Chapter 26
FINGER
The morning after finding out I’m to be a Pops, Dad, Pa, or any other way I’m to be named as the baby’s father felt phenomenal. I don’t care how my excitement looks to others. I am just delighted to be a father, and with someone as awesome as Cilla makes it even better.
Cilla insisted on going to work, so I made her pancakes with fruit and syrup this morning. Right before kissing the absolute shit out of her. Then driving her to work and insisting I’d pick her up when her shift finished.
I also spoke to Shelby about watching over Cilla, which did not go down well, as it seems it was to be a secret from some people for a while.
She never said, so how was I supposed to know?
I gave Shelby my digits when Cilla wasn’t looking.
I told her if I was needed to call me and I would be there before she knew it.
Driving to the clubhouse I feel like an idiot, but I don’t care, I speak out. “Bono, Tank, Pyro, you watch over my woman. She’s having my kid, and I want to know she’s safe. If anything happens to her, I’ll follow her to your side. That’s not a threat, that’s a promise.”
Walking into church, I take my usual seat and nod to the brothers sitting around the table. With it being Saturday, we left the answering machine switched on, taking any messages for the rescue business, but Pres wanted us all here, and here we are.
Tracker walks into church and takes his seat. Cap sits beside him on the left, and I sit on the right. We all know to be patient, as Pres will only start the meeting when he is good and ready.
Pres looks from one of us to another, then speaks.
“The meeting today is covering other than the usual reports. Keep up with the topics I’m covering.
First, we need volunteers to help decorate, build cabinets and stations at the tattoo studio.
Scribe cannot be expected to do it all himself.
Some of the stuff is too heavy to lift on his own, and by that, I mean the old stuff that has been there from when the building was a clothing store. ”
Ghost speaks, “Has the sale completed?”
Coin picks up the thread of the conversation, “No, not entirely. But Avery is making sure it goes through with the minimum of fuss. She is doing everything she can and has handed over the keys to the place. She said, to do what we need, and even if the sale fell through, she’d make sure the tattoo studio opens on time. ”
“Scribe has informed that most of the stuff in Lulu’s he owns, but he’s had some trouble getting his stuff out.
Seems the Sheriff had to speak with Lulu, and she backed off.
Scribe said he had everything packed and ready to transport.
With the information regarding Avery’s willingness, we could make a move in the next few days and get things moved if there are enough hands,” Books states and many of the brothers are nodding so there will be plenty to help by the look of it.
Joker lifts his hand, “I’ll go after finishing my last tow of the day.”
“Yeah, I’ll do the same,” Demon adds.
“I will go as soon as my last drop-off is completed,” Phoenix joins the volunteers.
“Okay, three of you, along with Scribe should be enough,” Tracker taps the table and looks at Coin.
“Coin, make sure the money is sent directly to Avery. None of the fees are to be paid to the realtor because we are buying the building directly. Don’t let the fucker at the realtor’s office elbow his way into the sale. ”
“Will do, Pres. I spoke to Avery, and she said she’s doing all the official work herself through her own contacts.
If the asshole comes around sniffing for a fee, I’ll send Finger along with Pyro…
” that naturally sets everyone off laughing, but I’m not sure they will if they piss Pyro off. Dead or not, he’s still fuckin’ lethal.
“Okay, quiet down.” Tracker states, but he has amusement in his tone of voice. “Next on our list of things to get done is we have a roundup to complete. It seems Byron Briggs is the dealer we are looking for.”
The room explodes with curses. Yeah, we all know the cocksucker.
He’s been into every dirty deal over the last ten years.
He cannot keep his nose out of trouble. Byron doesn’t know how to do a hard day's work, and that is the problem.
He thinks he can make big money with little effort.
This time it may just cost him more than he is willing to pay.
“Find him and bring him in. We need to get rid of the problem and then go after the next one,” Pres snarls. “Once we have dealt with Byron and any other cocksuckers dealing in town, we are going after Maddog and removing him from his job.”
The grin on Tracker’s face is enough to scare anyone to death. We all know that he hates anything drug related. Any of the brothers found doing drugs he’ll take out himself. It happened only once and nobody will forget the moment that our Pres ended the life of one of our brothers.
Everyone, including myself, agreed to search for Byron, and we quickly allotted areas of town to look. I’m going along with Brewer to the east side of town, which is all warehouses, closed factories, and has a cemetery with a small church that has not been used in probably a decade.
Brewer gives me a toothy grin, “I reckon we’ll find the asshole, Finger. When we do, we can make sure he has a few bruises that we can call compensation for the victims of his drug selling.”
Nodding in agreement, I can’t help but smirk at the thought of showing the asshole what it is like to be abused.
“Maybe even give him a few of his own pills, see how he likes to be spaced out of his mind! Someone needs to check out the college campus because he’s selling there from what we’ve heard. ”
“Ask the prospects as they are young enough to know someone in college. Maybe they can get us a clue as to where to find the fucker,” Joker suggests, which gets a nod from Hot Rod who is working closely with the prospects.
