Page 45 of Wrath

“Whenever you are.”

“Let’s do this.”

We both said our goodbyes to Clutch and Bones, then made our way to the playroom. With everything that had been going on with Bruton and the Demarco brothers, we hadn’t had much time for training—not that I needed a great deal of training. I didn’t. I’d spent the better part of my life watching Stitch deal with the club’s adversaries in and out of the playroom.

I’d seen him plan out wars, break men that I never dreamed could be broken, and put his life on the line for the club time and time again. He’d been a hell of an enforcer, so I made sure to listen to every piece of advice he had to give. When we got to the playroom, he walked over to the wall of tools and opened several of the cabinets. “You’ll need to go through all this and see what you wanna keep and what you wanna get rid of.”

“Why would I get rid of stuff?”

“Because this is about to be your playroom. Not mine... It should be set up the way you want it.”

“It’s not officially mine yet.”

“Actually, it is.”

“What?”

“We made the vote last night.” I felt like the wind had been knocked out of me when he said, “It was a last-minute thing. We would’ve called you in, but it was late and you’d already gone. Besides, I wanted to be the one to tell ya.”

“So, it’s official?” Even though Stitch had already made it clear that I was next in line, I needed to hear him say it. “I’m Satan’s Fury’s new enforcer?”

“You are.”

“I’ll be damned.” I let his words sink in, and a sense of pride washed over me as it hit me that I’d actually done it. I wasn’t just an officer. I was the protector of the club, and now, I’d finally have my chance at true redemption. I took a quick glance around the playroom, then told him, “I still don’t think I’ll be ditchin’ anything.”

“Do. Don’t. Makes no difference to me.” He started to the far corner of the room as he announced, “I have one more thing to show ya.”

He opened a long, skinny cabinet, and inside were various medical supplies, including badges and IVs. “What the hell is all this?”

“There are times when you can get too close to the edge, and when you do, these will help give you a little more time when you need it.”

I motioned my hand over to the small pink teddy bear on the bottom shelf. “What’s with that?”

“That was my reminder that I’m human and not a complete monster.” He reached down and took the bear in his hand. “It was Mia’s when she was little.”

“I see.”

“Crazy thing kept me from crossing some lines I had no business crossing. I’d suggest you find something that will do the same for you.”

I watched as he took the bear and tossed it into the trash. “Can I ask you something?”

“What’s on your mind?”

“Have you ever felt guilty about what you do in here or worry that you took things too far?”

“There have been times when I’ve questioned the things I’ve done. Any man in this position would, but I’ve lost people who were close to me. I wasn’t able to protect them. I regret that.” He looked me in the eye as he said, “You know that regret. You’ve felt it. You’ve been haunted by it.”

“I have.”

“It’s a feeling that overpowers all others. I held it close every time I walked into this room, and it gave me the strength to do whatever it took to protect my brothers and my family. I suggest you do the same.”

“I will do my best.”

“I know you will.” Stitch stood there a moment longer, just looking around the room, then gave me a nod. “It’s yours now, brother. I’ll leave you to it.”

He gave me a pat on the shoulder, then turned and walked out of the room, leaving me alone to sort through all the various drawers and cabinets. It felt strange to try and take ownership of a place that had been Stitch’s for over twenty years. I started taking inventory of what was there, and there were things like candles and slotted spoons that gave me an uncomfortable feeling because I had no idea what he’d used them for. I considered tossing them until a vile thought crossed my mind, and I started to see their potential.

So, I left them where they were and moved on to the next cabinet. It was a lot to take in, but the longer I was there, the more comfortable I became. I wasn’t quite at home, but I knew, in time, I would be.

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