Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 95008 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 475(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95008 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 475(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)
“Alright,” I said, turning to get Curt. He must’ve heard because he was already rising from his seat at the table.
“You know what this is about?” he asked as we made our way into the club.
“Not a clue,” I replied. I knew why I wanted to talk to my dad, but I had no fucking clue why he’d need to talk to me.
Gramps was standing behind the bar when we got inside and he opened the door to the small room back there, gesturing with his chin, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he smiled.
I’d never been in that room. Neither of us had. It was closed to non-members, and even though it was mostly a formality, we hadn’t patched in yet.
When we reached the doorway, I froze.
The room was packed.
My Grandpa Dragon, Uncle Leo, Grease, Tommy, and Will, Kara’s dad Mack, my Gramps Casper, and my dad.
On the table they sat around sat a matching set of rockers.
“Phones,” Great Gramps said, holding his hands out. Me and Curt dropped our phones in his hands, stunned.
“Door,” Grandpa Dragon said to Great Gramps. He was every inch the President as he stood.
I swallowed hard, glancing between him and the rockers as Great Gramps shut the door, closing us in.
“Usually do this one at a time,” Dragon said. I couldn’t think of him as Grandpa then. Not when he was talking to us as equals, his back straight and his face as serious as I’d ever seen it. “But seein’ as how you two’ve done everythin’ together since you came out of your mama’s belly, figured we’d make an exception. Any complaints?”
I jerked my head from side to side as Curt murmured “No,” from my left.
“Good,” he said. “Cuts,” he said, gesturing to the table.
Tommy got up from his spot to our left, and gestured to his spot. He slapped my back as I passed him, but otherwise, the room was silent.
Taking my pocket knife out of my pocket, I stood next to my brother as we laid our cuts face down on the table. It took less than a minute to cut the thread holding my prospect patch off the back, but it felt longer somehow. Like time was passing at the speed of light and as slow as a sunrise at the same time.
Dragon handed us our Aces and Eights MC rockers and as we laid them on our cuts, the room filled with a roar.
The men around us, ones who’d raised us, stomped their feet, yelled, and beat their fists on the table.
I couldn’t stop the pride that filled my chest as I glanced around the room. I knew it was a moment I’d remember until I was an old man. When everything else was a vague memory, I would see that moment with absolute clarity.
Grease spoke as soon as the cheers had quieted.
“Curtis, you’ve paid your dues and shoveled shit for over a year and you’ve probably seen this comin’.”
“Surprised the shit outta me, actually,” my brother said, making everyone in the room laugh.
“Draco,” Grease said, his tone making everything inside me still, “you haven’t been wearin’ that prospect cut long.”
I nodded.
“But you’ve been workin’ for the good of the club a hell of a lot longer,” he said. He paused, and in that moment, I remembered every message I’d passed, every contact I’d made, and every secret I’d brought home to them. “You’ve earned a rocker ten times over, brother.”
I swallowed and nodded again.
“Plenty of men right outside that are waitin’ to congratulate you—”
“And a tattoo gun,” Will called out jokingly.
Fuck. I pictured the full back tattoo I was going to end up with by the end of the night. Kara was going to have to keep her hands off my back for a few days while I healed. She wasn’t going to be happy about that.
“But we’ve got a few things to discuss first,” Grease said.
“I actually had somethin,’” I said, making his eyes eyebrows lift in surprise.
“Table’s yours,” he said curiously.
“There’s a cop—”
“Aw, fuck,” Tommy muttered.
“He’s been fuckin’ with Kara,” I said, giving him a nod.
“Fuckin’ with her how?” Mack asked.
“Pullin’ her over for no reason,” I answered. “Stoppin’ her on the street.”
“This cop got a name?” Grandpa Dragon asked.
“Park,” I said.
“Shit,” Gramps Casper said, drawing the word out. “I know that fucker.”
“You do?”
“He remembers fuckin’ everyone,” Tommy said.
“Cousin of the Sholes kid,” Gramps Casper said.
“What?” I asked, stunned. Travis Sholes was the whole reason I’d gone to prison.
“I’ll take care of it,” Gramps said. “Couple words with a friendly sheriff I know.”
I opened my mouth to argue and he stopped me with a raised hand.
“Takin’ out a cop is a stupid move,” Gramps continued. “We don’t do that unless there’s no other option.”
“Scarin’ him wouldn’t hurt,” Mack muttered.
“Give it a week,” Gramps said, “and he’ll be civilian Randy Park.”