Nene stood at the table in the meeting room. Chief leaned back in the chair, refusing to let her sit. He had no patience to rehash their talk from before he went to prison.

"I can be there for you when you need me if you let me stay in the house, and you will need me. You've always had multiple women." Nene held on to the back of the empty chair. "It's what we do. It's the same agreement Rollo had with me."

"Rollo let it go on too long." He quieted his voice. "He never touched you when he was with my mom. You made him feel pity for you. That's how I ended up with you."

"That's cruel," she whispered, near tears.

"You can stay in the house, but I expect you to pay rent on the first of each month. Continue to do what you do best with any member in Brikken, but I’m not paying for you to fuck everyone else. Our agreement is over. You're on your own." He pointed to the door. "That's the last time I'm going to discuss this with you. You heard me the first time, and I told you again out of courtesy of the years you've been there for me. Now, get out."

Nene stepped toward the door, stopped, squared her shoulders, and walked out. He continued to sit at the table by himself. She'd be fine. It wasn't her first lost job, but he wasn't going to make Rollo's mistake and believe his past wouldn't catch up to him.

He scooted the chair back from the table and walked to the end of the room. The wall-length of glass showcased the shelves displaying the history of Brikken Motorcycle Club. The loyalty signage of the original members—now, all buried in the ground. Pictures of past flipovers. Photos over the years of Family Day. The cup full of dirt from when Rollo broke ground building the clubhouse. It was all there to document what Rollo built, and what Chief had grown.

He put his hand on the glass in front of Rollo's picture.

He'd respected his old man. Through the years, he learned through his father's examples. The good, the bad, and worked out ways to achieve what others hadn't been able to do in a lifetime.

"I'm on my third run," he whispered. "Fuck if I don't feel the end near."

His life paralleled Rollo's, except he served one more prison sentence to his father's one. Times were different. The law was around every corner. His men profiled and watched. Loyalty tested again and again. He bled for Brikken. Someday, Jett would take over.

A knock interrupted his musings.

"Yeah?" He turned toward the door and watched it open.

Thorn walked into the room and grinned at him. "Got a sec?"

"Come in, son." He walked to his youngest and embraced him, picking his boots off the floor. "Fucking missed you."

"Missed you, too, Chief." Thorn stepped back.

He ran his hand through his son's hair. During his time away, his youngest had filled out, probably gained a good twenty pounds of muscle.

"You doing good?" He took in Thorn's whiskered jawline, the prominent Adam's apple, the broader shoulders. He'd missed a lot.

"Yeah." Thorn latched his fingers in his vest pockets. "I wanted to check in with you and see if now is a good time for me to lay my Harley up for a couple of days."

"What's wrong with it?"

"It needs a new voltage regular, and I've been putting it off," said Thorn.

"Why?"

Thorn looked around the room. "You were gone, and I wanted to be ready to ride out if Jett and Olin needed me."

His chest expanded. He reached out and hooked his son's neck, bringing him forward, and thumping him on the back. "Good call, son. Go ahead. I'll watch over your brothers."

"Thanks." Thorn walked to the door.

"Thorn?" he said, stopping him.

His son turned around. Chief leaned his ass against the table. "How's your mother?"

"She's got a job."

"Yeah?"

Thorn scratched the back of his head, messing up his hair. "Making appointments for some dentist office on Sixteenth and Brahma."

"Does she need anything?" He'd always take care of Karla. As the mother of his sons, he'd never see her going without.

"Want me to ask?"

He nodded. "Drop a conversation on her soon. She had you underfoot for years, and now she's alone. Don't let her be lonely."

"I hear you." Thorn raised his hand. "Catch you later."

"Later, son."

Thorn opened the door. Chief spotted Johanna out in the hallway and motioned her in. Needing to check in with the men and visually get updated on the size of the next shipment, he put a call into Keeffe to meet him at the garage.

"Done?" asked Johanna.

"I need to go out to the garage. Give me a half hour, and we'll head out of here." He stayed sitting on the table.

"Are you mad at me?" Johanna stayed by the door.

"Do I have a reason to be mad?"

"I lost the necklace." Her eyes teared, and she blinked the moisture away. "I don't know what more to tell you. It hurt me that I don't have it anymore."

"You'll get another." He crooked his finger and motioned her to him. "Give me a kiss."

She came to him, leaned close, and kissed his lips softly. "I'm sorry."

"That it?"

She kissed him deeper, opening her mouth and giving him her tongue. He hooked her neck, holding her in place as he satisfied himself and she gave him her soft moan.

"I need to meet Keeffe." He stood from the table and looked down at her. "Your cheeks are pink."

She pressed her hands to her face. "I sat in the sun while you were in the meeting. And, when you met with Nene."

He ignored her curiosity about what he discussed with Nene. "Stay inside until I come and get you."

Opening the door, he waited until she ducked underneath his arm to leave the room, and then he slapped her ass, walking out with her. She slipped her hand into his. He already wanted to go home and get between her legs. He had a lot of time to make up for.