DECLAN

 

“Cross had a short conversation with Michelle. It’s real simple. He and the Vultures are here in town for the Chinese. They want in on the deal we’ve got with them.”

Everybody around the table just stared at me. Needle was the first one to speak up. He was always the first one to speak up.

“…What?”

He leaned forward in his seat and stuck his hands out. Everybody else was quiet as they thought about what I just said. He was the only one with a confused look on his face.

“Am I hearing this right?” he said.

“You’re hearing it right,” I responded.

“Cross and his club want in on our deal?”

“It’s not just our deal. The Triads were doing a trial run with us to see how close the feds were watching. They’re already talking to some of the other clubs in Ivory. They’ve got more than enough weight to go around. The more weight they move through Ivory, the more money they make. The more money the entire town makes.”

“And you’re actually considering this? Am I the only one listening?”

“We hear you,” Ghost said. “We just need to know all of our options. We can’t just jump into this.”

“Cross is up to something!”

“No shit he’s up to something,” I said. “Even if all he really does want is in to get in good with the Triads, then that’s something. Now we just have to figure out if that’s what he really wants.”

I leaned forward and propped my elbows up on the table.

“Say what’s on your mind, brothers.”

I eyeballed each and every one of them, just waiting for them to respond.

“I don’t know,” Sully said as he shook his head. “Dealing with Cross is some slimy shit. Look at the guy. The sooner that guy is dealt with, the better. Whether it’s taking him out or letting him make his money so he can leave.”

“We all saw what he did during the race,” Needle said. “There’s no way we can trust that guy. If he wants to go to war, I say we go to war.”

“It’s not that simple,” I said. “You said it yourself. Cross isn’t the kind of man you can trust. He fights dirty. He does business dirty. He’d go to war dirty. He’d put all of Ivory in jeopardy if that’s what it took. He’s the kind of man who doesn’t care about civilians or collateral damage. You know that’s not how we handle shit.”

“So, we’re just gonna let him dictate our terms?”

“Let me go after him,” Brawn spoke up.

Everybody turned toward the big man. The enforcer of the club commanded as much respect as anybody in the entire town. He was as big as any man I’d ever seen. When he said he’d go after someone, you knew he meant it.

“Just tell me where to find him,” Brawn said. “I’ll find him and his boys. I’ll get a little dirty but I’ll make sure the job gets done.”

“No,” I said, shaking my head. “It won’t be that easy. Michelle told me herself. Cross knows he’s in our scope. He’s ready, whether or not we do anything.”

“I can do it—”

“I’m not gonna risk you to settle this. Calm down, Brawn.”

Brawn let out a frustrated sigh and sank into his seat. Despite how intimidating he was, he was respectful enough to know his place.

“So, what happens if we let him in on the deal?” Petey asked. “Him and the Vultures do what? Two? Three trips?”

“They get their money and then they leave,” I said. “We’ll be done with them without putting the entire town in jeopardy.”

“And you believe him?” Needle said.

“Nobody at this table trusts Cross,” Ghost said. “But if it’s an option, we have to consider it.”

“Not a good option…” Needle sighed.

I looked at Ghost. He gave me a shrug and sighed just the same as Needle.

“What do you think?” I asked.

“Let’s put all the options out there,” Ghost said. “Option one, we let Cross and the Vultures in on the deal. We do our part to make sure he keeps his word. As soon as he gets his payment from the Triads after a few jobs, we escort him out of town and make sure he never comes back.

“Option two, we tell him to fuck off. We go to war. It’s been a long time since we’ve had to go at it with another club but you know we’re ready. The Vultures won’t be left standing.”

“That’s it?” Sully said. “Those are our options for dealing with him?”

I thought about what Michelle said for a moment. I couldn’t even believe I was considering it. She was always on my mind though. The way she looked at me was tattooed in my thoughts.

“Garnet.”

I blinked my eyes when I heard Ghost’s voice. I looked at him and realized that I’d been drifting off into space.

Everybody at table was waiting for me to say something.

“There’s one other option,” I said.

“There is?” Petey said.

“We back out. We back out completely.”

“What?” Needle exclaimed.

“We pull out of the deal with the Chinese for good. We don’t have to worry about the Triads. We don’t have to worry about the Vultures. We don’t have to worry about the feds or the cops.”

Needle widened his eyes at me.

