Chapter 3
Chapter three
Pretty Boy
A heart attack, the doctor said.
Our tough-as-nails President had a heart attack.
It sounded like some absurd joke, but no one was laughing.
This couldn’t be possible. Not our President.
Not our redneck, country-born Hillbilly, who drank like a fish, smoked like a pipe, and had the appetite of a horse when it came to his favorite fried chicken and waffles.
This man was supposed to go down fighting. Guns blazing. A fearless leader right to the end.
Not like this. Laid up in the hospital because of some stupid clot in his artery that almost stopped his heart.
“I don’t give a damn about doctor’s orders,” Hillbilly groused. “I want to sleep in my own bed, in my own house.”
Lila plumped his pillows, shaking her head.
“You have to stay overnight for observation. And you need the rest anyway. No strenuous activity and no drinking. The doctor wants you to make healthier choices in your diet, too.”
Hillbilly scowled.
“I’m a fighter, Lila. I can’t live on fucking lettuce.”
She patted his shoulder.
“You clearly can’t live on your current diet, either.”
I bit the inside of my cheek to smother my laughter, watching father and daughter bicker lightly.
Since Lila was the only blood relative, she had been allowed to visit Hillbilly.
Then he asked to see me, so I slipped off to his room, even though it was against hospital policy.
I hadn’t announced my arrival yet though.
Hillbilly finally spotted me standing in the doorway.
“Pretty Boy, help me out here.”
Lila’s dark eyes flicked to me. She pressed her lips together and glanced away. Whoever she’d been talking to on that phone call earlier had clearly upset her. She was subdued in a way that was distinctly not the Lila I knew.
“Sorry, Prez,” I said. “I can’t argue with the doctor. You gave us all a bad scare.”
Hillbilly grumbled under his breath, accepting the fact that he was outnumbered. Despite his blustering, something was missing though. He looked…older. Like that heart attack had aged him and stolen years off his life, putting him closer to his eighties instead of just past seventy.
“I’ll be back on my feet in no time,” Hillbilly objected. “So, everyone can just stop fussing over me like a mother hen.”
Lila kissed the top of his head and perched on the edge of his hospital bed.
“That’s not going to happen any time soon. If you thought I was a pain in your ass before, I’m going to be your worst goddamn nightmare now.”
Hillbilly heaved a sigh, tilting his head to look at her with fond exasperation.
“That’s exactly why I wanted to see Pretty Boy.”
She frowned. Hillbilly gestured me into the room.
“As much as I hate to admit it, I’m going to be out of commission for a while,” he said. “Normally, Ironside would take over as my second in command until I got back. But I’m appointing you as my stand-in, Pretty Boy.”
My eyebrows shot up.
“Me? But I’m just the Treasurer. That…that’s a huge leap, Prez.”
“I know it’s a big ask, but I think you’re ready and I’m confident you will rise to the occasion.”
To my surprise, Lila said absolutely nothing. She brushed at an invisible speck of dust or lint on Hillbilly’s sheets. But she didn’t utter a single word. She didn’t protest. She didn’t voice any doubts that I was fit for the job. No insults. No scathing name-calling.
There was just silence.
“Think of it as a trial run,” Hillbilly continued. “It won’t be for long—maybe two weeks at the most. So, technically, you’re not replacing me. And if you run into any issues, or have any questions, you can talk to me about it.”
Lila pursed her lips with disapproval.
“You’re supposed to keep stress to a minimum, Dad.”
“Sweetie, don’t hover,” he said, gentle, but with steel in his voice. “Your mother used to do that all the time, and you know how I hated it.”
Lila’s eyes flashed at the mention of her mom. I never met Marina, but I knew there was no love lost between them. And I knew Lila didn't appreciate any mention of resemblance to her mother.
“All right,” Lila said in a tight voice, pushing off the bed. “I’ll get out of your hair and leave you boys to discuss club business. I wouldn’t want to annoy you with my hovering.”
Lifting her chin, she stalked out of the room. I glanced at Hillbilly.
“You’re going to pay for that comment.”
He brushed me off.
“I learned a long time ago that letting Lila hold a grudge makes her feel better. Gets it out of her system. Eventually, she comes around and forgives me in the end.”
“She might forgive you,” I said. “But she never forgives me. For anything. I would appreciate it if I did not get caught in the crossfire here.”
“I’m putting you in the trenches, so you’re likely going to take a few hits,” Hillbilly gestured to the room at large.
“This was one hell of a wake-up call, Pretty Boy. When I’m gone, Lila doesn’t have anyone else.
No husband, no boyfriend—not a steady one at any rate.
No siblings, no cousins. She’s not exactly on good terms with her mother.
They’re too much alike, and they fight like cats and dogs. ”
“But the doctor said you’re going to be fine, Prez.”
“For now,” Hillbilly said. “One day, I won’t be. That’s why I need you to start looking after my little girl now.”
I blew out a breath and grimaced, scrubbing the back of my neck.
“No offense, boss, but Lila would hate that.”
Hillbilly sighed and adjusted his position against the pillows.
“Look, I gave everything I had to this club. I dedicated my life to it. And as a result, the club became Lila’s world as well.
But when I’m…out of the picture…she won’t be the President’s daughter anymore.
Things will change, and I won’t be around to help her through it.
I know you can handle her. You keep each other sharp. ”
“Yeah, well, that’s because I make it a habit to avoid being in the same room with Lila when there are kitchen knives present,” I pointed out. “She can get stabby.”
