Page 83 of What Lies Within

“Follow you anywhere, brother,” Digger affirms.

“You know my stance on what the Devil’s Breed fuckin’ do,” Minion growls. “Can’t say I like the idea of a war, but putting a stop to their fuckin' abuse of women is as good a reason as any, in my opinion."

“Hammer?” I narrow my gaze on the Viking at the far end of the room.

He sighs. "Shit, man. I ain't got any family to think of, but many of you do. This could get ugly. Real ugly."

“So could tangling ourselves up in their fuckin’ game,” Minion shares. “So could continuing to let Terry position us as his yes-men. I know which choice means I’ll sleep better at night.”

“Fuck.” Hammer leans forward, elbows to knees. “Gotta die for a valiant cause, right?”

“Ain’t anyone dyin’ over this,” I snap.

Ain't anyone fooled, either. We face a real threat, positioning ourselves as the key instigator in this mess.

"I'm in," Hammer nods. "But we're gonna need a solid plan to convince the Kings to get involved."

“No doubt.” I shift my attention to Turnip. “Brother?”

“This ain’t what I signed up for.”

“No?” Minion snaps. “What did you sign up for when you joined a one percent, then, huh? Bake sales? Toy drives?”

"Fuck you," the older man spits. "This club was nothing but muscle for the local underground when I patched in. The worst we did was a little gun trade on the side to make some extra cash, but the only thing we traded on the regular was our reputation. Since then, it's drugs, women, money launderin', and fuck knows what else. We do this; we're diggin' our heels in the sand and leavin' a mark."

“Yeah,” I snap. “We are. As men who don’t allow this bullshit to exist in the world. At least, not in the part of the world we control.”

“But we don’t control it,” he argues. “We’re controlled by this shit happenin’ around us. We do this inresponseto the bullshit thatother mencontrol.” Turnip scoffs. “We’re no more in control of this farce than Rae is of her fate. We’re all just puppets dancing about at the whim of mad men willing to cross the lines we’ve drawn to pursue their goals.”

“We do this shit,” I grit through a stiff jaw, “and we take control back. We do this shit, and we prove we’renobody’spuppet.” I lean forward, dropping my voice to add, “We do this, andwe’rethe ones to fear.”

Turnip nods, a smirk on his chapped lips. "That what you want, Tyke? To be feared?"

“If it gets the job done, yeah, I do.”

"Then you can get it done without me." He stands, the oldest club member and longest-standing officer, and slowly drops his colors from his back. "I'm too old for this shit. I want a peaceful life, not the chaos that'll come with taking the throne." Toeveryone's shock and surprise, he lays the leather gently over the back of the sofa and turns to Rigs. "Have it noted in the minutes that I resign from my position and my place in the club effective immediately." Fucker stares straight at me and adds, "And have it noted that I handed my colors back, as laws dictate I should."

Asshole.“You sure you want to do this?”

I know the answer in my heart before he opens his fucking mouth. “Been sure for a while now, Tyke.” Plain as any Joe on the street, Turnip moves for the door with a salute. “Best of luck, boys.”

The door clicks shut in his wake, the tension in the room easing with a single word from Minion.

“Fucker.”

32

MADDIE

There's a body at my back. Someone gentle who barely moves while I pretend to sleep. I've stared at the same barren section of Dad's wall between the main bedroom door and the attached bath for what feels like hours but is probably only minutes. But it's long enough that my mind wanders away from the horrors that woke me from my sleep to search for something comforting.

Something to ease this fear that coats my consciousness. The asinine belief that this reality isn’t my own. That around the corner lurks danger, and it’s a matter of time before it finds me.

Before fear grips my heart so damn tight, the muscle bursts under the pressure.

Before panic claws at my skin, and apprehension feasts on my carcass.

Fuck.I’ve never been one to be afraid.

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