“Watch your mouth when you’re talking to the president, junior patch. Unless someone’s dead, dying, or come back from the grave, it’s bad manners to interrupt, even if the board’s not in session yet.”
“Cut him some slack.” Cade looked up from the table where he was tallying the accounts. “Not too often our Tank gets excited about something. Maybe he’s finally figured out what his dick is for.”
“You would know,” Zane said. “Weren’t you the winner of the ‘Most Sweet Butts in the Bed at One Time Prize’ and ‘Biker Manwhore of the Year’ five years running?”
Cade raised an admonishing eyebrow. “I handed those titles over to you after I got myself an old lady.”
“And I handed them to Sparky after I got an old lady and a son,” Zane shot back. “So far he’s not lived up to the title.”
“Maybe we should pass it on to Tank.” Dax gave an uncharacteristic smirk. “So what is it, junior patch? You got yourself some pussy?”
“Someone’s back from the dead.”
“You making fun of me?” Gunner took a step toward him. At the distinct sound of a cough, his eyes lifted, and he stopped dead in his tracks. “Son of a bitch. He wasn’t lying.”
Although he had been with the club for well over five years, Tank still admired the club’s senior patch members. No matter what the situation, they kept their cool. Ambush, shootout, or ATF raid—they never broke a sweat. But when T-Rex walked into the room, their mouths went slack, their eyes went wide, and for once they had nothing to say.
“He escaped,” Tank said into the silence. “He was in Viper’s dungeon for three months.”
“Fuck, T-Rex, it’s good to see you. Welcome home, brother.” Jagger took a step forward, hand outstretched, but T-Rex didn’t move to greet him.
There was another awkward silence. Naiya whispered something to T-Rex and pushed him forward. Finally, he shook Jagger’s hand. Hardly the reunion Tank had expected, but maybe it was just shock at seeing the brothers again.
Ice broken, Cade swooped in and pulled T-Rex into an awkward hug. Sparky clapped him on the back. Gunner punched his shoulder. The rest of the brothers greeted him warmly, but Zane held back until the end.
“What you did for my Evie…” His voice caught. “That’s a debt that can’t be repaid. You got my mark, brother. Anywhere. Anytime. Anything you need.”
Tank swallowed hard, disconcerted by seeing the club’s most recalcitrant member close to tears. But then he’d shed a few tears last night, too.
T-Rex introduced Naiya as a forensic scientist who had been the unfortunate object of Viper’s attention. Tank caught a hitch in T-Rex’s voice, knew he wasn’t telling them the whole story, but maybe it wasn’t his to tell.
The brothers peppered T-Rex with questions until Jagger called for silence. “Let’s give our brother a chance to tell us what happened so he’s not answering the same questions again and again.”
T-Rex clasped Naiya’s hand, pulled her against him, as if they were one person, not two, as if she was all the support he needed. Tank had the unsettling feeling of being the odd man out, and for the first time since he’d seen T-Rex again, he wondered if things could go ever go back to being the same.
“Not much to tell.”
Tank frowned. Not much to tell? Kidnapped by Viper? Three months in the dungeon? An unheard-of escape? T-Rex was the talker in the club. He loved a good story, especially when it was about him. He’d never held back, especially when he had something exciting to share. Maybe he was just off his game and needed a little nudge.
“Evie told us about what happened at Big Bill’s motorcycle shop,” Tank said quickly. “She said she was detailing a bike and Big Bill showed up. He’d been skimming weapons off his shipments for the Black Jacks. He figured they were on to him, and he needed to pick up some stuff and get out of town. But the Jacks showed up before he could get away and Evie walked in on them…” He trailed off, hesitant to repeat the details of Bill’s death in front of Naiya. She looked so sweet and innocent, and just a bit geeky in her black Space Invaders shirt. He had a feeling not many people would recognize the subtle silver block image on the front, but any retro gamer knew about Space Invaders. Her shirt gave her a hall pass to geek acceptance. And he would know. He had a Space Invaders shirt, too.
“Maybe Zane should tell this part.” He cast a hopeful glance at Zane and got a scowl in return. Of course Zane wouldn’t want to talk about the day he almost lost his girl.