Page 107 of Dirty Dylan: Dirty Dusters

“Am not.” I wipe my mouth just in case, and we both snicker immaturely. Truth is, I wouldn’t have been surprised if I had been. Unlike most, my first time really deserved its own fireworks display, even if the next day, when I got dumped, it all just turned into a damp squib.

“Anyway, it was so underwhelming I can’t even remember.”

“Happy to jog that memory of yours, Jay. Just say the word, sweet thing.”

Black eyes bore into mine. He’s being serious.

I smirk at him. “In your dreams, Tyler.”

He grins back. “Going by the wistful look you were just wearing, I’d say it was actually in yours.”

Conceited asshole.

CHAPTERFORTY-SIX

JESSIE

The Ghost Whisperers’ Clubhouse, Colton, Nevada

“So,what is it you want, Ty?”

I watch as he leans back in an armchair that matches my own. Like mine, it’s seen way better days. There’s something quite homely about these old pieces of furniture. You just sort of sink in, then they wrap themselves around you like a comforting hug.

“To be prez of my own club. I’ve been VP for eleven years. It’s my time to shine.”

I snicker. “It’s not Hollywood, Ty. It’s Colton.”

He stares at me across the desk, and I immediately regret that throwaway remark. I’m making light of this situation and I shouldn’t. This is his job. The brothers do this to earn a living, same as my own family. Just because they’re not accountants, lawyers, or professionals, they’re still businesspeople in their own right. They still play a vital part in the chain of what we do. Some might argue the most important part.

“It may not be Vegas or New York either, Jay, but I worked my ass off for the Undertakers over the years. I made VP at twenty-two. I stuck it out. I put up with all sorts of shit, including carrying that dead-weight Reaper most of the time. The prez position was meant to fall to me. You may not know this, but Reaper didn’t have long left. He had acute liver disease.”

“I didn’t know that. I’m sorry.”

“Nothing to be sorry for. His time was up. The Exterminator did the world a favor ridding it of that piece of shit. But him shooting Reaper in the head also moved things along quicker than any of us anticipated.”

“So why didn’t you step up at the time? Make it known you wanted and expected to be handed the prez cut?”

“I was out of town. On a run with a couple of the other brothers. By the time I got back, Lucifer had already swaggered on in and taken control just like he always does.”

I exhale because I know he’s right. “Well, my daddy does like power.”

“Exactly. And there’s nothing wrong with that. But he wants it all. So, in many ways, he’s not so different from Reaper.”

“Aside from the fact he treats his fellow brothers well, doesn’t traffick, and doesn’t piss off the Irish mob.”

“Aside from that.”

“So that’s all you want? To be prez of your own club?”

“That’s all I want. That’s all I’ve ever wanted. We all have our dreams, Jay. And that there’s mine.”

“I wasn’t trying to belittle yours, Ty. I’m sorry if it came across that way.”

“I realize that.”

“And have you been dealing with the Undertakers' previous backers like folks are accusing you of?”

“I have not. Reaper always dealt with them direct. Towards the end, the Undertakers never even called church. A few brothers worked with the prez, but they weren’t even council. They were just doing his bidding because he was paying them. The rest of us didn’t condone the direction he was taking the club, so we didn’t actively get involved. But there was nothing we could do to stop him. He had the backing of this faceless faction. Our families and friends would have been at risk if we’d attempted any sort of club coup.”

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