Page 90 of The Vows We Keep
“Shut up and listen,” I say. “It’s not like this is the most important thing we ever discussed at this table or anything.”
Switch raises an eyebrow. “Since when do you care about paying attention at this table?”
I know it’s said with humor, but I’m not in the mood. “Since King is about to propose Catalina joining the Iron Outlaws,” I say, getting ahead of myselfandmy president’s agenda.
“He’s going to what?” Wrinkle asks from the end of the table.
“If you let me finish what I was saying, it’ll make more sense,” King says. “I checked the charter and ran through it with our lawyer. It clearly says that only men can be brothers. It doesn’t define what a man is, but any way we position it, that definition does not mean Cat.”
My heart plummets. She needs to be a brother; she needs to feel fully part of a club, not like some disposable asset that can be turned on and used when required. That’s the current deal she has with Los Reyes.
“But,” King says dramatically, “there is scope to open the classifications. The pipeline has always been hang arounds, prospects, brothers. There is absolutely nothing that says we can’t insert another classification and set the rules for what that classification does or doesn’t have access to.”
“What are you saying? Because I’m fucking confused,” I say bluntly.
“I’m saying we can create criteria between prospect and brother.”
“What, likesisteror something?” Switch asks.
King shakes his head. “I’m thinking something non-gendered, so in the long-term we don’t have to keep redefining. Something that shows a person’s importance to the club, outside of brotherhood. It’s an open floor until we’re ready to vote.”
“No,” Wrinkle says. “It’ll make us a laughingstock. I don’t care how badass she is; she’s not joining the club in a professional capacity. She’s at best just club pussy.”
“Watch what you say about her, old man,” I say. “Doing my best to not climb over this table and choke an apology out of you.”
“For fuck’s sake, Dad,” Halo says. “The club’s evolving. In what we do and who we are. Women are getting into the most intense levels of service in the military, makes sense they should be able find a home someplace else too.”
“Yeah,” says Switch. “But you and I both know men who got injured on the battlefield because their natural reaction is to protect the women they’re serving with.” Switch looks in my direction. “I’m not saying no, but we do need to think about the psychology of having a woman with us, when we do some of the things we do.”
“Fair,” King notes.
“How does it work with her being a part of the club and also possibly an old lady?” Spark asks.
“She willdefinitelybe my old lady,” I say.
Spark raises his hands. “Don’t need to snap at me. It’s a valid question. Part of the reason our club works is because club business is just that. Club business. None of us bridge that. But as we saw the night they went out for drinks; the women think of her as one of theirs. How does that sit when they know there is something going on, but we won’t tell them? Are they going to call up Cat to try and get the skinny from inside?”
“Cat wouldn’t tell them,” I say.
Clutch eyes me evenly. “Yeah, but you’re biased and in no position to be objective. Of course you’re going to think she can do this. The question for the vote is: do the rest of us?”
“To clarify, this isn’t just a position for Catalina,” King says. “It’s a position for any other person we can’t see a full path to brotherhood for, but would want them to feel respected and valuable enough to be a close member of the group. Cat’s the only example we’ve got right now.”
“What if we went down current membership requirements for brotherhood, see which things do and don’t apply, then figure out what new things we’d have to add?” Bates says. “Let’s start with the wearing of identifiable colors. Would this new role get a cut?”
“Prospects and brothers all get a cut, so why wouldn’t the people in this new group?” I ask.
“Fair,” Vex says. “So she gets a cut. But have you thought through what it means? She can’t wear club colorsanda ‘Property of’ rocker patch.”
The question stops me in my tracks for a minute. Does it really matter to me that she wears a property patch? “Perhaps there is another way to arrange all the rockers and patches on our cuts. So, imagine it’s club colors on the back, but as this new classification doesn’t include ranking roles, maybe where the rank usually goes on the cut, she can wear a smaller property patch.”
“We need to stop aiming all the questions at Niro to solve,” King says. “Like I said, this should be a new position for anyone we think deserves it. Cat deserves the choice.” He looks at me. “And you can’t be pissed off when she picks the club colors you want so badly for her instead of a property patch.”
“Fuck,” I grumble. “I want Cat more than I need a patch on her at all. She’s mine. I’m hers. I’ll settle for a ring.”
Clutch looks shocked. “You’re gonna marry her?”
“Patch her. Marry her. Knock her up maybe. Get my kid to marry your kid so we’ll be in-laws for the rest of our lives. How’s that sound?”
