank is a good twenty grand less than last month.”

“We’re paying Leigh Prentiss now,” Kellen said, self-defense warping his tone.

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