Page 57 of Sweet Revenge

I nodded, but I already knew I wouldn’t let that happen. I’d grab her, and we’d be gone by morning. I’d already mapped my route.

“No fucking way.” Bull sat forward, his voice dark when he continued speaking, shocking the shit out of me. “We are not trading her up for some fucking vendetta.”

Bear looked over at me before he spoke almost hesitantly to Bull. “Bull…”

“No.” His stare was intense on Bear. “I won’t sacrifice her for us.”

“We don’t want that either,” Bear stressed. “And I know if we vote that way that Gunner and Maggie will be gone by morning.”

All eyes shifted to me. I should’ve known Bear would know my next move. We’d known each other a long time, and he knew me better than any other man in this club. “I’m willing to move her from here and get her across the border somewhere if that’s the way we vote.”

“Fuck that.” Ritz scoffed. “We aren’t losing you or Maggie.”

Tank leaned forward and placed his elbows on the long table. “We formed this club to do the right shit, not the easy shit, not always the safest shit, but always the right shit. I’m with Bull.” He gestured toward the big man. “I vote Maggie stays.”

My eyes scanned over the men jumping to Maggie’s defense before landing on Bull. “There something I should be worried about?”

Bull’s eyebrows lifted. “You really asking me that?”

“You’re quick to jump to her defense. That’s all, brother. I need to make sure we don’t have a problem.” I answered honestly.

“Oh, we have a problem, but it isn’t Maggie.” His voice dropped even lower. “We all saw what that bastard did to her, both in the hospital and when she came here after. Where I come from, you don’t lay your hands on a woman. He needs to be taught a lesson. And now we know that your father needs to be taught that same damn lesson.”

“You want Snake?” Tank asked, interrupting the heated stare between me and Bull. “Use her as bait.”

I was shaking my head before he finished speaking. “My father will expect that. He knows I’m not going to let Maggie go that easily. If I concede, he’ll know I’m up to something.”

Tank nodded in Bear’s direction. “What if Bear concedes?”

I looked at Bear who looked just as confused as I felt. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

Tank looked over at Pop. “Didn’t Becs do some nasty makeup on your grandson last year for Halloween?”

Pop smirked. “She sure did. I thought the kid was really fucking hurt when she sent him in the house and told him to pretend he got beat up.”

Tank grinned. “If that makeup fooled an old biker like Pop, why wouldn’t it fool your fucktard father?”

I snorted out a laugh and noticed all the guys were chuckling. Bear sat back and crossed his arms over his chest. “You want Becs to do Gunner up, then I call his father, tell him we all voted and Gunn tried to take off with Maggie when the vote was to give her up. I send a pic of him beat to hell and tied up. Something like that?”

Tank jerked his chin up. “Exactly. Would he buy it?”

Bear rubbed his hand along his beard and looked around the room. “No. I don’t think he would.”

Pop inhaled deeply and sat forward. “But he would believe a coup.” His eyes flicked around the room. “They know I’m an old timer, believe in the ways I practiced for years, and that is always putting the club first. Maybe me and Bull”—he gestured toward Bull—“miss the old ways and don’t like the new direction. Maybe we’re pissed that our leaders are choosing a woman over the brotherhood. So, maybe we convince Tank and some of the new prospects to join us. We gather up members, take you both out and make the deal.”

“It’s a long shot.” Bear said.

“It sounds like a good fucking time to me.” Bull smirked.

I shifted my attention to Bear. “You got any other ideas?”

His eyes moved around the room, and he frowned. “No, I don’t.”

Pop leaned on his forearms and turned all of his attention on me. “If we do this, Gunn, you’re gonna hear me say shit about Maggie, about the club. It’s all shit I don’t mean, but shit that will convince him I’m trying to take the club back. I’m telling you now you need to keep cool or stay out of the fucking room. She’s gonna be nothing but pussy when I talk to your father. He’s gonna need to hear it to believe it.”

“I can handle it.”

He nodded once. “You make sure of that, son, because this may be our only chance to save that girl of yours for good. You don’t think you can listen to the shit I’m gonna spew, you stay out.”

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