Page 251 of Fury

Butler had been right about Pick. I showed him trust and respect to get the job done with his brothers, and he got it done. No moaning, no games. I offered him the presidency of the new chapter of the Flames I’d set up in southern Nebraska, and he agreed.

My phone rang. Lenox, the national Sergeant at Arms in Ohio.

“Yeah?”

“Finger, I got news,” he said.

“What news?”

“We would’ve called you in, but things have been happening real fast—Cooper and Reich, you getting the Blades in. We need a national president.”

“So elect one.”

“We want you.”

“Me?”

“Can’t come as a surprise, bro.”

But it did.

I hadn’t been shooting for the throne all this time. I’d wanted justice served. I’d wanted my island kingdom to be prosperous and protected. That was my focus.

Full command.

I closed my eyes and took in a long, slow breath.

“Finger. You there?”

“Yeah.”

“Unanimous, man. Get your ass up here.”

I got my ass to Ohio, my old lady at my side, and after the “election,” I was sworn in as National President of the Flames of Hell MC.

Having checked in at theairport for our flight back to Nebraska, we went through security and headed to our gate. I wasn’t a fan of flying, but it was winter, and you couldn’t ride in the Midwest through to the Great Plains this time of year. The snow and ice were incredible.

“I need a chai latte,” said Lenore, tugging me toward an overpriced coffee bar chain.

“A what?”

“It’s like a—”

“Hold on, I have a better idea.” I tugged her hand in the opposite direction of the coffee joint. Past the doughnut chain, past the newspaper and magazine shop.

There it was. I’d spotted the place earlier.

Lenore squeezed my hand. “A photo booth?”

Two teenage girls giggled over their strip of photos by the side of the booth. I ushered Lenore inside and put her in my lap as she slid the curtain closed. We put in the money and I held her tight against me.

“You are too much,” she said, kissing my cheek, smoothing the edge of my beard down with her hand.

“Kiss me,” I breathed.

She stuck her tongue out at me instead, and I laughed, doing the same, our tongues touching as we cracked up. The camera clicked. We made faces at each other.Click. We made faces at the camera.Click. We kissed deep.Click. And we laughed harder.

The strip of pics dropped in the slot, and Lenore immediately picked it up. “Look at that. Oh, look at that.” Her grin dropped, her bottom lip quivered, and she pressed her face in my chest, clinging to me, taking shuddery breaths.

---