Chapter 11 Carver
I take my seat at the table and wait for Dante to begin Church. Almost everyone is here, except for Smoke, who is in Chicago helping out Chrome and Bush. Grimm is whispering something to Dante, who looks grave. His only response was a quick nod before he slammed the gavel down to quiet the room.
“A couple of items before we get to the financials,” Dante says. “As you know, Smoke is in Chicago helping out Chrome and his men. Six members of an Australian club have arrived in town and are causing trouble for the club, specifically Bush. Puma sent a few members of his club to help, too.”
“Do you need more volunteers?” Babe asks. “I could go back there, if you want.”
“No, Chrome’s certain they can contain the assholes.
There are only six of them. However, that’s not his biggest problem.
Their VP, Scorch, is under house arrest. You know they had trouble with a prospect and a member turning traitor.
Scorch is part of the problem, even though he didn’t work against the club.
However, Scorch has made it clear he isn’t happy with the direction the Demon Dawgs have taken.
In short, he thinks the women are taking over, and he doesn’t like it.
He doesn’t think women belong in the clubhouse, unless they’re Kutte Bunnies. ”
There are a few mumblings, but nothing that communicates how the men feel about Dante’s statement. However, since most of the men around the table now have an Old Lady, I can guess that they aren’t in agreement with Scorch.
“He not only doesn’t like the Old Ladies in the clubhouse, but he’s angry about Chill and Viper being patched members.
Puma sent Chill and Viper to Chicago for two reasons.
One is because they’re better able to protect Bush’s woman, Zara.
Zara is a fashion designer who is in Chicago for Fashion Week.
Viper is standing in as a model. I sent Izzy to assist Smoke, and she is acting as the makeup artist. Chrome asked specifically for their help to prove to his club that women belong.
But I’m going to use this opportunity to get your input.
Does anyone have a problem with the Old Ladies being in the clubhouse? ”
Even though no one responds, Dante scans the faces of every member.
He nods before continuing. “Now, the next topic. Women as patched members. I’ll be honest, when Puma told me he asked Chill to prospect, I had my doubts.
I didn’t think it was a good idea. However, I had no intention of telling Puma how to build his club.
He was dealing with the same bullshit I was dealing with, cleaning out the human trafficking assholes.
I’ll admit, I wasn’t sure Chill or Viper would be a good fit, but I’ve changed my tune.
They’ve been invaluable in certain situations, and they’ve never been a liability, which is why I agreed to let Izzy prospect.
We all voted on accepting her as a prospect, but I know many, myself included, weren’t convinced she’d last or make the cut.
We aren’t ready to patch her in; she still has some proving to do, but I want to know if anyone has changed their mind about her prospecting or the possibility of her joining the club as a patched member? ”
The room remains silent, but the silence is heavier than before. It’s as if we’re all waiting for someone else to speak first. Only, no one wants to be the misogynistic asshole.
“I don’t like it,” Grimm speaks up. “I’m older than the rest of you.
I remember what the club was like before the Old Ladies hung around.
Except for Angela, none of the Old Ladies hung around much.
It was always just the Kutte Bunnies. I wasn’t complaining because that was a perk as far as I was concerned.
Most of us now have Old Ladies, and I know we like having them around.
I, for one, can’t wait until we see kids running around, too.
I always thought the club would be better for it, and I think it will be.
I’m not sure about what it will be like having a woman in here. ”
The room remains silent for several seconds before Reaper breaks it.
“Maybe it’s because we’re younger, or maybe it’s because Puma is my uncle, but I know Chill and Viper are well respected in their clubhouse.
They carry their weight and then some. I wouldn’t have a problem with Izzy getting a patch, once she’s earned it.
” Ghost and Flame, who are sitting on either side of him, nod in agreement.
Their comment gets the others talking.
“Having Old Ladies take over the clubhouse is one thing,” Penny says.
“I was pissed off when we had to start taking our fun behind closed doors, but I’m willing to put up with it because I like having the Old Ladies around.
