Page 34 of Ranger's Rise
“Thanks, Brother. Bring Ops coverage to the Security meet tomorrow.” Through everything here, he didn’t forget. I smile.
“Roger, Boss.”
He clicks off and looks at me. “You’re a good partner to have. I’m glad you were at the jail. It’s shit that comes in regularly. The warden is a dickass and keeps hiring incompetent guards. Since he’s paying for Enforcers to help him out, we do, but his shit is getting old.”
VP looks like someone punched him. “Don’t tell me we’re opening a jail now?”
Cort looks away for a second. “I thought about it, but I’m not interested in helping criminals be criminals. I think they need a new warden. I’ll talk to the Masons.”
I nod. That would work better in my head too. VP settles and Cort gets on his bike. “I’ll see you at seven. Expansion is going to be covered.”
“Roger, Boss,” we say at the same time.
A Security Team follows him down the road. “Vick?” I check to make sure my mic is off. When I don’t get an answer, I look at VP. “Are we meeting here with Cort or without him?”
“He’ll be here. You got out of training. I never get out of training.”
Okay. I nod and get on my bike. Cort needs cover for right now but made sure if he was overheard, it isn’t obvious. “What’s with the anger and holding his arm?”
“I’m his support. Crow taught us how to diffuse anger and energy. It sounds crazy, but we learned how to do that for each other. I’m Cort’s support and Jinx is mine. Brinks can help all of us and Hade could read moods. He was a help for Cort too but never could diffuse or focus him. You settled him today, so I’d say you’re a support too. Putting your hand on him diffuses his rage. That’s what he calls it. If he doesn’t settle, he’s on a rampage. Most of the time he’s funny with doling out punishments, but if he’s enraged, it comes out violent. It hasn’t happened in years, but it’s in him. He’s always been the top Enforcer, he’s fair and follows procedure for everything. He’s funny too. When anger gets the best of him, those procedures are followed, but he can be vicious and he’s fucking fast with reactions and a gun in his hand, so it’s over before he’s thinking like a President again.”
I nod. Okay, so he’s not violent and hurting people that don’t need to be hurt.
I start my bike and ride with him back to the office. I can see the consequences of a violent reaction hurting his rep. He is funny but known to be fair and just in his reactions. A war broke out with one-percenters and he leveled five Clubs. They brought the war to Badass, so it was seen as deserved. I saw him in the Training Center the day the news broke and had no idea we had just gone through a war. I was training in the outbuildings because Brinks was called to Ops, so I didn’t see anything different happening around me. I remember thinking he didn’t look like a Brother who leveled Clubs across three states and Mexico and just killed countless members of those five Clubs.
The anger worried me today, but I see how and why he needs to control it. Not because he’d be wrong, but the Brothers seeing that from their President would mimic those reactions and he’d lose control of the good he’s trying to spread. I saw it happen in my old Club.
At the office, a Prospect comes out for our bikes. “You settled?” VP asks.
I smile. “I am, VP. I’d like to know more about the energy and how to use that better.”
He nods. “I’ll talk to Brinks. He can explain it better than I can. The Brother is good too.”
“Thanks, VP. I need to get with the As about a ride. I told them tonight, but need to make it early.”
He nods. “Go. I’ll meet you at Cort’s at seven.” He heads for the stairs and I go toward the hall to Web’s elevator and stairway.
~*~*~
Ranger
Ordering right after VP, I wait for what this is about.
“Hade isn’t coming back. He’s pissed about not being considered for SAA, even as a temp. Freedom not riding on the back of his bike and the Brothers laughing about it were brought up in anger too.” He makes life easy not dragging it out.
I take that in and swing my head. “He shot Cort while he was drunk. Granted, I had something to do with that, but the Brothers still talk shit about it. He lost respect and never owned it with them to get that back. It was an easy fix, showing remorse, he didn’t take it and the Brothers don’t have a reason to let it go. They won’t be surprised and will hold that forever with him leaving.”
He nods. “Yeah. You’re good with the group thing. You must have been a hell of an SAA and you’ll be a good President. Hade came up in the Club with us. Cort isn’t willing to keep him around when we just went through Brothers turning and one that came up with us letting it play out. Hade mentioned Freedom a few times, Lorelei once and Seren twice. He doesn’t believe women belong in the Club. Cort tried to give Freedom a job as Enforcer, so he’s not stopping what he sees as progress. When he told Hade, he blew up and everything flowed out.”
Fuck. Freedom being mentioned wouldn’t be told to me unless I need it. He’s not done. “Hade dropped his cut and will pledge to Jordan. He’s an Enforcer and Ops Lead. Jordan won’t offer Officer, but will take him as a member.” That’s smart.
“Hade going for that?”
He shrugs. “He says he’s good with it. I think after everything that’s happened, he’s relieved to be getting back to the city and have a Club to call home. Shooting Cort hit him, but like you said, he won’t own it. He’s blaming you and you just took a job he’s wanted forever.” He is, but I owned it with Cort, Seren and the Brothers.
“Why didn’t he get the job before? He came up in the Club and Falcon was months in.”
He smiles. “Cort reads people and didn’t think he’d be a good fit for the job. Crow took Falcon, but Cort was President after and never moved Hade. Don’t get me wrong, Hade is a good Brother and was loyal until recently. He’s using anything he can find as an excuse for what he fucks up. Everything that’s happened over the last year is Cort’s fault, including Freedom because she’s at the office. The condos she’s in are for support staff. Every single person there is not a member, but he focused on her getting a place to live. Cort still wants to give her a job, but she won’t take it. I think her refusal had to do more with Hade than her.”
