Tex’s Angel (Savage Legion MC #11)

Chapter 23

Tex

B y the time I make it back to the clubhouse, Clara has left for work and Evan and Levi are both at school. Rigs and Siege are waiting for me in the bar. The minute they see me out of uniform, they know I was fired. Siege waves me over, and no sooner do I sit down than one of the prospects, Nick, brings me a cold beer. I would have rather had a whiskey on the rocks, but I don’t complain because it’s pretty early in the day to be hitting the hard liquor.

Siege speaks first, “Those bastards fired you for being part of our club, didn’t they?”

“You know that they did,” I say as I pop the top on my beer.

Rigs takes a long draw of his beer. “Those tight asses don’t deserve you anyway. I can’t believe they’d fire you after all our club did for them. If it wasn’t for us, Pope would still be in charge of the town.”

“Ungrateful fuckers,” Siege mutters.

“It’s a new guard in there. Pretty much all the officers from Pope’s time were fired or demoted, so I’m guessing the ones there now, don’t think they owe us shit,” I say.

Siege nods in understanding, “Anyway you cut it, you still have your job managing our security firm.”

“That’s part time, Prez. I’m gonna have to look for a full time job to make ends meet.”

“Smoke told me about your insurance payout, at least you have that as a cushion. Why do you always act poor when you’re not?”

My head snaps up to glare at Rigs. “My insurance payout is none of your damn business.”

Rigs takes another swig of his beer and replies casually, “I never said it was my business. I’m just curious. Can’t a brother be curious without you jumping down his throat?”

I run one hand through my hair, exasperated that he’s right. “Look, once Levi was born both me and my wife took out life insurance policies to make sure that if anything happened, the other wouldn’t have to worry financially. If I’m honest, I thought what with me being a cop then she’d be cashing in my policy. I didn’t expect it to be the other way round.”

Rigs points at me with the top of his beer bottle. “She died of cancer, didn’t she?”

“Yeah, she did. I’m saving that money to put my too smart for his own damn good son through college, pay for his wedding, and buy him his first house.”

Rigs chuckles, “And wait for him to have kids, so you can put them through college and buy them fancy houses too, right?”

Suddenly, I was feeling less angry, cause this brother of mine was not wrong. “Alright, I know it’s a lot of money. I’m not stupid. I just feel bad spending any of it.”

“But she gave it to you, right?” Siege asks.

Rigs nudges him with his elbow. “Bequeathed it. Same thing but not quite.”

Siege jerks his chin at his longtime friend. “She bequeathed it to you because she wanted to make yours and Levi’s life easier, right?”

“I suppose,” I have to admit they’re onto something.

“Think of it this way. I’m sure your wife bought you gifts for your birthday and Christmas. You probably kept and used them. How’s this gift any different.”

“When your old lady dies and you land on a pile of insurance money, let’s see how quick y’all are to start spending.”

Rigs’ face turns furious, but I don’t let him off the hook so easily. “No, you brought this issue of money up and you’re gonna fucking listen to me. What if I took twenty bucks out of it and bought myself an ice cream cone? How am I gonna sit there and enjoy that ice cream knowing the only reason I’m getting that treat is because my wife died left me the money to buy it with? Now, multiply that by every damn thing I need in life. I can’t live with that kind of guilt, so I don’t touch the money. It’s easier that way.”

Rigs just shakes his head. “Damn dude, have you ever thought about getting some therapy?”

“I did. This is what years of therapy looks like on a widower like me.”

“Shit brother, you need some more,” he grumbles before taking another mouthful of beer.

Siege shoots Rigs a dark look. “For a trained grief counselor you’re being a bit hard on a man who’s having a bad day. He don’t need tough love right now.”

I down the rest of my beer and hold the bottle up for Nick to bring me another one. “Shit, I’m okay, Siege. Rigs ain’t tellin’ me nothing I ain’t told myself a million times already. I need to work to keep my mind off things and I can’t make myself spend any of insurance money.”

“You’ve worked yourself between a rock and a hard place, that’s for damn sure.”

Looking at my club president, I tell him, “Don’t I know it, Prez. At the end of the day, I have to do what I think is right for my family. I have to make decisions I can live with, and I’ve decided that I don’t want to benefit in any way from my wife’s death. It just feels wrong.”

Siege thumps me on the back with his hand. “You’re a good man, Tex. Solid gold. They don’t make ‘em like you anymore.”

“Aw shit man, y’all gonna make me cry,” I joke to my club president. But I’m not entirely joking, what he said really hit home. I feel good knowing that my brothers think I’m a good man.

