Chapter 36 Ash
ASH
Three days after we wiped out the Savage Legion, I call church.
The compound is still being rebuilt. The garage is a skeleton of charred wood waiting to be torn down. The front gate is temporary chain-link until we can afford something better. Brothers work in shifts—some repairing damage, some on patrol, all of them exhausted.
But we’re alive. We won.
So why does it feel like I’m about to defend myself in front of a firing squad?
I know what they’re saying. Heard the whispers in the common room. The looks when I walk past.
Where was he during the attack?
President should’ve been there.
Titan and Jackal led the charge, not Ash.
They’re not wrong to question. In their eyes, I abandoned them at the crucial moment. Let other men lead the victory while I rode off to play hero somewhere else. They don’t understand. Can’t understand unless they’ve had to choose between duty and family.
But I’m about to make them understand.
Brothers file into the meeting room. Thirty of them plus Jackal’s fifteen. The table isn’t big enough so some stand against the walls.
Ghost sits to my right, still pale but healing. Titan takes my left. Jackal stands near the door with his arms crossed.
I bang the gavel. “Church is in session.”
The room settles. All eyes on me.
“First order of business,” I say. “The Savage Legion is gone. Marcus Stone is dead. Mona is dead. The war is over.”
A few brothers nod. Some look satisfied. Others just look tired.
“Second,” I continue. “I know there are questions about my leadership. About why I wasn’t at the attack. So let’s address it now. Anyone got something to say, say it.”
Silence for a moment. Then Connor—the kid who questioned me before—speaks up.
“You left,” he says. “Right after we got attacked. Took off while we were still counting bodies.”
“I did.”
“Why?”
“Because my wife needed me. Because Ghost was bleeding out and Bonnie was alone trying to save him.” I look around the table. “I made a choice. Family over being present for the counterattack.”
“But you’re the president,” someone else says. “You’re supposed to lead.”
“I am leading. I trusted Titan and Jackal to handle the offensive. And they did. Perfectly.” I lean forward. “Leadership isn’t about being everywhere at once. It’s about knowing when to delegate. When to trust your brothers to get the job done without you.”
“Easy to say when you weren’t there,” Connor mutters.
Before I can respond, a voice cuts through the room.
“He made the right call.”
Everyone turns.
Bonnie stands in the doorway. She shouldn’t be here—old ladies don’t attend church unless specifically invited.
But she walks in anyway. Head high. Shoulders back.
“Bonnie—” I start.
“No. They want to question your leadership? Fine. Let me tell them what leadership actually looks like.” She moves to stand beside me.
“Ash trusted Titan and Jackal to destroy the Savage Legion. And they did. Completely. Not a single member is left alive. That’s because Ash chose the right men for the job. ”
The brothers watch her. Some uncomfortable. Some curious.
“Ghost almost died protecting me,” she continues. “Got shot keeping me safe. And Ash made the choice to go save him instead of claiming a victory he didn’t need to be present for.”
“With all due respect—” Connor starts.
“I’m not done.” Bonnie’s voice sharpens. “You want a president who’s present for every fight? Who leads every charge? Fine. But what happens when that president dies in battle? When he’s too busy playing hero to actually run the club?”
She looks around the room, making eye contact with every brother.
“Ash made a strategic decision. He saved Ghost’s life.
He protected his family. And he trusted his brothers to win a war.
” She places her hand on her stomach. The small swell that’s visible now under her shirt.
“I’m proud to be married to a man who knows the difference between being present and being effective.
And I’m proud to be raising the future of this club—a club that will only grow stronger under his leadership. ”
Silence fills the room.
Then Barnes says, “She’s right.”
“Damn right she’s right,” Rodriguez adds.
One by one, brothers nod. The agreement is spreading like wildfire.
Connor shifts uncomfortably but doesn’t argue.
“Any other questions about my leadership?” I ask.
No one speaks.
“Good. Church adjourned.”
Brothers start filing out. Some clap me on the shoulder as they pass. Others nod in respect. But I’m not paying attention to them.
I’m looking at Bonnie.
She’s still standing there, hand on her stomach, looking fierce and beautiful and absolutely perfect.
I cross to her. Cup her face in my hands.
“I love you,” I say. Not caring who hears. “I’m madly in love with you.”
Her eyes go soft. “I love you too.”
I kiss her. Deep. Thorough. Claiming her in front of everyone still left in the room.
When I pull back, Ghost and Titan have moved to stand beside us. A united front.
“There’s something else,” I say to the remaining brothers. Maybe ten of them still lingering. “Something you all need to know.”
