Chapter 7
Leo
Iwatch on as brother after brother jump into the fight.
The bar falls into madness, and I stand by and light a cigarette.
Jay pummels his fist into the brother’s face who disrespected him and Harper.
Blood coats his knuckles, each punch landing harder than the one before.
The guy’s nose is fucked, and his eye has begun to swell immediately.
Mason and Myles fight as one, the gleam in their eyes burning with violence.
I inhale on the cigarette as a chair is lifted into the air and then brought down over Ashton’s head.
Grim throws punches as if he is punching for both him and Shane.
I doubt anyone’s seeing who they’re fighting.
It's carnal and very much needed. Furniture is broken, glasses are smashed, and I take another drag on my cigarette.
“Never in the history of our club have we been this broken.”
Glancing to my side, Dad stands with his arms crossed over his chest and disdain on his face. Sparky is still sat at the bar, I'm not sure he’s aware of the carnage going on behind him.
“This ain’t broken.”
“What the fuck would you call it?”
I think on it before answering, “Healing.”
Dad shakes his head. “I put too much trust in you, too much, too soon.” He sighs.
No matter the carnage going on around me, I close my eyes. I never wanted to hear those words from my dad.
Opening my eyes, I put my cigarette between my lips and take out my gun. I point it at the ceiling and let off three shots. Brothers stop fighting, quickly going for their guns. Blood drips from noses and bust lips, eyes are blackening, some swelling.
“Did you all get that out of your systems?” I bellow. “You think fightin’ each other is the answer? You think we ain’t got more important shit to deal with?”
I walk around, stopping beside JJ. “Our brotherhood is at risk and instead of coming together and eliminating the threat to our patch, you’d rather doubt me and fight one another!”
Collecting his breath, Tack goes on to call out, “No one here is gonna admit to being the traitor, Leo!”
I look around, taking in the brothers staring my way. “My goal has always been to make this club stronger and that’s what’s been happening, so, if you want to get back to earning...”
“It was me!”
Silence hangs heavily on all our shoulders.
Brothers look around and to my left, a path clears and a brother from the Mercy chapter steps forward.
He’s older than most of us, his straggly beard a mix of black and grey.
His tattoos are faded and stretched with age and the scar running across his forehead has faded with time.
His belly overhangs the top of his belt and as Holly would point out, he looks like he needs a bath.
My feet move before I make a conscious decision to go to him.
I stop when I’m close enough to smell his breath. Cigarettes, beer, and a rotten tooth.
“Are you saying Slade, Dex, and Shane are dead because of you?”
He nods once and drops his eyes to the floor. Using the tip of my gun, I place it under his chin and lift his face up.
“You have sixty seconds to fuckin’ explain.”
“Money ain’t been great since my boy got sick. Every time I dented the medical bills, more came through the door. It was treatment after treatment, but nothing worked. Then I found this new procedure, but it cost fifty grand.”
I work hard to keep myself in control. It's becoming difficult to see past the violent mist descending.
“Fifty thousand dollars?”
He nods.
“Are you telling me we lost men, that you turned on us, for fifty fuckin’ grand?”
“It was for my kid! To save his life!”
“You go to Tack and tell him you needed money, that your kid needed help?”
“Yeah, but he couldn’t help me. Brennon was my son, he was my responsibility.”
The rage builds and I take deep breaths before it takes over me completely.
“The pain you’ve caused our club, the disloyalty you shown our patch, the death you’ve laid at our door, for fifty thousand dollars, you know what has to happen.”
The fear drops from him and a kind of peace that he no longer has to keep the secret washes over him.
“I was prepared for this to happen when I first approached Hopper. Turns out, it was for nothing. My kid died the day after I took the money.”
There’s no room for sentiment. No one should lose a kid, but if Tack couldn’t help him, he should have reached out to me. Pressing the gun to the middle of his forehead, I tell him, “No need to miss him any longer, I'm gonna send you to him.”
Squeezing the trigger, blood spatters my face and his body hits the floor.
“We’re not voting?” Creep grunts.