Hillbilly chuckled, folding his hands across his stomach.
“Bless your heart, kid. I’ve seen you square off with men twice Lila's size without batting an eye. Are you afraid of my daughter?”
I shook my head and took Lila’s empty seat, bracing my forearms on my knees.
“Come on, Prez. We both know Ironside would be a better option here. He’s twenty years older than me. He’s been VP for almost as long as I’ve been a member of the club. No one would question his leadership. And Lila looks up to him.”
Hillbilly said nothing for several long seconds. His silence forced the weight of my words to linger in the air, making me realize that it sounded like I was attempting to shirk the responsibility my President was placing on my shoulders.
I should have considered it an honor to be entrusted with the well-being of his daughter and his club, especially when I didn’t deserve it.
If he really knew the thoughts I had about Lila, he would gut me like a fish.
It was just a trial run, I reasoned. A week or two as acting President wouldn’t kill me. But I wondered how my club brothers would take it. This wasn’t usually how we did things. We took a vote. We made an agreement. Or we followed the chain of command, which fell to Ironside. Not me.
As the Treasurer, my name would usually be nowhere near the nomination for President. The only exception to that rule would be if I had proven myself to be worthy of the leadership role, gaining the faith of my brothers to rally behind me and follow my command.
Instead, I was hotheaded, impulsive, and a sarcastic little shit.
I had no business doing this.
But I’d already voiced enough of my misgivings. Hillbilly didn’t need me doubting myself right now.
I needed to tread lightly, and not just with Lila. If I waltzed out of here and announced that I was acting President while Hillbilly was recuperating after his heart attack, it might look like I was poaching his position in the hour of the old man’s illness.
I could tell by the way that Hillbilly was looking at me, I had to figure it out on my own.
“You’re really putting me through trial by fire here, boss.”
Hillbilly chuckled.
“That’s the only way I’ve ever managed to get a damn thing through that thick skull of yours.”
When I left Hillbilly to rest and returned to the waiting room, I spotted Lila, talking with Shea. Her arms were folded as she shifted in place, and she looked practically dead on her feet. This health scare with her dad really wiped her out.
Then her gaze flicked to me and I caught a glimpse of that familiar fire in her eyes again. She wasn’t too tired to hate my guts at least. That was a good sign.
“All right, folks,” I said. “Hillbilly needs his beauty sleep, so it’s time to pack up and go home.”
Ironside spoke up, standing near the door, watching over everyone.
“Did Prez name anyone to be head honcho in his place until he gets back on his feet?”
I stifled a sigh, searching the expectant faces awaiting my answer.
I always thought it would be one hell of an adrenaline rush to become President one day, to be the leader that everyone admired and respected.
At thirty-two years old, I thought I had plenty of time to prepare myself for wearing the President's patch when I was closer to Ironside or Hillbilly's age.
But now that I was standing in Hillbilly’s shoes, I just found it hard to breathe with the weight of so much responsibility. I couldn’t be carefree Pretty Boy anymore. I needed to have my shit together.
Instead, I felt like I was flying by the seat of my pants, and doing a piss-poor job of it, too.
“Yeah. He chose me.”
A beat of silence lingered in the air. Lila’s nostrils flared and she turned her head away.
Hades huffed with dry amusement. His ex-wife, Jenny, was seated next to him, with her arm looped through his elbow, and their little boy curled up in her lap. Their daughter dozed against Hades’s shoulder.
“That completely fucks up the chain of command,” he said. “Ironside is next in line, not you, kid.”
“I know,” I replied. “I said the same thing, but the boss insisted this is the way he wanted to play it.”
“Look,” Bruiser said. “Everyone knows you’re Prez’s favorite and he’s been grooming you for this moment for years but—”
“Hillbilly’s word is final,” Ironside cut in. “He has his reasons. And he doesn’t need us bitching and squabbling at each other about it.”
Bruiser clamped his mouth shut. I lifted my chin in Ironside’s direction, acknowledging his support.
Lila was steaming though. She poked her tongue in her cheek, and it looked like she was fighting the urge to tell me exactly what she thought of this development.
While everyone filed out of the waiting room, I remained on standby, making sure they made it to their cars or bikes. Ironside rolled up next to me on his bike and gestured to Lila as she climbed into her BMW.
“Something is off with Lila,” he said, shouting to be heard over the engine of his motorcycle.
“Her father just had a heart attack that put him in the ER. She has every right to be a little off at the moment.”
Ironside shook his head.
“Not like that. She got a phone call, then ran outside like her tail was on fire. I didn’t hear much, but it was enough to tell she’s probably in some kind of trouble.”
I frowned with a knot of concern twisting in my stomach.
Ironside had this uncanny ability to read people.
It was damn near impossible to bullshit him or pull the wool over his eyes, because he saw right through it in a heartbeat.
If he thought Lila was in trouble, he wouldn't be stirring up drama or crying wolf. He wouldn’t raise the alarm until he was sure that something was amiss.
“Ex-boyfriend maybe?” I offered. “She has plenty of those.”
“I didn’t ask.” Ironside shrugged. “Since you’re acting President, that falls under your job description, not mine.”
I groaned.
“Come on, man. Throw me a bone here.”
He chuckled and gunned the engine of his bike.
“Good luck, brother. You’re gonna need it.”