My fuckin' heart sunk. I started, clenching my teeth, making the fresh pain in my jaw drown out everything else healing in my body.
A dozen eyes burned. Appreciation, anger, and respect, all of it aimed his way.
“You're a good man, Dust, and a good brother. You meant well. But you've just lost my trust,” he said, smooth and measured. Motherfucker was gonna take my place sooner or later as the eerily calm one.
Fuck. I did the tally in my head.
Three ayes. Four nays. And it was moving to Firefly, who still had an axe to grind with the Prez over the fling with his sis.
Fuck me again. My jaw got tighter, tighter, realizing I'd have a temporary gavel I never fuckin' wanted hanging over me, as real as this bum leg and all the lovin' I had for my family.
Firefly didn't say shit. He looked at the Prez, his face as angry and electric as ever.
“Firefly?” Dust said, when the staring contest lasted too long. “What's your vote?”
“Nay.”
Holy shit.
Heads dropped. Men cursed in shock and relief, sometimes both at once.
Grandpa had been holding the gavel while this shit went down. He passed it back to Dust, who took it on one hand, giving it a slow spin like he'd picked it up for the first time.
He walked down the center line, stopped at the big brick oven next to the fire pit, and slammed it down on the concrete so hard the hammer went flying off its handle. It bounced loudly on the pavement, rolling to a stop next to my walker.
Bingo jumped up, wandered over, and started sniffing away at it, his fat tongue hanging out.
“Brothers, thank you all for every vote. I fuckin' mean it. Those of you who decided to give me a second chance – won't let you down. Everybody who wanted me gone – you'll think twice in a few more months. Won't let anybody down, even the ones who hate me. I promise. This club's in my blood. I'll die before I ever fuck it over.”
He turned around, taking a good, hard look at each and every one of us. I spoke first.
“We done here, or what?”
“Yeah. We'll do church again in a few days, soon as I've got the next shipping details from Blackjack. We owe the Grizzlies more than money for sending their guys out here, having 'em move on the fly. We'll send a few kegs of the best Tennessee whiskey we can get our hands on out their way.”
Every brother nodded. I'd personally thanked that big, mean motherfucker, Roman, who'd loaded Alex and me in the truck. Said he'd been through some shit with his kid too, and everything happening was real familiar.
Slowly, the brothers filed out. I took my sweet time trailing Grandpa out to wait for his ride from the home, letting Skin and Firefly help me along.
Summertime came running up next to us, scratching Bingo while holding Alex in her arms. “Looks like we're about ready.”
I looked at her, smiled, and nodded. “Yeah, babe. Go warm up the truck. Just a few more minutes here.”
Perfect timing. The van rolled by about a minute later, and we all waved to Grandpa as they loaded him in, and took off.
We'd have a happier visit next time, when I brought the family around to see him. He hadn't even bothered to keep the torn up strips of Hatch's leather we'd offered, and who the fuck could blame him?
Enough blood. Enough bullshit. I wanted my wife, my old lady, my kid. Fuck, I wanted to start working on a little brother or sister for Alex, soon as my body let me.
“Rest up, brother,” Skin said, slapping me gently on the back. “I've got tax shit to crunch the rest of the day.”
Firefly hung with me 'til Summer came around, winding the truck against the curb. Before she parked it and stepped out to help me in, I turned to him, looking at him sideways.
“Why the fuck did you vote for Dust? You hate his ass more than the rest of us, that shit going on between him and your sis.”
“'Cause I agreed with everything you said, brother.” He stood up straight, looking me dead in the eye. “This club needs leadership. I'm still aiming to knock his shit in if he doesn't stop fuckin' around with Hannah. Still, we've got too much on our plate to get petty. I ain't letting personal grudges come between me and the club. We're family, Veep, same as Cora and my kid about to be born.”
Family. That word was starting to haunt me.
I looked at him and nodded. “Yeah, you've got a point.”
I'd only begun to figure out what it meant. Had a feeling there were a hundred meanings left to find, too.
One of them stared me right in the face as Summer opened my door and helped me in.
This was everything. All of it. In here.
Long as I had her, my son, my dog, and my brothers, I'd be fuckin' dandy.
Unraveling the mysteries of the universe could wait.
*
Several Weeks Later
I'd been at the chop shop all day by myself, and now I was coming home. My shoulder still ached when I worked the tools, but I was able to work again.
That meant something.