Page 107 of Deserter

Celia and I’d worked quickly, scrounging up pizzas and cake before she went door to door to invite his buddies. I’d volunteered for the job, but she’d made some comment about me looking a little too menacing to be rounding up kids.

All of that and my son had been cowering under his bed in fear, convinced his father had come home early to beat him.

I narrowed my eyes at Comedian. “You put him up to this?”

The son-of-a-bitch shrugged his shoulders as if I’d just asked if he thought we might get some rain later. “This is where he’s gonna end up, Pres. It’s time he knows what his old man does. I don’t want him growing up, thinking I’m a nobody.”

I knew what Mikey thought. It was in the way he looked at Comedian; the same way I’d looked at Donald.

I shook my head and forced my hands into the front pockets of my jeans to keep from strangling the life out of him. “He’s not staying—we’ve got club business to attend to and I don’t think anybody here is hurting for babysitting money. Get him out of here and get back so we can get started.”

Mikey’s jaw tightened as he stared me down and I realized all I’d done was make Comedian look like the hero, trying to immerse his kid in club life, while I was the bad guy, refusing to let him have any fun.

“Fuck you!” Mikey screamed; eyes filled with hate. “I’m staying.”

His words packed a punch and my men fell silent, clearly waiting for me to assert my authority. My fuckin’ heart had been ripped from my chest by someone I’d take a bullet for. I knew there’d be a day when he no longer saw me as a protector, but someone who stood in his way.

I’d just mistakenly assumed I didn’t have to worry about shit like that until he hit high school.

“You want to stay? Fine—stay.” I nodded to Wolverine, who no longer looked triumphant. “Get him upstairs in a room.”

Surprise flashed in Mikey’s eyes and he opened his mouth only to close it again immediately. I kept my eyes on his as Wolverine led him to the stairs, hoping he saw how much pain I was in. I needed him to see how much I cared; not the fucker who thought a biker club was a good place for a kid.

Me.

The bikers watched me warily, still waiting for me to snap. Hell, even Comedian seemed resigned to the possibility that I was going to beat his ass for his son’s outburst.

I would’ve too, if I didn’t think he was going to repay my kid in kind later.

Once Wolverine reappeared and I knew that Mikey was safely tucked away for the time being, we moved to the back and began the meeting.

The men were just as shocked as I’d been that Beast wanted out. We lived and died by our patch. I reminded him of the terms, but he didn’t back down, even as his shaking hands took the gun from mine.

Wolverine had always said that fate determined whether we lived or died. Russian roulette was an effective way of preventing anyone from leaving the club on a whim.

“Bet if your Ol’ Lady was here she’d find a way to beat the odds. Smart as a fuckin’ whip,” Hawk said with a grin.

I agreed with him there.

Celia’s knack for quickly gathering facts in almost any situation she went into was astounding. The night that the men had brought Molly over, Bear told me how she’d sprung into action, getting her onto the couch and settled without once asking what happened.

She might’ve been groomed to be the wife of a politician or some other sleazy profession, but my girl had been born to be a biker’s Ol’ Lady.

The gun clicked and he stripped off his kutte and dropped it into my hands with a shaky exhale before heading for the door. “We’re done here, yeah? Karen and I are fuckin’ out of here.”

Comedian stepped in, reminding him that the club was stripping him of everything, including his Ol’ Lady. I was so caught up in thoughts of the coming war that I didn’t intervene. I didn’t care.

“You know the rules, Beast. Karen might’ve been your Ol’ Lady, but she’s club property now.” I took a swig from my beer and sat down in a patio chair, working to come up with a plan that didn’t end with all of us dead.

The bikers moved back inside, but Wolverine hung back. “You okay?”

I stared right through him. “The fuck do you care? Don’t think I didn’t notice the shit you pulled with the kid.” Rage washed over me, and I stood up, kicking the chair across the patio before confronting him.

“What do you want, old man? For me to tell you that you were right and I was wrong? Fine. You win. Syndicate’s blown to shit and war’s coming.”

Wolverine’s mouth fell open, but he remained silent.

“C’mon, old man. Don’t leave me hangin’ now,” I growled. “This is your chance. Your big fuckin’ opportunity to tell me what a bang-up job I’m doing—”

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