Chapter 26
Chapter Twenty-Six
Prez strides into the room and bangs the gavel. “Special Church session is called to order.”
The casual buzz of conversations about guns and bikes shifts to focused anger.
“We have information,” Prez announces. “But first, we need a moment of silence. We lost Pit Bull from the Broken Wheel chapter last night.”
A rumble of curses go around the room as Katie gasps in my arms.
Shit. She didn’t know one of the members got killed. There’s a lot she doesn’t know and I’m the jackass that didn’t tell her.
“He was a good man,” Prez mutters, shaking his head. “We’ll bury him here on the property tomorrow evening. Full club honors.”
No one says a word for that minute. When it’s done, Prez clears his throat and runs his hand through his hair. “It’s not the first time nor the last we’ll lose a brother. It’s part of outlaw biker life. But he died defending the women, and we’re all grateful as fuck he made the sacrifice.”
“Amen,” someone calls, but I can’t speak with my anger riding high, choking off my airway.
“Now, on to business,” Prez says as he sits in the chair at the head of the table, his eyes finding me in the crowd. “Skull, bring us up to speed. And introduce your woman too.”
My woman.
The words are heavy and something I never thought I’d be thinking. But I want to wear them like second skin.
“This is Katie,” I say, pride and possessiveness filling my ribcage. “She’s my property, club property now.”
Katie turns and looks up at me, unable to hide her shock. “Property,” she whispers, confusion drawing her brows together.
I like the word property associated with her too. Call me a caveman.
“You’re under my protection now which means you belong to the club. The mob brought their violence here because they wanted you. They don’t get what’s mine. Ever.”
Tears well in her pretty green eyes, making my chest burn.
“None of this makes sense. Why would they want me of all people?”
I announce to the room, “One of Russo’s men said Katie has a deed to a property that rightfully belongs to them.”
The men rumble. Katie’s eyes are wide as she processes that intel. Finally, she laughs humorlessly, “I don’t know what kind of crack they’re on, but I have a deed to anything.”
“They claim you do, sweetheart, and you’re the only one who knows where it is.”
Dashing a tear off her cheek, Katie shakes her head. “I’m telling you, they must have the wrong person.”
This is when I have to break even worse news. “They came to the park yesterday because they knew that’s where you’d be. I thought they were there to tangle with the club, but I was wrong.”
Her face goes pale, her eyes go wide, and I watch her draw some hard conclusions.
In a weak voice, she says, “Thank god you were there.”
“Exactly.” I reply, trying to keep my anger out of my voice. If I hadn’t been there….
”We’re fortifying the perimeter,” Prez says, interrupting the storm building in my head.
Our VP leans forward. “Can we get anything else out of the men we captured?”
Shaking my head, I say, “No. One’s dead. The other gave up what he had.”
“All our focus goes on this issue,” Prez says, “Katie’s yours, that means we protect. We’ll take the fight to them.”
Slider tips his chin up and speaks to the room. “We just got her belongings back from her brother. Maybe this deed is in there. Maybe Katie never knew she had it.”
Katie sits bolt upright in my lap as she gasps, “Maybe this has to do with my brother.”
Prez’s eyes sharpen. Before I can deliver the news, he says, “We should be able to find out easy enough since he’s in one of the holding cells in the warehouse.”
Fuck.
Not the way I wanted Katie to find out we snatched her brother.
“Agreed,” I say as a cold knot forms in my chest.
Katie’s gaze flies toward mine. “Wait. My brother is here?”