Page 5 of Panther's Magpie
“I’m not a fucking pet you can order around. What the fuck is going on?” I’m spitting mad now.
His hand cups the back of my neck as he brings his face right into mine. “What the fuck is going on? You let my sister walkinto a bar full of some of the worst bikers out there, then you left her there. I now have to mobilize my men to go save her and most likely start a war in the process.”
My mouth falls open. “I didn’t…”
“It doesn’t fucking matter. So if you want to help Aspen, you’ll sit here and keep your mouth fucking shut.”
The tears well once more, making me feel like an emotional mess. When I don’t respond, he lets go of my neck, walking away.
All I can think is that I hope he saves her.
Without her, I will be truly alone in this world.
PANTHER
“What’s going on?” Eagle asks as he takes the seat next to me.
“We have an issue. One that will require a full vote. Know that if this doesn’t go as I want, I’ll be resigning and taking matters into my own hands,” I whisper to him.
His eyes widen. “I’ll back you. You know that.”
We don’t have to wait for long. I watch as Ridge, Falcon, Talon, Meek, and Cobra come through the door.
“Dove is tending to old man Lank. He said I can vote as his proxy,” Talon informs me as he takes his seat.
“How is he doing?” I ask about the old member who has been on hospice for the last week.
It’s bad enough when you have one member with cancer, but it’s even worse when you have two. Mustang, Rain’s dad, with the help of chemo, should recover where Lank is too far gone.Lank’s cancer had spread all throughout his body before it was found, which fucking sucks.
We should have made him go to the doctor sooner, but when you’re dealing with vets, it’s hard to convince them to do anything they don’t want to do.
“It’s almost time. Any day now,” Talon says.
I nod. “I have called you here today for something that is personal. I’m going to lay it all out for you, but know that no matter what, I am going to do something about this. The only difference is if the club will be behind me as I do it.”
“We always have your back,” Meek speaks up.
“I appreciate that, but you might not agree once I’m done. As you all know, we have a delicate balance with our neighbors to the west. We stay out of their way, and they stay out of ours. Unfortunately, someone very important to me has found their way into their grasp. I don’t talk much about my sister because I don’t want her touched by my life. She doesn’t deserve the shit that comes with being connected to me. I thought I was doing what was right for her, but somehow she still ended up with a target on her back. Tonight she went into a bar and happened to find it infested with Ragged Anarchy men. They wouldn’t let her leave. Her friend managed to get away to come here and alert me to the situation. I plan to get Aspen back. I want you to vote on if you think it is best for the club to be involved or not. This board is not about personal shit. It is for club-related shit, so you need to decide if this is club-related or not. I will not punish you either way.” I swallow hard.
The men are all silent for a moment.
Hawk is the first to speak up. “Have you reached out to let them know that what they have is not theirs to possess?”
I shake my head. “I am worried if I do that, they will harm her.”
He thinks it over. “We could make her seem not so important. Make it seem like we just want our possession back. If they say no, then we have good reason to go to war.”
I consider that option. It’s risky, but it might work.
The men around the table all nod.
“All in favor of Hawk’s plan?” I call out.
Everyone agrees.
“Meek, get me their president’s number. I want to call him right away. Ridge, mobilize the men. If he doesn’t agree, I want patrols in his neck of the woods. We need to find out where they are keeping Aspen. She won’t still be at the bar. Not after the friend was able to escape.”
“What about the friend? I assume she’s the drop-dead gorgeous brunette in the clubhouse,” Eagle asks.
