The club as a chapter, and a national organization as a whole, was running like a well-oiled machine at the moment, a credit to Buddha and the other presidents around the country. But it hadn’t come easy. The Serpents knew how quickly one bad call could spiral into a whole series of them, and that it generally took a lot more work to clean up a mess than it had to make it. They also knew it wasn’t usually outside forces like Scully and the militia who started most of their problems, nine times out of ten, internal beefs were what got them in trouble.
Society had labeled them as outcasts, men who valued code and honor over anything else, but despite the public’s perception of outlaw bikers as violent and cold, they were human. Even the most brutal and fucked up among them were susceptible to jealousy, insecurity, and anger over their voices not being heard. And as petty as some of the problems got, they had to be dealt with. The concept of brotherhood was nice and all, but shit happened, and it only took one pissed off member making a stupid decision in the heat of the moment to open them all up to the consequences. The law, rival clubs, business associates, they would all exploit a weakness in a heartbeat.
The Serpents were careful with who they patched in—they didn’t have a set prospect period and ran extensive background checks—but it was better to be safe than sorry, and the best way to prevent testosterone-fueled squabbles was to maintain a peaceful democracy. So, while it hadn’t really come up yet, Torch’s diplomacy skills would need some work.
Buddha hadn’t managed to keep his club in check for two decades by flying off the handle, holding useless grudges, or letting shit fester until it boiled over. He was a master of getting to the bottom of any conflict and nipping it in the bud to the satisfaction of both sides. As a result, loyalty within the Linwood chapter was legendary, not once had one of their own turned, patched over to another club, or been ousted. Torch had every intention of maintaining their track record.
But anyway, he wasn’t standing outside Nadia’s pre-op room at ten o’clock in the morning to ponder all the shit he’d have to deal with. He was there to—fuck him—apologize.
Diplomacy, he kept repeating in his head. Diplomacy, diplomacy, diplomacy.
She wasn’t a crawler anymore, right? She was technically a club employee, so…
Yeah, employee was an easier pill to swallow. He’d go with that and get it over with.
Unfortunately, it looked like he had another problem. As soon as he knocked on the open door and stepped inside, he realized there would be someone there to see it and give him at least a week’s worth of shit. Sitting in a chair opposite Nadia’s bed was Zed.
Great.
“Hey, man,” Zed greeted, his goddamn mouth curling up like he knew he was about to witness something he’d never let Torch live down.
“Morning, brother,” Torch grumbled. He just couldn’t work up the same enthusiasm. Glancing over at Nadia, he asked, “Everything on schedule?”
“Yeah, I’m going up in an hour,” she replied. “It’s out-patient so I don’t have to stay the night or anything.”
“You scared?”
She smiled and shook her head. “It’s just a big needle and they give you anesthesia. If it helps Buddha, I don’t mind a bit. How is he?”
Torch smirked. “Already begging the nurses for a sponge bath even though his legs are just fucking fine.”
“I’m sure the crawlers wouldn’t mind doing it once he can have visitors,” she suggested
“Dude, that would be fucking hilarious,” Zed said with a chuckle. “We could bring in buckets and hoses and decorate his room like a car wash.”
“I’m sure that would go over well with the staff,” Torch groaned. Turning his attention back to the reason he was there, he took a few steps towards Nadia. “Listen, I owe you an apology.”
“Torch, you don’t—”
“Yeah, I do,” he cut her off. “I was too hard on you when I kicked you out and I held a grudge that could’ve ended up costing Buddha his one shot. I thought my old lady was crazy to take up your cause and assumed you’d fuck up the first chance you got. Sorry, Nad.”
“You thought I was a threat to the woman you love, I understand,” she assured him. “I just hope you know I’d never fuck Liv over or take her kindness for granted.