Chapter 10
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Coty
Is it possible to have a quiet uproar? Maybe quiet chaos is a better word. I don’t know, but the atmosphere at the Den is all out of sorts tonight. It’s not half as loud as it usually is here on the weekend. It’s the reason I consider the word quiet. The Den is nowhere near as quiet as the church was. There’s just an odd kind of energy flowing through the clubhouse tonight. No one here thinks twice or cuts their eyes because the younger kids are restless. Most are too young to understand what today means.
Every adult knows what happened tonight. Everyone’s outraged. Thankfully, all the ole’ ladies jumped in and took over handling the candlelight vigil. Hundreds of calls have come in apologizing for what happened. A larger television news channel in Nashville picked up the local station’s video and plastered it on all of their social media sites. The entire state of Tennessee and half the country will know what happened by morning.
Sadly, the clip going around is where Jack’s mother threw the candle at the Pastor’s wife. The viewers are split on who they sympathize with. The story of Ariel’s death has sprung to life again. Nick tries to keep as much as possible off the internet so Jack’s family won’t see it. He had to call in help from his fellow computer geeks. They’re efforts are pointless tonight.
“Prez called a meeting.” Worley slaps me on the back as he walks by. He disappears down the hallway and not into Church. Our Church is nothing like the one we just left.
“You good here?” Kayla’s behind the bar. I want to keep her in my sight, but duty calls.
“Yeah. I’ll help Lil Mama and Deanna watch things out here.” Any other night, she’d have something snappy to say. Deanna is Ross’s wife. She steps in every time the club needs her.
“Thanks. Keep an eye on Emily, too.” I motion with my head to where Emily sits at the bar next to Pops. It’s off not seeing Granddad with him.
Kayla huffs out a breath. “All y’all need to stop worrying about Emily. She belongs here.”
She’s not wrong. Emily has been a friend of the club since she was a teenager. Her parents are another story. They disowned her right out of high school because she repeatedly stood up for club members. I pause in the doorway and glance over my shoulder. Kayla’s father and brother hate us, too. Makes me wonder about some things.
“Let’s go, Rodeo.” Bankz hurries past me.
“Feel your pain, man.” Hendrix is right behind him—no clue what he means.
“She’s safe. No one here will touch her,” Jay assures me.
That’s true. Only club members and our local friends are here tonight. This is the safest atmosphere Kayla and Emily could be in. Knowing it doesn’t make leaving her easy, though. Jack’s family needs me, so I turn and follow Jay to Mack’s office.
Worley’s waiting for us at the door. His lips press together to the point they almost turn white. His eyes narrow as he glances up and down the hall. We all know enough not to speak. The big guy is beyond pissed. Nick’s at the desk on his laptop. He jumps to his feet when Mack storms through the door.
“How bad?” Mack asks Nick before he reaches the desk.
Nick quickly slides his computer to the side of the desk and pulls up a straightback chair. “Sorry, Prez. It’s going to be a rough few days. We’re taking down as much as we can as fast as we can.” He sighs and shakes his head. “There’s not a lot we can do with the news channels without a court order.”
Worley moves behind Mack’s chair and places his hand on his shoulder. “What do you need?”
Mack runs a hand through his hair. His eyes bounce around, not settling on anything or anyone. “My daughter back. My wife’s mind clear. Her pain gone.” He tosses his hands up. “I don’t know anymore.”
Jack sucks a breath in through his nose and swipes the back of his hand across it. Jay and I move to his side. My friend is tough. Seeing his mom fall to pieces brings us all to our knees.
“What’s our next step?” Jack asks.
Next steps are how we move forward. It usually involves an angel. Those steps aren’t so clear when our families are involved. They don’t help with our sanity, for darn sure. Our sanity is completely gone in moments like this. The room stays quiet for a long moment.
“You still want Church tomorrow?” Nick breaks the silence.
Mack leans back and nods. “Yeah. Move it to two. I wanna make sure the kids, Ev, and the rest of my family are okay before I leave them.”
“Where’s everyone staying tonight. We’ll set up guards outside the houses,” Hendrix offers.
Mack looks across the desk at Jack. “My house.” He leaves no room for defiance.
“Yeah, Dad. Lily and I’ll be there.” Jack’s learning to trust his father’s judgement, whether he agrees with him or not.
“Mom’s helping at the Haven House tonight. I’ll be between there and your house,” Jay says.
Mack looks up at Worley. They have a silent conversation for a moment. They’ve been best friends practically from birth, like Jack and me. We’ve seen them do this hundreds of times. Still, it creeps me out. Worley gives a firm nod and takes a step back.
Mack meets Jack’s eyes again. “Nina Lowe has decided to stay in Willow Creek and remain the Haven House mother. She doesn’t want to be separated from her family again. You need to tell Lily she’s here.”
Jack leans forward. “Is that a good idea? Her ex still hasn’t been caught.”
Nina is one of the first angels the Vikings rescued. Her abusive ex went into hiding before the cops or we could find him. He disappeared just as we had helped Nina do for twelve years.
“Good or not, she’s refusing to leave. If we don’t protect her, she’ll find a place in town, and that’s worse.” Jay looks from Jack to his uncle. “And that’s not all.” Mack nods for him to continue. “Mom told me a few minutes ago that Mia Holt decided to stay in Willow Creek, too.”
Nick flips open a notebook on the desk and jots down the information. “I’ll work on getting both ladies and Miss Holt’s son new IDs.”
“There’s not much more we can do tonight, and I need to get back to my family.” Mack stands. “Nick, you and your brother’s team keep monitoring the internet. Do what you can. We’ll handle the fallout later. Get those IDs asap.”
“I’m on it, Prez.” Nick’s gaze snaps back to his computer. His fingers move rapidly over the keyboard.
“Rodeo.” Mack clamps a hand on my shoulder. “You, Hendrix, and Bankz make sure everyone gets home safe. Ember and Mary are at my house tonight.”
“Will do, Prez.” I figured my sisters would stay with Maci and Everly tonight.
Hendrix and Bankz nod, accepting their assignment. They leave to make rounds around the Den. No one will act up tonight. This day weakens the entire club. With Hendrix around, they’d think twice about acting up on a regular day. The three of us will escort the families home in case there’s trouble. It’s doubtful anyone from the church would do anything. With all the news footage and social media posts, our enemies might. It’s best not to take chances tonight.
“Worley’s in charge tonight.” Mack leaves through the side door we use for the angels. Jay follows him.
Jack walks with me to the Den. I don’t push him to speak. I let him look around the room until he’s satisfied that things are okay. Well, as okay as they can be. The tables have the same candles and flowers as the church. Pictures of Ariel, some when she was a kid and some with Logan and Everly, sit on each table. Memories that pull on all of us, especially Jack’s family. I wish I could take away his pain.
After another long moment, Jack takes a shaky breath. “Kayla was going to stay with us tonight. Since we’re at my parents’ now, see if she and Emily will stay together tonight. Put a guard on them.”
“Don’t worry. I got this, “ I assure him. “You go take care of your family.”
My friend disappears down the hall, back to the side exit. He needn’t worry, I’ll gladly help Worley watch over the club tonight. I glance toward the bar, to Kayla. Her eyes meet mine. There’s no reason for either of us to smile, not that she smiles at me often anymore. No guards have to be assigned to her and Emily tonight. That position is mine.