“Get him found and in the shed. I don’t care how you do it. Moving along, let’s discuss what Keys has found. Keys?” Pres sits back in his seat and crosses his arms over his chest. He knows what’s coming, but by the look on his face none of us are going to like it.
Keys cleared his throat before speaking.
“There is no easy way to say this. But I found the money Snake took from us and the charity collections. We can give a donation if we want, but my suggestion is we leave it alone and do another charity run and make it a big one. We do not want to broadcast to other MCs what happened, as it makes us look weak. But I found $798,000 in an account hidden by using Snake's mother's maiden name. I’ve recovered that money, closed the account, and the money is now in the club’s bank account.”
“I’m pleased he is dead because I’d kill him if he were still breathing,” Bull growled. Which has everyone agreeing that it would be simple to put him in that acid pit again.
“I’ll have a few words with Cilla and see if our friends on the other side can find him and make his death miserable,” Pres says, and we all watch him as he rubs his chin in thought.
Shit, he means it. He’s gonna see if Cilla can have Tank, Bono, and Pyro do a deathly retribution.
Can’t do a deadly one as they are already dead!
Rides speaks now, gaining everyone’s attention.
“I reckon we leave the money in the bank. As Keys said, we set up a charity run. Make it the biggest one we’ve ever done.
We can contact our allied clubs, Satan’s Guardians MC and the Valley Hunters MC.
Maybe Rogue Legion MC and Raging Barons MC will be interested, and there are plenty more MCs that will join I’m sure. ”
“I agree, and Books or Keys can contact them. I’m thinking they’ll jump on the chance of a major charity run,” I add to the conversation.
“Show of hands that we leave the money in the bank and create a charity run to supplement what the fucker stole from the fundraising,” Pres asks, and every hand in the room is raised. “Okay, the next topic is the situation with Jeremy Clark. Cap, what’s he saying?”
“Jeremy is coming to check the clubhouse over, then discuss what is involved before giving us a loose quote. He is okay with doing it if there are no construction issues.” Cap continues.
“He has seen the blueprints and thinks it will take approximately six months to cover all the work, so it’s not going to be a cheap fix.
But he said once it’s done it will be something we won’t have to repeat, so the cost is a one-off. ”
“We could ask him about building houses on the compound. I’d like a house on the compound for myself and Cilla.
It would be safer for my family to be within the compound.
I reckon he or she should be around the brothers, being brought up within the club and not living somewhere else,” I’m mentioning this as it’s a great time with discussing Jeremy working jobs for the club.
“I agree, Finger,” Pres quickly adds, and I can see he has considered this already. “Anyone who wants to invest in building a house then let’s make a plan of the compound area we are happy to use for building on and mark out plots. Then you can add your names to the plan whenever you want.”
Hot Rod speaks out surprising everyone. “How about we make a bid on the land next to the compound? It’s been standing for years doing nothing but becoming a place some of the townsfolk dump shit onto.
When the owner died forty years ago, it was left to his nephew who has never even been to look at it that I know of.
I’ve asked about the land a few times since I’ve been here at the club.
Nobody knows anything. We could ask the lawyers in town if they know anything? ”
After a few words around the room, Pres holds his hand out to quiet the room. “Hot Rod, you check with the lawyers. If we can purchase the land, then it’s a good idea. We could use that as a housing area for the brothers to build on instead of using up the compound we have now.”
“Will do, Pres,” Hot Rod quickly responds.
“Last topic today is to congratulate our man here, Finger. He’s going to be a father,” Pres brags, and you’d think he was gonna be the father the way he is smiling.
“Do you think the baby will be able to speak to the dead?” Bowie asks, and every head in the room turns to look at him, “What? I only asked.”
Pres chuckles, “It’s a good question. We’ll not only have one Seer in the MC. We could have two!”
“I’m pleased I can’t see them. I don’t want to know if I have dead people sitting next to me or following me around. I love my brothers but I don’t know if it’s healthy for us to still have them meddling, and we all know Tank and Pyro enjoyed meddling,” Judge says, but has a half-grin on his face.
“It will be what it is, girl, boy, seer or not. I don’t care as long as Cilla and the baby are okay.
It will be weird though if they both see and speak to the dead that I can’t see.
I mean they could have conversations while I’m in the room, and I’d not know what the fuck was being said, or going on,” I chuckle nervously at the thought.
Of course, that leads to everyone throwing out stupid scenarios.
Pres takes control of the room once more. “Okay, the wedding! Speak to Cilla and find out if she’s happy to have it here. We can dress the place up and have it in the compound. Cap is ordained so he can preside, and I can be the one who walks Cilla down the aisle.”
“I was going to offer to do that,” Rides grumbles.
“Yeah, so was I,” Tread jumps in to say, but other brothers join in.
Me? I sigh and let them get on with it for a while, right before I throw in a wrench. “Oh, I thought someone would want to be the Best Man?” I say this with best sounding something very special, and it has more than a few clambering now to be the ‘Best Man.’
Well, this is a sight! The assholes are throwing bits of paper with their names written on, into a trash can so they can pull out one who will then be the Best Man. Wow, that is something to brag about in years to come-not!