Disciplinary Action
Creed
Addie was plain tuckered out. After boating, we called the community center and ordered dinner. Addie fell asleep while eating her chicken tenders and fries. Morgan did ask that she woke up for a bath after being in the lake, then she fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. That meant I missed story time, and I was a bit bummed, but that didn’t last long because I realized it was more playtime for me and Morgan.
First, I fucked her hard on the pool table downstairs, then made love to her in our bed. Yes, it was our bed. I took the time she spent bathing Addie to move her out of her room and into mine. I took everything from her dresser and made room in mine for those things, moved the vanity with all her makeup and shit to sit by my window, then cleared her bathroom of all the creams and lotions and put them in my bathroom. I was all in and ready to claim her as my old lady the next day to all the men. We might not have been a normal MC, but we were still an MC. There was still a certain etiquette to such things.
The men from the lake showed up at my office at exactly 0930. They looked like they were shitting themselves as I stood in front of them. I had them standing at attention as Magnus and Axton stood to the side with their arms crossed, while Bolton stood behind me. They knew the severity of the men’s actions.
“I am sick and tired of playing babysitter. All three of you are grown adults.” I thought of McLaughlin in that moment. “Stupidity just took the life of one of our prospects. I expect a certain behavior from all my operatives, and it is not what I witnessed yesterday.” I stopped and put my hands on my hips. “Who do you think we are? The Rejects?”
“No, sir!”
“Morgan and Addie were brought here for our protection. How do you think all that cat calling and all those inappropriate words made them feel?” I waited for their answer.
“Bad, sir!”
“Unsafe and disrespected.” I paced again. “Your behavior here reflects the way I imagine you act outside of these gates. Cold Springs trust in us is vital to our success. We have broken that trust. There is a young woman brain dead because of one of our prospects. The last thing we need is disrespectful twats running around this county and making it worse. You should all be ashamed of yourselves.” I stopped again and looked at each one of them. “Little boys don’t get big boys jobs. Are you children?”
“No sir!”
“Then act like men!” My voice probably bellowed through the door and into command central.
“Yes Sir!”
“I don’t have the time or patience for pansy ass little shits that can’t talk or treat women with respect. We also cannot afford anymore incidents of irresponsibility, disrespect, or shame inside or outside these gates. Lockdown will be over soon for the rest of us, but not for you. Early this morning, the Originals and I decided to provide some much needed training to anyone who demonstrates any kind of shameful behavior. All three of you will be attending our very first sensitivity and responsibility courses. You will not be permitted to leave Creed’s Lake until this course is completed. You will be the only three full members and will attend alongside all the prospects. You’re all grounded from any missions, and you will all be on probation. You have lost your privileges to Club X, and if I even hear a whisper accusing any of you of disrespecting any women in this community you’re out. There will be no more chances. I warned all of you not to fuck with Morgan Rossi and you did it anyway. We have a brother that’s dead, and that did not happen on a mission. We have lost men honorably, but we have never lost men to drinking and fucking riding their goddamn bike! I am going to be coming down very hard on anyone that ignores our rules or disregards direct orders. Do you understand?”
“Yes sir!”
“You’re free to go, just see Bolton for more information about her new training course.”
I looked at Axton and Bolton and they seemed as serious about it as me. Yeah, I was fucking pissed how they treated my girl, but this wasn’t just about that incident. It was about McLaughlin and Fox as well. Darren was right, and I couldn’t afford to lose the trust of Cold Springs. Hell, not even Cold Springs, but society as a whole. I needed my operatives in tip top shape before I left for my deployment.
“Are they ready for us?” I asked Axton.
He gave me a nod.
“Alright, lets get the show on the road.” I walked out of my office, and they followed. A large meeting was a monthly occurrence. All the operatives would attend at one of the two different times. One in the morning and one in the late afternoon. We couldn’t exactly shut down the entire community to accommodate the different shifts. There would only be full member operatives in attendance.
Chairs and tables were set up in the banquet hall and breakfast was served. I could hear all of them as I approached the room, but as soon as I entered it got so quiet you could hear a pin drop. I made my way up to the stage and looked at all of them. “First, I’d like to ask Chaplain Lynch to say a prayer for Levi McLaughlin and Katie Hildebrand.”
I stepped aside and he approached the podium. The Originals and I stood aside and bowed our heads as he led the prayer. When he was done he looked at me and nodded before I stepped back over to the podium.
“As you all know, we lost McLaughlin. Chaplain Lynch will lead a memorial service for him here on Sunday morning after services for anyone that would like to attend.” I looked around at each one of the operatives that truly did mean a lot to me. They all helped build Creed’s Lake, and I only had their best interests at heart.
“There will be a separate meeting this afternoon at 1300 hours that is mandatory for all prospects. If you had them scheduled for anything at that time, they will not be there. It is mandatory they all attend.”
I shut my eyes as I felt one of my flashbacks beginning. I counted slowly and reminded myself to stay in the present. I opened my eyes and took a deep breath then released it.
