Page 13 of Carmine

“I’m a vet. Mya probably picked up the scent, which would have distressed her. You made the wise choice,” Klutz said, and my eyes widened.

“You’re a vet? Do you have a practice?” I asked, interested.

“Yes, I recently bought into a practice run by Calamity’s old lady, Rosie. We own a sanctuary for animals but also have a private veterinary. Calamity has opened a haven for underprivileged teens to give them a useful craft on the same land. He’s got nine staying there at the moment, and we’re hoping to see it grow,” Klutz answered.

“What’s that involve?”

“Calamity takes in kids the system can’t be bothered with. Then, he finds them an apprenticeship and provides a roof over their head and three meals a day. Calamity ensures the job pays them minimum wage at least so they can save and buy things they want. It’s the first year Calamity has done this, so we havegot our fingers crossed for him. We’ve taken one teen on at the practise and another at the sanctuary. Both boys had an affinity with animals,” Klutz explained.

“That’s a worthwhile endeavour,” I said, nodding in approval.

“Certainly trying to make it one. All the prospects helped chip in to ensure Calamity’s dream come true even though some of us are brothers now,” Carmine added.

“What’s the difference?”

“A prospect strives to become a full-fledged brother with a full cut of earnings, a right to vote and the ability to wear colours. A prospect handles all the scut and often the tedious and boring jobs. With Rage, because they once got infected with filth, they have candidates for two years who work towards prospects. If the candidates pass, we transition into prospects,” Klutz explained.

“But if you are a Legacy like me, we move straight to prospect because the brothers already know our personalities,” Carmine said.

“Legacy?”

“Yes. A prospect born to a brother or adopted by one. Rage is rare, blood doesn’t mean a thing. If a member claims you as his child, you are his, irrelevant of blood ties. Drake took me on at eighteen, so I’m his son. It’s simple thinking, but to those of us who gain a father, it means the world,” Carmine continued.

There were a couple of things there I wished to unpack. I picked the first. “No women allowed?”

“No. Rage is a men’s only MC. Some MCs are now mixed, and others are either pure men or women,” Klutz said.

“How do you feel about that?” I asked Aurora.

She grinned at me. “The old ladies formed their own club, and it really pisses the older brothers off. Because they want to know what is happening and we tell them it’s old lady business. Jeez, I lost track of how many times the older gen spouted ‘it’sclub business’ as a way of shutting us down. They hate it when we parrot it back.” Aurora smirked at Klutz, who smiled.

“Older gen?”

“Men like Drake, Ace, Apache, Texas, Axel, and so on. Klutz and the present generation are younger and more open-minded, although they can be pig-headed.” Aurora laughed.

“Rage has changed a lot lately. We realised we were holding onto the past and letting it colour and direct us. So, Drake, the second and third gens, all made changes. The funny thing was Axel, he’s a founder, first generation of Rage, led the way in finding a new path,” Carmine said.

“Sounds a little complicated,” I admitted.

“You get used to it,” Aurora reassured me.

“And you were adopted?” I asked Carmine and then felt awkward. “Sorry, was that too personal a question? I don’t always get social niceties.”

“You’re fine. Yeah, Phoenix took me in when I was fourteen, and when Mom married Drake, he adopted the lot of us. Give Drake his due; he never flinched once,” Carmine replied with a bark of laughter.

Klutz and Aurora joined him while I looked puzzled. Clearly, I was missing something.

“You don’t know?” Aurora inquired, seeing my confusion.

“What?”

“I have seventeen brothers and sisters,” Carmine said, dropping a bomb, and I stared at him open-mouthed.

“How many?” I gasped in horror.

“Seventeen. I’m one of eighteen kids.”

“Wow,” I exclaimed.

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