Addictive (Houston Defiance MC #2) - K.E. Osborn Page 0,18
and take charge while Zero’s away.”
A fire lights in her eyes. All the misery and terror from moments before vanishes as she stands taller. I’ve switched her from mourning her loss to the queen bee she’s meant to be. “Okay, I can do this.”
“That’s the spirit. Make sure you keep an eye on Prinie for me, will you? Her PTSD is triggering. Having Zero dragged off has hit her hard.”
“Okay, yeah, I will go check on her. I’ll take care of the clubhouse, Wraith. You make sure you get everything in line for Zero. Promise me?”
“Done! I’m gonna find a way out of this.” Somehow.
We both turn, walking in opposite directions, the weight of this is like a fucking elephant sitting on my chest.
I can’t even fathom where to begin.
What would Zero do?
I turn, sending a whistle through the clubrooms.
Everyone faces me as I take in a steadying breath. “Brothers, church, now. Luc,” the prospect’s eyes shoot to me like he wasn’t expecting his name to be called. “You’re on Cherry. Everywhere she goes, you do, too. Got it?”
His eyes shift to his best friend, Chains, who’s the entire reason he patched in here from Chicago. Chains beams wide at him. Luc doesn’t need permission from Chains, he’s getting support for his first solo gig.
“Got it… ahh, do we call you pres while Zero’s away?” Luc asks.
Fuck if I know!
Technically I’m the interim president, but fuck if that doesn’t feel like admitting defeat.
“No. The president still wears his patch. He isn’t gone. He hasn’t left. Let’s think of it as he’s on a vacation. Zero’s coming back. I’m not sure when, but we are getting him back. As for me, I’m your VP, so you call me as such. Now everyone… get in the chapel, we have shit to discuss. Luc, don’t you let her out of your fucking sight! You feel me?”
“Yes, VP,” Luc calls out as I turn walking for the chapel doors. I push through them with no plan in place, no speech prepared, no angle to come at them with. I’m hoping an honest, open discussion among my brothers will get us all in the right headspace for when we head down to the police station.
Walking in, I round the table. I shuffle past Zero’s chair with an uneasy emotion spinning through me. I’m running this meeting, so technically, I should sit at the top, but again, that feels downright disrespectful. I take a seat in my usual VP chair leaving Zero’s empty. I slide his gavel over in front of me as the other brothers make their way through the door. Fox is the last, so he closes the heavy door behind him. They all pull up their seats as I crack my neck to the side trying to ease the rising tension.
“So, Kevlar, I wanna hit you first. You obviously had no idea your brother was gonna come in here, right?”
Kevlar folds his arms across his chest. “Fucking asshole was always searching for a reason to raid the joint. He hates the fact I’m here. Any damn excuse to get the club shut down or the people here I care about in the shit, Ethan will take it. I don’t understand why, when he knows it’s only going to push me further away from him.”
I sit forward, placing my hands on the table. “What does this mean for Lucas and Sadie?”
Kevlar groans. “My kids mean every-fucking-thing to me, but them living with Ethan has always been a contentious issue. He’s pushing the damn limits of my every last nerve. I can’t see what the fuck he’s trying to gain from this shit. If he wants me to trust him, he’s going the wrong fucking way about it.”
Neon places his device on the table gaining our attention. “Kevlar, could Ethan be involved in any of this? Could he be involved with the Baron?”
Kevlar’s eyes widen. “No. No, fucking way. Eath is far too strait-laced. He does everything by the damn book. No exceptions. To him the Baron would be someone on his radar. He knows he’s dirty, but no one can ever prove anything.”
“Can we use Ethan to our favor? Tell him what happened. Explain everything. Find out if he knows any workarounds that’ll help?” Chains offers.
Kevlar scrunches up his face. “Eath might help. I’m sure he’s aware of ways to ensure Zero gets bail, and he could possibly help us find the right lawyer—”