Page 25 of Romeo

Magnum snorted, shook his head, and began to lumber down the steps.

Romeo followed. “Ain’t gonna bring this up tonight with the other officers, ‘cause I wanted you to give it some thought first, but… think you need to step down as the club’s sergeant at arms.”

He almost slammed into Magnum when he stopped abruptly at the foot of the steps and bellowed, “For what fuckin’ reason?”

Romeo moved around him and out of reach. Just in case. He normally could hold his own but, age aside, Magnum wasn’t anyone to fuck with when he was pissed. “Gettin’ long in the tooth, brother. Time to pass that job on to someone younger.”

“Like who?”

Romeo shrugged. “Whoever wants their name thrown in the hat and can handle the job.”

“Think I can no longer handle it?” As Magnum’s temper got shorter, his voice tended to get louder.

Despite that, Romeo wasn’t backing down from this conversation. He’d been putting off having it, but Magnum keeping Maddie a secret was a good reason to finally bring it up. “Didn’t say that.”

“Sure fuckin’ sounded like it. Been doin’ this since you were just a tadpole in your daddy’s nut sack.”

“And that’s what I’m fuckin’ sayin’. You’re slowin’ down,old man. Wouldn’t you rather be home loungin’ in a recliner and bouncin’ your grandbabies on your knee?” Maybe even an arthritic knee at that.

“Right now the only grandbaby I got small enough to be bounced on my goddamn knee is Destiny.”

Destiny was Aaliyah’s latest kid with her current badge-carrying ball-and-chain.

“How ‘bout you ask the rest of the officers if I should be fuckin’ replaced? See what they say. Like you bein’ prez, I’m pretty fuckin’ sure our brothers think I’m still good enough to be this club’s enforcer. Any-fuckin’-way, it’s the membership’s fuckin’ decision, not yours.”

Magnum wasn’t wrong. He’d have to be removed from the position for a valid reason. Unless he quit. Otherwise, Romeo would have to wait until the next election and try to convince someone to run against him.

“Do we got enemies?”

Romeo answered, “No.”

“You want enemies?”

“No.”

“Then the right person’s in the fuckin’ position.”

“Just figured you’d wanna slow down and enjoy life instead. You’re also supposed to be managin’ the bar. You’re hardly ever here. I gotta step in all the fuckin’ time.”

“Wick’s got shit under control. You only step in ‘cause you’re much closer now that you’re livin’ in my old place.”

“But you’re still takin’ a cut of the profits as fuckin’ manager.”

“Why you such a fuckin’ whiny bitch tonight? You on your period or somethin’?”

Romeo’s head snapped back. “Brother, you’re talkin’ to your goddamn prez.”

Magnum leaned closer and looked him directly in theeye. “Know who I’m talkin’ to. Believe it or not, I always got your back, brother, that’s the whole reason I didn’t fuckin’ tell you about Maddie.”

Romeo got it but that didn’t mean he had to like it. “You want me to fuckin’ thank you for that?”

“Yeah. That woulda been better than all the bullshit you just shoveled. ‘Specially since I was tryin’ to keep you breathin’. But go fuck with her and see how that works out for you.”

“As long as I don’t end up married and givin’ her babies like you, I’ll be fuckin’ golden.”

Magnum snorted, shook his head, then headed over to this spot at the table. That conversation was over as soon as the rest of the committee wandered downstairs.

Romeo decided not to bring it up during the meeting.

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