“You can’t be serious,” he said.

“I’m serious,” I said. “We were the first ones to get into bed with the Triads. We’ve all made more than enough money to last us a long time.”

“That is a possibility,” Ghost said. “Dealing with the Chinese isn’t exactly the safest thing in the world. We can cash out now before the house gets its money back.”

“I can’t believe you’re even considering that,” Needle said. “You guys hearing this?”

He looked at Sully. The young patch looked away from Needle. Needle turned to Petey and Brawn on the other side of the table but they didn’t say anything either.

“This can’t be real,” Needle said. “Another club comes into town and we’re just gonna bend over for ‘em? You let them fuck up your ride. They fuck up your leg. They take your girl—”

“That’s enough,” I said.

“Nah!”

Needle got up from his seat.

“You’ve lost your fucking mind,” Needle said. “This is crazy.”

“Sit down!” Ghost barked.

Needle always talked too fucking much but I knew where he was coming from. He knew better than to let his emotions get the best of him though.

“All right,” he said as he put his hands in the air. “All right…”

He calmly sat back down in his seat.

“You should know what it’s like,” I said to Needle.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he replied.

“You’re engaged to a beautiful woman. You’ve got a beautiful baby girl. Those two people should be more important than anything to you—”

“They are. What’s your point?”

“My point is that the only thing that’s as important as them is the patch.”

“Are you questioning my loyalty?”

“No. I’m only saying that this deal with the Triads isn’t as important as you think it is. You can make money another way. You’ve already made your money. Another deal will come our way. The club has always found ways. The deal we have with the Triads is only important because of your family.”

“…Yeah. I get what you’re saying.”

He might’ve understood what I was getting at but he didn’t look happy about it. Nobody in the room was.

Needle looked off to the side of the room and stared into space. Everybody else was zoned out. The look in their eyes told me their minds were going a mile a minute.

The time for talking was over. Now we had to make a decision.

“Those are our options,” I said. “How do we deal with the Vultures and the Triads? Let’s put it to a vote.”

“I still say we cut him out,” Brawn said. “Take out Cross and the Vultures. We keep business going with the Triads. Nothing changes.”

I looked at Petey.

“Tell the Chinese to talk to Cross,” he said. “The Triads are already dealing with every other club in Ivory. What’s one more club? Especially if it means they leave when they’re done.”

“Shit…” Sully muttered.

Everybody turned toward him. He shook his head and sighed a deep breath of frustration.

“Sometimes when I’m out there on a job, I see my life flash before my eyes,” he said. “It doesn’t happen very often but there are times when I’m in real danger out there putting out fires.”

Sully was a volunteer at the fire station. Being a Black Reaper was already hard enough. The man was strong enough to handle the burden of being a firefighter, too. He was special. There was no doubt about that.

“When I come home, I see the concern in Gina’s eyes,” he continued. “I tell her it’s all right and there’s nothing to worry about but I can’t hide how exhausting it gets.”

He looked up at me and nodded.

“Money’s not a problem,” he said. “It sounds like the easiest way we wash our hands of this shit is to just let Cross in on the deal. If he doesn’t keep his word, we make him pay.”

“The easiest way would be just to take care of him,” Needle said. “My opinion hasn’t changed. We kill him. That’s it. You talk about Katrina but she understands. She knows what this life is like. She’s known it her whole fucking life. She understands.”

Sully and Petey wanted to let Cross in on the deal. Needle and Brawn were still insisting on shooting first and asking questions later.

“VP,” I said.

Ghost was staring down at the center of the table. The motherfucker looked as introspective as he always did.

“I know what it’s like,” he said. “After that shit that went down with the Corps, dealing with the Vultures isn’t something I’m too anxious about. I know we can handle them. Going to war with another club isn’t something I’m above. But then I think about Anna, too.”

“And what would Anna say?” I asked.

Ghost slowly shifted his eyes toward me.

“She’d tell me to do what I have to do. She knows that the only justice in Ivory is the justice we make with our own two hands. But I know she’d only be saying that because of what happened to her.”

“So, what are you saying?” Needle said.

“…I’ll leave this up to the wisdom of the rest of the club,” he said. “And to you, President. I abstain.”

Everybody turned toward me.

“Two to two,” Petey said. “What’s it gonna be, President?”

I stared straight ahead and thought about it for just a second. I knew what I had to do.