Bonnie looks at me. Questioning.
“We’re doing this,” I tell her quietly. “Now. No more hiding.”
She takes a breath. Nods.
I look at the brothers. At Jackal standing near the door watching this all unfold.
“Bonnie is my wife,” I say clearly. “But she’s also Ghost’s and Titan’s old lady. All three of us claim her. All three of us will raise this baby. That’s how it is. That’s how it’s going to be.”
The room goes dead silent.
Miller’s eyebrows shoot up. Barnes looks confused. Rodriguez just stares.
And Jackal—Jackal’s face has gone completely blank.
“We’re claiming her publicly,” Titan adds. “Making it official. Anyone got a problem with it, now’s the time to speak.”
No one speaks. They’re too shocked.
“She’s ours,” Ghost says quietly. “All of ours. The baby is ours. We’re raising it as a family.”
“That’s—” Barnes starts. Stops. “That’s not traditional.”
“Nothing about this situation is traditional,” I say. “But it works for us. And that’s all that matters.”
The brothers exchange glances. Uncertain. Uncomfortable. But not hostile.
“Congratulations,” Miller finally says. “I guess?”
A few others echo the sentiment. Awkward. Stilted. But acceptance nonetheless.
They file out slowly. Leaving just us four and Jackal.
Bonnie leans against me. Exhausted but relieved. “That went better than expected.”
“Yeah.”
Ghost and Titan flank us. Protective. Claiming their space.
Jackal hasn’t moved from his position by the door. Just stands there. Staring.
“You good?” Titan asks him.
Jackal doesn’t respond. Just walks out.
“That’s not good,” Bonnie mutters.
“Give him time,” I say. “He’ll come around.”
But even as I say it, I’m not sure I believe it.
An hour later, I’m in my office going over repair estimates when Titan appears in the doorway.
“We got a problem,” he says.
“What kind of problem?”
“The Jackal kind. He wants to see all three of us. Now. Behind the garage.”
“Shit.”
“Yeah.”
Ghost appears behind Titan. “Heard. Let’s go.”
We head outside. The sun is setting, casting long shadows across the compound. The burned-out garage looms ahead.
Jackal stands behind it. Alone. Waiting.
And he’s holding a baseball bat.
“Fuck,” Titan mutters.
We approach slowly. Carefully.
Jackal watches us come. His face is stone. Cold. Furious.
“Jackal—” I start.
“Shut up.” His voice is deadly quiet. “You’re going to stand there and listen.”
We stop a few feet away. Give him space.
“My sister,” Jackal says. Each word clipped. Precise. “My nineteen-year-old sister. Is fucking all three of you.”
No one responds.
“And you—” He points the bat at me. “You married her. Made it legal. Then decided to share her with your brothers like she’s a toy you pass around.”
“It’s not like that,” I say.
“Then what’s it like?” The bat swings. Doesn’t hit anything. Just cuts through the air. “Explain to me how you married my sister and then let two other men put their hands on her.”
“She wanted—” Ghost starts.
“I don’t give a fuck what she wanted!” Jackal’s voice rises. “She’s nineteen! She doesn’t know what she wants! She just escaped being sold to a psychopath, and you three took advantage—”
“We didn’t take advantage of anyone,” Titan cuts in. “It happened. We didn’t plan it. But we all love her.”
“Love her.” Jackal laughs. No humor in it. “You love her so much you’re all fucking her? That’s your definition of love?”
“Yes,” I say simply.
Jackal stares at me. “You’re serious.”
“Dead serious. We all love her. We’re all raising this baby. That’s how it is.”
“And she’s okay with this? Really okay with it?”
“Ask her yourself.”
“I will.” The bat taps against his leg. “But first, I’m going to make something very clear to all three of you.”
He steps closer. We don’t back down.
“If you hurt her—any of you—I will kill you. I don’t care that you’re the president. Don’t care that you’re my brothers. You hurt Bonnie, you die. Understand?”
“Understood,” I say.
“Ghost? Titan?”
“Yeah,” Ghost says.
“Crystal clear,” Titan adds.
“Good.” Jackal drops the bat. Lets it clatter on the ground. “Now get the fuck out of my sight. All of you. Before I change my mind about using this.”
We turn and walk away. Don’t look back.
When we’re out of earshot, Titan says, “That went better than expected.”
“He threatened to kill us,” Ghost points out.
“Yeah, but he didn’t actually use the bat.”
Jackal will come around eventually. He has to. Because this arrangement—me, Ghost, Titan, and Bonnie—isn’t changing.
This is our family now.
And family is worth fighting for.