Page 104 of Judge's Mercy

“Hella aye.” Lucky slaps a hand down on the table.

“I’d be proud to have you as a sister,” Mustang says. “Aye.”

I look down the line and see Golden, Dutch, and Satyr all giving me their votes. My heart races with excitement, and my stomach fills with nervous butterflies. I’m still in disbelief that this is happening. I never expected to be voted in this quickly; if anything, I thought they would make me wait longer than the average prospect.

I’m feeling confident until we get to Riot. If I can just ignore his attitude, maybe then I can appreciate that he’s extremely pleasing to the eye. However, he gives off a vibe that creeps me out and makes me uneasy. Regardless of him being my neighbor and my prospecting, he’s made no effort to get to know me, and I took his cue, giving him a wide berth.

And now, my future rests with him.

“You really want this, little bit?” he asks, his voice sounding like it’s been tumbled with rocks.

“Yes.”

“You expect me to trust that you’ll have my back when shit goes down? Do you even know how to shoot?”

“If you were around more, then you would know I’m an excellent shot with handheld guns, and Lucky is working with me on long guns now.”

He nods. “You’re not gonna go crying to Judge the second your feelings get hurt and create a bunch of drama?”

“No. If you said something to hurt my feelings, I’d punch you in the nuts, and then you can go crying to Judge that his ol’ lady prevented you from ever having children. Which, by the way, would be a mercy on mankind.”

The room erupts into a fit of laughter and disbelieving howls that I ignore because I’m currently in a pissing contest and don’t have a dick, which means I have to work harder to win.

Riot leans back in his chair and, if I’m not mistaken, has pride in his expression. “Aye.”

“Not that you need my vote, but you have it. I believe you’re worth breaking the rules for,” Tripod says.

“That leaves me,” Cy says. “I have my reservations, all of which I’ve shared with you. I’m worried about you being in a relationship with another member?—”

“Judge and I?—”

Cy holds up a hand, and I snap my mouth closed. “Don’t interrupt. As I was saying, if things go bad between you two, it could cause dysfunction within the family, and we can’t have that if there’s ever a life-or-death situation. But I also recognize when two people are meant to be; I saw it with Rigger and Navy, then again with Lucky and your sister, and it’s the same thing I see when I look at my Charlotte.”

“I appreciate that,” I say.

“All that said, I’ve never seen a prospect work as hard as you do to earn our respect. It surprised me because, no offense, but you’re kind of a bitch.”

“None taken.”

“I expected that attitude to come out when the guys pulled rank, but you tucked your pride away each and every time. I’ve been around to watch every single man in here prospect, save for Tripod, and I’ve never been more certain of this vote: aye.”

Before I know what’s happening, the guys are on their feet, swarming me. My cut is pulled from my body, and the men separate to give me room to approach the table where they’ve laid it out. A knife is thrust at me, and I take it, using the sharp edge to cut through the stitches of my prospect patch. The top rocker and the MC cube are handed over, transforming it from a two-piece—which meant I was a potential member—to a three-piece, making me a full member of the club.

Cy hands me one last patch, but it’s upside-down, so I can’t tell what it is. When I flip it over, I read the name on it out loud. “Killer?”

“I mean, it’s kind of fitting,” Lucky says.

The room fills with the sound of my club brothers chanting, “Ki-ller! Ki-ller! Ki-ller!”

I’m lifted into the air, holding onto my cut and patches, and taken out of the room into the main area. I can’t see Judge and fuck, I wish I could. I want to know what he’s thinking and if this is why he had storms in his eyes earlier. He’s always been supportive of me joining; he’s the one who put me on this path, but something was off earlier, and I wonder if he’s had a change of heart.

Setting me down in front of the bar, Tobi already has shots of God knows what laid out on the bar. Tobi’s the other one I’m worried about. He’s been prospecting for over a year, and I know this must sting.

“Thank you,” I say, gaining his attention.

He purses his lips but nods in acceptance, telling me he knows it’s not my fault. If I was to guess why he hasn’t made it in yet, it wouldn’t be because of his effort or loyalty; he has both in spades. It’s most likely due to his age, which is hypocritical because we’re the same age. But Tobi behaves like he’s twenty-two, while I’ve never been allowed to be my own age, even as a girl when Dad told me to cover up at the beach when all I wanted to do was build a sand castle and be a kid. Maybe he didn’t understand that, by saying what he did, he was sexualizing me, taking away my innocence.

“I’m proud of you, Killer,” Judge says from behind me, and I whirl around, jumping into his arms. I don’t have to worry about him catching me because I know he always will. He kisses my neck. “You did it.”

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