Chapter 25

ASHTON

It was hard to tell what part of Sheriff Sutton stuck out more. The belly that hung over his belt. His bald, liver-spotted head. That droopy face of his like his skin was trying to run away from him. Or maybe it was the shiny badge he wore so proudly on his chest.

As old and tired as he looked, Sutton didn’t carry himself like a man who was on the verge of retirement. He was on the other side of the law but I respected him for doing his job.

Of course, that didn’t mean I was ever too excited about seeing him in the clubhouse. Just another formality the MC had to go through.

“Word on the street is the Picardo Cartel is back in town,” he said. “I was around when they first got started in Ivory, all those years back. A new generation but they’re still pushing weight like they used to, I’d imagine.”

“If you were around back then, you’d know the cartel’s got a history with the Devils more than any other MC,” Jordan said.

“Oh, yeah. That was way back. Before any of you were here. Before you had your beef with the Reapers. I still remember it like it was yesterday.” The old sheriff had a look in his eyes like he was reminiscing. The man probably had enough stories to tell for months but he didn’t seem like the type to humor an MC with them.

“Any reason you came here? Club’s got no business with the cartel. Don’t plan on it either.”

“That’s good. Because if Picardo plans on making noise like they used to, they’re gonna get a lot of attention. Feds might’ve had their troubles with drugs but they’re not just gonna give up. An explosion gets loud enough, you’re gonna have to eventually try to do something about it.”

“You don’t have to worry about the Cobras. We know what happened with the feds. We’re not about to follow in the footsteps like Cunningham and those idiots. If a war starts, you know we ain’t got nothing to do with it.”

“If a war starts, I expect you to do your job and make sure not to mess with my town.” Sutton took a step toward Jordan. Even though he was shorter, Sutton acted like he was looking down at the bigger man.

“It’s our town, too,” Jordan said.

“Remember that.” Sutton backed away, giving every member of the MC a glance before finally leaving us alone.

A visit from the town sheriff was never a big deal but there was still a sense of relief from all of the patrons after he was gone.

It was a quiet afternoon in the Bone Pit. The few people here were on their breaks from work, just having a drink to get away from their boring lives. Rex was off to the side having a friendly conversation with Micah. Doc was sitting by himself at the end of the bar, going over some papers like every club treasurer did.

I sat at the other end of the bar by myself, Jordan standing right next to me.

“You not with Smoke?”

“Figured I’d take a break for a day.”

“It’s not like you to take a break. Usually getting your hands dirty is a break.”

“It was like that before, yeah. Shit changed though.”

I stared out into the bar but could feel his eyes on me. I trusted Jordan like a brother but he was still club president. It’d been more than a week since all the shit went down and we hadn’t talked about it. I was just waiting for the other shoe to drop.

“She’s the one, huh?”

“Smoke used to fuck with me. Warned me about getting caught up because the pussy was so good. Words of wisdom he got from Teddy. And there was a time when I reminded myself all the time. Rose was the hottest, baddest broad I’d ever seen. You don’t see too many girls like her in this place.”

“Sweet girl like her, no, you don’t.”

“She’s the one though. I know it. It’s not because of how she feels when I’m inside her or how I know she’ll do anything for me. It’s just a feeling. When I look into her eyes, I see everything. I can’t explain it.”

I swallowed hard and looked at him.

“I’m sorry, brother. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you it was her brother that got involved with Picardo. I’m sorry I kept it from you for so long.”

“You kept it from me but you told Smoke. I don’t wanna imagine what it’s like being in your position. Stuck between the MC and the one. A president would’ve made you march that motherfucker right on Picardo’s doorstep—”

“Why didn’t you? I went behind your back and tried to handle this shit myself. Put Smoke at risk…”

Jordan put a hand on my shoulder and looked me right in the eye. “All I ask from you more than anything else is to be loyal to the patch. You did that. I would never sacrifice what makes you you.” He dug his finger into the name on my chest. “That’s what separates the Cobras from everyone else. You did what you had to do for your old lady. I respect that as a man. Don’t think for one second you ever disrespected the patch. You’ll always be my brother.”

I got up from my seat and squeezed my arms around him. I knew I didn’t have anything to worry about from Jordan but it was a relief to know there were no ill feelings left over from the incident.

“What do you think?” he asked. “You think Sutton’s got a point?”

“Picardo might be up to something but it ain’t got shit to do with us. He’s got bigger things to worry about. Everything’s cool, brother.”

“That’s what I like to hear. Where’s Rose at?”

“She’s in the room… Resting.”

“Resting, huh?” He raised an eyebrow at me. I chuckled and nodded.

“Maybe I should go see how she’s doing. After everything we went through, I can’t think of anything better.”