I turn slowly in a full circle. “Were any of you planning on voting against ending the life of a fuckin’ traitor?”
No one speaks and I wear his blood across my face for them all to see. They saw no hesitation or debate from me. There is one task left to deal with.
Walking over to Tack, he holds his chin a little higher but wariness blurs his eyes.
Putting my gun on the bar, I take out my hunting knife and grab onto Tack’s cut. He tries and fails to shrug me off.
“I warned your chapter what would happen if you fucked this club up again.” I slice off his president’s patch. “Because of you, brothers lost their lives over fifty grand. There's no coming back from that.”
“Because of me?” he spits out.
“Yeah, your chapter, your responsibility. You bear the blame.”
Pocketing the patch, I put my knife away. Turning to everyone, I clear my throat.
“We shouldn’t have to stand here and discuss what loyalty means!” I holler. “It should never enter a brother’s head to turn on the patch for any reason, but especially for a dying kid. If loyalty is too much to ask for from you, take off your patch and leave it at the door on your way out!”
Brothers glance at one another but no one steps up to me.
“And while you’re at it, learn to fuckin’ fight!” Mason hollers. “I’ve seen better fights at an elementary school!”
I suppress my laughter and nod. Tack moves closer to the body and says, “You got a van we could use to take him home?”
I snort. “You’re fuckin’ with me, right? He ain’t getting a proper burial. What the fuck are you thinking?”
“His old lady will want to bury him.”
“I don’t give a fuck. He’s a traitor.” I laugh. “Am I missing something? Or have you truly forgotten what it is to be a brother?”
He shuts his mouth and turns away. No one but Mason and Myles will touch this body, and that’s to toss his ass in a hole deep enough the rats won’t find.
Brothers begin to leave, and Dad meets my eye before following them outside. I catch Grim before he reaches the door.
I take out the patch and slap it into his hand. “Get yourself the votes and take the gavel in Mercy.”
His brows knit together. “You want me in as president?”
I nod. “I do. I need someone I can trust up on the mountain.”
“You think the brothers will vote for me?”
“You’re a good guy, calm, good at getting shit done. There wouldn’t be a reason not to.”
If Grim is voted in, I would have someone I can trust and make my life a little easier.
“I take it you got the package I left ya the last time I was here?”
“Yeah, I got rid of it.”
I can still feel the dirt beneath my nails as I buried it out on my land.
“I’ll put it to the brothers after we leave. Tack will probably fight me on it.”
“Tack can go fuck himself. I'm surprised he’s had the gavel this long. If he won’t quit, deal with him. Together we’re gonna turn this shit show around. Get the votes and keep the chapter tight.”
He holds his hand out and I shake it. “Call me if you need anything and let me know when you get the votes.”
He nods and walks out. When I turn around, Sparky stumbles down off the stool he’s been sat on since this morning.
JJ and the twins are the only ones left.
Apart from my dad and Zachery when he’s here, this is all that is left of the mother chapter.
It's a sad day in our history, but it’s not permanent.
“What’s next?” Myles asks.
“We get our house in order, starting with cleaning this place up.”
Turning my back to them, I take out my phone and call Zach.
“Yeah?” he answers.
“Calling to let you know we found out who the rat is. He's dead, I'm staring at his body now.”
“Who?”
“Bobby Dent. Mercy Chapter.”
“I don’t recall who the fuck he is. Did he say why?”
“He needed to raise cash for his dying kid. The Mercy chapter wouldn’t help him so he went to Hopper.”
The line stays quiet, and I check the call is still live. “His kid died before he could get the treatment, it was over fifty grand.”
“My dad was killed over cash,” he murmurs, then clears his throat. “I doubt my mom will show up at the club, but if she does ever ask, never tell her this.”
“I’ve got you, brother. I'll let the brothers know not to say anything.”
“Thanks.” I hear the crackle of him inhaling on a joint. “Leo?”
“Yeah?”
“I... Never mind. I've gotta go. Talk later.”
“Sure.”
The call ends and I sigh. I have a bad feeling he’s going to want out. I never would have believed he ever would, but a sister and now his dad, even I would have to think twice if it were me.