“She killed him, Steal. She started on me, yet again, because you picked me up yesterday, then she picked up the knife…. Brute stepped in and saved me,” Faith cries behind me while Cass says nothing, only stays frozen.
“Y-you have to avenge your brother, a man who was like an uncle to you, Steal. You need to kill her,” Faith continues, and everything inside me dies.
If the older generation brothers see this, they’ll want her blood; they won’t want to hear her side of things; a brother is still a brother; he’s still family while she refused to take my cut.
Fuck, fuck, fuck….
Pain, absolute pain hits me, knowing what I have to do to save her, and it’s going to kill me, and Piston and Acid will hate me for it, but at least she’ll be alive….
Fuck, why did she do this, fucking why!
Swallowing the lump forming in my throat, I put a hard face on, trying to ignore the way my eyes tear up and storm over to Cass. With all the strength I can muster, I grab her by the hair, making her gasp in shock, and drag her out of the kitchen and into the common room.
The brothers all quiet while Acid jumps from his seat, doing exactly what I’d hoped he do and defend her, and with absolute heartbreak, I shove Cass and grab my pistol, aiming it at her head while silently praying she’ll one day forgive me for this.
“What the fuck!” Acid snaps before throwing himself between Cass and me, and my heart pounds as I growl, “Get out the fucking way, Acid!” my body shaking with pain.
Piston steps up next to Acid and snaps, “We aren’t going to let you shoot someone we see as fucking family all because you’re our prez, Steal. Cassidy is family!”
My nostrils flare as a crying Faith grips my arm, and the hurt shining in my girl’s hazel eyes breaks me.
“Fucking move now!” I boom, hoping I’m fooling everyone, and Acid moves in front of Cass, proving to me how fucking amazing he is.
“Listen, Ollie; I w-won’t have you hurt. Perrie has l-lost too much as it is, s-she can’t lose you too,” Cass whispers, her voice trembling, and instantly I want to fold up into a ball and fucking cry as he refutes, “And she can’t lose you!”
Fuck, Perrie is never going to forgive me for this, is she?
I release the safety on my gun for show, causing the brothers to tense, hoping they’ll prove their love for my girl, and Acid holds his arms out, “Go on then, shoot me, a brother, someone you fucking sponsored, just so you can shoot the woman you claim to love, a woman you promised to keep safe.”
My jaw tenses, and I reluctantly admit, “She killed Brute. Stabbed him in the heart….”
Acid raises his brow, not believing it, but unfortunately, it’s the truth, and he snaps, “You saw it with your own two eyes, did you?”
I flare my nostrils, because I know I fucking didn’t, and regretfully lie, “Faith saw her do it, and I trust Faith's words over hers.” I nod over to Cass, who lets out a sob. I try not to flinch, hating that I’ve said this, hating that I’m making her believe I don’t trust her word, because I fucking do, but she needs to run, at least until I can somehow fix this fucking mess.
Piston says, “Since when do you take word of mouth from a woman who wants your patch, Prez? I have cameras in that kitchen and yet you’ve gone from zero to a hundred, all on the say of someone you used to fuck, someone who has been trying to split you and Cassidy up since day one.”
Since the old timers will want to fucking kill her even if it was an accident.
Brute was an original member, and he was also our road captain, one who had gotten some of our brothers arrested several times by fucking up the routes. Each time the van was, thankfully, empty of the guns and ammo we supply to other MCs and the cartels.
Acid is supposed to take over once he finishes college, but he’ll be taking over tonight instead.
“Put the gun down, Steal,” Anchor, my now VP, demands. The brothers all nod in agreement, making me relax just a tad. Anchor furrows his brows, seeing the movement, but he doesn’t question it.
I don’t drop the gun, seeing the glares the old timers are giving Cass, and I quickly sneer at my girl with pain shooting through me, “Pack your shit and get out of town, because if I see you again, you won’t have my brothers standing behind you; they’ll be standing behind me once they see the truth of what you did.” I look over her with a disgusted look on my face while in hindsight, I’m taking her in silently, promising to find her once this shit dies down. Piston tries to go for me, making me proud, before I add the nail into the coffin and state, “Faith was right about you; you’re nothing but a lying, patch-chasing whore. Now get the fuck outta my clubhouse!”
Faith digs her nails into my arm, and it takes everything in me not to shove her away as Acid guides Cassidy out, Piston watching his back. Only when they leave do I put my gun away and shake Faith off me.
“You are not seriously allowing that bitch to walk out of here!” Bull snaps, Brutes blood brother, and I swallow down my anger and snap, “Until we have the fucking proof, yeah, I am.” I look around the room. “Does anyone have a problem with that, or would you rather I kill someone who could be fucking innocent?”
The brothers all shake their heads while the old timers, some who weren’t happy that I took over last month, all narrow their eyes at me.
“Steal, you don’t believe me?” Faith asks with a quiver, and I lie, “Of course, I do, but we need the proof before the counsel brothers decide what to do.”
She nods and then lays her head on my shoulder, making me want to shove her away again, but she soon stumbles back when Piston gets in my face, and Anchor quickly rushes over and grabs him.
He fights his VP as he shouts, “You said you fucking love her, and yet you believe this fucking whore!”