Chapter 18
Hades
“Welcome home.”
Those two words have been said by every single person I’ve come across at the clubhouse. I hate that I haven’t known everyone, but there’s been a few additions over the years I’ve been gone. Of course, I know names, as I had the final say when it comes to newbies, but faces are another story.
“Before we seclude ourselves in church, I thought we should meet with the entire club, from club whores to fully patched members, in the common room first.”
“Makes sense,” I tell Zodiac, grateful he thought of it.
My VP whistles to get everyone’s attention, and the room falls quiet.
“As you all know, our fearless leader, Hades, has been away for over a decade after being convicted for a crime he didn’t fucking commit,” he begins.
“Those of you who need to know the full story already do, so I’m not going to go into any more detail.
If Pres wants you to know, he’ll tell you his damn self.
Anyway, now that he’s home, Dead on Arrival MC is finally whole again!
A lot of you are used to me being the figurehead of the club, but as of this second, that role reverts back to Hades.
I was never meant to be in charge permanently, and I, for one, am glad to return the reins to their rightful owner.
” Zodiac pauses, letting his words sink in.
“Now, we’re going to take the next half hour so those of you who haven’t met Hades can introduce yourselves.
For those of you who were here before his arrest, do whatever the fuck it is you do to celebrate. ” He turns to me. “Anything to add?”
“I want to thank all of you for stepping up while I was gone. If not for you and your loyalty, DOAMC wouldn’t still be the baddest MC around.
I’m goddamn grateful to be home, but for the time being, don’t let that information become public knowledge.
We still have a long way to go to clear my name, and until we do, I have no doubt I’m at the top of the state of Pennsylvania’s list of dangerous fugitives. Understood?”
The room fills with a chorus of affirmatives.
“Good. Church starts in thirty, and it’ll be officers only. If you’re not in the meeting room before I lock the door, there will be consequences.”
The time flies as I’m inundated with those I’ve never met in person until today. Fortunately, the officers are the same as when I was arrested, so at least the inner circle of the club is filled with familiar faces of those I know and trust with my life.
“You look like you could use a drink,” Butcher says when I have a moment to myself. “Or a joint.”
I accept the joint he passes me and take a long drag. As soon as I blow out smoke, I chase it with the shot of Jack Daniels he brought me.
“Better?” he asks with a laugh.
“Little bit.”
“It’s good to have you back, Pres. Wasn’t the same without ya,” he tells me, slapping me on the back.
“It’s good to be back. And thanks for helping hold down the fort.”
“No thanks necessary. We’re family.”
I nod. “I’m gonna head to the meeting room. I’ll see you in there.”
When I enter the room, I’m flooded with emotion. Everything looks exactly the same, with the exception of a few additions to the Memory Wall. I move to stand in front of the pictures of all the fallen brothers, and my vision blurs with tears.
I wasn’t here when the picture of my dad was hung, and I wasn’t here for Zodiac when his father was added. Shit, there are nine additions to this wall that I missed, and regret threatens to weigh me down.
If I hadn’t gone to the bank that day, life would look very different. If I’d told Bonnie to fuck off, I’d never have been locked up. What if I’d stayed at my dad’s wake, like a good son should?
If, if, if…
The thud of footsteps penetrates the sadness, and I swipe the tears away and latch onto the anger and bitterness that are always present when I think of the what ifs. The last thing I need on my first day back is for my brothers to see me in a weak moment.
I grin when Zodiac, Boa, Butcher, Chains, Tallyman, Stitch, Preach, and Rocket enter. Fucking hell, I’ve missed this.
“Sit down,” I order. “We’ve got a lot to cover.”
Zodiac walks to the head of the table, and we both move to pull out the president’s chair at the same time.
“Shit, sorry,” he says with a chuckle.
“No worries, brother. It’s gonna be an adjustment for all of us.”
“An adjustment for the better,” Rocket, our secretary, comments. “No offense, VP, but you talk too much. It was a bitch to take notes with you at the helm."
“Yeah, yeah,” Zodiac mumbles.
“I’d follow either of you, no questions asked,” Butcher adds. “But I’m not gonna lie and say it isn’t fucking great to have things back to the way they should be.”
“You and me both,” Zodiac tells him. “Being acting pres was a necessary evil I could’ve done without.”
“Okay, okay, let’s get on with business. Today, we’re going to focus on what the hell went wrong at the prison earlier. We’ll meet again next week, after I’ve had a chance to settle back in, to discuss day-to-day operations.”
“We gonna talk about the hot little number I heard you brought home with you?” Preach asks.
“Her name is Willow, and you’d do well to remember that,” I snap, unwelcome frustration bleeding into my tone at his description of her. “And if anyone has anything to say about her being here, you send them to me.”
“So that’s how it is?” Tallyman asks.
“If you’re asking if she’s mine, the answer is fuck yes.”
“Does she know that?” Boa asks.
I smirk. “She will.”
“Now that that’s settled,” Zodiac chimes in. “Fill us in on what happened at the prison. Clearly, things didn’t go as planned because there's no one strung up in The Factory, and Willow’s here. Seems like the only things that went right are that you got out, and Levins is here.”
