Chapter 2
Jasper
“We’re just heading down now,” Flint tells me when I answer his call. I can’t help the bark of laughter I let out from the tone of his voice. “We almost needed a second van because of all the shit they packed.”
Letting out a low whistle, I’m glad I’m not there dealing with that shit. “I’ll have a whiskey waiting for you.”
“Damn right,” he chuckles, disconnecting the call.
“All good?” Declan asks, coming up behind me.
“They’ll be in tonight,” I answer, nodding at the breakfast casserole his wife left for us. “I guess that makes this your last chance to back out.”
“Nah, you’re stuck with us now,” he says, laughing as he claps me on the back. “We haven’t talked about your plans for the club. You’ve got California and Virginia, now Arizona. You thinking about expanding it any further?”
“It would depend on the circumstances,” I slowly answer his question as he dishes up a plate and crosses to the microwave. “Three chapters always seemed plenty to Flint and me, but we never expected to get your call. So, I’ll file it under ‘never say never’ for now.”
Declan is thoughtfully nodding as he sits across from me. “It’s awfully quiet around here.”
“Jenna took the kids to the masochist that’ll be taking care of them the next few days. She said she was going to run some errands and be back this afternoon.” I belatedly relay her message. “You sure it’s not too much trouble, considering her condition?”
“That’s why we’re going to stay at the clubhouse,” Declan responds in between bites of breakfast. “Jenna can sneak off and take naps or put her feet up when she needs to.”
I try not to grimace as I shift on the curved plastic stool. I’ve always been slim but can’t quite get my ass into a position that isn’t brutal, then I see Declan smirk.
“These seats are fine for Jenna and the kids, but why don’t you follow me?” While that may sound like a question, he’s already putting his plate in the sink before moving down a narrow hallway that’s just past the door to the yard.
Finding myself in his office, I gratefully sink into a large leather chair across the desk from him.
“Cigar?” This time it is a genuine question, as he opens a box and offers me one. After I take it, he leans back and hits a switch on the wall behind him, turning on a vent above us. “Installed that after Jenna and Justin moved in. Now, what’s on your mind?”
“We discussed most of the details,” I state, holding my hand up when his eyes harden. “Except for finances.”
“We agreed on our dues,” he says, his hand tightly wrapped around his lighter. Not letting that deter me, I reach inside my cut to fish out my own.
“Absolutely,” I easily respond, and we both take a moment to light up. “What are your plans? Since our dues are less than what you were paying before.”
“We had talked about some upgrades for the clubhouse, and we had some expenses from the fire that our insurance didn’t cover, so I’ll keep everyone’s monthly fee where it is now, through the end of the year.”
“Okay, as we discussed you’ll be pretty autonomous, but I am going to insist that our accountant , Fury, check your books,” I tell him, wondering if he knows who I’m talking about and how soon I can get one of these vents installed in my office at our clubhouse.
“Fury?” he asks, his eyes brows nearly touching. “Who the fuck is Fury?”
“From Virginia. Jigsaw’s youngest.”
“I thought Vector only had a sister … Well, fuck.”
I sit back, watching him process that bit of news, waiting until one of his shoulders quickly rises and falls in a shrug. “I didn’t know Jigsaw, but I’ve heard how traditional he was. She surely didn’t pick up the books when he was still alive.”
“Hell, no. A woman running any part of an MC? He’d have a stroke,” I confirm what he’s heard about the man that co-founded the Northern Grizzlies with Flint’s father over fifty years ago. “He was proud as hell of her getting a full ride to school, but he didn’t live to see her graduate. Fury finished up in three years then went back to her brother, full of ideas on how to launder money.”
“Fury, huh? What’s her name?”
“Bridget Morgan. She’s probably the only soft spot Vector has,” I answer his spoken and unspoken questions. “He, like me, hates dealing with the finances, so he gave her a shot. Once he realized her plan would work, he brought it to me.”
“How’d that go over with Flint?” Declan lets out a cloud of smoke with his dry chuckle.
“I waited a few months, gave everyone a little bonus. Based on her changes, of course,” I answer, grinning as I remembered Flint opening and closing his month without saying a word. Playing both sides of every argument that ran through his mind and realizing that I had already laid out the counterpoint. “There was a bit more grumbling from Northern Cali, but they saw the light.”
“When does she arrive?” Declan asks, leaning back in his chair, having correctly assumed where this discussion was heading.
“In about an hour,” I say, after checking my watch. “She’s always up for a good party. Vector sends his regards and wants to try to get out here in the winter, but he had something come up that demanded his attention.”
“I don’t know much about him, but a guy I know out that way said he’s solid. Ex-military, right?”
“Yeah, medical discharge, otherwise I don’t think he would have returned to the life. That Brick you been talking to?” I ask, racking my brain about which of the Royal Bastards he’d still be close enough to inquire about the Virginia chapter.
“Brick is solid.”
“Vector has mentioned him a few times. Seems like he’s happier as an Imperial Knight.” Although I don’t know the man personally, Silver had dealings with him and has stayed in touch.
“Is Fury going to stay here, or will she need a room at the clubhouse?” Declan asks, not one to take a hint about sharing information. Seems like I’ll have to head east myself, if I want to get a better read on all the players in Virginia.
“She’ll stay with us. A standing arrangement I have with her brother,” I tell him. “Any word from your men?”
Without naming them, he lets me know that Wolfman and Timber are entertaining their targets and a couple of guests. He’s not expecting any further information until they return the morning that the patch party kicks off.
Listening to him, I bite back a grin at how he lays out the facts without beating around the bush. A trait I appreciate but am not usually on the receiving end of. It’s not the first time I wonder if he wouldn’t be happier if his chapter voted to become independent, but once that decision was made, I know he’ll stick to it.
That’s just who he is.
Lightly crushing the tip of my cigar, I leave it in the ashtray for later and excuse myself, wanting to get to the airport to pick Fury up.