Page 34 of Lamb

Humor swept from the air, and with serious faces armed, we faced our president once more.

“Like I was saying,” he continued, shooting off a quick pointed glare in my direction. I paid it little mind. “Just because we’re not in dire straits anymore, isn’t any reason to be lax. The most trouble is the ones closest to home, under our roofs, and in our beds. Some clubs don’t give a fuck about their brothers’ personal lives; I’d like to be one of them. Unfortunately, personal shit comes knocking too often here, and that’s just how life is. No such thing as a separate home life and separate club life, so keep that in mind when you consider bringing those into the fold. We’ll stay a tight-knit group, and that’ll keep us alive because—”

“If our brothers have our backs, we have our brothers’ backs,” the room finished, like a bunch of kids at a school assembly. It was our mantra, and we knew it well enough to come naturally from our lips.

Frowns floated among the many faces. For some, Wolf’s words hit home, their bodies rigid with resonation, eyes fixed hard on their president. Others were confused and had them glancing around the room to try to catch what they had missed.

The latter was mostly the youngsters, the greenhorns, and the naïve. They’d soon learn the harsher world that lived outside the club, the world that could hurt you deeper than physical wounds might. It’d be a good lesson for them. Alas, a painful one.

Thoughtful silence ended with Wolf’s heavy gavel, and the peace was broken. “Church dismissed.”

Brothers began to rise out of the room, funneling their varied big, broad, and barreling bodies through the single office door leading through Wolf’s office and into the hall. Shouts for beer and the following squeals of club whores ran through the open doorway.

I waited back, allowing the bulls to clear the room before pushing back my chair and rising to stand.

I thought of Ash, who had possibly escaped her room and was wandering around my house, raiding my cupboards and chewing the table leg from being locked away for so long. I was sure she’d be anxious for my return. I could already taste the softness of her lips on mine and longed to see her pleading pale eyes and hear her soft, desperate whimpers.

“Not you, Lamb.” Wolf’s voice was low and even. “You stay.”

The lingering dregs of club members sent me curious looks. They glanced between Wolf and I, reading the curious raised brow on my face, and the unchanging frown on Wolf’s. I gave a few who caught my eye a shrug before settling back into mychair, leaning into the cushioned comfort as we waited in silence for the room to clear.

Pretty, the last member to leave, wisely shut the door behind him. We’d had soundproof walls recently installed to make sure each of the rooms was secure and secrets spoken within our walls stayed there. Aside from the occasional party, the compound was a private dwelling, and strangers weren’t welcomed, but it was wise to confirm that nothing would reach ears that weren’t meant to be listening.

“You’re distracted.” Wolf wasted no time in getting to the nitty gritty.

I considered his words, and now Wolf had turned to me, his deep brown eyes hardened and an ice-cold expression solidified on his face. It wasn’t one I’d seen often, and I’d never been on the other side of it.

“I won’t deny it,” I said, remembering how my thoughts had drifted during the meeting. Sure, I’d heard everything they’d said, but my attention had been split; something I’d never experienced while dealing with club business.

Club before all.

It had been Wolf’s personal mantra for a long time, and as we’d been raised together by our predecessors to be the vice president when the time would come to pass, there was often an overlap in our beliefs and personal policies. This just happened to be one of them.

I could read the details buried behind the struggle in his eyes. Wolf had been one of my longest case studies, and now most of his ticks told me everything I ever needed to know. From the tightening of his jaw, the deep burrowing frown, and the narrow pinch of his eyes, it often revealed the many aged wrinkles he was gathering; a hasted process more so in recent years.

I could see he wanted to ask. His mouth parted a few times before locking firmly shut into a thin line. Then they opened, and closed once more, before finally, he spat the words.

“Don’t fuck this up.”

Wolf pressed his palm into the table and pushed himself to stand. The towering giant dwarfed me, and all I could do was crane my neck up to look at him. I barely got a glance as he barged past me, a strong gust tussling my hair, his exit punctuated by the open and slam of the door.

I watched the gavel rock on the pad it rested on, the noise of his departure echoing in my ears. It felt louder than it had been, and some part echoed deep into my brain, long past when the physical noise had faded.

The trust the man had for me was astounding. Our past aside, I knew I’d proven my capabilities over the years, and Wolf would have my back, the same as I’d learned to have his, more so after our prospecting years had been put behind us. Years we had spent fighting like a cat and a dog.

I just hoped the trust he placed in me wasn’t unfounded.

These new feelings and distractions were unknown to me. They bubbled up out of nowhere and skewed my brain in a direction I wasn’t used to. I had no control, and that was a new experience for me. This went beyond lust and beyond any physical desire. It was emotion-driven, a realm I had barely dipped my toes into.

I was sure it wouldn’t take me long to get them under control. Until then, I had to make sure I didn’t fuck this up. As passive as she was acting, I knew she’d take the opportunity to escape if she got the chance. For now, it was simply a case of never allowing that opportunity to rise for her, even if it meant keeping her under lock and key.

I had a plan. She and I had a destiny that would solve all our problems. I just needed to show patience. She’d soon learnthat going along with me would be in everyone’s best interest, including her own. And until then, I wouldn’t let her escape.

I couldn’t.

Chapter Ten

ASH

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