“Stand down. Both of you,” Jagger said. “Emotions are high. People are saying things they might not mean. Let’s cool down and hear about T-Rex’s escape.”
Tank looked over his shoulder and T-Rex nodded, the barest hint of a smile on his lips. This was how it was supposed to be. T-Rex had his back and he had T-Rex’s back, although Naiya had his side.
“Viper threw Naiya in the dungeon with me.” T-Rex put his arm around Naiya’s shoulders. “She was able to distract the guard, and I took him out. I put on his cut and we bullshitted our way across the yard and stole a bike.”
“He told them I was a hooker with an STD,” Naiya said indignantly.
Chuckles filled the room, lightening the mood.
Jagger’s face tightened with emotion. “What you did for Evie, for the club, what you went through … thank you is not enough. I don’t know many brothers who could have gone through what you did and walk out the same man. But damn we’re glad to have you back.”
When the clapping and cheering finally died down, and everyone had a chance to say a few words to T-Rex, Jagger dispersed the crowd and gathered the board members together.
“Well, we got a board meeting to get to. T-Rex, your seat is still at the table. Looks like we’ll need to get you a new cut.”
Tank reached for the saddlebag he had brought with him, but T-Rex caught his eye, shook his head. Tank clutched the saddlebag strap as a growing sense of uneasiness intruded on his joy.
“Naiya can wait here unless she wants someone to take her home,” Jagger continued. “Or she can wait up in your room. It’s still there for you, brother. Same as you left it.”
“I’ll join the meeting, but Naiya comes with me.”
And in that moment, Tank knew something was very wrong.
“Only full patch are allowed in the boardroom. You know that.” Jagger’s firm tone left no doubt about his position on the matter. “I can bend the rule about wearing a cut, but not the rule about closed meetings. Part of my job is to keep the brothers safe, and that won’t happen if we compromise the security and confidentiality of the club.”
T-Rex met Jagger’s gaze head on, and there was no mistaking the challenge. “Then I won’t be at any meeting, and if you or Gunner want to kick my ass for missing the meeting, I’ll tell you right now I got enough ass-kickings in that dungeon to last me a lifetime. The marks on my body go through to my soul. So don’t waste your fucking time.”
A wave of panic flooded Tank’s system. What was going on? T-Rex didn’t cause trouble. He didn’t challenge the rules. He was a mediator, and the person everyone went to when they had an irreconcilable dispute. He diffused tension; he didn’t create it. Had he made a mistake bringing T-Rex here so soon? Should he have given his brother more time?
“You go with them to the meeting,” Naiya said gently. “I’ll be fine. I’ll wait out here.”
“You’re coming with me. Wherever I go.” T-Rex didn’t even look at her. He didn’t look at Gunner. Nor did he look at Tank. He fixed his unwavering gaze on Jagger and stood his ground.
Sweat beaded on Tank’s brow. This wasn’t the T-Rex he knew. He respected Jagger. Admired him. Hell, the night T-Rex thought Jagger had been caught by the Jacks, he’d been so distraught he hadn’t even seen Jagger sitting at the boardroom table. But his quick thinking had saved Arianne’s life.
Tank caught movement behind T-Rex and Naiya, but he paid it no mind. The other brothers would have to wait. Right now he had to sort out this misunderstanding. Get things back on track.
“Viper is after Naiya.” Tank addressed his comments to Jagger and Gun. “The Jacks have been chasing after them. He’s concerned about her safety so he doesn’t want her out of his sight.”
Jagger’s shoulders dropped the tiniest bit. At least Tank hoped they dropped. And was that a slight softening of Gunner’s face? They just had to understand that T-Rex needed more time. He’d been away from the brothers, tortured, lost. And all he had was Naiya. She had brought him home. Of course T-Rex was protective of her and would want to keep her close. But soon he would realize he had Tank and the brothers to stand by his side. Everything would go back to normal.
“It’s okay, Gun.” Jagger made a placating gesture with his hand. “T-Rex only just walked in the door. We shouldn’t expect him to just jump into the politics again. Hell, I wouldn’t mind a break from the politics myself. Let’s give him some time to meet with all the brothers, find his feet again. We’ll keep his seat at the table. He can join us when he feels ready.”
Tank’s heart swelled with pride. This is why everyone loved Jagger, why he was such a good leader. He always knew the right thing to say, the right thing to do. He understood. T-Rex wasn’t ready yet.
But he would be.
*