“Meeting in order,” I growl as I sit down. I don’t bother with the fucking gavel. I’m not sure I wouldn’t break the son of a bitch right now.

“We’re at war with the Donahues?” Briar asks, getting straight to the point. He was one of the few main patched-in members I didn’t take with me. It was on purpose. He and Pistol are close. I haven’t talked with him much about all the shit, but I don’t have time to deal with fuckers who aren’t behind me.

“Yes.” I sit back and watch everyone’s faces, judging and monitoring their reactions.

“That’s a lot to fucking swallow,” Clutch adds.

It’s a full table tonight. Normally, I only have Church with the officers. However, this will involve everyone. So the patched-in members, with the exception of Latch, are all here.

“Are you with me or against me?” I ask the one question that matters the most.

“You pick a fucked up time to start not one, but possibly two wars,” Briar says. “Have you even spoken to Cade?”

Cade is Pistol’s brother and my biggest worry about the situation. I need Cade’s support right now. I sure as hell don’t need him pissed off and coming at me.

“I’m going to, right after we’re done here.” I divert my attention away from Briar and back to the group as a whole. “Now’s the time to speak up motherfuckers if you have a problem with the way I’m running things. Let me hear it.”

“The situation with Pistol needs dealing with. We can’t leave the fucker on ice, and he is a part of this club, a patched-in member,” Briar says again.

“He disrespected me. Ain’t no motherfucker gonna do that.”

“Then fight it out or kill him, but do something.”

“You’re cool with that?” I ask Briar, because of all the men, he’s the one friend Pistol has.

“It should’ve been dealt with a long time ago. I’m more than cool with it,” he says, surprising the fuck out of me.

“I second that,” Torch pipes up, and all the men nod in agreement.

There it is. I have all the brothers’ support—even the one member I wasn’t expecting it from. Contentment settles inside of me. This is why I chose to be president. This is why the Devil’s Blaze MC is my home.

“Okay, then anyone want to weigh in about the Donahues?”

“Kind of late to worry about it. We back down now, we’re a bunch of fucking pussies. They want war. We give it to them. But I say we better make a motherfucking statement,” Beast speaks up.

“Is she worth the war?” Sabre asks.

“She’s mine. I’m claiming her. That makes her one of us,” I tell him, but I direct the words to everyone.

“She’s awful young, Boss,” K-Rex says.

“Fuck, you’re claiming her? I was hoping to have a go at her. It’d be nice to get some strange around here, even if it’s your sloppy seconds,” Torch cracks, looking at me with that damned grin on his face.

“Stay away from her, you horny fuck. You already nail everything with a snatch in a ten mile radius.”

“Hey, a man has needs.”

“You’re going to break your fucking dick before you hit thirty and be a sad-ass fuck popping pills to get a boner,” I tell him.

“No danger in that. Torch is my name, and heating up juicy little cunts is my game.”

“Whatever, just stay away from Beth.”

“Boss, you wound me,” he responds and I want to lay into him, but I need to direct this meeting in the right direction. We have shit to do and I need my motherfucking bases covered.

“All joking aside, we’re in for a fucking battle. I want phone conferences with the charters tomorrow.”

“Are we asking for help from outside clubs, like Diesel’s?” Sabre asks.

“We’re going to need it eventually. I want that path cleared, but I won’t ask them to join in until our hands are forced.”

“What about our families and shit? I know my old lady fucked up, Boss, but I need to think about Annabelle,” Beast says. I look at the big guy and feel bad for him. Jan is a miserable bitch. Beast deserves better, but he knocked her up and he’s a loyal fucker. He’s not going to turn away from Jan; he’s going to take her shit until he can’t no more, just to keep his daughter close. I’m not sure I can blame him. His daughter Annabelle is only three, and she’s a beautiful little thing who luckily looks just like her dad and nothing like Jan.

“We’re on lockdown. We increase the fucking security here and no one goes in or out. That means no one, Beast,” I warn him, because he knows as well as I do that Jan will be pushing that—especially when she runs out of her stash.

“Got it.” I can see from the look in his eyes that he does, so I let it go.

“Okay. We’ll have another meeting tonight to check on the status of shit. Everyone here, no exceptions,” I order, banging my hand on the table and making it vibrate with the force of the hit. Then, I walk out before anyone else. I have some fucking calls to make and I need to deal with Pistol. Maybe then I can go back to Beth without wanting to strangle her.