Page 184 of Dagger

“Yo!” Mason called from the door. “Prez wants you all in Church.”

Silence fell over the room briefly before Sophie repeated, “John wants us in Church?”

Mason grinned. “Nope, Prez wants you in Church. He said you gotta keep your mouths shut and stay at the back.”

Cara looked around the kitchen, beaming, and I didn’t blame her one bit. It seemed her man was already doing things his way.

If I’d been around when John made his new traditions, I’d have beamed proudly, too.

Mason took Belle from my arms and ushered us down the hallway to the bar.

As we drew closer, we heard a roar so loud it almost lifted the room. Goose bumps rose on my skin as I heard Cash’s voice bellow,“Mess with a Demon?”

What seemed like a hundred voices yelled back,“And we’ll raise Hell!”

Cara cracked the door open and slipped inside the bar, motioning for us all to follow.

Once inside, I looked around and grinned.

Speed Demons sat on every surface. Chairs, tables, the bar, and even the pool tables were heaving under the weight of bikers. The atmosphere in the room was so electric that I could almost see sparks fly through the air. Every man stared at the makeshift stage where three long tables had been pushed together for the officers.

“It’s been my honor, boys,” John declared, his ass perched on the edge of the same table his sons sat behind. “Thank you for allowing me the privilege of leading this club.”

He stood straight and tall, and I noticed his eyes desperately searching for something. Our gazes locked, and my heart fluttered when his white teeth flashed through his beard. John shot me a wink before turning back to his son.

“Stand up, Cash,” he ordered, taking a cut from a pile folded neatly on the desk.

Cash immediately got to his feet and walked around the table to stand beside his dad.

“I’m honored to give you this, Son,” John announced. “Haven’t always been the dad you wanted, but I hope I’ve been the dad you needed to prepare you for this.” My man slipped the new prez’s cut over his shoulders and clapped him hard on the back.

“Boys,” John bellowed. “Welcome your new prez, Cash Stone.”

The place erupted, the men’s roars so loud, they hurt my eardrums. Hollers filled the air, along with wolf whistles and shouts of appreciation.

A soft hand slid into mine, and I turned to see Cara staring up at the stage with tears in her eyes. Her face swiveled to mine, and my heart squeezed when I saw a tear track down her face before she turned back to gaze up at her man.

Cash held up a hand and waited for the shouts to die down. “Brothers. If I can be half the president my old man was, I reckon we’ll do alright together.”

More roars went up, the brothers shouting their encouragement as they watched Cash and John go in for a man hug.

Cash smacked John on the back and pulled away, visibly gulping. “Brothers. I want to present your new VP; a man I know you already love and respect as much as I do… Breaker!”

Kennedy gasped, her hands flying to her mouth.

Kit’s jaw dropped. Almost dazed, he stood, walked around the table, and accepted his new cut from his prez before hugging Cash, then John, manly back slaps and all.

After congratulating his brother, Cash turned back to the crowd, perching his ass on the desk, much like John just did. “We’ve got two officer positions to fill: Road Captain and Secretary. On your way out, pick up a ballot paper. I want you to write down the names of the men you want to promote to these positions. The two brothers with the most votes will sit at the officers’ table.”

John gazed down at his men, taking every face in with a huge grin.

Anybody looking at him right then would think he was happy, and he was, to a point. But I’d loved John Stone since I was a sixteen-year-old girl; therefore, I also knew he was torn up inside.

He’d explained the night before—when we lay facing each other in bed—how they’d been in his life for so long, he wasn’t sure how he’d be without them. John’s brothers had been withhim through births, deaths, sickness, weddings, and divorces. Those wonderful men were his family, and not leading them anymore would leave a hole.

Stone assured me he was at peace with his decision and knew he was doing the right thing by leaving, but the club was such a big part of his life that it would take some adjusting.

My throat heated as I watched John pull his shoulders back and salute his brothers. “Godspeed,” he said huskily before walking down from the stage and making a beeline toward me.

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