Page 8 of Making Choices

Even as I approach Zeke’s door to try to stop him from chasing after Cherub’s father, I can already tell that things are going to get worse before they get better. Brutus is ripping his children away from everything they’ve ever known at a time when they need every ounce of comfort they can find. He’s turning this club on its head—demanding to be both a president and a vice president at the same time.

It's unprecedented.

And selfish.

Starting a new chapter in the middle of the state when we’re still consolidating control of the Fremantle port after our recent war with the Maddison Clan is beyond stupid. Brutus is weakening the club by dividing our attention between two chapters when we barely have enough members in the southern part of Western Australia to run the guns that we already supply.

But that’s not the only thing that has a code-five alarm ringing in my head.

I caught his slip-up when he mentioned needing to let her go.

He’s deliberately separating Zeke from little Cherub.

It’s cruel.

Unnecessary.

Zeke would kill himself before he harmed a hair on that girl’s head.

The love he feels for Cherub is innocent. Platonic. It’s the same with me. The same with Benedict. We’d die for her, just because she’s her.

Our biker princess.

Destined to be a duchess who rules in her own right.

Cherub is the solitary light on the hard road we’ve chosen to take in life.

Fuck me, she literally brought me back to life today, yet her own father seems intent on dragging her along a path that threatens to snuff out her innate glow.

I’ll be damned if I stand by and allow that to happen.

No matter the cost, I’ll always have her back.

Against anything.

Anyone.

Even Zeke... not that it will ever come to that.

1

SLASH

Eleven years later

“Slash, since you’re stayin’ here, I’ll leave it up to you to organise which brothers you wanna post on the entrances to start with. Text me with a list of your upcomin’ rotations, and I’ll make sure they’re here when you need them,” Venom orders in a voice that doesn’t quite hide his unease at all that’s gone down today.

I give him a sharp nod of acknowledgement and pull my phone free of my back pocket to compose the list he’s requested. The heat of his perusal burns hot over the side of my face as he tries to work out why I’m being so curt with him. Not that he’ll listen if I try to explain. Venom has a one-track mind when it comes to Cherub and he hates being told that he’s done wrong by her.

In truth, he’s fucked up multiple times over the past few days—weeks even. First by not telling his woman that her abusive ex had managed to secure early release. Secondly when he allowed Brutus to browbeat Cherub into coming with us to the meeting at the sheds. His next mistake was his refusal to allow her to face the truth about Nadia’s involvement with the drugs Sander was mainlining once upon a time, and he only compounded that by dragging my little brother into the middle of our suspicions over Brutus’ current behaviour.

Hunter just pulled a gun on our president.

That’s not going to go unanswered.

Brutus will want his pound of my brother’s flesh.

Once he’s taken his fill of Cherub’s, that is.

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