Page 32 of Preacher

I didn’t have to worry about how I’d spent the morning. There was always work to be done. Calls to make, shipments to track, and deals to keep in check. I spent the next hour going through emails, making notes, and checking in on club business.

I was making real progress when there was a tap at my door.

I glanced up just as the door swung open, and Creed stepped inside with Seven following close behind. I could tell by their expressions that they weren’t there to shoot the shit.

“Morning,” Creed said, helping himself to the chair across from me.

“You’re looking a little rough around the edges this morning,” Seven greeted me as he took the other chair.

“Feeling a little rough, but nothing more than usual.” I leaned back in my chair. “You got something on your mind?”

Creed glanced over at Seven before saying, “We just wanted to check in and see where your head is with the Volkov brothers.”

“I’m still thinking it over.”

“And?”

“I’m intrigued.” Sergei had called me in to discuss some of the perimeters of the partnership, and while he made it seem pretty cut and dry, I knew better than that. A partnership like he was suggesting would be complicated at best. “A lot of money on the table and the potential for a lot more.”

“Yeah, but at what cost?” There was no missing the concern in my VP’s voice as he said, “We’ve worked hard to make the Fury name what it is. The last thing we need to do is piss it all away by getting tied up with the wrong assholes.”

“I don’t think we’ll be pissing anything away by tying up with these boys.” I’d thought it all through, and I meant it when I said, “They’re arrogant motherfuckers. No doubt about that, and they’ve made some mistakes, big ones, but they’ve good ideas and they’re trying to make a real go of this place. And they’re smart enough to know they need help.”

Seven, who’d been quiet up to this point, shook his head. “They got balls coming to us for help after what they did to Tallie and Rooks.”

I got that he was pissed about how things had gone down with Tallie, but it could’ve been much worse, especially after what we’d done to the guard and driver. And Rooks was a fucking asshole who’d not only had his father killed but tried to steal a shit ton of money from him and the Volkovs. I knew he wouldn’t like it, but that didn’t stop me from saying, “Can’t say that I would’ve handled it any different, especially with Rooks.”

“They got him locked up in the fucking basement!”

I’d made the mistake of asking Sergei about Rooks, and he was quick to tell me that he’d considered killing him. He certainly deserved it, but Rooks had a particular skillset that could be useful to a man like him. It was that thought that led him to spare Rooks’ life—at least for the time being.

“But he’s still breathing,” I countered. “Which means he’s still got a chance to walk. That’s not something I would’ve given him.”

Creed leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms with doubt. “You really think we can trust them to do what we tell ‘em?”

“If they don’t, we walk.” I leaned forward and looked him dead in the eye. “I’m not going to let these guys fuck this up. They’ll either play by our rules, or we’re out.”

“They best step in line, or I’ll rattle some heads.”

“You and me both.”

“So, what’s the plan?” Creed asked. “Do you know the expectations?”

“For now, they just want our presence at the Casino. They want people to see us and know that we’ve got their back, and they have ours.”

“Sounds simple enough.”

“Nothing simple about it,” I countered. “Sergei and Tallie’s father made a lot of enemies with all the shit they pulled to acquire all that land. We need to look into everyone they fucked over, so there are no surprises.”

“I’ll get with Shep and have him look into it.” Creed exhaled. “I gotta say, there are some advantages to partnering up with him. I mean, hell. Having them as allies makes us untouchable in this city.”

Seven grimaced. “But if this thing goes sideways…”

“It won’t,” I answered without hesitation. “I won’t let it.”

Creed studied me for a moment, then nodded. “So, when are we gonna break it down to the others?”

“This afternoon. I’ll call the boys in for church and lay it all out.”

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