Plus, I like what Puma has in Vegas. The thought of having kids running around makes me willing to keep my pants zipped in the common room.
But having a woman in here? I’m not sure. ”
“I don’t have a problem with it, but only if it’s the right woman.
Hell, that goes for anyone getting the patch.
They have to be a good fit,” Babe chimes in.
“Izzy did a hell of a job torturing Kingsley’s ‘friend’ to get information.
She reminded me of Chill. I’m not fond of torturing women.
I’ll do it if we need the information, but having a woman here who can do it instead doesn’t piss me off. ”
“Women in the life complicate things,” Feral says. “You get feelings involved. Smoke doesn’t want Izzy patched in. He reluctantly agreed to letting her prospect, but he figured she’d drop out on her own. Are we considering patching her in against a brother’s wish? That doesn’t seem right.”
“What if I told you that Smoke is the one who called me and suggested I have this discussion with you about Izzy’s chances?
” Dante says after everyone has had their say.
“He wasn’t thrilled with the idea when Izzy volunteered, but he’s realized the advantages of having female members.
He’s not ready to hand her a member’s kutte yet, but he’s come around to accepting that she deserves fair consideration.
Does anyone else want to add to the discussion?
I want you to leave here and think about the reality of having her sitting at this table.
This isn’t something we can take back once we make the decision.
Now, let’s get back to the fun stuff. Penny, how does the money look? ”
Penny gives us a breakdown of our finances.
We’re solid there. The incident that brought Tally and Caitlin into our lives set off a cascade of events that led us to shift our efforts towards legitimate businesses.
We always did well with our strip clubs and bars, especially Lucifer’s Den, which is a members-only bar.
We used to deal in prescription drugs; our location near the border of Mexico and access to underground tunnels at Ranch’s place made it an easy and lucrative option.
However, Dante shut that down when he hooked up with Tally.
He loves her, and he would never put her career in jeopardy just to make money, especially since we have so many other options.
Reaper, Flame, and Ghost have all added legitimate earnings.
My construction company continues to grow and add to the coffers.
Or at least it did until the thefts started adding up.
“I have a problem,” I speak up after Penny finishes reviewing the financials.
“We have a small gang of thieves who are stealing from our work sites. Maestro caught them on the security cameras, but he couldn’t make out their faces.
We think they might be kids or women. They’re wearing hoodies so we can’t see their faces.
I want to set up a nighttime watch, with four men per site.
We have the prospects, but I was hoping I could get some volunteers.
” Reaper, Ghost, and Flame’s hands immediately shoot up.
They’re our newest patched members, but they’re still gung-ho.
“I’ll take a shift, too. That should do it. ”
“Let me know if you need more coverage,” Dante says. “We need to find whoever is stealing from us and stop them.”
After Church, I grab the prospects and give them their locations for the night, pairing them with patched brothers. We set off for each location so they’ll know what to expect. My last stop is the mini mall where Flame, Cole, Axel, and I will stand guard.
I pull onto the site and cut the engine, dust kicking up around my tires as the bike settles. Before I can dismount, Jackson walks over to me. He looks like he’s been waiting for me. I growl as I swing my leg over. What the fuck happened now?
“Got something you’re gonna want to hear,” I say before he can start.
Jackson straightens. “Yeah? Same goes.”
“Maestro pulled footage from the cameras. Got eyes on the thieves.”
His brow lifts. “And?”
“They’re small,” I say, shaking my head. “Not just short—thin, too. Couldn’t see faces, but… they look like kids. Maybe teenagers. Hell, could even be girls.”
Jackson lets out a low chuckle, but there’s no humor in it. “That tracks.”
I frown. “Yeah?”
He pushes off the truck and steps closer. “Saw something yesterday when I went to Kobey’s. I was looking around for a deal on tools and found two teenagers selling just what I needed.”
I stare at him. “You’re kidding.”
“Nope. They had our shit. I didn’t say anything to them, thought you would want to see for yourself.”
A slow grin tugs at my mouth. “You figured right.”