Hell, I hadn't even officially claimed her yet, and if this went sideways, I never fuckin' would!
The growl tearing my throat apart started like an earthquake. I was on my feet before either of the brothers at my side could jump me, Sixty moving slow as usual, a smoke hanging outta his bearded mouth.
“Bro –“ he started, laying a hand on my shoulder. I threw him off with one violent shake, stepping up to Dust.
“I've waited years, Prez. Years, just like you fuckin' said. Lived by your promise that we'd get our chance to tear their guts out for what they did to my brother. Piece was dead and gone before I could do shit about it. Ain't the same with my kid, and I'm not sitting on my fuckin' hands!”
Dust's eyes widened. His salt and pepper stubble twitched, turning his look of surprise into a fatal glare. My words slipped a dagger into his back, spilling the beans in front of the brothers.
Ask me if I fuckin' cared. Nothing, nothing, nothing else mattered right now except having my family back.
Sixty, Skin, and Firefly shared a look. Lion and Tin hung back, halfway outta their chairs. I'd stopped them all from creeping up and throwing me on the floor with nothing but my words.
“Cap'n? What the fuck's he talking about? Motorcycle accident got Piece...right?” Anger distorted Firefly's voice.
Very slowly, Dust pulled his pipe outta his mouth, coldly turned his eyes away from me, and looked at the rest of the boys. “No. There's more to that shit I've kept to myself 'til now. Just between me and Joker.”
Practically heard about a dozen jaws hitting the floor. The prospects lined up against the wall looked at each other nervously.
We had about one more second of brutal silence before all hell broke lose.
“You cocksucking, lyin' motherfucker!” Skin lost it first, flying outta his chair, pointing a stern finger at the Prez like a dagger. “You're gonna tell us what happened, but first we oughta vote on whether or not you keep the fuckin' gavel for this bullshit!”
Half the boys in the room nodded. I just stood there, fists almost trembling at my sides. Couldn't decide whether I was going to march the fuck out or break Dust's jaw over this shit.
Dust looked at all the brothers, one by one, a calm like ice running through him.
“Careful, boy. Before you start calling for any changes around here, ya'll better realize I did it to save everybody's asses. We're barely in a position to fuck with the Deads now, and we sure as hell weren't three goddamned years ago. When we lose one of our own, we've got a blood oath. Every damned brother in this room would've been obliged to risk his life on it. You all would've died, going off before we were good and ready. And so, I sat on it, asked the Veep to do the same, biding our time, 'til we could pay those motherfuckers back without losing the whole charter.”
“You fuckin' lied.” Firefly wasn't convinced. His fist came up, falling against the table like a sledgehammer. “You fuckin' lied to each and every one of us about a dead brother, just like you bullshitted me to my face about boning my goddamned sis!”
Shitstorm status? Hurricane.
Dust and Firefly stared each other down, taking everybody's eyes off me.
The big Enforcer echoed the dark, pissed off energy shredding my guts. I couldn't take it standing here a second longer. I had to fuckin' go.
Turning, I started marching for the door, but only made it halfway there before it popped open. One of the young, lean prospects we'd taken to calling Buck stood there with a smoke in his mouth, his eyes rolling around like marbles, wondering what the fuck he'd walked into.
“Guys, I'm sorry as hell to interrupt. But Prez, I thought you oughta know, the Grizzlies are here.”
“Fuck,” Dust said.
Last line of bullshit I heard before I pushed past him, walked the fuck out, and kicked the door shut behind me. They were still screaming as I made my way to the little room in the back, where Summer was laid up.
Or maybe not so laid up anymore. When I came in, I found her sitting on the bed, staring sadly into a steaming cup of tea.
She looked up. Our eyes locked, and it was like a fuckin' dagger going into my chest.
All the hurt. All the loss. Everything I felt for our missing kid, except a hundred times worse.
And it was all my fault that I'd let that shit invade her, shut her down, kill her like a fuckin' cancer.
“Babe,” I said, walking up and putting my arms around her.
She didn't hug me back. My heavy ass heart crashed through my ribs and sank straight to my guts. I wanted to fuckin' puke.
“What? What do you want?” she whispered, barely moving her lips.
“Came to tell you I'm taking off. I'm going down to Georgia and bringing Alex home, or I'm gonna die trying. I ain't waiting for the rest of the boys. Won't lose another goddamned second while he's with those bastards.”
“I heard about the video,” she said. “Heard it from Meg, who overheard it from her old man, Skin.”