Page 137 of Rest In Pieces

“Give us two seconds, Blade. We’re moving.”

We grab our coffees and head to the RV. I hold the door open for Havoc and follow him, closing it behind me. Once we’re inside, he puts the phone on speaker.

“Alright, we can both hear you now, Blade. Go ahead.”

“We found Knuckles. The idiot broke into a vet’s office in the next town over and tried to dig the bullet out of his leg after dosing himself with enough ketamine to down an elephant.”

“Fucking hell. He alive?”

“Barely. Jenkins—the vet—has been on vacation, so he didn’t find him until today. He called me because he recognized the cut and thought he was one of mine. I sent Kruger and Capone out with a truck to get him.”

“This Jenkins guy know to keep his mouth shut?” Havoc asks, slipping into president mode.

“He’s good. He used to ride with the Dirty Hogs back in the day until a bike crash took his leg and his old lady.”

“Tell him we owe him a marker.”

“Already on it.” Havoc grits his teeth but says nothing. Blade overstepped, offering something that wasn’t his to give anymore.

“There’s more. Got a call from Khan.”

Havoc tenses. “What did he have to say?”

“Said two brothers were supposed to be riding down to welcome you back, but they haven’t checked in. He wants us to go look for them.”

“So that’s the angle he’s playing?” I shake my head.

“You don’t think there’s any merit to it?” Blade asks.

I laugh. “Havoc’s been out for a while now, and this is the first time he calls to say his men haven’t checked in? I call bullshit. He’s covering his ass.”

“I’ll admit, if the tables had been turned, I would’ve called a lot earlier and ridden down myself if I couldn’t get the answers I wanted.”

“What did you tell him?” Havoc asks.

“I told him I’m not the president anymore, and that he needs to speak to you.”

Havoc looks at me, a grin spreading across his face.

“And how’d that go down?”

“He made his excuses and hung up. I was gonna question Acid, see if he was coherent enough today. Then I remembered I’m not the fucking president anymore, and I don’t have to do shit.” He chuckles, making me groan.

“It needs to be me, anyway, Blade. Not trying to be a dick because I know this shit isn’t easy on you, but I’ve gotta take this one,” Havoc tells him.

“I know. I also know I keep overstepping, and you’re giving me more slack than I deserve. So, I think I’m gonna take some time away from the club. It’s why I stepped down anyway, and while I’m here, it’s too easy for me to fall back into the role of president.”

“I get it. Take the time you need, but I want you to check in, Blade. You might not be the president anymore, but you’re still our brother, and you’ve got a fuck of a lot going on,” Havoc tells him, his tone daring Blade to argue.

“Sunshine and Conan are gonna need to lean on you, so you need to lean on us,” I add.

“Okay, Mom. Alright, I’ll leave you to it. Acid can wait. How’s Amity, G?”

“She’s okay. Pissed at Monica, but she knows I didn’t cheat on her. She trusts me.”

“Feels good, right?”

“Yeah, it does.”

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