"Bullshit."
Axe smiled at me. "You were absent," he said. "No vote."
No one had fucking told me about this, either. The realization of what Mad Dog had done hit me like a sledgehammer, pounding the air out of my chest.
Shit.
Shit.
Shit.
Shit.
I tried to focus on Mad Dog's voice, droning on about the opportunity to align with the cartel. "The Mexicans..." I heard him say. Meanwhile, my thoughts were racing, faster than I could process them, as I ran through the club roster in my head, trying to predict the votes. Mad Dog had to have gotten to most of the club. He had to know he had a majority; otherwise he wouldn't have brought it to the table. It's why I was obviously left out of the loop.
Shit, I thought, the image of the three new patches in Mad Dog's office popping into my head. The fucking new guys, too. I knew there was something about them I didn't like. They were his lackeys.
It came up for vote. I heard voices sounding off, "yay" or "nay." There was no hiding behind paper votes in the club, it's how we had done it since day one. You needed to be prepared to stand behind your fucking vote, to man up. I was glad for it now, watching as people voted for or against a cartel move.
This was really a vote for or against Mad Dog.
I could feel the tension in the air, the hairs on the back of my neck standing up. This was not just a vote about the cartel. This was a vote that had everything to do with the direction of the club. Our future. It had everything to do with Mad Dog, and whether we were behind him.
The boundary lines were being drawn.
The battle lines were being drawn right here in this clubhouse.
I could feel it.
This was the line in the sand. By doing this, bringing this to the table like he'd done, cutting me out, Mad Dog was declaring war. Maybe not right here, right now, today. But it was going to fucking happen.
Mad Dog voted. "Yay."
There was silence, and I looked up at the vote count on the board. Thirty-two for, thirty-one against.
I met his eyes. "Nay," I said. Defiant.
He smiled. He knew I wouldn't vote yes.
Axe was the only one left. My heart sank.
Mad Dog looked at me smugly. "Sergeant-at-arms?" he asked. Of course Axe would vote yes. He couldn't do otherwise. Mad Dog's right hand man.
The sound of the blood pumping in my ears was deafening. Then, from beside me, I heard Axe, his voice clear, not slurred.
"Nay," he said.
If I hadn't been watching Mad Dog's reaction, I would have thought I heard it wrong. But Mad Dog's expression changed, from one of smug satisfaction to a look of rage.
His face crimson, Mad Dog said, "Repeat your vote."
Axe stood. "I said 'Nay,' Prez," he said. "Nay."
The color drained from Mad Dog's face, and he stood, silently for a moment. Then he cleared his throat. "The 'Nays' have it," he said. "Motion denied. And meeting adjourned."
Mad Dog walked to the back room, and I heard noise swirling around us, the voices of club members, all their opinions about what had just happened. They were all a blur to me. I turned to Axe.
"You voted 'nay,'" I said.
"What can I say," Axe said. "I like to live on the edge."
"Mad Dog will kill you," I said.
Axe shrugged. "It was just a fucking vote, man," he said, slapping me on the arm. "Lighten the fuck up, why don't you?"
But I knew different. "Mad Dog will kill you," I said.
"I'm already dead," Axe said, shrugging his shoulders. He turned and I watched him walk behind the bar, grab a bottle of liquor, and take a swig. Then he went out the front door.
I followed him, watched him swing his leg over the seat of his bike, and ride off, bottle in one hand. Shit, that guy was hell bent on self-destruction.
I took my key out of my pocket. The least I could do was follow him home, make sure he didn't kill someone on the way.
My phone vibrated, and I pulled it out.
Blaze.
I hit "reject," and put it back in my pocket.
"Do you need to take that?" Benicio asked.
I shook my head. "I'll talk to him later."
"Blaze?" Benicio asked.
I nodded. "He's probably wondering where I am."
"Then we should wrap this up," Benicio said. "You're sure about him?"
"Surer than I've been about anything in my life," I said. And that was the truth.
"That's what I wanted to hear," Benicio said. "Blaze is a good man. A strong man. You have my blessing."
"Thank you, Benicio," I said. "And the other thing?"
Benicio nodded. "Discretion is wise," he said. "I have a few people on the payroll who specialize in that type of thing."
I crossed the room, and wrapped my arms around him, hugging him. He stiffened, then hugged me tight, patting me on the back. When he spoke, I thought I heard his voice crack. "Your safety is my most pressing concern, my dear," he said.
"Thank you, Benicio."