Page 118 of Deserter

Grey: 1996

Awise man once said,“In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity.”I had a sneaking suspicion that Sun Tzu wouldn’t have been lying in a chair and getting a tattoo while war raged on all sides of him, but what the fuck did I know?

But, what the fuck did I know?

So, I’d gotten cocky.

We’d been at war with almost every MC around for over five years and hadn’t lost one man. I couldn’t say the same for the other clubs.

Wolverine and Comedian stumbled in and fell onto the nearby couches, drunk after our latest victory over the Outlaws.

Comedian spread a line of blow on the coffee table in front of him, rubbing his hands together like he was settling in to enjoy a Thanksgiving feast.

Wolverine stayed quiet, having moved into the overthinking stage of drunkenness. I could feel his concern from across the room. He’d done it for as long as I could remember; never letting himself celebrate for too long.

There was always something he could’ve done better or smarter. It drove me up a fucking wall. If I lived my life like he did, I would’ve ended up in a padded cell years ago.

Luckily, he wasn’t in the mood for talking, so the only sound in the room was the buzzing of Dagger’s gun as he inked Thor’s trusty hammer, Mjölnir, across my chest.

Dakota didn’t say much yet, but I’d watched her little face as she sucked on her pacifier and studied the covers on my old Thor comics. She was only two, but she was already following in her sister’s footsteps.

Kate didn’t want the traditional bedtime story read to her. It had to be a Spiderman comic, or she’d cross her arms over her chest and lift up her chin, looking so much like Celia, it was uncanny.

I’d gotten a spider web inked on last year and I’d never forget the look on her face the first time she saw it. Her fingers had traced over it like it was a rare jewel. She bent down and kissed it and for whatever reason, it stuck and had become a nightly routine.

I had a feeling Dakota was gonna be just like Katydid.

Maybe I’d be the one to take them to get their first comic book when they were a little older—hell, maybe I’d be the one to take them to get their first tattoo. I might even convince their mama one of these days. The thought made me smile.

“You gettin’ Celia’s name?” Comedian asked as he ran his index finger along his gums, needing to soak up every last bit of blow.

I glanced down at my chest and then back up at him. “You got eyes, don’t you? It fuckin’ look like I’m getting my Ol’ Lady’s name tatted on my chest? You know it’s bad luck, right?”

He shrugged. “I’d get her name tattooed on my body and let every man know she belonged to me.”

Dagger paused and turned to look at him. “You don’t have your Ol’ Lady’s name, Comedian.”

“I guess I don’t, do I?” His head fell back against the cushions and he stared up at the ceiling.

He was fucked out of his head.

“Don’t matter anyway—worthless cunt ran off on me and took my kid. We still got no updates on that?”

I kept a poker face and shook my head. “Not a goddamn thing. You said she’d done this before though. She’ll come to her senses once she runs out of money.”

Unfortunately for him, I’d ensured that she’d never run out of money. I’d taken her down south to Slim and he was under strict orders to keep an eye out and stop her from doing something stupid, like dragging my son back to his abusive fuck of a guardian.

My newest prospect, Tony, sauntered in with a wide grin. “Nice job tonight, Pres. You really showed those Outlaws who’s boss.”

I narrowed my eyes and stared at him until he looked away. He was a nice enough kid but felt the need to congratulate everyone by name after the most menial of tasks. I half-expected to see him playfully punch one of the guys in the arm with a giggled, “Oh, you.”

Kid was gonna have to toughen up and cut the shit or he’d never earn his patch. If Nails hadn’t vouched for him, I doubt I would’ve even considered him for a prospect.

“Why don’t you make yourself useful, Prospect. Get us a drink,” Comedian grumbled.

“Sure thing, boss—”

“Prospect, I look like your goddamn boss? I fuckin’ earned the name Comedian. Use it.”

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