I spend the next twenty minutes filling them in on the absolute shit show that was the riot and escape. When I talk about what K.C., Bones, and Wiley did to Willow, each of them tenses, becoming agitated and angry on her behalf.
“Fortunately, Wiley’s dead,” I explain. “I snapped his neck.”
“What about K.C. and Bones?” Stitch demands, his tone clipped.
“Not sure,” I admit. “I knocked ‘em both out, but I had to get the hell outta Dodge, so I don’t know if they were caught or if they regained consciousness and escaped.” I turn to Chains. “I need you to reach out to one of the guards we trust and find out.”
“Consider it done,” he says.
“Bones essentially admitted to killing Bodybag, so we were right about that. Finding him and K.C. are our priorities.”
“And clearing your name?” Zodiac asks.
“That’s at the top of the list, too, and something that Willow can help with. She was at the prison to meet with me on behalf of the Pennsylvania Wrongful Conviction Center. We didn’t really get a chance to discuss much before all hell broke loose, but we will.”
“If the PWCC was willing to meet with you, I’m guessing they’d already decided to take on your case. Hopefully, that’s something she can get going on when she returns to work,” Butcher comments.
“She’s not leaving,” I snarl.
“Because she doesn’t want to leave or because you’re not gonna let her?” my VP demands.
“I’m not fucking letting her until my name is cleared,” I snap. “Besides, we can use her as leverage to help move the process along.”
“How so?” Rocket asks.
“You can’t be seriously considering that,” Zodiac bitches.
“Considering what?” Chains questions.
“You didn’t tell them,” I say to Zodiac.
“Haven’t had the chance.”
“Tell us what?” Preach bites out.
I heave a sigh. “Willow is the daughter of Assistant District Attorney Crane, which gives us a direct line to someone who can be very useful in our efforts.”
“You want to demand ransom for her?” Preach frowns. “Her in exchange for exoneration.”
“Something like that.”
“What’re we waiting for?” Chains barks. “Like you said, you’re going to be hunted down like a dog, so the faster we get you cleared and ensure you’re not charged with any new crimes as a result of the escape, the better.”
“He’s right,” Butcher adds.
“Are you sure her parents will bargain?” Tallyman taps his fingers on the table. “What if she isn’t close with them?”
“We won’t know unless we try, right?” Rocket says.
“Let’s put it to a vote,” I state. “All those in favor of using Willow as a bargaining chip for my freedom, say ‘aye’.”
They each say ‘aye’.
I bang the gavel. “Done. Now the question is, how do we make contact? Email, phone call, text?”
“I think we start with a text demanding they call us to speak about the safe return of their daughter,” Rocket suggests. “I can send the text from a spoofing app on my laptop so it can’t be traced.”
“You also need to find out what the PWCC can do to help,” Zodiac says. “If she works there and was at the prison as one of their employees, they’re gonna wonder what the fuck happened to her. Let’s use them to our advantage.”
“Okay. I’ll talk to her about that.”
“I’m guessing she won’t have a problem with it, seeing as she’s been declaring your innocence for years.” I glare at Zodiac, and he smirks. “What? She has. Those letters are proof that she’s on your side.”
“That was before I essentially kidnapped her,” I remind him.
“Wait a sec,” Chains snaps. “Willow’s your mysterious letter writer?”
Rather than answer him, I rise to my full height.
“Rocket, send a text to her parents stating that they are to answer our phone call at noon tomorrow if they want to see their daughter again. Also, can you email me all your church notes from when I was gone? I wanna go through them and make sure I’m all caught up on shit. ”
“I’ll have them to you within the hour.” He taps on the keyboard of his laptop. “And the text is sent.”
I shift my focus to Tallyman. “T, I want all financial records emailed to me as well.”
“Will do.”
Turning to Chains. “Zodiac said you and Evie went grocery shopping today. Any chance there’s enough that my quarters can be stocked?”
“Yep. I bought all your faves, and I’ll have a prospect bring them over to the residential building when we’re done here.”
“Thanks.” Next, I address Boa and Butcher. “I want you two to focus on ensuring that Levins and Jilly have everything they need. She’ll need to be enrolled in school since we’re in a different district than they were in before. I also want him to be given a tour of the property.”
“Does that include The Factory?” Butcher asks.
“Not yet. He’s going to be put through his paces like every other prospect, but he doesn’t have quite as much to prove since he’s been loyal for almost a decade already.”
“Got it.”
“Good. Any questions?”
Stitch stands. “No questions, but I do have something to say.”
“The floor is yours.”
Stitch walks to the closet and grabs a box from the top shelf before walking to me. “Welcome home, Pres,” he says, handing it to me.
I open the box and am floored by what I see. Nestled among tissue paper is a brand-new cut with all the same patches as my old one.
“We knew you wouldn’t be able to get your property back from the prison before you escaped,” our club doc says. “But there’s no way in hell the Dead on Arrival MC pres can walk around without a cut.”
I toss the box onto the table, put the leather on, and a sense of being whole washes over me.
“Thanks,” I push out past the emotion. “This means everything to me.”