Siege changes the subject and brings up Levi. “I heard your boy is on track to be a master chess player.”

I point at him with my bottle. “Do not take the piss out of my boy. He can’t help it if he’s a fucking genius.”

Rigs presses his lips together, like he’s trying not to laugh.

“Come on motherfucker. If you’ve got something to say, just spit it out.”

“I knew that kid had something going on when he asked Evan why he would want to touch a girl’s breast. Every teenage boy in America knows the answer to that question, except your son,” Rigs says.

“I’m not gonna lie, that took me by surprise as well. I guess he’s at the age where they’re still strangers from another planet. I’ve seen the way he stares at the club girls.”

Siege laughs, “Every red blooded man’s gonna stare at those women. But is he staring at them because he thinks they’re pretty or like a serial killer stares at his prey?”

I shake my head at that image, I’m pleased my club brothers are jerking me around today, it’s what I need to get out of my head. I answer Siege’s question, “Like he’s trying to figure out what the hell their deal is and how to interact with them.”

Siege says, “Fuck, we all went through that stage. I’m still there sometimes with my Cleo. Women sure as fuck think differently from men. That’s all I’ve got to say about that.”

“Even the little ones?” Rigs asks Siege.

“Most especially the little ones. When Louisa was young, she’d cry for a piece of cake and then turn around a cry because I cut the damned cake so she could have a piece.”

Rigs starts laughing.

“Laugh away, brother. But just you wait until Rosie is driving you crazy.”

“Rider seems to be doing okay with his daughter.” Rigs replies, sounding all kinds of concerned.

“Naw, man. That guy might be my best friend in the whole damn world ,but he’s gone gaga for his little girl. She makes him fish little pieces of mermaid cereal out of each box so she can send them off with box tops to get pretty rings. I told him that he should buy her a fuckin’ box of pretty rings and be done with it. Nope, that’s apparently against the rules. Been doing that shit for a couple years now.”

I laugh at the image of Rider rummaging around cereal boxes, “I’m real glad I had a son. He doesn’t do shit like that. Levi goes to school, annoys the living shit out of his teachers, comes home, eats, plays chess, shoots some hoops with his friends, and then chills out the rest of the night playing video games. Then he gets up and does it all over again the next day. My boy is predictable at least.”

Rigs points at me with his bottle. “You can add being a junior prospect to that list now.”

I shoot Siege a meaningful look. “I forgot to tell y’all thanks for allowing that. He loves wearing that cut and hanging around the prospects more than playing chess. And that’s saying something for my son.”

“I did that for the club, not as a personal favor to you,” he tells me.

“Yeah, I know he’s all kinds of smart and that might come in handy at some point, right?”

“Yeah, we’ve got big plans for him. We’re gonna teach him how to play poker and shoot pool. Then when he’s old enough to gamble, we’re gonna clean up in all the local tournaments.”

I snort laugh so hard beer almost comes out of my nose. “Good luck getting him interested in shit like that. Y’all have no idea what you’re in for when it comes to training that boy. It took me two years to get him to stop wearing shiny dress shoes to school and he still hasn’t grasped the concept of pouring milk over the cereal. Every morning he eats a big bowl of dry cereal and washes it down with a glass of milk.”

Siege frowns, looking disappointed. “So what you’re saying is that he’s a quirky little dude and we’re gonna have to trick him into it?”

“No. I’m telling y’all that I thought the same thing when he was seven, but that boy’s gonna walk his own path.”

Tipping the rest of the beer into my mouth, I get to my feet. “I’m gonna paint over that fucking graffiti at Clara’s house. Rigs stands up as well, “Need some help, brother?”

“Sure. Are you offering?”

He tosses his empty beer bottle into the garbage can, and we head out.

Once we get to Clara’s house, we check in with the prospects, who have nothing to report. Which I guess is a good thing, though it would make my life easier if whatever fucker is messing with Clara went and made another move. We get the prospects involved in painting as well. Having someone to talk to and a helping hand makes the work go faster. It also helps me forget for a few hours that I got canned today by a bunch of ungrateful assholes.

And this is why I’ll never give up the brotherhood. Everything else in life might blow up in your face and people will let you down, but the Savage Legion brotherhood will stand by a brother come rain or shine. I need that in my life more than I can say. I don’t know where I would be right now if I hadn’t found the club. They pick me up when I’m down and give me an opportunity to give back when I’m feeling strong. It’s the give and take, the friendship and the stability the club offers that is the most important part. Outsiders will never truly understand MC culture because they don’t take the time to spend time with us and learn our ways.