“We need to cover a few things while we are here today. I’m sure you can imagine one of the topics is the loss of two full members of our security team and two prospects. We cannot afford to employ anyone that puts this community at risk. We are on lockdown to protect an innocent woman and child. This was ignored when two members of our security team allowed two prospects to exit the gate without clearance. That one decision had a direct result in the death of one young man and the brain death of a twenty two year old girl. We received word this morning that Katie Hildebrand will be given her honor walk as an organ donor at 1500 hours. At this time, Creed's Lake will ring the community bell twenty two times in honor of her donation. A moment of silence will follow.” I could see and feel the sadness of the room.
“Early this morning, I met with the Originals and informed them of a few things that are happening with me.” I paused because I didn’t want to say the words. “I have been called back up by the United States Armed Forces, under the executive order of the President of the United States. My final deployment will begin on July 10 th .” I saw the shock on everyone’s faces. “During this time, Axton will stand in my place with the assistance of Irons as second in charge. Jennings has been promoted to my assistant, and will also assist Axton during my deployment. He has been assigned to Company A, and will replace me on those missions. That is permanent. After my deployment I will no longer take missions.” I heard more whispers and saw more surprised faces. “Jennings is now to be respected as an Original. As far as Creed’s Lake Motorsports, Irons will now be running that business and traveling more often. I will still own my portion of the bike shop but will not run it any longer. I am still the President and Owner of Creed’s Lake and its subsidiaries, just with a little less responsibility. It’s time I focus on my personal life, which includes a status change. As I stand here in front of you, I officially claim Morgan Rossi as mine. While I am on mission, she is to be respected as the life partner of your President. She will be a productive member of this Community and details of that will come soon.” I paused in relief that announcement was over. “We have a few issues to iron out. With that being said, more trainings will be announced in the near future. After the death of McLaughlin, I would like to remind all of you that we have services available. If you’re struggling with your past trauma, experiencing negative thoughts, thoughts of self harm, or notice yourself drinking more or suddenly experimenting with drugs, there are programs we have set up and are easily accessible to all of you. Please remember that your actions effect all of us. We are brothers and sisters, family if you will, and we are here to support each other. Our doors are always open, and I implore you to lean on us. I hope to never see any of you in the situation McLaughlin was in before his death. He was facing not just paralysis, but vehicular homicide charges. There are things we can fix before it’s too late if you just talk to one of us.”
I looked at Bolton then back at the crowd. “Thank you all for your understanding and Bolton will take it from here.”
I just relieved myself of about half my job as I walked out of that banquet room. I went straight outside to call Morgan. I needed to hear her voice. I loved the way she answered her phone, and it sounded like she was laughing at something. She said she and Addie were playing pretend and having a tea party, but Addie refused to be the princess. She made Morgan the princess and Addie was the warrior queen that just defeated the evil gang of bunny rabbits, otherwise known as her stuffed animals. Morgan said Addie shouted out orders and was a really good actress. I swear if I didn’t know better that girl could have been our own biological kid.
I walked over and sat on a bench and leaned my elbows on my knees. I couldn’t believe I just did it. It had to be done. I made the request that Morgan never let another man touch her, and she knew that included movies. It would have been unfair of me if I also didn’t make some sacrifices. My choice of no more missions after deployment was at Morgan’s request, and I knew better than to try and say no to that woman. I understood and if my life was changing in the way I hoped, I didn’t want any more missions.
I couldn’t believe I started having a flashback. That hadn’t happened since my last deployment. I pulled out my phone and sent a text that asked Bolton to meet me in my office when she was done. I sat on that bench as a man that was going through changes. It was time to start a new phase of my life. A phase I never thought I’d see, because unlike what Axton said at the hospital, I never envied Granger. I was perfectly content living out my life as I was, but then I met Morgan. That was when a side of me appeared that I never knew existed. I met a woman that I’d move mountains to keep happy and safe.
The day on the boat confirmed it for me. I was capable of feeling nothing but pure happiness. It was like Morgan and Addie could complete me someday. I never felt the way I did on that boat, not even as a kid. My father was a great man, but he had certain expectations. He may not have challenged me physically like sports and the military did, but he challenged me intellectually. It was constant education, and I was permitted a hobby in sports. I was damn good at it, even though I was also intellectually superior to many of my classmates. He forgot one thing when he was raising me, and I know now it’s what I didn’t envy about Granger’s life. My dad forgot affection. It was something I didn’t know I was missing until Morgan and Addie. Hell, I didn’t want it until they came into my life, but I found myself constantly wanting them in my arms. I couldn’t express how I felt about them through words too well, but I hoped my arms said what I needed to say. Holding them was already what I looked forward to every morning when I woke up and every night when I came home from work.
I met with Bolton before my meeting with the prospects. She contributed my near flashback to the changes I was making. It was my fears coming to the surface and I was to meet with her weekly until my deployment.
Lunch was served to the prospects as I reamed all their asses. I demanded that if any of them couldn’t live by our rules and abide by orders, they needed to get up and leave Creed’s Lake to never return. I was sure they weren’t happy about the new training course, but it was necessary.
After that I met with every single one of our security team and reamed their asses as well. It was a day of bitching and making demands, although all I really wanted was to go home to my girls.