Page 92 of Wolf

“Lamb figured it out,” I said with a sense of pride in my vice president as I could see the surprise in the flinch of Charon’s eyes as he knew, from meeting Lamb once, that I wasn’t lying. “He found out about the little warning notice you got from Ash’s father. Didn’t realize you were all so chummy with eachother.”

Charon let out a deep, lighthearted chuckle, his eyes rolling slightly. “We’re not,” he explained. “Our world is an old one, Wolf. Traditionrunsdeep.”

“In the world of corruption?” Iscoffed.

“The only world that exists,” he retorted, his hands subtly rocking his mug, the sound of the bottom rolling over the wooden table filling the air as I downed the rest of my coffee. I didn’t bother trying to ask him his reasons; he’d probably have his fun dangling false truths in front of me, never allowing me to reach the real reason. He’d be playing his games with the club in the future, no doubt, with our alliance and two favors owed, so I didn’t bother to start chasing his tail early. I went to rise from the table but paused when Charon stopped his mug, looked up, and with the playful curl of his lips replaced on his dark-toned face said, “If you knew, why did you still make that second dealwithme?”

“I owed a girl an apology; you were the only way to do it.” I looked out to the door, seeing Lamb and Ripper catch my eye from their seats, stopping the waitress who had just put down their food. She spoke to Lamb for only a few seconds, blushing heavily at his smirk before picking up the plates and heading into the kitchen before returning a moment later with two to-goboxes.

“Even if it costs your club?” Charon returnedtome.

I looked at my brothers as they headed toward the door, their backs wide and strong, the skull and black wings crested over their wide shoulders protecting them with the same force it had done for generations. “The club will survive,” I said, lifting my chest. I looked over my shoulder, glancing down at Charon, with his connections, money, power, and will, and added, “We’re notthatweak.”

With that, I turned my back on the president of the Grim Reapers, the head of the most powerful MC of the west coast, on the bastard that I owed too much, but I didn’t do it withweakness.

I did it with strength. I did it showing the emblem with the meaning that went beyond a simple club, beyond a simple creed and pair ofwheels.

I did it showing that the Black Angels were more than justaclub.

* * *

Isat in the clubroom,still pissed about Charon despite the fact it was a few days since we’d had our little meeting, when the entire room wentsilent.

I looked up from my stool to see Lamb’s hand had stopped moving, cloth around the glass as his head was turned away from me, light brown eyesnarrowed.

I spun on my stool, turning away from the annoying paperwork scattered across the bar top, and I looked in the direction that had everyone’sattention.

Ash stood in the doorway, hair tucked up into a bun, dressed in what I knew was one of Anna’s large hoodies and leggings as she staggered into the doorway, out ofbreath.

“Ash?” I heard Jax’s voice first as he rushed to the door just as Ash began to sway forward. He lunged, catching her just as I heard the glass slam down beside me and saw Lamb’s body blur past me. He followed Jax as he picked her up and placed her on one of the couches as I moved from my stool andrushedover.

“What the hell are you doing out of the hospital?” I growled, shoving my way into her line ofsight.

Her sunglasses covered her eyes, but I could see the glare that wrinkled her face and bowed her lips into a frown. My reflection glinted off the light cutting across her glasses from the few windows that weren’t boarded up—we were still waiting for the replacement glass to bedelivered.

“The food sucked,” Ash groaned, dropping a slender hand over her face as she took deep breaths in. “Is it just me or is the roomspinning?”

“For fuck’s sake,” Igrowled. “Kay!”

A few seconds later, Kay came thundering down the steps into the clubroom, eyes wide and panicked as she searched for the people in the room, looking for danger. “What’sgoing—”

She didn’t get time to finish before I heard smaller feet rushing toward the stairs, but they stopped at the top, and not even a heartbeat later, I saw Bell flying down thestairs.

Mint, who happened to be standing next to the stairs, turned and with his lightning-fast reflexes, caught her before she sent both her and her mother crashing face first into thefloor.

Bell’s long, dark hair hung like a sheet over the both of them. Mint spluttered as he tried to get it out of his mouth, while Bell quickly jumped back out of Mint’s arms and rushed back so fast, she almost hit the stairs. “Sorry.” She blushed, her face looking down to the wooden floors,brightred.

“Jesus Christ, princess,” Mint groaned, slapping his lips as his fingers grasped a ghost of a hair. “Do you really need thatmuchhair?”

“Whatever,” Bell grumbled, her shocked expression turning into an eye roll as she turned away from him and moved over to her mother, who turned and without hesitation, smacked Bell upside the head, earningayelp.

“Don’t run down the stairs,” she scolded. “You’re clumsy enough asitis.”

“Mom!” Bell gasped, holding the back ofherhead.

Well, it wasn’t like we didn’t know. Bell must have been the clumsiest person I knew, which ended up in me forbidding her hanging out with Anna—as much as I could—considering the stupid situations that my girl gotherselfinto.

I heard Ash chuckle from beside me, and both mine and Kay’s attention spuntowardher.

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